US 11,684,290 B2 · Location detection systems and methods

Abstract

A location detection system identifies the locations of medical devices such as patient support apparatuses and/or patient care devices within a medical facility. The devices communicate via a wired connection to one or more medical facility systems (e.g. nurse call system, computer network, etc.), and/or via a wireless connection to such systems. The location detection system automatically determines location information of the devices and communicates the location information so that the recipient of any outgoing alerts and/or other information sent from the devices is apprised of the location of the particular device sending the alert or other information. Caregivers are thereby able to respond to the correct location of an alert, and software systems such as EMR systems, admission discharge and transfer (ADT) systems, etc. are able to correlate transmitted device data with the location and/or patient assigned to that location.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A patient support apparatus comprising:

a support surface adapted to support a mattress;
an exit detection system adapted to detect when a patient exits from the patient support apparatus;
a location transceiver adapted to receive location data from a stationary module positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility, the stationary module including a first wireless transceiver adapted to transmit the location data to the location transceiver;
a network transceiver adapted to transmit the location data to a server on a computer network via a wireless access point of the computer network;
a radio transceiver adapted to communicate with the stationary module;
and
a controller adapted to transmit status data regarding the exit detection system to the stationary module via the radio transceiver for forwarding by the stationary module to a nurse call system, the controller further adapted to transmit the status data regarding the exit detection system to the server via the network transceiver and the wireless access point.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

17/178,469Filed 18 Feb 2021 · continuation

Priority

9 Apr 2015

Published

US 2021/0169376 A110 Jun 2021

Granted

27 Jun 2023

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A61B 5/1115
Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home: monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
A61B 5/0022
Characterised by features of the telemetry system: monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
A61B 5/6891
Mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices: furniture
A61B 5/6892
Mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices: mats

Family

Application62/145,276Us provisional application · filed 9 Apr 2015

Application15/075,747Parent of this division · filed 21 Mar 2016

Application15/988,373Parent of this continuation · filed 24 May 2018

US 9,999,375 B2Parent of this division · filed 19 Jun 2018

Application16/720,590Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Dec 2019

US 10,512,422 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 24 Dec 2019

US 2021/0169376 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Jun 2021

US 10,952,644 B2Parent of this continuation

Application15/988,373Parent of this division

US 2016/0296143 A1Published application

US 2018/0263533 A1Published application

US 2020/0121226 A1Published application

US 11,684,290 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Location detection systems and methods

Life of this patent

Location detection systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20