Bed status information system for hospital beds

Patent 7242308 Issued on July 10, 2007. Estimated Expiration Date:

May 11, 2025. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

Hill-Rom Services, Inc.

Application

No. 11126609 filed on 05/11/2005

US Classes:

340/573.1, Human or animal340/286.07, Hospital340/539.12, Medical340/539.13, Tracking location (e.g., GPS, etc.)340/539.16, Including central station detail340/539.17, And remote station detail340/825.72, Wireless link340/573.4House arrest system, wandering, or wrong place

Examiners

Primary: Lieu, Julie

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

International Classes

G08B 23/00
G08B 5/22
H04Q 1/30

Abstract

A bed monitoring system that remotely monitors a patient bed. The bed monitoring system comprises a bed status system and a master station. The bed status system is coupled to the patient bed and is configured to monitor at least one condition of the bed, and to generate a bed message indicating the status of the monitored condition. The master station, remote from the patient bed, is operatively coupled to the bed status system to receive bed status information. The bed message can include a bed identifier, bed type identifier, patient exit detection signal, bed occupied signal, or various other status signals. The system can also include locating stations that receive the bed messages from any beds within its monitored location, and generates a station message including information from the bed messages. The master station receives the station messages and can determine the status and location of any bed.