Mobile clinical workstation

#This invention relates to mobile workstations and, more particularly, to a mobile workstation that can include an adjustable-height horizontal tray, a pull-out keyboard tray, a vertically-mounted docking station mounted to the tray, a computer terminal mounted beneath the tray, a display screen mounted to the horizontal tray, and a power unit.

#Wireless computer terminals are particularly well-suited to medical care environments, such as hospitals, doctors' offices, and nursing homes. Here, wireless computer terminals offer a great advantage by replacing the conventional clipboard hanging from a patient's bed frame or examination table with a wireless computer terminal that uses radio-frequency transmissions to communicate with a distributed computer network. These wireless computer terminals bring bedside medical care into the information age by computerizing medical charts.

#A wireless computer terminal is typically used to post and retrieve the information that was traditionally posted on a bed-side clipboard, such as the patient's prescriptions, vital signs, receipt of medications, scheduled tests, etc. This and other information is now automatically communicated between the wireless computer terminal and a distributed patient-care computer network. A medical practitioner making the rounds, such as a doctor or nurse, usually picks up the wireless computer terminal from a fixed storage location before visiting the patient and takes the terminal into the patient's room. The practitioner then performs the indicated tasks and enters any relevant information into the wireless computer terminal, such as test results, vital signs, observations, and the like. When the visit with the patient is over, the practitioner usually returns the wireless computer terminal to its storage location.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile workstation including a docking station for a computer terminal in a typical environment, such as a patient's hospital room.

#FIGS. 2A–2D are a series of side views of the mobile workstation of FIG. 1 illustrating the operation of an adjustable-height horizontal tray and a tiltable docking station.

#FIGS. 3A–3D are a series of perspective views of the docking station forming part of the mobile workstation of FIG. 1 showing the push-down-and-tilt motion used to remove the wireless terminal from the docking station.

#The present invention may be embodied in a mobile workstation that includes an adjustable-height horizontal tray and a vertically-mounted docking station mounted to the horizontal tray. The docking station removably supports a computer terminal having a display screen, which may also serve as a touch-sensitive input device, that can be easily seen and accessed when the computer terminal is stored within the docking station. The mobile workstation also includes a keyboard located on a pull-out keyboard tray mounted to the underside of the horizontal tray. The keyboard is connected to the computer terminal by way of the docking station, so that the keyboard is automatically connected to the computer terminal whenever the terminal is stored within the docking station.

#A tiltable bracket mounts the docking station to the horizontal tray. A clutch assembly allows the angle of the bracket, and along with it the angle of the docking station and the computer terminal, to be adjusted to avoid glare on the terminal's display screen. A spring-mounted, vertically-movable leveling tray allows the wireless terminal to be easily removed from the docking station using a push-down-and-tilt motion. An electronic lock selectively prevents vertical movement of the leveling tray to secure the computer terminal within the docking station. The docking station may also include a key-operated lock, which may be used to unlock the docking station in the event of a power outage or if the electronic lock should fail.

#The mobile workstation also carries a power converter and a power unit including an extended-life battery, a battery charger that connects to an AC power supply to charge the conventional battery located inside the computer terminal as well as the extended-life battery carried on the mobile workstation. The power converter converts electrical power supplied by the battery to a suitable electrical input source for the computer terminal and the terminal display. The rechargeable battery power supply increases the battery life of the computer terminal to about 8–12 hours, which allows use of the computer terminal for an extended time before having to fully recharge it. The power unit includes two status-indicator lights to indicate when the unit is operating on AC power and when the battery is low, and a seven-level battery status-indicator light. The power unit may also include a sensor that indicates when the battery is low.