Sensor container, sensor information management method using the same, and sensor information management system for managing sensor housed in sensor container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239252-B2
Application number	US-201314365105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2013
Priority date	Dec 27, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A sensor container includes a container body having an opening portion, a lid that covers the opening portion of the container body, and a plurality of sensors for measuring biological information that are housed in the container body. The container body or the lid has a mark that includes information indicating the usable period of the sensors starting from a point in time when the lid is released from the container body. The mark is covered with a removable seal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor container comprising:
a container body having an opening portion;
a lid configured to cover the opening portion of the container body;
one or more sensors configured to measure biological information, the one or more sensors being housed in the container body;
a mark indicating a usable period of the one or more sensors, the mark covered with a removable seal and disposed on either the container body or the lid;
the usable period starting from a point in time when the lid is released from the container body.

2. The sensor container according to claim 1 , wherein:
the mark includes an optically-readable code.

3. The sensor container according to claim 1 , wherein:
the seal includes a guidance prompting removal of the seal when use of the one or more sensors is to begin, the guidance disposed on a surface of the seal.

4. The sensor container according to claim 1 , wherein:
the seal is arranged to span from the container to the lid.

5. The sensor container according to claim 1 , wherein:
the mark further includes information indicating the number of sensors that are initially housed in the container body.

6. A method for managing sensor information of the sensor container according to claim 5 , the method including:
reading sensor information, the sensor information including information indicating a usable period of the one or more sensors and information indicating the number of initially housed sensors; from the mark
storing the read sensor information in a storage unit;
updating the sensor information stored in the storage unit; and
displaying, on a display unit, the sensor information stored in the storage unit.

7. A sensor information management system comprising:
a sensor container according to claim 1 ;
a biological information measuring device configured to obtain a measured value; the one or more sensors housed in the sensor container configured to mount onto the biological information measuring device; and
a communication terminal configured to communicate with the biological information measuring device, and to receive the measured value from the biological information measuring device,
the communication terminal including:
a sensor information reading unit configured to read the mark on the sensor container;
a storage unit configured to store information acquired from the mark, the information indicating the usable period of the one or more sensors;
a display unit configured to display the usable period of the one or more sensors; and
a control unit operable to acquire the information indicating the usable period of the one or more sensors from the storage unit, and to cause the display unit to display the information.

8. A sensor information management system comprising:
the sensor container according to claim 5 ,
a biological information measuring device configured to obtain a measured value;
the one or more sensors housed in the sensor container configured to mount onto the biological information measuring device; and
a communication terminal configured to communicate with the biological information measuring device, and to receive the measured value from the biological information measuring device,
the communication terminal including:
a sensor information reading unit configured to read the mark on the sensor container;
a storage unit configured to store information acquired from the mark, the information indicating the usable period of the one or more sensors and the number of initially housed sensors;
a display unit configured to display the usable period of the sensors and the number of initially housed sensors; and
a control unit configured to acquire the information from the storage unit, and to cause the display unit to display the usable period of the one or more sensors and the number of initially housed sensors.

9. The sensor information management system according to claim 8 , wherein:
the control unit of the communication terminal further causes the display unit to display a remaining number of sensors;
the remaining number of sensors being equal to the number of housed sensors less a number of times the control unit has received the measured value from the biological information measuring device.

10. A sensor information management system comprising:
a sensor container including a container body and a lid,
the container body including an opening,
the lid configured to cover the opening portion of the container body;
a biological information measuring device configured to obtain a measured value;
a plurality of sensors configured to measure biological information, and to mount onto the biological information measuring device, the plurality of sensors housed in the container body;
a mark including sensor information and disposed on the container body or the lid;
the sensor information including identification information of the sensor container, information indicating a number of sensors that are initially housed in the container body, and information indicating a usable period of the sensors starting from a point in time when the lid is released from the container body; and
a communication terminal including a sensor information reading unit, a storage unit, a display unit, and a control unit;
the reading configured to read the mark;
the storage unit configured to store the sensor information acquired from the mark;
the display unit configured to display the sensor information stored in the storage unit, and a control unit operable to acquire the sensor information from the storage unit and causes the display unit to display the acquired sensor information;
the communication terminal configured to:
communicate with the biological information measuring device;
receive the measured value from the biological information measuring device;
cause the storage unit to store the number of sensors, the number of sensors determined sensors being equal to the number of housed sensors less a number of times the control unit has received the measured value from the biological information measuring device; and
cause the display unit to display the acquired number of sensors.

11. The sensor information management system according to claim 10 , wherein:
the communication terminal further includes a displayed execution operation unit; and
when the mark is read by the sensor information reading unit in accordance with an operation on the displayed execution operation unit, the control unit of the communication terminal causes the display unit to display the number of initially housed sensors in the sensor container having the read mark and a use start date of the sensor container.

12. The sensor information management system according to claim 11 , wherein:
the control unit of the communication terminal causes the display unit to display, as the use start date of the sensor container, a date of use of a sensor that was taken out of the container body before all of the other sensors.

13. The sensor information management system according to claim 12 , wherein:
the control unit of the communication terminal causes the display unit to display the number of sensors in one other sensor container and a use start date of the one other sensor container that are stored in the storage unit.

14. The sensor information management system according to claim 13 , wherein:
when the mark is read by the sensor information reading unit, the control unit of the communication terminal causes the number of sensors in the sensor container having the read mark and the use start date of the sensor container to be displayed in a

Assignees

• Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koga Yuiko

Classifications

• G01D13/00

  Component parts of indicators for measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable · CPC title

• A61B2562/242

  Packaging, i.e. for packaging the sensor or apparatus before use · CPC title

• G01N33/48771 Primary

  Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number · CPC title

• G01D11/245 Primary

  Housings for sensors · CPC title

• A61B5/150305

  Packages specially adapted for piercing devices or blood sampling devices · CPC title