Systems And Methods For Communicating With Patients

A method for interactively communicating with a patient through a television in the patient's hospital room, said method comprising:

• receiving televisions signals and encoding said signals as Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals;
• providing an application and media server including an information processing sub-system, application modules, and a database;
• storing and processing said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and data according to particular instructions included in said application modules, said signals being processed by said information processing sub-system and said data being stored in said database;
• generating, sending, and receiving Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals;
• and
• processing said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and said Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals to produce television display signals;
• and
• displaying said television display signals on the television in the patient's hospital room.

An interactive system for communicating with a patient through a television in the patient's hospital room, said system comprising:

• a television signal gateway module for receiving televisions signals and encoding said signals as Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals;
• an application and media server including a first information processing sub-system, application modules, and a database, said first information processing sub-system being configured to store and process said signals and data according to particular instructions included in said application modules, said information processing sub-system being configured to generate, send, and receive Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals;
• a coax conversion router for converting said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and said Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals to coax signals, which are configured to travel across a coax network, and for converting said coax signals to said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and said Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals, which are configured to travel across an Ethernet network;
• an Internet protocol modem in communication with said coax conversion router via a coaxial cable, said Internet protocol modem being configured to convert said coax signals to Ethernet-based Internet protocol signals including said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and said Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals and configured to convert Ethernet-based Internet protocol signals to said coax signals for communication across said coax network to said coax conversion router;
• and
• an interactive set-top-box in communication with said Internet protocol modem via an Ethernet cable, said interactive set-top-box including a second information processing sub-system and a browser application module, said second information processing sub-system being configured to store and process instructions included in said browser application module, said browser application module being configured to process said Ethernet-based Internet protocol television signals and said Ethernet-based Internet protocol application and media signals to produce television display signals, said browser application module being configured to receive and process instructions from the patient and communicate said instructions from the patient to said application and media server, said set-top-box being configured to communicate said television display signals for display on the television in the patient's hospital room.