Bed with a networked alarm

• US 7,568,246 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Butterbrodt, Jay, Dlugos, Daniel F. Jr., Palermo, Philip, Weismiller, Matthew W., Kummer, Joseph A., Wilson, Brad, Schulte, Stephen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trettel; Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/804,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 542/4, 177/144
• US Class Current: 5/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/56 Calf
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/20 Displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/32 for force
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/74 for anti-shear when adjusting furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/50 for radiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/14 Standing-up or sitting-down aids
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/00 Beds specially adapted for nursing; Devices for lifting patients or disabled persons stretchers with facilities for picking up patients or disabled persons A61G1/003
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/002 having adjustable mattress frame
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/005 tiltable around transverse horizontal axis, e.g. for Trendelenburg position rocking beds for physical therapy A61H1/003; hanging patient inclined downwardly for drawing him out A61H2203/0493
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/008 tiltable around longitudinal axis, e.g. for rolling
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05 Parts, details or accessories of beds devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 ; mattresses A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0506 Head or foot boards head or foot boards for comfort or ergonomics A47C19/022
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0507 Side-rails
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0509 sliding or pivoting downwards
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0514 mounted to individual mattress supporting frame sections
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0524 characterised by integrated accessories, e.g. bed control means, nurse call or reading lights
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0528 : Steering or braking devices for castor wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/053 : Aids for getting into, or out of, bed, e.g. steps, chairs, cane-like supports
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05769 : with inflatable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 : with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/16 : converting a lying surface into a chair
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A bed including a frame, a deck coupled to the frame and a communication network located on the bed has at least two modules connected to the network, at least one of those modules being able to provide an alarm message to the bed communication network.

Claims

1. A bed, comprising:

a frame;

a deck coupled to the frame;

a communication network located on the bed and having at least two modules connected thereto, at least one of the modules being capable of providing an alarm message to the communication network, the alarm message being selected from the group consisting of alarm messages related to patient bed exit, patient weight gain, patient weight loss, surface pressure loss and bed catastrophic failure, the catastrophic failure being detected by a diagnostic tool coupled directly to an accessory port module; and

a module having a local alarm, the local alarm being responsive to the alarm message provided to the communication network.

2. The bed of claim 1 wherein the at least one module is a scale instrument module.

3. The bed of claim 1 wherein the alarm message is responsive to a patient weight change exceeding or dropping below a preset level relative to an initial set point weight.

4. The bed of claim 1 wherein the module having the local alarm is a position sense module.

5. The bed of claim 1 wherein the catastrophic failure is detected by a remote diagnostic tool coupled to an accessory port module by a data link.

6. The bed of claim 1 wherein the alarm message is received at a location remote from the bed.

7. The bed of claim 6 wherein the remote location is reached by way of a telephone line.

8. The bed of claim 6 wherein the remote location is reached by way of a hospital information network.

9. The bed of claim 8 wherein a communication module interfaces between the communication network on the bed and the hospital communication network.

10. The bed of claim 6 wherein the remote location is reached by way of a nurse call network.

11. The bed of claim 10 wherein a communication module interfaces between the bed communication network and the nurse call network.

12. The bed of claim 6 wherein a communications module and a remote information interface convey the alarm message to the remote location.

13. The bed of claim 1 wherein the communication network is a peer to peer network.

14. The bed of claim 1 wherein the at least two modules can be interrogated by a diagnostic tool.

15. The bed of claim 14 wherein the diagnostic tool checks application dependent parameters, runs each of the modules through a test procedure, and fully accesses all network information.

16. A bed, comprising:

a frame;

a deck coupled to the frame;

a communication network located on the bed and having at least two modules connected thereto, at least one of the modules being a scale instrument module, at least one of the modules being capable of providing an alarm message to the communication network;

a load cell;

an analog to digital converter for converting an analog signal from the load cell to a digital signal;

a neuron controller for receiving the digital signal; and

a transceiver coupled to the controller and to the bed communication network for conveying the digital signals to the bed communication network.

17. The bed of claim 16 comprising a calibration/excitation relay for transmitting calibration data from the neuron controller to the analog to digital converter.