Case with embedded electronics to provide interface between glucose sensor and smartphone

• US 9,160,834 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Yarger, Michael, McCaffrey, Nathaniel, Weber, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US14/050,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20140106676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/39, 455/41.3, 455/500, 455/517, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/557, 455/575.6, 455/575.8, 340/539.24, 340/539.26, 604/503, 604/504, 600/345, 600/347
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile phone case with an embedded wireless interface for enabling communications between a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor and a mobile phone is described. The mobile phone case includes an autonomous battery and an autonomous alarm speaker for enabling communication with a CGM sensor in situations where the mobile phone is unavailable.

Claims

1. A mobile phone case with embedded electronics providing an interface between a glucose sensor and a mobile phone, the mobile phone case comprising:

an embedded controller including;

a first wireless interface for communicating with the glucose sensor; and

a second wireless interface for communicating with the mobile phone.

2. The mobile phone case of claim 1, further comprising an embedded battery that provides autonomous power to the embedded electronics embedded in the mobile phone case.

3. The mobile phone case of claim 1, further comprising an embedded speaker that generates audible alerts when the mobile phone is unavailable.

4. The mobile phone case of claim 2, further comprising a pass-through connector for simultaneously recharging the autonomous battery embedded in the mobile phone case while the mobile phone is being charged.

5. The mobile phone case of claim 1, wherein the first wireless interface is an ultra low-powered wireless interface and the second wireless interface is a high-powered wireless interface.

6. The mobile phone case of claim 1, wherein the embedded controller includes a non-volatile memory for storage of user data.

7. A mobile phone case with embedded electronics providing an interface between a glucose sensor and a mobile phone, the mobile phone case comprising:

an embedded controller including;

a wireless interface for communicating with the glucose sensor; and

a wired interface for communicating with the mobile phone via a pass-through connector of the mobile phone case that is directly connected to a docking port of the mobile phone.

8. The mobile phone case of claim 7, further comprising an embedded battery that provides autonomous power to the embedded electronics embedded in the mobile phone case.

9. The mobile phone case of claim 8, wherein the pass-through connector simultaneously recharges the autonomous battery embedded in the mobile phone case while the mobile phone is being charged.

10. The mobile phone case of claim 7, further comprising an embedded speaker that generates audible alerts when the mobile phone is unavailable.

11. The mobile phone case of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface is an ultra low-powered wireless interface.

12. The mobile phone case of claim 7, wherein the embedded controller includes a non-volatile memory for storage of user data.

13. A method providing a mobile phone case that interfaces communication between a glucose sensor and a mobile phone, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at an embedded controller of the mobile phone case, a wireless signal comprising data from a glucose sensor;

determining, by the controller, whether a mobile phone is available;

transmitting the data received from the glucose sensor to the mobile phone if the mobile phone is available;

displaying the data from the glucose sensor on a display of the mobile phone;

transmitting the data received from the glucose sensor to an embedded speaker of the mobile phone case if the mobile phone is not available; and

sounding an alert based on the data received from the glucose sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data received from the glucose sensor is transmitted wirelessly from the controller to the mobile phone.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the data received from the glucose sensor is transmitted from the controller to the mobile phone via a pass-through connector of the mobile phone case that is directly connected to a docking port of the mobile phone.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein if the controller determines that the mobile phone is not available, the controller will store a user'"'"'s data in a non-volatile memory for retrieval when the mobile phone is once again available.