# US 9,775,519 B2 · Network connectivity unit for hospital bed > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,775,519 B2 - Document ID: US9775519B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/332,428 - Filed: 2016-10-24 - Published: 2017-02-09 - Granted: 2017-10-03 - Earliest claimed: 2004-08-02 - Assignees: Hill-Rom Services, Inc. - Applicants: Hill-Rom Services, Inc. - Inventors: Williams F. Collins, Jr.; James M. Allen; Keith A. Huster; Carl W. Riley; Patricia A. Glidewell; Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III; Richard J. Schuman; Benjamin E. Howell; Timothy D. Wildman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9775519B2 ## CPC - G16H 10/60: for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records - A61B 5/002: {Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building (A61B5/0017 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate - A61B 5/1115: {Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair} - A61B 5/1117: {Fall detection} - A61B 5/447: {specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed} - A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms} - A61G 7/018: Control or drive mechanisms - A61G 12/00: Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food {(service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00)}; Prescription lists - G06F 8/65: Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G07C 3/00: Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles - G08B 5/22: using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission - G08B 5/222: {Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems (selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00)} - G08B 21/22: responsive to presence or absence of persons - G16H 40/20: for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms - G16H 40/40: for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades - G16H 40/63: for local operation - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61G: TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS (appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk A61H3/00); OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES (embalming corpses A01N1/00) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A hospital bed is programmable with new firmware that is downloaded to the bed over a network. The firmware is downloaded to the bed automatically from a remote computer device. The remote computer device receives a message from the hospital bed which includes data regarding the version number of the bed's current firmware, and if the version number indicates that the firmware is an outdated version, the remote computer device downloads a new version of the firmware to the bed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An interface unit for use in a healthcare facility having a computer located remotely from a patient room which has a patient bed therein, the interface unit being located in the patient room and spaced from the patient bed, the interface unit comprising: a first connector which is communicatively coupleable to the hospital bed, a second connector which is communicatively coupleable to the computer, and circuitry comprising at least two device connectors for connection to external devices, the circuitry storing a unit identification (ID) that is associated with the patient room of the healthcare facility, the unit ID being transmitted by the circuitry through the second connector without transmitting the unit ID through the first connector and the at least two device connectors. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises an Ethernet port for connection of the circuitry to an Ethernet of the healthcare facility. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The interface unit of claim 2, wherein the Ethernet port comprises an RJ-45 port. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The interface unit of claim 2, wherein the data from the hospital bed is received by the circuitry via the first connector according to a first communication protocol and the circuitry converts the data from the first protocol into an Ethernet protocol. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The interface unit of claim 4, wherein the data from the hospital bed is sent to the computer via the second connector according to the first protocol. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the data from the hospital bed is passed through to the computer via the first and second connectors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a nurse call signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a signal for controlling room lighting. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The interface unit of claim 6, wherein the data from the hospital bed that is passed through to the computer includes a signal for controlling entertainment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises a JTAG connector. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the first connector is communicatively coupled to the hospital bed via a wired data link. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the first connector is communicatively coupled to the hospital bed via a wireless data link. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the second connector is communicatively coupled to the computer via a wired data link. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the second connector is communicatively coupled to the computer via a wireless data link. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connectors comprises at least one general purpose input/output (GPIO) connector. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two device connectors comprises at least two general purpose input/output (GPIO) connectors. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one device connector of the at least two device connector comprises a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connector. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The interface unit of claim 1, wherein the at least two device connectors comprises multiple general purpose input/output (GPIO) connectors and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The interface unit of claim 18, wherein the at least two device connectors further comprises a JTAG connector. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The interface unit of claim 18, wherein the at least two device connectors further comprises an RJ-45 port.