Telepresence robot with a printer

• US 20090055023A1
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Southard, Jonathan, Pinter, Marco, Jordan, Charles S., Walters, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A remote controlled robot system that includes a robot and a remote controlled station. The robot includes a camera and a printer coupled to a mobile platform. The remote control station may display one or more graphical user interfaces with data fields. The graphical user interfaces allow a user to enter information into the data fields. The information is then transmitted to the robot and printed by the robot printer. The information may include a medical prescription and the name of the patient. Providing a robot printer allows the user to directly provide a medical prescription while remotely observing and interacting with the patient.

Claims

1. A remote controlled robot, comprising:

a mobile platform;

a camera coupled to said mobile platform; and

,

a printer coupled to said mobile platform.

2. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a monitor coupled to said mobile platform.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein said monitor and said camera move together in at least two degrees of freedom.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein said printer is a thermal device.

5. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a medical prescription printed by said printer.

6. The robot of claim 1, further comprising a microphone and a speaker coupled to said mobile platform.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitor coupled to said mobile platform.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said monitor and said camera move together in at least two degrees of freedom.

7. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a robot that includes a mobile platform, a camera coupled to said mobile platform, and a printer coupled to said mobile platform; and

,

a remote control station that controls said robot and provides information to said robot that is printed by said printer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said remote control station includes one or more graphical user interfaces with a plurality of data fields.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein one of said data field includes a user password.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein one of said data fields is a prescription order field.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein one of said data fields includes a patient field.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said robot includes a monitor coupled to said mobile platform.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said monitor and said camera move together in at least two degrees of freedom.

14. The system of claim 7, further comprising a medical prescription printed by said printer.

15. The system of claim 7, further comprising a microphone and a speaker coupled to said mobile platform.

16. A method for remotely printing information with a remote controlled mobile robot that has a camera, comprising:

transmitting information from a remote control station to a mobile robot; and

,

printing the information from a robot printer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the remote control station displays one or more graphical user interfaces with a plurality of data fields.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a user enters a user password into one or more of the data fields.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a user enters a prescription order into one or more of the data fields and the prescription order is printed by the robot printer.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a user enters patient information into one or more of the data fields and the patient information is printed by the robot printer.

21. A robotic system, comprising:

a remote control station that generates output commands;

a mobile robot that receives said output commands, said mobile robot including;

a mobile platform;

a camera coupled to said mobile platform; and

,

an output device that is coupled to said mobile platform and that generates a tangible object from said output commands of said remote control station.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said output device is a printer.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein said tangible object is a medical prescription.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising a microphone and a speaker coupled to said mobile platform.

27. A method for remotely creating a tangible object, comprising:

generating one or more commands at a remote control station;

transmitting the commands from the remote control station to a mobile robot; and

,

generating by the mobile robot a tangible object from the commands.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the remote control station displays one or more graphical user interfaces with a plurality of data fields.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein a user enters a user password into one or more of the data fields.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein a user enters a prescription order into one or more of the data fields and the prescription order is printed by the mobile robot.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein a user enters patient information into one or more of the data fields and the patient information is printed by the mobile robot.