Ultrasound utility station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12469595-B2
Application number	US-202217693089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2022
Priority date	Mar 11, 2022
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of ultrasound utility station and methods for using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes displaying a status of the ultrasound machine that indicates a location of the ultrasound machine and an amount of charge of a battery of the ultrasound machine, and displaying an additional status that indicates an additional location of the ultrasound utility station and one or more available ultrasound probes on the ultrasound utility station. After receiving a selection of an ultrasound probe of the available ultrasound probes and a user input that determines a schedule for said configuring the ultrasound machine, the method instructs the ultrasound utility station to charge the battery of the ultrasound machine and provide the ultrasound probe for transfer to the ultrasound machine.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A first ultrasound utility station to configure one or more ultrasound machines to be ready for use, the first ultrasound utility station comprising:
a processor; a display device; a battery exchanger coupled to the processor; a battery charger coupled to the processor; a probe rack coupled to the processor to house ultrasound probes that can be coupled to the one or more ultrasound machines including a first ultrasound machine; a location generator coupled to the processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein the processor is configured to control: the battery exchanger to accept a first battery from the first ultrasound machine and provide a second battery for the first ultrasound machine; the battery charger to charge the first battery from the first ultrasound machine; the location generator to determine a first location of the first ultrasound utility station and a battery location of the second battery that is separate from the first location; and the transceiver to: receive a first indication of an amount of charge of the first battery from the first ultrasound machine; receive an ultrasound utility station status from a second ultrasound utility station, the ultrasound utility station status including a first status indicating that the second ultrasound utility station is currently charging other ultrasound machine and is not available to charge the first ultrasound machine and a second status indicating that the second ultrasound utility station is currently not charging the other ultrasound machine and is available to charge the first ultrasound machine; and communicate the battery location, the ultrasound utility station status and one or more of a battery status of the first battery, a battery status of the second battery, an ultrasound probe status of one or more of the ultrasound probes, and the first location to at least one of the first ultrasound machine and a user device; and the display device is configured to display the first indication of the amount of charge of the first battery, and the ultrasound utility station status.

2 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , further comprising a gel dispenser implemented to provide, for transfer to the first ultrasound machine, at least one of an ultrasound gel bottle, a gel pack, and a gel pad.

3 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , further comprising an ultrasound accessory dispenser implemented to provide, for transfer to the first ultrasound machine, at least one of a needle kit, a peripheral intravenous kit, a nerve block kit, a cardiac kit, a transesophageal echocardiogram kit, and an electrocardiogram kit, wherein the needle kit, the peripheral intravenous kit, the nerve block kit, the cardiac kit, the transesophageal echocardiogram kit, and the electrocardiogram kit have a common mounting form, and the first ultrasound machine includes a mount configured to accept the common mounting form.

4 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , wherein one or more of the ultrasound probes are implemented to wirelessly communicate to the first ultrasound machine and include a rechargeable probe battery, and the probe rack is implemented to charge the rechargeable probe battery.

5 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , wherein the probe rack includes a cleaning vessel that contains a cleaning agent to clean the ultrasound probes when the ultrasound probes are housed by the probe rack.

6 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasound machines include a second ultrasound machine, and the transceiver is implemented to: receive a second indication of a second amount of charge of a third battery from the second ultrasound machine; and display the second indication on the display device, and communicate the battery location to one or both of the second ultrasound machine and the user device.

7 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , wherein the first battery is implemented to provide power to at least one additional ultrasound machine manufactured by a different manufacturer than a manufacturer of the first ultrasound machine.

8 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is implemented to receive, from the first ultrasound machine, an indicator of a location of the first ultrasound machine, wherein the location generator is further configured to determine a plurality of locations including the first location of the first ultrasound utility station to guide the first ultrasound machine to the first location and a second location of the first ultrasound utility station to guide the first ultrasound machine to the second location.

9 . A first ultrasound utility station, comprising:
a memory; a display device; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: to control a battery exchanger to accept a first battery from one or more ultrasound machines including a first ultrasound machine; to control the battery exchanger to provide a second battery for the first ultrasound machine; charge the first battery from the first ultrasound machine; determine a plurality of locations including a first location of the first ultrasound utility station to guide the first ultrasound machine to the first location and a second location of the first ultrasound utility station to guide the first ultrasound machine to the second location; determine a battery location of the second battery that is separate from the first location; receive a first indication of an amount of charge of the first battery from the first ultrasound machine; receive an ultrasound utility station status from a second ultrasound utility station, the ultrasound utility station status including a first status indicating that the second ultrasound utility station is currently charging other ultrasound machine and is not available to charge the first ultrasound machine and a second status indicating that the second ultrasound utility station is currently not charging the other ultrasound machine and is available to charge the first ultrasound machine; display the first indication of the amount of charge of the first battery and the ultrasound utility station status on the display device; and communicate the battery location, the ultrasound utility station status and one or more of a battery status of the first battery, a battery status of the second battery, an ultrasound probe status of one or more of the ultrasound probes, and the first location to at least one of the first ultrasound machine and a user device.

10 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide, for transfer to the first ultrasound machine, at least one of ultrasound gel bottle, a gel pack, and a gel pad.

11 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide, for transfer to the first ultrasound machine, at least one of a needle kit, a peripheral intravenous kit, a nerve block kit, a cardiac kit, a transesophageal echocardiogram kit, and an electrocardiogram kit, wherein the needle kit, the peripheral intravenous kit, the nerve block kit, the cardiac kit, the transesophageal echocardiogram kit, and the electrocardiogram kit have a common mounting form, and the first ultrasound machine includes a mount configured to accept the common mounting form.

12 . The first ultrasound utility station as described in claim 9 , wherein the ultrasound utility station includ

Assignees

• Fujifilm Sonosite Inc

Inventors

• Chamberlain Craig
• Lundberg Andrew
• Nally Patrick
• Kimura Kenji
• Rogers Trevor
• Dawson Tyler
• Aliakbari Saeed
• Dhatt Davin

Classifications

• A61B8/56

  Details of data transmission or power supply · CPC title

• A61B8/467

  characterised by special input means · CPC title

• A61B8/465

  adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus · CPC title

• A61B8/4472

  Wireless probes · CPC title

• A61B8/4433

  involving a docking unit · CPC title