Patient medical support system and related method

1. A patient medical support system, comprising:

at least one article of medical equipment for use at a patient location;

a telepresence system for use at the patient location, including an audio input device;

a video camera;

a video output device; and

an audio output device;

wherein at least one of the audio input device and the video camera are adapted to accept a first communication from a first user of the patient medical support system at the patient location for transmission to a second user at a monitoring location remote from the patient location and wherein at least one of the video output device and the audio output device are adapted to present a second communication received from the second user;

an imaging system adapted to acquire one or more image of the patient, the one or more image containing information indicative of a health status of the patient;

a controllable lighting system including

at least one light source adapted to illuminate at least a portion of the patient during acquisition of the one or more image;

an optical system; and

a positioning system;

wherein the controllable lighting system has at least one controllable lighting system parameter that influences at least one of the amount or type of information indicative of the health status of the patient in the one or more image;

at least one user identity input device adapted to receive at least one identity input containing biometric information indicative of an identity of the first user;

electrical control circuitry including

circuitry for receiving a signal from the at least one article of medical equipment;

circuitry for controlling the at least one controllable lighting system parameter to increase the amount or type of information indicative of the health status of the patient in the one or more image; and

an identity determination module operatively connected to the at least one user identity input device and configured to determine an identity of the first user based on the identity input received via the user identity input device; and

communication circuitry for wirelessly communicating information between the electrical control circuitry and the monitoring location, the information including at least one of a telepresence system communication signal including at least one of the first communication and the second communication and an identification data signal indicative of the identity of the first user.

2. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical control circuitry is adapted to control the at least one controllable lighting system parameter responsive to receipt of a control signal from the monitoring location.

3. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , further including a container, the container including

the electrical control circuitry built into or received in a receptacle in the container;

the controllable lighting system built into or received in a receptacle in the container;

at least one receptacle adapted to receive at least one of the imaging system, the video output device, the audio input device, and the audio output device; and

an outer shell adapted to contain and protect the electrical control circuitry, the controllable lighting system, and the at least one of the imaging system, the video output device, the audio input device, and the audio output device during transport.

4. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the identity determination module is configured to determine an identity of the first user based on at least one of voice pattern recognition, fingerprint recognition, retinal vascularization recognition, or facial recognition.

5. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical control circuitry includes an operational mode determination module adapted to determine at least one operational mode of the patient medical support system and a usage measure determination module adapted to determine usage of the patient medical support system; and wherein the information communicated by the communication circuitry includes at least one of an operational mode data signal indicative of the at least one operational mode and a usage data signal indicative of the usage of the patient medical support system.

6. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , including a data storage device.

7. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system includes at least one of the video camera, a scanner, a 3D scanner, a 3D imager; a single pixel camera, a visual camera, an IR camera, a stereoscopic camera, a digital camera, a video camera, and a high speed video camera.

8. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one user identity input device is the audio input device, the video camera, or is adapted to receive a data signal indicative of a fingerprint of the user.

9. The patient medical support system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical control circuitry includes at least one of circuitry for receiving at least one of status signal indicative of an authorization status and circuitry for receiving at least one location signal for sensing a location of the patient medical support system.

10. A method of controlling a patient medical support system, comprising:

accepting a first communication from a first user of the patient medical support system at a patient location via a telepresence system at the patient location, the telepresence system including an audio input device, a video camera, a video output device, and an audio output device, and wherein the patient medical support system is located at the patient location and includes the telepresence system, an article of medical equipment, a user identity input device, communication circuitry, and electrical control circuitry;

transmitting the first communication to a monitoring location via the communication circuitry;

receiving a second communication from the monitoring location with the communication circuitry;

presenting the second communication to the first user via the telepresence system;

acquiring one or more image of the patient, the one or more image containing information indicative of a health status of the patient;

controlling at least one controllable lighting system parameter of a controllable lighting system to influence at least one of the amount or type of information indicative of the health status of the patient in the one or more image, the controllable lighting system including at least one light source adapted to illuminate at least a portion of the patient during acquisition of the one or more image, an optical system, and a positioning system;

receiving at least one user identity input containing biometric information indicative of an identity of the first user from the user identity input device;

determining the identity of the first user based on biometric analysis of the identity input using an identity determination module of the electrical control circuitry;

receiving a signal from the at least one an article of medical equipment with the electrical control circuitry, the signal including medical data acquired with the at least one article of medical equipment; and

communicating information between the electrical control circuitry at the patient location and the remote location via the communication circuitry at the patient location, the information including at least one of the identity of the first user, the medical data acquired with the at least one article of medical equipment, at least one instruction for controlling the at least one article of medical equipment, and information indicative of an operational status of the patient medical support system.

11. The method of claim 10 , including detecting proximity of the at least one article of medical equipment to a container, wherein the electrical control circuitry is built into or received in the container.

12. The method of claim 10 , including detecting whether at least one of the article of medical equipment and the telepresence system is present within a container, wherein the electrical control circuitry is built into or received in the container.

13. The method of claim 10 , including determining the identity of the first user based on at least one of voice pattern recognition, fingerprint recognition, retinal vascularization recognition, or facial recognition.

14. The method of claim 10 , including determining at least one operational mode of the patient medical support system with an operational mode determination module of the electrical control circuitry.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the information communicated via the communication circuitry includes an operational mode data signal indicative of the at least one operational mode of the patient medical support system.

16. The method of claim 10 , including determining usage of the patient medical support system with a usage measure determination module of the electrical control circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the information communicated via the communication circuitry includes a usage data signal indicative of the usage of the patient medical support system.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein receiving the at least one user identity input includes at least one of receiving an audio input from the audio input device, receiving a video input from the video camera, and receiving a data signal indicative of a fingerprint of the user.

19. The method of claim 10 , including receiving, with the electrical control circuitry, at least one of at least one status signal indicative of an authorization status and at least one location signal for sensing a location of the patient medical support system.

20. An article of manufacture, comprising:

one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bearing one or more instructions for

accepting a first communication from a first user of the patient medical support system at a patient location via a telepresence system at the patient location, the telepresence system including an audio input device, a video camera, a video output device, and an audio output device, and wherein the patient medical support system is located at the patient location and includes the telepresence system, an article of medical equipment, a user identity input device, communication circuitry, and electrical control circuitry;

transmitting the first communication to a monitoring location via the communication circuitry;

receiving a second communication from the monitoring location with the communication circuitry;

presenting the second communication to the first user via the telepresence system;

acquiring one or more image of the patient, the one or more image containing information indicative of a health status of the patient;

controlling at least one controllable lighting system parameter of a controllable lighting system to influence at least one of the amount or type of information indicative of the health status of the patient in the one or more image, the controllable lighting system including at least one light source adapted to illuminate at least a portion of the patient during acquisition of the one or more image, an optical system, and a positioning system;

receiving at least one user identity input containing biometric information indicative of an identity of the first user from the user identity input device;

determining the identity of the first user based on biometric analysis of the identity input using an identity determination module of the electrical control circuitry;

receiving a signal from the at least one an article of medical equipment with the electrical control circuitry, the signal including medical data acquired with the at least one article of medical equipment; and

communicating information between the electrical control circuitry at the patient location and the remote location via the communication circuitry at the patient location, the information including at least one of the identity of the first user, the medical data acquired with the at least one article of medical equipment, at least one instruction for controlling the at least one article of medical equipment, and information indicative of an operational status of the patient medical support system.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions for detecting proximity of the at least one article of medical equipment to a container, wherein the electrical control circuitry is built into or received in the container.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions for detecting whether at least one of the article of medical equipment and the telepresence system is present within a container, wherein the electrical control circuitry is built into or received in the container.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions for providing a notification to the user via a notification system responsive to detecting that the at least one of the article of medical equipment and the telepresence system is not present within a container.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more instructions for determining the identity of the first user based on biometric analysis of the identity input include one or more instructions for determining the identity of the first user based on at least one of voice pattern recognition, fingerprint recognition, retinal vascularization recognition, or facial recognition.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions for determining at least one operational mode of the patient medical support system with an operational mode determination module of the electrical control circuitry.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the one or more instructions for communicating information via the communication circuitry include one or more instructions for communicating an operational mode data signal indicative of the at least one operational mode of the patient medical support system.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions for determining usage of the patient medical support system with a usage measure determination module of the electrical control circuitry.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27 , wherein the one or more instructions for communicating information via the communication circuitry include one or more instructions for communicating a usage data signal indicative of the usage of the patient medical support system.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more instructions for receiving the at least one user identity input include at least one of one or more instructions for receiving an audio input from the audio input device, one or more instructions for receiving a video input from the video camera, and one or more instructions for receiving a data signal indicative of a fingerprint of the user.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear at least one of one or more instructions for receiving, with the electrical control circuitry, at least one status signal indicative of an authorization status and one or more instructions for receiving, with the electrical control circuitry, at least one location signal for sensing a location of the patient medical support system.