Method and system for personalized medical monitoring and notifications therefor

• US 8,753,273 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Thomas, C. Douglass, Lau, Chung
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US13/047,737
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 128903-905, 128/920, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 705 2- 5
• US Class Current: 600/300
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 : relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 : Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

Improved methods and systems for personal medical monitoring are disclosed. The monitoring yields status information pertaining to persons being monitored. Notifications, recommendations and/or actions can be initiated by examination or analysis of the status information. The status information can include health, position (location) and other information.

Claims

1. A health monitoring system configured to support a plurality of electronic monitoring devices configured to be affixed to persons to be monitored, said health monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring server operatively connected to said electronic monitoring devices via a network, said monitoring server being configured to receive and store health condition information from said electronic monitoring devices,

wherein said monitoring server includes at least one processor suitable for execution of computer program code,

wherein, for at least one of said electronic monitoring devices, said monitoring server executes computer program code configured to;

acquire health condition information of a person being monitored via the corresponding electronic monitoring device;

determine an activity associated with the person, the activity being a physical activity that the person has chosen to engage in;

determine at least one health threshold condition based on the determined activity associated with the person, the at least one health threshold condition is able to be varied depending on the determined activity associated with the person;

determine whether an action condition exists by comparing the acquired health condition information with at least the at least one health threshold condition; and

initiate an action when it is determined that the action condition exists.

2. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein said monitoring server supports a web interface to configure the action to be initiated.

3. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 2, wherein the action includes an electronic mail notification sent to at least one recipient.

4. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one of said electronic monitoring devices is a status-aware mobile device that is adapted to be affixed to the person, and wherein the health condition information of the person being monitored is acquired via the status-aware mobile device.

5. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the monitoring server is configured to store a plurality of health threshold conditions respectively corresponding to a plurality of persons or the electronic monitoring devices for the persons.

6. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one of said electronic monitoring devices comprises:

a wireless communication component configured to communicate via the network;

a GPS component configured to acquire location information corresponding thereto; and

at least one medical sensor configured to acquire the health condition information of the person corresponding thereto.

7. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said electronic monitoring devices each comprises:

a wireless communication component configured to communicate via the network;

a GPS component configured to acquire location information corresponding thereto; and

at least one medical sensor configured to acquire the health condition information pertaining to the person corresponding thereto.

8. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer program code configured to initiate the action comprises computer program code configured to determine whether one or more notifications are to be sent to at least one recipient based on the associated health condition information.

9. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one recipient is enabled through a web interface to configure when and/or how the one or more notification are to be sent.

10. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one recipient is one of the persons or an interested party.

11. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more notifications are electronic mail messages.

12. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 9, wherein a plurality of said medical monitoring devices each comprises:

a wireless communication component configured to communicate over the first network;

a GPS component configured to acquire the location information corresponding thereto; and

at least one medical sensor configured to acquire the health condition information pertaining to the person corresponding thereto.

13. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 12, wherein said wireless communication component, said GPS component and said at least one medical sensor are integrated into a single package.

14. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 12,

wherein said wireless communication component is provided in a first package,

wherein said GPS device and said at least one medical sensor are provided in a second package, and

wherein the second package is configured to communicate with said wireless communication component through a wireless local network, and said wireless communication component is configured to communicate with said monitoring server over the first network.

15. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless local network is selected from the group consisting of a Bluetooth network and a Wi-Fi network.

16. A health monitoring system as recited in claim 12,

wherein said wireless communication component is provided in a first package,

wherein the at least one medical sensor is provided in a second package, and

wherein the second package is configured to communicate with said wireless communication device through a wireless local network, and said wireless communication device is configured to communicate with said monitoring server over the first network.