Wireless configuration and authorization of a wall unit that pairs with a medical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12279999-B2
Application number	US-202217846170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2022
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

A time-based wireless pairing operation between a medical device, such as a patient bed, and a wall module in a patient room is initiated in response to a power plug of the medical device being plugged into a power receptacle carried by the wall module. Times determined by timers of the medical device and the wall module are compared by the wall module or by the medical device so that wireless pairing occurs only with the medical device that was plugged into the wall module. Different types of plug detectors used in the wall module to detect connection of the power plug include optical detectors, mechanical switches, and current sensors.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising
a wall module including a first wireless transceiver and first circuitry configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed,
a patient bed including a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable for wireless communication with the first wireless transceiver, and
a mobile device configured to link temporarily with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication for configuration of the circuitry of the wall module, the mobile device being configured to receive a first user input to command the circuitry of the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed on a going-forward basis including after the link between the mobile device and the first wireless transceiver has been terminated,
wherein in response to receipt of the first user input to mute the speaker of the patient bed, the circuitry of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner to place the patient bed in an on-going mute mode to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed to thereby avoid an echo effect from occurring due to the audio feed being played through another nearby audio source.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to receipt of the first user input to mute the speaker of the patient bed, the first circuitry commands the first wireless transceiver to transmit audio packets that correspond to silence.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the audio packets that correspond to silence comprise all zeroes.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is configured to receive a second user input to unmute the speaker of the patient bed, wherein in response to receipt of the second user input to unmute the speaker of the patient bed, the first circuitry of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the mobile device is configured to display a mute/unmute slider, the first user input corresponds to the mute/unmute slider being in a first position and the second user input corresponds to the mute/unmute slider being in a second position.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to upload firmware to the circuitry of the wall module via the first transceiver.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient bed includes a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive inputs from a user to control functions of the patient bed, the GUI being configured to receive a third user input which results in a mute command being transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the circuitry of the wall module to operate in the first manner to mute the speaker of the patient bed.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the GUI is configured to receive a fourth user input which results in an unmute command being transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the circuitry of the wall module to operate in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

9. The system of any one of claim 1 , wherein the first circuitry of the wall module and the second circuitry of the patient bed implement a time-based pairing operation to pair the patient bed with the wall module.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by plugging a power plug of the patient bed in to a power receptacle of the wall module.

11. The system claim 1 , further comprising a nurse call cord extending from the wall module, the nurse call cord terminating at a first nurse call connector configured for connection to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the nurse call cord includes an auxiliary cord branch terminating at a second nurse call connector, the second nurse call connector being coupleable to a third nurse call connector at an end of a bed nurse call cord extending from the patient bed.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient bed includes a first WiFi transceiver and the wall module includes a second WiFi transceiver, the first and second WiFi transceivers each being configured to send WiFi messages to, and receive WiFi messages from, at least one wireless access point of a network.

14. A system comprising
a wall module including a first wireless transceiver and first circuitry configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed,
a patient bed including a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable for wireless communication with the first wireless transceiver, and
a mobile device configured to link temporarily with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication for configuration of the circuitry of the wall module, the mobile device being configured to receive a first user input to command the circuitry of the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed,
wherein in response to receipt of the first user input to mute the speaker of the patient bed, the circuitry of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that prevents the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed,
wherein the first circuitry of the wall module and the second circuitry of the patient bed implement a time-based pairing operation to pair the patient bed with the wall module,
wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by plugging a power plug of the patient bed in to a power receptacle of the wall module,
wherein plugging in the power cord to the power receptacle results in a first timer of the patient bed being started to measure a first uptime, wherein plugging in the power cord to the power receptacle results in a second timer of the wall module being started to measure a second uptime, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit to the patient bed from the first wireless transceiver an advertisement including the second uptime, wherein the patient bed compares the second uptime with the first uptime and, if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first uptime, the patient bed sends a pairing message to the wall module which results in the wall module and the patient bed becoming automatically paired for subsequent wireless communications.

15. A system comprising
a wall module including a first wireless transceiver and first circuitry configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed,
a patient bed including a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable for wireless communication with the first wireless transceiver, and
a mobile device configured to link temporarily with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication for configuration of the circuitry of the wall module, the mobile device being configured to receive a first user input to command the circuitry of the wall module to mute the speaker of t

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Inc

Inventors

• Williams Jason M
• Tadipatri Vijay Aditya
• Mccaig Steven V
• Harmeyer John V

Classifications

• A61G7/018

  Control or drive mechanisms · CPC title

• G16H40/20

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title

• G08B5/222

  Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems (selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00) · CPC title

• A61G7/05 Primary

  Parts, details or accessories of beds (devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 {; mattresses A47C27/00}) · CPC title

• G08B5/221

  Local indication of seats occupied in a facility, e.g. in a theatre · CPC title