# US 6,747,556 B2 · Method and system for locating a portable medical device

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- Number: US 6,747,556 B2
- Document ID: US6747556B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 09/919,783
- Filed: 2001-07-31
- Published: 2003-02-06
- Granted: 2004-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2001-07-31
- Assignees: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp.
- Inventors: Douglas K. Medema; William E. Saltzstein; Robert A. Niskanen; Richard C. Nova
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6747556B2

## CPC

- H04W 64/00: Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
- G16H 40/20: for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
- A61N 1/3931: {Protecting, e.g. back-up systems}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)

## Abstract

The invention provides a wireless automatic location identification (ALI) capable system (10), including a medical device (12) having a wireless data communicator (14), a wireless communication network (16), and a remote locating service (18) for remotely locating and monitoring one or more medical devices over the wireless communication network. When the medical device is linked to the remote locating service over the communication network, the ALI-capable system identifies the location of the medical device and relays the location information to the remote locating service. The system permits reliable determination of the location of the medical device wherever the medical device is situated. The medical device may further be configured to transmit signals indicative of its status, condition, or self-test results, to the remote locating service. This feature allows the remote locating service to centrally monitor the status or condition of a plurality of medical devices.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wireless automatic location identification (ALI) capable system for locating a portable medical device, comprising:
a medical device having a wireless data communicator;
a wireless communication network; and
a remote locating service;
wherein, when the medical device is linked to the remote locating service over the communication network, at least one of the wireless data communicator and the wireless communication network utilizes an ALI technology to determine the location of the medical device and provides information identifying the location of the medical device to the remote locating service.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless data communicator comprises a cellular phone.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless data communicator identifies the location of the medical device based upon a handset-based ALI technology.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network identifies the location of the medical device based upon a network-based ALI technology and the link between the wireless data communicator and the remote locating service over the communication network.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the ALI-capable system utilizes a handset-based ALI technology in part and a network-based ALI technology in part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device comprises an external defibrillator.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to automatically link itself to the remote locating service over the network upon occurrence of a predetermined triggering event.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein a signal indicative of the triggering event is automatically transmitted to the remote locating service.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the remote locating service is configured to emit an alert signal upon receipt of the signal indicative of the triggering event.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the medical device comprises an external defibrillator, and the triggering event is selected from the group consisting of: (1) activation of the external defibrillator; and (2) application of electrodes of the external defibrillator on a patient.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of a status of the medical device via the wireless data communicator to the remote locating service.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the medical device is configured to periodically link itself to the remote locating service to transmit the status of the medical device to the remote locating service.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the status of the medical device is transmitted in a signal upon receiving a request from the remote locating service.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the medical device comprises a defibrillator, and the status of the medical device transmitted in a signal comprises a self-test result.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to transmit or receive patient data via the wireless data communicator to or from the remote locating service.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the remote locating service is associated with an emergency phone number.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the remote locating service comprises a display for displaying the location of the medical device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device and the remote locating service are adapted to transceive audio signals.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device and the remote locating service are adapted to transceive text and graphical messaging.

### Claim 20 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless data communicator includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and uses the GPS receiver to identify the location of the medical device.

### Claim 21 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication network utilizes at least one of a time difference of arrival technique and a timing advance technique to locate the medical device.

### Claim 22

A method of locating a portable medical device, the method comprising:
providing a wireless automatic location identification (ALI) capable system comprising a medical device having a wireless data communicator, a wireless communication network, and a remote locating service;
linking the medical device to the remote locating service over the communication network;
utilizing an ALI technology to identify the location of the medical device; and
providing information identifying the location of the medical device to the remote locating service.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the location of the medical device is identified based upon a handset-based ALI technology.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the location of the medical device is identified based upon a network-based ALI technology and the link between the medical device and the remote locating service over the communication network.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the ALI-capable system utilizes a handset-based ALI technology in part and a network-based ALI technology in part.

### Claim 26 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the location of the medical device is identified according to a global positioning system.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein the location of the medical device is identified according to at least one of a time difference of arrival technique and a timing advance technique.

### Claim 28

A medical device capable of being located by a remote locating service, the medical device comprising:
circuitry for operation of the medical device; and
a wireless data communicator for establishing a wireless communication link between the medical device and a remote locating service;
wherein when the medical device is linked to the remote locating service, the wireless data communicator automatically identities the location of the medical device according to an automatic location identification (ALI) standard, and provides information identifying the location of the medical device to the remote locating service.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The medical device of claim 28, wherein the wireless data communicator comprises a cellular phone.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The medical device of claim 28, wherein the wireless data communicator utilizes a handset-based ALI technology to identify the location of the medical device.

### Claim 31 (depends on 28)

The medical device of claim 28, wherein the medical device is an external defibrillator.

### Claim 32 (depends on 28)

The medical device of claim 28, wherein the wireless data communicator is configured to automatically establish the wireless communication link between the medical device and the remote locating service over the wireless communication network upon occurrence of a predetermined triggering event.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The medical device of claim 32, wherein a signal indicative of to triggering event is automatically transmitted to the remote locating service.

### Claim 34 (depends on 30)

The medical device of claim 30, wherein the wireless data communicator includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and utilizes the GPS receiver to identify the location of the medical device.

### Claim 35

A method of locating a portable medical device, the method comprising:
establishing a link between the portable medical device and a remote locating service;
automatically locating the portable medical device using a wireless automatic location identification (ALI) capable system; and
receiving the identified location of the portable medical device in the remote locating service.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, wherein the link between the portable medical device and the remote locating service is established periodically.

### Claim 37 (depends on 35)

The method of claim 35, wherein the link between the portable medical device and the remote locating service is established automatically upon occurrence of a triggering event in the portable medical device.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The method of claim 37, wherein a signal indicative of the triggering event is transmitted to the remote locating service.