SYSTEM WIDE FIRMWARE UPDATES TO NETWORKED HOSPITAL BEDS

• US 20150082295A1
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Collins, Williams F. Jr., Allen, James M., Huster, Keith A., Riley, Carl W., Glidewell, Patricia A., Vanderpohl, Irvin J. III, Schuman, Richard J., Howell, Benjamin E., Wildman, Timothy D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A hospital bed is programmable with new firmware that is downloaded to the bed over a network. The firmware is downloaded to the bed automatically from a remote computer device. The remote computer device receives a message from the hospital bed which includes data regarding the version number of the bed'"'"'s current firmware, and if the version number indicates that the firmware is an outdated version, the remote computer device downloads a new version of the firmware to the bed.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A system for use in a healthcare facility having a network, the system comprising

a plurality of hospital beds coupled to the network, and

at least one computer device that is remote from each hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds and that is coupled to the network, wherein each of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to send a message to the remote computer device including data indicative of a version number of current firmware of the respective hospital bed, wherein the at least one remote computer device is configured to download a new version of firmware to each of the hospital beds of the plurality of hospital beds if the version number of current firmware of the respective hospital bed corresponds to at least one outdated firmware version.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one remote computer device is configured to download the new version of software automatically in response to the version number of current firmware corresponding to the at least one outdated firmware version.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of hospital beds include hospital beds of different types and the at least one remote computer devices stores current firmware versions of firmware for each type of hospital bed.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one computer device receives current versions of firmware for each type of hospital bed over the network from at least one bed manufacturer.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein each hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds includes flash memory into which the new version of firmware is programmed.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to send a firmware-downloaded message to the at least one remote computer device if the flash memory is successfully programmed with the new version of firmware.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein each hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to make more than one attempt to program the flash memory with the new version of firmware if a first attempt is not successful.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein each hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to send an error message to the at least one remote computer device if four attempts to program the flash memory with the new version of firmware is not successful.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to communicate wirelessly with the network of the healthcare facility.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to communicate with the network of the healthcare facility via a wired connection.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds includes an indicator to indicate that the hospital bed is successfully communicating over the network of the healthcare facility.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the indicator comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

33. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to transmit a location ID to the at least one remote computer device via the network of the healthcare facility.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the location ID is received by the bed from a unit mounted in a room of the healthcare facility.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the at least one hospital bed that is configured to transmit the location ID is also configured to transmit a bed ID to the at least one remote computer device via the network of the healthcare facility.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds is configured to transmit bed status data to the at least one remote computer device via the network of the healthcare facility.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the at least one remote computer device is configured to monitor the bed status data and to generate an alert message in response to an alert condition being indicated by the bed status data.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the at least one remote computer device is configured to receive input from a user regarding which pieces of data of the bed status data are to be monitored by the at least one remote computer device.

39. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one remote computer device is configured to receive input from a user regarding a reminder for operating a feature of at least one hospital bed of the plurality of hospital beds.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the reminder relates to a therapy feature of the at least one hospital bed.