Defibrillator communications architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11839770-B2
Application number	US-202217861050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2022
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	Dec 12, 2023
Grant date	Dec 12, 2023

Abstract

Status messages are wirelessly broadcast from medical devices (e.g., defibrillators) as advertisements that don't require the establishment of a wireless connection with listeners. The listeners are configured to act on, or forward received status messages as appropriate. The listeners may optionally include supplemental information supplied by the listener device when forwarding a status message to a management server. The listener may optionally analyze received status messages to determine whether an action should be taken based at least in part on status information in the message. Actions performed by the listener may include initiating a connection with the transmitting device to facilitate uploading new information from the defibrillator, updating the defibrillator's firmware, etc. Optionally, some of the advertisements are configured as beacons. The advertisements/beacons may be transmitted using a Bluetooth Low Energy or other suitable protocols. In another aspect, advertisement based arrangements for spreading responder network incident alerts are described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of conveying status information about a defibrillator from the defibrillator, the method comprising, by the defibrillator, broadcasting a defibrillator status message over a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising channel, wherein the broadcast defibrillator status message includes a device identifier that identifies the broadcasting defibrillator and at least one of:
a battery charge level indicator that indicates a battery charge level of the defibrillator;
a self-test results indicator indicating a result of a self-test of the defibrillator;
an electrode pads status indicator;
a version indicator indicative of a firmware or software version in current use by the defibrillator;
an incident information available indicator that indicates whether the defibrillator has incident data available that pertain to an emergency use of the defibrillator;
a device mode indicator that indicates a current operational mode of the defibrillator;
a pad type indicator that indicates a type of electrode pad that is currently attached to the defibrillator;
a state identifier that identifies an event state of the defibrillator; and
selected incident information containing information about one or more shocks delivered during an emergency use of the defibrillator.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator status message is broadcast as a beacon.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the beacon is selected from the group consisting of an iBeacon and an Eddystone beacon.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator status message includes the version indicator indicative of a firmware or software version in current use by the defibrillator.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator status message includes the incident information available indicator that indicates whether the defibrillator has incident data available that pertain to the emergency use of the defibrillator.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator status message includes the device mode indicator that indicates a current operational mode of the defibrillator.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator status message includes the selected incident information containing information about one or more shocks delivered during the emergency use of the defibrillator.

8. A method of conveying status information about a defibrillator, the method comprising, by the defibrillator, wirelessly broadcasting an advertisement that includes a status message that contains status information about a current status of the defibrillator, the broadcast status message being suitable for reception and handling by one or more listeners without requiring the establishment of a wireless connection between the communications module and any of the one or more listeners for the one or more listeners to receive the status message.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message is broadcast as a beacon.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein the beacon is selected from the group consisting of an iBeacon and an Eddystone beacon.

11. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a version indicator indicative of a firmware or software version in current use by the defibrillator.

12. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes an incident information available indicator that indicates whether the defibrillator has incident data available that pertains to an emergency use of the defibrillator.

13. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a device mode indicator that indicates a current operational mode of the defibrillator.

14. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes information about one or more shocks delivered during the emergency use of the defibrillator.

15. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a battery charge level indicator that indicates a battery charge level of the defibrillator.

16. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a self-test results indicator that indicates a result of a self-test of the defibrillator.

17. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes an electrode pads status indicator.

18. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a pad type indicator that indicates a type of electrode pad that is currently attached to the defibrillator.

19. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein the defibrillator status message includes a state identifier that identifies an event state of the defibrillator.

20. A method of conveying information from a defibrillator, the method comprising, by the defibrillator:
wirelessly broadcasting a first advertisement that includes a first status message when the defibrillator is in a first operational mode; and
wirelessly broadcasting a second advertisement that includes a second status message when the defibrillator is in a second operational mode, the first and second status messages having at least some different content and the first and second operational modes being different; and
wherein the first and second advertisements are suitable for reception and handling by one or more listener devices without requiring the establishment of a wireless connection with the one or more listener devices.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising wirelessly broadcasting a beacon that is distinct from the first and second status messages, wherein the beacon is configured to cause suitably configured ones of listener devices to perform an action in response to the reception of the beacon without requiring an associated app to be open when the beacon is received.

22. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the first operational mode is a standby mode and the second operational mode is an emergency mode.

23. A defibrillator comprising a communications module configured to wirelessly broadcast first and second status messages that include selected defibrillator status information, the broadcast messages being suitable for reception and handling by one or more listener devices without requiring the establishment of a wireless connection between the communications module and any of the one or more listener devices, wherein the first and second messages contain at least some different defibrillator status information and the first status message is broadcast when the defibrillator is in a first mode and the second status message is broadcast when the defibrillator is in a second mode.

24. A defibrillator as recited in claim 23 further configured to wirelessly broadcasting a beacon that is distinct from the first and second status messages, wherein the beacon is configured to cause suitably configured ones of the one or more listener devices to perform an action in response to the reception of the beacon without requiring an associated app to be open when the beacon is received.

25. A defibrillator as recited in claim 23 wherein the first operational mode is a standby mode and the second operational mode is an emergency mode.

Assignees

• Avive Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Sturman Andy
• Picco David
• Beyer Rory M
• Andrews Gordon Moseley P
• Gereaux Dean Allan

Classifications

• A61N1/3993 Primary

  User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators · CPC title

• A61N1/3904

  External heart defibrillators [EHD] · CPC title

• A61N1/3937

  Monitoring output parameters · CPC title

• G16H40/63 Primary

  for local operation · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title