Personal medical device communication system and method
A personal and/or institutional health and wellness communications system, which may be used for a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations using two-way communication devices and a bi-directional communication network. In one application two-way pagers are adapted for use in the system. In one application cellular devices are adapted for use in the system. In one application an assisted living response center is established using various embodiments of the present personal and/or institutional communications system. The system provides multiple levels of prioritization, authentication of person (task, step, process or order), and confirmation via interrogation of person, device, or related monitor. One embodiment provides a method for receiving, evaluating and responding to calls received from a subscriber, patient, related party, or health care provider or health care system.
1. A bi-directional wireless communication system comprising:
(a) a first personal device, the first personal device further comprising:
(i) a processor;
(ii) a memory;
(iii) a power supply;
(iv) at least one detector input; and
(v) a short-range bi-directional wireless communications module;
(b) a second device communicating with the first device, the second device having a short-range bi-directional wireless communications module compatible with the short-range bi-directional wireless communications module of the first device; and
(c) a security mechanism governing information transmitted between the first personal device and the second device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security mechanism encrypts the information.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security mechanism employs authorization by the first personal device.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security mechanism employs a key held by an agent and transmitted to the second device or wherein the security mechanism employs a key entered by a user of the first personal device.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security mechanism employs a private key and a public key.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the security mechanism employs biometrics.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a detector connected to the at least one detector input.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the detector senses body or physiological parameters.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the body or physiological parameters are selected from the group consisting of temperature, motion, respiration, blood oxygen content, and electroencephalogram.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first personal device further comprises a user interface module.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the user interface module further comprises a display, a data input means, and a speaker/microphone module.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the user interface module further comprises a camera.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the short-range wireless communications further comprises BLUETOOTH technology.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first personal device further comprises a data input/output port, the second device further comprises a data input/output port, and wherein the second device communicates with the first personal device using the data input/output ports.
15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a central communications base station communicating with the first personal device using short-range wireless communications.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the short-range wireless communications is selected from the group consisting of HomeRF™, BLUETOOTH, and wireless LAN.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the central communications base station further comprises long-range wireless communications.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the long-range wireless communications is selected from the group consisting of cellular, satellite, paging, narrowband PCS, and narrowband trunk radio.
19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising long-range messaging protocols executing over the long-range wireless communications.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the long-range messaging protocols are selected from the group consisting of wireless application protocol, cellular telephone protocols, one-way pager protocols, two-way pager protocols, and PCS protocols.
21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the central communications base station further comprises an interface to a long-distance telephone network.
22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the central communications base station further comprises a connection to the Internet.
23. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a central monitoring station receiving alarm signals from the first personal device.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first personal device further comprises a location determination module that determines the geographical location of the first personal device.
25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the location determination module further comprises a GPS receiver.
26. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bi-directional communications module has a powered-down state and a powered-up state, and further comprising a means for signaling the bi-directional communications module to transition from the powered-down state to the powered-up state.
27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for signaling is mechanical.
28. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for signaling is magnetic.
29. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for signaling is sound or ultra-sound.
30. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for signaling is infrared.
31. The system of claim 26 , wherein the means for signaling is radio frequency.
32. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first personal device is implantable in a person.
33. A bi-directional wireless communication system comprising:
(a) a first personal device, the first personal device further comprising:
(i) a processor;
(ii) a memory;
(iii) a power supply;
(iv) at least one detector input; and
(v) a long-range bi-directional wireless communications module;
(b) a long-range bi-directional wireless network communicating with the long-range bi-directional wireless communications module;
(c) an entity communicating with the first personal device over the network; and
(d) a security mechanism governing information transmitted between the first personal device and the entity.
34. The system of claim 33 , wherein the long-range wireless communications network is selected from the group consisting of cellular, satellite, paging, narrowband PCS, and narrowband trunk radio.
35. The system of claim 34 , further comprising long-range messaging protocols executing over the long-range wireless communications network.
36. The system of claim 35 , wherein the long-range messaging protocols are selected from the group consisting of wireless application protocol, cellular telephone protocols, one-way pager protocols, two-way pager protocols, and PCS protocols.
37. The system of claim 33 , wherein the first personal device further comprises a location determination module that determines the geographical location of the first personal device.
38. The system of claim 37 , wherein the location determination module further comprises a GPS receiver.
39. The system of claim 33 , wherein the bi-directional communications module has a powered-down state and a powered-up state, and further comprising a means for signaling the bi-directional communications module to transition from the powered-down state to the powered-up state.
40. The system of claim 39 , wherein the means for signaling is selected from the group consisting of mechanical, magnetic, sound or ultrasound, infrared, and radio frequency.
41. The system of claim 39 , wherein the security mechanism encrypts the information.
42. The system of claim 33 , wherein the security mechanism employs authorization by the first personal device.
43. The system of claim 33 , wherein the security mechanism employs a key held by an agent and transmitted to the second device.
44. The system of claim 33 , wherein the security mechanism employs a key entered by a user of the first personal device.
45. The system of claim 33 , wherein the security mechanism employs a private key and a public key.
46. The system of claim 33 , wherein the security mechanism employs biometrics.
47. The system of claim 33 , wherein the first personal device is implantable in a person.
48. A bi-directional wireless communication system comprising:
(a) a first personal device, the first personal device further comprising:
(i) a processor;
(ii) a memory;
(iii) a power supply;
(iv) at least one detector input; and
(v) a short-range bi-directional wireless communications module;
(b) a second device communicating with the first personal device, the second device having a short-range bi-directional wireless communications module compatible with the short-range bi-directional wireless communications module of the first personal device and also having a long-range bi-directional wireless communications module; and
(c) a long-range bi-directional wireless network communicating with the long-range bi-directional wireless communications module of the second device.
49. The system of claim 48 , wherein the short-range wireless communications further comprises BLUETOOTH technology.
50. The system of claim 48 , wherein the long-range wireless communications network is selected from the group consisting of cellular, satellite, paging, narrowband PCS, and narrowband trunk radio.
51. The system of claim 50 , further comprising long-range messaging protocols executing over the long-range wireless communications network.
52. The system of claim 51 , wherein the long-range messaging protocols are selected from the group consisting of wireless application protocol, cellular telephone protocols, one-way pager protocols, two-way pager protocols, and PCS protocols.
53. The system of claim 48 , wherein the bi-directional wireless communications module of the first personal device has a powered-down state and a powered-up state, and further comprising a means for signaling the bi-directional wireless communications module of the first personal device to transition from the powered-down state to the powered-up state.
54. The system of claim 53 , wherein the means for signaling is selected from the group consisting of mechanical, magnetic, sound or ultrasound, infrared, and radio frequency.
55. A method of bi-directional communications, comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting an event by a detector connected to a first personal device;
(b) signaling the event to a second device using short-range bi-directional wireless communications between the first personal device and the second device;
(c) wherein the short-range wireless communications is BLUETOOTH; and
(d) wherein a security mechanism controls recognition of the event by the second device.
56. The method of claim 55 , further comprising the step of transitioning the first personal device from a powered-down state to a powered-up state by means of an external radio frequency stimulus.
57. The method of claim 56 , further comprising the step of signaling the event from the second device to a long-range bi-directional network.