Signal converting cradle for medical condition monitoring and management system

• US 8,502,682 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jennewine, R. Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US13/337,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120092168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• 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 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 31/00 Predictive alarm systems characterised by extrapolation or other computation using updated historic data

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus is disclosed which includes a receiver unit for receiving data and outputting a first alert signal based on the received data; and a docking unit comprising a converter unit which converts the first alert signal when the receiver unit is connected to the docking unit.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first medical data of a person and a second medical data of the person;

outputting, using an alarm system, a first alert signal corresponding to a first medical condition based on the first medical data, wherein the first alert signal comprises a first tone and a unique identifier associated with the person;

outputting, using the alarm system, a second alert signal corresponding to a second medical condition based on the second medical data, wherein the second alert signal comprises a second tone and the unique identifier associated with the person;

modifying, using one or more processors, stored alarm settings, a loudness of the first alert signal and the second alert signal, and a tone of the first alert signal and the second alert signal based on user input;

amplifying, using a docking unit, the first alert signal and the second alert signal when the alarm system is operatively coupled to the docking unit; and

outputting, using the docking unit, the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the received first or second medical data is data corresponding to an analyte level of the person.

3. The method of claim 2, including outputting the first alert signal if the analyte level of the person reaches a predetermined threshold level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a sound to be used as the second alert signal in a recording medium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first alert signal is output when the first medical data indicates a first glucose level and the second alert signal is output when the second medical data indicates a second glucose level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the loudness of the first tone of the first alert signal and the second tone of the second alert signal is less than the loudness of the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising outputting a modified first tone and a modified second tone, wherein the first tone and the modified first tone clash when outputted simultaneously, and wherein the second tone and the modified second tone clash when outputted simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising regulating a light source based on the first alert signal.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a level of an analyte of a person;

outputting, using an alarm system, a first alert signal if the analyte level reaches a first predetermined threshold, wherein the first alert signal comprises a first tone and a unique identifier associated with the person;

outputting, using the alarm system, a second alert signal if the analyte level reaches a second predetermined threshold, wherein the second alert signal comprises a second tone and the unique identifier associated with the person;

modifying, using one or more processors, stored alarm settings, a loudness of the first alert signal and the second alert signal, and a tone of the first alert signal and the second alert signal based on user input;

amplifying, using a docking unit, the first alert signal and the second alert signal when the alarm system is operatively coupled to the docking unit; and

outputting, using the docking unit, the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising recording a sound to be used as the second alert signal in a recording medium.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first predetermined threshold includes a hypoglycemic condition.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the loudness of the first tone of the first alert signal and the second tone of the second alert signal is less than the loudness of the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising outputting a modified first tone and a modified second tone, wherein the first tone and the modified first tone clash when outputted simultaneously, and wherein the second tone and the modified second tone clash when outputted simultaneously.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising regulating a light source based on the first alert signal.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving a level of an analyte of a person;

outputting, using an alarm system, a first alert signal if the analyte level reaches a first predetermined threshold, wherein the first alert signal comprises a first tone and a unique identifier associated with the person;

outputting, using the alarm system, a second alert signal if the analyte level reaches a second predetermined threshold, wherein the second alert signal comprises a second tone and the unique identifier associated with the person;

modifying, using one or more processors, stored alarm settings, a loudness of the first alert signal and the second alert signal, and the tone of the first alert signal and the second alert signal;

amplifying, using a docking unit, the first alert signal and the second alert signal when the alarm system is operatively coupled to the docking unit; and

outputting, using the docking unit, the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising recording a sound to be used as the second alert signal in a recording medium.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising regulating a light source based on the first alert signal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first predetermined threshold includes a hypoglycemic condition.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the loudness of the first tone of the first alert signal and the second tone of the second alert signal is less than the loudness of the amplified first tone of the first alert signal and the amplified second tone of the second alert signal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising outputting a modified first tone and a modified second tone, wherein the first tone and the modified first tone clash when outputted simultaneously, and wherein the second tone and the modified second tone clash when outputted simultaneously.