Patents by Inventor Keith Huster

Keith Huster has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20160174909
    Abstract: A system that monitors various conditions of a plurality of hospital beds located in different rooms of a healthcare facility is provided. Alternatively or additionally, other types of equipment may be monitored by the system. Various configurations of network interface units that are coupleable to or integrated into a hospital bed are also disclosed. The system receives data from the hospital beds and/or other equipment and initiates a communication to a wireless communication device of at least one designated caregiver in response to the received data being indicative of an alarm condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, JR., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Patent number: 9336672
    Abstract: A system that monitors various conditions of a plurality of hospital beds located in different rooms of a healthcare facility is provided. Alternatively or additionally, other types of equipment may be monitored by the system. Various configurations of network interface units that are coupleable to or integrated into a hospital bed are also disclosed. The system receives data from the hospital beds and/or other equipment and initiates a communication to a wireless communication device of at least one designated caregiver in response to the received data being indicative of an alarm condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, Jr., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Publication number: 20160070873
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus includes a control system operable to gather physiological information about a patient supported on the patient support apparatus. The information may be gathered from sensors, a user interface, or a hospital information system. The control system also monitors operating parameters of the patient support apparatus and environmental conditions in the patient room. The control system utilizes the data gathered to identify a risk of an adverse event occurring to a patient supported on the patient support apparatus. The patient support apparatus is also operable to modify patient support apparatus parameters or environmental conditions to mitigate the risk of the adverse event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Keith A. Huster, Charles A. Lachenbruch, Timothy J. Receveur
  • Patent number: 9253259
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus includes an electronic control system with client browser software running on a general purpose operating system that connects with a remote server via a high speed network connection. The browser and operating system allows the patient support apparatus to access and run programs not designed exclusively for patient support apparatus electronics systems. A general purpose microprocessor along with network converter circuitry allows the patient support to deliver messages in frames having intended recipient addresses. The microprocessor communicates with one or more graphical user interfaces and with a control system that controls actuators of the patient support. The control system may comprise networked nodes, such as CAN nodes for example. Isolation circuitry isolates the patient support from a network of a care facility with which it communicates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan R. Tallent, James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, William G. Pittenger, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Christian Saucier, John T. Harrington
  • Patent number: 9213956
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus includes a control system operable to gather physiological information about a patient supported on the patient support apparatus. The information may be gathered from sensors, a user interface, or a hospital information system. The control system also monitors operating parameters of the patient support apparatus and environmental conditions in the patient room. The control system utilizes the data gathered to identify a risk of an adverse event occurring to a patient supported on the patient support apparatus. The patient support apparatus is also operable to modify patient support apparatus parameters or environmental conditions to mitigate the risk of the adverse event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith A. Huster, Charles A. Lachenbruch, Timothy J. Receveur
  • Publication number: 20150351983
    Abstract: A system for use with a hospital bed having circuitry and a standard AC power outlet spaced from the hospital bed is provided. The system includes a cable assembly couplable to the circuitry of the hospital bed. The cable assembly has power conductors and at least one data conductor. The cable assembly also has a plug including a first power coupler coupled to the power conductors and a first data coupler coupled to the at least one data conductor. The system also includes a second data coupler mountable adjacent the standard AC power outlet. The second data coupler is configured to couple to the first data coupler when the first power coupler is coupled to the standard AC power outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Craig A. McNeely, Richard H. Heimbrock, Carl W. Riley, Keith A. Huster, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Paul J. McDaniel, Williams F. Collins, JR., Oscar A. Manguiat, Terry L. Tincher
  • Patent number: 9142923
    Abstract: A system for use with a hospital bed having circuitry and a standard AC power outlet spaced from the hospital bed is provided. The system includes a cable assembly couplable to the circuitry of the hospital bed. The cable assembly has power conductors and at least one data conductor. The cable assembly also has a plug including a first power coupler coupled to the power conductors and a first data coupler coupled to the at least one data conductor. The system also includes a second data coupler mountable adjacent the standard AC power outlet. The second data coupler is configured to couple to the first data coupler when the first power coupler is coupled to the standard AC power outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig A. McNeely, Richard H. Heimbrock, Carl W. Riley, Keith A. Huster, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Paul J. McDaniel, III, Williams F. Collins, Jr., Oscar A. Manguiat, Terry L. Tincher
  • Publication number: 20150221198
    Abstract: A system that monitors various conditions of a plurality of hospital beds located in different rooms of a healthcare facility is provided. Alternatively or additionally, other types of equipment may be monitored by the system. Various configurations of network interface units that are coupleable to or integrated into a hospital bed are also disclosed. The system receives data from the hospital beds and/or other equipment and initiates a communication to a wireless communication device of at least one designated caregiver in response to the received data being indicative of an alarm condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, JR., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Patent number: 9050031
    Abstract: A system that monitors various conditions of a plurality of hospital beds located in different rooms of a healthcare facility is provided. Alternatively or additionally, other types of equipment may be monitored by the system. Various configurations of network interface units that are coupleable to or integrated into a hospital bed are also disclosed. The system receives data from the hospital beds and/or other equipment and initiates a communication to a wireless communication device of at least one designated caregiver in response to the received data being indicative of an alarm condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, Jr., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Patent number: 9016563
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus including a barrier, an optical detector, and a control system. The optical detector secured to the barrier and configured to detect indicia having a predetermined pattern. The control system includes a processor in communication with the optical detector, a transmitter in communication with the processor, and a memory unit in communication with the processor. The memory unit stores a unique identifier associated with the patient support apparatus. The processor receiving a signal from the optical detector indicative of data detected by the optical detector and performing a set of instructions in response to the optical detector communicating the data, the set of instructions performed by the processor including (i) linking the data with the unique identifier, and (ii) communicating the linked data and unique identifier to a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Zerhusen, Stephen C. Flint, Dan R. Tallent, Jack B. Sing, Keith A. Huster
  • Publication number: 20150082295
    Abstract: A hospital bed is programmable with new firmware that is downloaded to the bed over a network. The firmware is downloaded to the bed automatically from a remote computer device. The remote computer device receives a message from the hospital bed which includes data regarding the version number of the bed's current firmware, and if the version number indicates that the firmware is an outdated version, the remote computer device downloads a new version of the firmware to the bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, JR., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Benjamin E. Howell, Timothy D. Wildman
  • Publication number: 20150081335
    Abstract: Systems and methods of associating beds and/or rooms and/or patients are provided. One system and method involves using a signature of emitted light to determine a location of a patient bed in a healthcare facility. Another system and method involves reading a bar code from an array of redundant bar codes. Still another system and method involves manually entering location information on a graphical user interface of a patient bed for subsequent transmission. A further system and method involves sending bed ID and location ID along parallel paths from two independent circuits on a patient bed for receipt by two different transceivers and ultimately by two different remote computers that cooperate to associate the bed ID with the location ID. Still a further system and method involves using circuitry on a bed to mutate a received location ID and a bed ID into a single unique mutated ID such as by adding the location ID and bed ID and then performing a hashing operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Steven Alan Dixon, Keith A. Huster, Michael S. Hood, James Maurice Allen, John D. Christie, Jack Barney Sing, Dan R. Tallent, Clay Gerome Owsley, Umesh Jairamdas Rajani, Thomas F. Heil, Richard Joseph Schuman, SR., Timothy D. Wildman
  • Publication number: 20150033295
    Abstract: A system includes a remote computer device and a patient bed in communication with the remote computer device. The patient bed has circuitry operable by a user to obtain at least one software application from the remote computer device. The system also has an authentication software module that verifies that the at least one software application is authorized for use on the patient bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventor: Keith A. Huster
  • Publication number: 20150022330
    Abstract: A system that monitors various conditions of a plurality of hospital beds located in different rooms of a healthcare facility is provided. Alternatively or additionally, other types of equipment may be monitored by the system. Various configurations of network interface units that are coupleable to or integrated into a hospital bed are also disclosed. The system receives data from the hospital beds and/or other equipment and initiates a communication to a wireless communication device of at least one designated caregiver in response to the received data being indicative of an alarm condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, JR., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Patent number: 8917166
    Abstract: A hospital bed has a bed frame and communication circuitry operable to transmit bed status data to a network of a healthcare facility and to receive messages from the network. The messages include information indicating whether bed status conditions are being monitored by a remote computer of the network for generation of alert messages to at least one caregiver in response to alert conditions being indicated by the bed status data. The bed has at least one user input that is used locally at the bed to enable and suspend monitoring of the bed status conditions by the remote computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, Jr., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Richard J. Schuman, Benjamin E. Howell, Timothy D. Wildman
  • Patent number: 8866598
    Abstract: A system for use in a healthcare facility having a nurse call system with a nurse call computer located remotely from patient rooms is provided. The system includes a hospital bed having communication circuitry configured for communicating data from the hospital bed. An interface unit is spaced from the hospital bed. The interface unit has a first connector to which the hospital bed couples via a wired connection, a second connector which is communicatively coupled to the nurse call system, and circuitry comprising a third connector for connection to an external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Williams F. Collins, Jr., James M. Allen, Keith A. Huster, Carl W. Riley, Patricia A. Glidewell, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, Richard J. Schuman, Christopher A. Mathura
  • Patent number: 8866610
    Abstract: A hospital bed obstacle detection device and related method for detecting an obstacle between first and second components of a hospital bed is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl W. Riley, Keith A. Huster, Gregory J. Figel, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III
  • Publication number: 20140297327
    Abstract: A care system includes a mobile communication device, a remote server, and a patient support system in communication with either or both of the mobile communication device and the remote server. The mobile communication device operates as a user interface for the patient support system. The remote server provides computing power for the patient support system for resource intensive computing tasks. A system for use in a healthcare facility includes patient care devices located in a patient room. The system also includes an application server located remotely from the patient room. The application server stores application software associated with each patient care device. The system further includes a universal caregiver interface situated in the patient room and in communication with the application server. The universal caregiver interface receives application software from the application server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. Heil, Eric D. Agdeppa, Steven A. Dixon, Charles A. Howell, Thomas M. Gillis, Benjamin E. Howell, Christian Saucier, Kelli F. Rempel, Keith A. Huster, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Andrew S. Robinson, Mary Butler, Bryan J. Bello, Michael S. Hood
  • Publication number: 20140248804
    Abstract: A system for use with a hospital bed having circuitry and a standard AC power outlet spaced from the hospital bed is provided. The system includes a cable assembly couplable to the circuitry of the hospital bed. The cable assembly has power conductors and at least one data conductor. The cable assembly also has a plug including a first power coupler coupled to the power conductors and a first data coupler coupled to the at least one data conductor. The system also includes a second data coupler mountable adjacent the standard AC power outlet. The second data coupler is configured to couple to the first data coupler when the first power coupler is coupled to the standard AC power outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig A. McNeely, Richard H. Heimbrock, Carl W. Riley, Keith A. Huster, Irvin J. Vanderpohl, III, Paul J. McDaniel, III, Williams F. Collins, JR., Oscar A. Manguiat, Terry L. Tincher
  • Publication number: 20140236629
    Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for associating a patient with a bed or a room includes sensing wireless information transmitted by a transmitter worn by the patient, such as an RFID transmitter of a wristband, and relying on automatic communication between the bed, a bed status computer, and an admission, discharge and tracking (ADT) computer to verify the patient-to-room or patient-to-bed association. The verification is achieved without the need for any manual data entry at the bed or at the bed status computer. The bed status computer stores bed data sent from the bed until the verification is made and then the bed status computer transmits the stored bed data to an electronic medical records (EMR) computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter S. Kim, Eric D. Agdeppa, David L. Ribble, Dan R. Tallent, Richard J. Schuman, William B. Bishop, Keith A. Huster