# US 11,992,657 B2 · Detection of audible alerts

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,992,657 B2
- Document ID: US11992657B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/165,365
- Filed: 2021-02-02
- Published: 2022-08-04
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2021-02-02
- Assignees: Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
- Applicants: Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
- Inventors: Alexander S. Campbell
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11992657B2

## CPC

- A61M 5/1723: {using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood sugar or pressure}
- G16H 20/17: delivered via infusion or injection
- G16H 40/63: for local operation
- A61M 2205/18: with alarm
- A61M 2205/3553: remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
- A61M 2205/581: by audible feedback
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

A medical device may determine an occurrence of an alert condition. The medical device may transmit, to a separate device, data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition. After transmitting the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition to the separate device, the medical device may determine, based on an audio signal generated by a microphone of the medical device, that the separate device has outputted an audible alert. The audio signal may correspond to audio captured by the microphone.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A medical device comprising:
a microphone configured to generate an audio signal indicative of audio captured by the microphone;
one or more processors; and
one or more processor-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of:
determining an occurrence of an alert condition;
transmitting, to a separate device and via a short-range wireless communication channel, data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition, wherein the separate device is physically separate from the medical device;
after transmitting the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition to the separate device, determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted an audible alert indicative of the alert condition; and
responsive to determining that the separate device has not outputted the audible alert, causing performance of one or more remedial actions until the microphone generates a different audio signal indicative of the separate device outputting the audible alert indicative of the alert condition.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted the audible alert comprises:
determining, based at least in part on applying a Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that a frequency of a tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches an expected frequency.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The medical device of claim 2, wherein determining, based at least in part on applying the Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency comprises:
determining the expected frequency associated with the alert condition from a plurality of expected frequencies associated with a plurality of alert conditions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The medical device of claim 2, wherein determining, based at least in part on applying the Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency comprises:
determining a level of severity associated with the alert condition; and
determining the expected frequency associated with the level of severity from a plurality of expected frequencies associated with a plurality of levels of severity.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The medical device of claim 2, wherein determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted the audible alert further comprises:
responsive to determining that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency, determining whether a signal strength of the tone exceeds a signal strength threshold; and
responsive to determining that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency and that the signal strength of the tone exceeds the signal strength threshold, determining that the separate device has outputted the audible alert.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the one or more remedial actions comprise outputting a backup alert, wherein outputting the backup alert comprises:
determining a level of severity associated with a second alert condition; and
outputting the backup alert based at least in part on the level of severity associated with the second alert condition.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performance of:
performing a test with the separate device, wherein performing the test comprises:
transmitting, to the separate device, a request to play a high-frequency test tone, and
after transmitting the request, determining that the separate device has outputted the high-frequency test tone.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein transmitting, to the separate device, the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition comprises:
wirelessly transmitting, to the separate device, a request to output the audible alert.

### Claim 9

A method comprising:
determining, by one or more processors of a medical device, an occurrence of an alert condition;
causing transmission, by the one or more processors and to a separate device via a short-range wireless communication channel, of data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition, wherein the separate device is physically separate from the medical device;
after causing transmission of the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition to the separate device, determining, by the one or more processors and based on an audio signal generated by a microphone of the medical device, whether the separate device has outputted an audible alert indicative of the alert condition, wherein the audio signal corresponds to audio captured by the microphone; and
responsive to determining that the separate device has not outputted the audible alert, causing, by the one or more processors, performance of one or more remedial actions until the microphone generates a different audio signal indicative of the separate device outputting the audible alert indicative of the alert condition.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted the audible alert comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors and based at least in part on applying a Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that a frequency of a tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches an expected frequency.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein determining, based at least in part on applying the Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors, the expected frequency associated with the alert condition from a plurality of expected frequencies associated with a plurality of alert conditions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein determining, based at least in part on applying the Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors, a level of severity associated with the alert condition; and
determining, by the one or more processors, the expected frequency associated with the level of severity from a plurality of expected frequencies associated with a plurality of levels of severity.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted the audible alert further comprises:
responsive to determining that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency, determining, by the one or more processors, whether a signal strength of the tone exceeds a signal strength threshold; and
responsive to determining that the frequency of the tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches the expected frequency and that the signal strength of the tone exceeds the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the separate device has outputted the audible alert.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising outputting a backup alert, and wherein causing outputting of the backup alert comprises: determining a level of severity associated with a second alert condition; and causing output of the backup alert based at least in part on the level of severity associated with the second alert condition.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
performing, by the one or more processors, a test with the separate device, wherein performing the test comprises:
causing transmission, by the one or more processors and to the separate device, a request to play a high-frequency test tone, and
determining, by the one or more processors, that the separate device has outputted the high-frequency test tone.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein causing transmission, to the separate device, of the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition comprises:
causing wireless transmission, by the one or more processors and to the separate device, of a request to output the audible alert.

### Claim 17

One or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a medical device, cause performance of:
determining an occurrence of an alert condition;
transmitting, to a separate device via a short-range wireless communication channel, data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition, wherein the separate device is physically separate from the medical device;
after transmitting the data indicative of the occurrence of the alert condition to the separate device, determining, based on an audio signal generated by a microphone, whether the separate device has outputted an audible alert indicative of the alert condition, wherein the audio signal corresponds to audio captured by the microphone; and
responsive to determining that the separate device has not outputted the audible alert, causing performance of one or more remedial actions until the microphone generates a different audio signal indicative of the separate device outputting the audible alert indicative of the alert condition.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The one or more non-transitory processor-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein determining, based on the audio signal generated by the microphone, whether the separate device has outputted the audible alert comprises:
determining, based at least in part on applying a Goertzel filter on the audio signal, that a frequency of a tone in the audio signal captured by the microphone matches an expected frequency.