Communication device resource allocation based on medical data criticality and resource status

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10025905-B2
Application number	US-201414252565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Methods and devices are disclosed for managing a resource of a communication device configured to process and communicate medical data in addition to other data. The systems and devices may implement the method, including determining whether to switch to a medical mode based on at least one signal. In response to determining to switch to the medical mode, the communication device may be switched to the medical mode. A resource status associated with a plurality of resources used by the communication device may be weighed against a medical data criticality associated with the medical data managed by the communication device. The method may include allocating a resource of the plurality of resources on a sliding priority scale. The allocating may include allocating a resource of the plurality of resources preferentially to the medical data over the other data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of managing resources of a communication device, the communication device configured to process and communicate medical data in addition to other data, the method comprising:
determining whether to switch from a first mode of operation to a medical mode based on at least one signal;
switching to the medical mode in response to determining to switch to the medical mode;
weighing a resource status associated with a plurality of resources used by the communication device against a medical data criticality associated with the medical data managed by the communication device in response to switching to the medical mode;
determining a degree of priority, along a sliding priority scale, that a resource of the plurality of resources allocates to support handling the medical data over the other data based on the weighing of the resource status against the medical data criticality, wherein use of the resource for the other data is limited, based on the determined degree of priority, to the extent that use of the resource for the medical data competes with the use of the resource for the other data; and
setting the resource to give the determined degree of priority to support handling the medical data over the other data.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
distinguishing the medical data from the other data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal is one of an on-signal and an off-signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal is a preset signal or hardwired signal directing the communication device to operate in the medical mode.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining whether to switch is based on one of:
a manual control;
a first processor control that automatically switches into the medical mode or a regular mode based on input from the plurality of resources;
a second processor control that switches into the medical mode or the regular mode based on signaling from the plurality of resources; and
a factory setting.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein weighing the resource status is performed by a remote resource separate from the communication device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
diverting at least a first part of the medical data to a first onboard resource of the communication device; and
diverting at least a second part of the medical data from a second onboard resource to a remote resource of the communication device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
ensuring a predetermined portion of use of the resource is available for managing the medical data; and
ensuring the medical data has precedence over the other data with regard to the use of a third onboard resource of the communication device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting the resource to allocate the determined degree of priority includes dedicating the resource exclusively to managing the medical data and preventing the resource from being used for the other data.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting the resource to allocate the determined degree of priority includes diverting the medical data to the resource, wherein the resource is a dedicated resource used exclusively for managing the medical data.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein setting the resource to allocate the determined degree of priority includes preventing the plurality of resources from being used for managing the other data.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
activating a dedicated resource in response to determining to switch to the medical mode, wherein the dedicated resource is used for the medical data and restricted from being used for the other data.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the activated dedicated resource is used for the other data to a limited extent based on a combined weighting given to the resource status and the medical data.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the activated dedicated resource is a system on chip (SOC) onboard the communication device.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the SOC is a medical grade SOC.

16. A communication device configured to process and communicate medical data in addition to other data, the communication device comprising:
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
determining whether to switch from a first mode of operation to a medical mode based on at least one signal;
switching to the medical mode in response to determining to switch to the medical mode;
weighing a resource status associated with a plurality of resources used by the communication device against a medical data criticality associated with the medical data managed by the communication device in response to switching to the medical mode;
determining a degree of priority along a sliding priority scale that a resource of the plurality of resources allocates to support handling the medical data over the other data based on the weighing of the resource status against the medical data criticality, wherein use of the resource for the other data is limited, based on the determined degree of priority, to the extent that use of the resource for the medical data competes with the use of the resource for the other data; and
setting the resource to give the determined degree of priority to support handling the medical data over the other data.

17. The communication device of claim 16 , wherein the memory and the processor are coupled and integrated together on a system on chip (SOC).

18. The communication device of claim 17 , further comprising at least one of:
a radio coupled and integrated on the SOC; or
a power source coupled and integrated on the SOC.

19. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a communication device, coupled to a memory, to perform operations for processing and communicating medical data in addition to other data comprising:
determining whether to switch from a first mode of operation to a medical mode based on at least one signal;
switching to the medical mode in response to determining to switch to the medical mode;
weighing a resource status associated with a plurality of resources used by the communication device against a medical data criticality associated with the medical data managed by the communication device in response to switching to the medical mode;
determining a degree of priority along a sliding priority scale that a resource of the plurality of resources allocates to support handling the medical data over the other data based on the weighing of the resource status against the medical data criticality, wherein use of the resource for the other data is limited, based on the determined degree of priority, to the extent that use of the resource for the medical data competes with the use of the resource for the other data; and
setting the resource to give the determined degree of priority to support handling the medical data over the other data.

20. A method of managing resources of a communication device, the communication device configured to process and communicate medical data in addition to other data, the method comprising:
receiving, at an inference engine of the communication device, the medical data associated with a user's condition;
determining, using the inference engine, a medical data criticality by

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Dantsker Eugene
• Abdel-Malek Aiman Albert
• Rajan Rajeev Durai
• Jones Donald
• Sezan Muhammed Ibrahim
• Sheynblat Leonid

Classifications

• G16H40/63 Primary

  for local operation · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• G16H40/40

  for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades · CPC title

• G16H10/60

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• G06F9/5061

  Partitioning or combining of resources · CPC title