DATA-CAPABLE BAND FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, MONITORING, AND TREATMENT
A data-capable band for medical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment is described, including one or more sensors configured to gather data associated with diagnosis, monitoring or treatment of a medical condition, an application configured to determine the medical condition using the data gathered by the sensors, a memory configured to store the data and the application, and a notification facility configured to provide an array of notifications in relation to the monitoring and treatment of the medical conditions. The notifications may be alarms, may be designed to prompt movement, or may be associated with a drug regimen.
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This application is a U.S. non-provisional patent application that claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/158,372, filed Jun. 10, 2011, and entitled “Component Protective Overmolding,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/158,416, filed Jun. 11, 2011, and entitled “Component Protective Overmolding,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,995, filed Jun. 11, 2011, and entitled “Data-Capable Strapband,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61,495,994, filed Jun. 11, 2011, and entitled “Data-Capable Strapband,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,997, filed Jun. 11, 2011, and entitled “Data-Capable Strapband,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/495,996, filed Jun. 11, 2011, and entitled “Data-Capable Strapband,” all of which are herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.
FIELDThe present invention relates generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, and computing devices. More specifically, techniques for a data-capable personal worn or carried device for medical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment, are described.
BACKGROUNDWith the advent of greater computing capabilities in smaller personal and/or portable form factors and an increasing number of applications (i.e., computer and Internet software or programs) for different uses, consumers (i.e., users) have access to large amounts of personal data. Information and data are often readily available, but poorly captured using conventional data capture devices. Conventional devices typically lack capabilities that can capture, analyze, communicate, or use data in a contextually-meaningful, comprehensive, and efficient manner. Further, conventional solutions are often limited to specific individual purposes or uses, demanding that users invest in multiple devices in order to perform different activities (e.g., a sports watch for tracking time and distance, a GPS receiver for monitoring a hike or run, a cyclometer for gathering cycling data, and others). Although a wide range of data and information is available, conventional devices and applications fail to provide effective solutions that comprehensively capture data for a given user across numerous disparate activities.
Some conventional solutions combine a small number of discrete functions. Functionality for data capture, processing, storage, or communication in conventional devices such as a watch or timer with a heart rate monitor or global positioning system (“GPS”) receiver are available conventionally, but are expensive to manufacture and purchase. Other conventional solutions for combining personal data capture facilities often present numerous design and manufacturing problems such as size restrictions, specialized materials requirements, lowered tolerances for defects such as pits or holes in coverings for water-resistant or waterproof devices, unreliability, higher failure rates, increased manufacturing time, and expense. Subsequently, conventional devices such as fitness watches, heart rate monitors, GPS-enabled fitness monitors, health monitors (e.g., diabetic blood sugar testing units), digital voice recorders, pedometers, altimeters, and other conventional personal data capture devices are generally manufactured for conditions that occur in a single or small groupings of activities.
Generally, if the number of activities performed by conventional personal data capture devices increases, there is a corresponding rise in design and manufacturing requirements that results in significant consumer expense, which eventually becomes prohibitive to both investment and commercialization. Further, conventional manufacturing techniques are often limited and ineffective at meeting increased requirements to protect sensitive hardware, circuitry, and other components that are susceptible to damage, but which are required to perform various personal data capture activities. As a conventional example, sensitive electronic components such as printed circuit board assemblies (“PCBA”), sensors, and computer memory (hereafter “memory”) can be significantly damaged or destroyed during manufacturing processes where overmoldings or layering of protective material occurs using techniques such as injection molding, cold molding, and others. Damaged or destroyed items subsequently raises the cost of goods sold and can deter not only investment and commercialization, but also innovation in data capture and analysis technologies, which are highly compelling fields of opportunity.
Thus, what is needed is a solution for data capture devices without the limitations of conventional techniques.
Various embodiments or examples (“examples”) are disclosed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings:
Various embodiments or examples may be implemented in numerous ways, including as a system, a process, an apparatus, a user interface, or a series of program instructions on a computer readable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computer network where the program instructions are sent over optical, electronic, or wireless communication links. In general, operations of disclosed processes may be performed in an arbitrary order, unless otherwise provided in the claims.
A detailed description of one or more examples is provided below along with accompanying figures. The detailed description is provided in connection with such examples, but is not limited to any particular example. The scope is limited only by the claims and numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents are encompassed. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding. These details are provided for the purpose of example and the described techniques may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the examples has not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description.
As described above, bands 104-112 may be implemented as wearable personal data or data capture devices (e.g., data-capable devices) that are worn by a user around a wrist, ankle, arm, ear, or other appendage, or attached to the body or affixed to clothing. One or more facilities, sensing elements, or sensors, both active and passive, may be implemented as part of bands 104-112 in order to capture various types of data from different sources. Temperature, environmental, temporal, motion, electronic, electrical, chemical, or other types of sensors (including those described below in connection with
Using data gathered by bands 104-112, applications may be used to perform various analyses and evaluations that can generate information as to a person's physical (e.g., healthy, sick, weakened, activity level, or other states), emotional, or mental state (e.g., an elevated body temperature or heart rate may indicate stress, a lowered heart rate and skin temperature, or reduced movement (e.g., excessive sleeping), may indicate physiological depression caused by exertion or other factors, chemical data gathered from evaluating out-gassing from the skin's surface may be analyzed to determine whether a person's diet is balanced or if various nutrients are lacking, salinity detectors may be evaluated to determine if high, lower, or proper blood sugar levels are present for diabetes management, and others). Generally, bands 104-112 may be configured to gather from sensors locally and remotely.
As an example, band 104 may capture (i.e., record, store, communicate (i.e., send or receive), process, or the like) data from various sources (i.e., sensors that are organic (i.e., installed, integrated, or otherwise implemented with band 104) or distributed (e.g., microphones on mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, distributed sensor 124, global positioning system (“GPS”) satellites, or others, without limitation)) and exchange data with one or more of bands 106-112, server 114, mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, and distributed sensor 124. As shown here, a local sensor may be one that is incorporated, integrated, or otherwise implemented with bands 104-112. A remote or distributed sensor (e.g., mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, or, generally, distributed sensor 124) may be sensors that can be accessed, controlled, or otherwise used by bands 104-112. For example, band 112 may be configured to control devices that are also controlled by a given user (e.g., mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, and distributed sensor 124). For example, a microphone in mobile communications device 118 may be used to detect, for example, ambient audio data that is used to help identify a person's location, or an ear clip (e.g., a headset as described below) affixed to an ear may be used to record pulse or blood oxygen saturation levels. Additionally, a sensor implemented with a screen on mobile computing device 116 may be used to read a user's temperature or obtain a biometric signature while a user is interacting with data. A further example may include using data that is observed on computer 120 or laptop 122 that provides information as to a user's online behavior and the type of content that she is viewing, which may be used by bands 104-112. Regardless of the type or location of sensor used, data may be transferred to bands 104-112 by using, for example, an analog audio jack, digital adapter (e.g., USB, mini-USB), or other, without limitation, plug, or other type of connector that may be used to physically couple bands 104-112 to another device or system for transferring data and, in some examples, to provide power to recharge a battery (not shown). Alternatively, a wireless data communication interface or facility (e.g., a wireless radio that is configured to communicate data from bands 104-112 using one or more data communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (WiFi), WiMax, ANT™, ZigBee®, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communications (“NFC”), and others)) may be used to receive or transfer data. Further, bands 104-112 may be configured to analyze, evaluate, modify, or otherwise use data gathered, either directly or indirectly.
In some examples, bands 104-112 may be configured to share data with each other or with an intermediary facility, such as a database, website, web service, or the like, which may be implemented by server 114. In some embodiments, server 114 can be operated by a third party providing, for example, social media-related services. Bands 104-112 and other related devices may exchange data with each other directly, or bands 104-112 may exchange data via a third party server, such as a third party like Facebook®, to provide social-media related services. Examples of other third party servers include those implemented by social networking services, including, but not limited to, services such as Yahoo! IM™, GTaIk™, MSN Messenger™, Twitter® and other private or public social networks. The exchanged data may include personal physiological data and data derived from sensory-based user interfaces (“UI”). Server 114, in some examples, may be implemented using one or more processor-based computing devices or networks, including computing clouds, storage area networks (“SAN”), or the like. As shown, bands 104-112 may be used as a personal data or area network (e.g., “PDN” or “PAN”) in which data relevant to a given user or band (e.g., one or more of bands 104-112) may be shared. As shown here, bands 104 and 112 may be configured to exchange data with each other over network 102 or indirectly using server 114. Users of bands 104 and 112 may direct a web browser hosted on a computer (e.g., computer 120, laptop 122, or the like) in order to access, view, modify, or perform other operations with data captured by bands 104 and 112. For example, two runners using bands 104 and 112 may be geographically remote (e.g., users are not geographically in close proximity locally such that bands being used by each user are in direct data communication), but wish to share data regarding their race times (pre, post, or in-race), personal records (i.e., “PR”), target split times, results, performance characteristics (e.g., target heart rate, target VO2 max, and others), and other information. If both runners (i.e., bands 104 and 112) are engaged in a race on the same day, data can be gathered for comparative analysis and other uses. Further, data can be shared in substantially real-time (taking into account any latencies incurred by data transfer rates, network topologies, or other data network factors) as well as uploaded after a given activity or event has been performed. In other words, data can be captured by the user as it is worn and configured to transfer data using, for example, a wireless network connection (e.g., a wireless network interface card, wireless local area network (“LAN”) card, cell phone, or the like. Data may also be shared in a temporally asynchronous manner in which a wired data connection (e.g., an analog audio plug (and associated software or firmware) configured to transfer digitally encoded data to encoded audio data that may be transferred between bands 104-112 and a plug configured to receive, encode/decode, and process data exchanged) may be used to transfer data from one or more bands 104-112 to various destinations (e.g., another of bands 104-112, server 114, mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, and distributed sensor 124). Bands 104-112 may be implemented with various types of wired and/or wireless communication facilities and are not intended to be limited to any specific technology. For example, data may be transferred from bands 104-112 using an analog audio plug (e.g., TRRS, TRS, or others). In other examples, wireless communication facilities using various types of data communication protocols (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, ANT™, and others) may be implemented as part of bands 104-112, which may include circuitry, firmware, hardware, radios, antennas, processors, microprocessors, memories, or other electrical, electronic, mechanical, or physical elements configured to enable data communication capabilities of various types and characteristics.
As data-capable devices, bands 104-112 may be configured to collect data from a wide range of sources, including onboard (not shown) and distributed sensors (e.g., server 114, mobile computing device 116, mobile communications device 118, computer 120, laptop 122, and distributed sensor 124) or other bands. Some or all data captured may be personal, sensitive, or confidential and various techniques for providing secure storage and access may be implemented. For example, various types of security protocols and algorithms may be used to encode data stored or accessed by bands 104-112. Examples of security protocols and algorithms include authentication, encryption, encoding, private and public key infrastructure, passwords, checksums, hash codes and hash functions (e.g., SHA, SHA-1, MD-5, and the like), or others may be used to prevent undesired access to data captured by bands 104-112. In other examples, data security for bands 104-112 may be implemented differently.
Bands 104-112 may be used as personal wearable, data capture devices that, when worn, are configured to identify a specific, individual user. By evaluating captured data such as motion data from an accelerometer, biometric data such as heart rate, skin galvanic response, and other biometric data, and using long-term analysis techniques (e.g., software packages or modules of any type, without limitation), a user may have a unique pattern of behavior or motion and/or biometric responses that can be used as a signature for identification. For example, bands 104-112 may gather data regarding an individual person's gait or other unique biometric, physiological or behavioral characteristics. Using, for example, distributed sensor 124, a biometric signature (e.g., fingerprint, retinal or iris vascular pattern, or others) may be gathered and transmitted to bands 104-112 that, when combined with other data, determines that a given user has been properly identified and, as such, authenticated. When bands 104-112 are worn, a user may be identified and authenticated to enable a variety of other functions such as accessing or modifying data, enabling wired or wireless data transmission facilities (i.e., allowing the transfer of data from bands 104-112), modifying functionality or functions of bands 104-112, authenticating financial transactions using stored data and information (e.g., credit card, PIN, card security numbers, and the like), running applications that allow for various operations to be performed (e.g., controlling physical security and access by transmitting a security code to a reader that, when authenticated, unlocks a door by turning off current to an electromagnetic lock, and others), and others. Different functions and operations beyond those described may be performed using bands 104-112, which can act as secure, personal, wearable, data-capable devices. The number, type, function, configuration, specifications, structure, or other features of system 100 and the above-described elements may be varied and are not limited to the examples provided.
In some examples, memory 206 may be implemented using various types of data storage technologies and standards, including, without limitation, read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), static random access memory (“SRAM”), static/dynamic random access memory (“SDRAM”), magnetic random access memory (“MRAM”), solid state, two and three-dimensional memories, Flash®, and others. Memory 206 may also be implemented using one or more partitions that are configured for multiple types of data storage technologies to allow for non-modifiable (i.e., by a user) software to be installed (e.g., firmware installed on ROM) while also providing for storage of captured data and applications using, for example, RAM. Once captured and/or stored in memory 206, data may be subjected to various operations performed by other elements of band 200.
Notification facility 208, in some examples, may be implemented to provide vibratory energy, audio or visual signals, communicated through band 200. As used herein, “facility” refers to any, some, or all of the features and structures that are used to implement a given set of functions. In some examples, the vibratory energy may be implemented using a motor or other mechanical structure. In some examples, the audio signal may be a tone or other audio cue, or it may be implemented using different sounds for different purposes. The audio signals may be emitted directly using notification facility 208, or indirectly by transmission via communications facility 216 to other audio-capable devices (e.g., headphones (not shown), a headset (as described below with regard to
Power may be stored in battery 214, which may be implemented as a battery, battery module, power management module, or the like. Power may also be gathered from local power sources such as solar panels, thermo-electric generators, and kinetic energy generators, among others that are alternatives power sources to external power for a battery. These additional sources can either power the system directly or can charge a battery, which, in turn, is used to power the system (e.g., of a band). In other words, battery 214 may include a rechargeable, expendable, replaceable, or other type of battery, but also circuitry, hardware, or software that may be used in connection with in lieu of processor 204 in order to provide power management, charge/recharging, sleep, or other functions. Further, battery 214 may be implemented using various types of battery technologies, including Lithium Ion (“LI”), Nickel Metal Hydride (“NiMH”), or others, without limitation. Power drawn as electrical current may be distributed from battery via bus 202, the latter of which may be implemented as deposited or formed circuitry or using other forms of circuits or cabling, including flexible circuitry. Electrical current distributed from battery 204 and managed by processor 204 may be used by one or more of memory 206, notification facility 208, accelerometer 210, sensor 212, or communications facility 216.
As shown, various sensors may be used as input sources for data captured by band 200. For example, accelerometer 210 may be used to gather data measured across one, two, or three axes of motion. In addition to accelerometer 210, other sensors (i.e., sensor 212) may be implemented to provide temperature, environmental, physical, chemical, electrical, or other types of sensed inputs. As presented here, sensor 212 may include one or multiple sensors and is not intended to be limiting as to the quantity or type of sensor implemented. Data captured by band 200 using accelerometer 210 and sensor 212 or data requested from another source (i.e., outside of band 200) may also be exchanged, transferred, or otherwise communicated using communications facility 216. For example, communications facility 216 may include a wireless radio, control circuit or logic, antenna, transceiver, receiver, transmitter, resistors, diodes, transistors, or other elements that are used to transmit and receive data from band 200. In some examples, communications facility 216 may be implemented to provide a “wired” data communication capability such as an analog or digital attachment, plug, jack, or the like to allow for data to be transferred. In other examples, communications facility 216 may be implemented to provide a wireless data communication capability to transmit digitally encoded data across one or more frequencies using various types of data communication protocols, without limitation. In still other examples, band 200 and the above-described elements may be varied in function, structure, configuration, or implementation and are not limited to those shown and described.
As shown, accelerometer 302 may be used to capture data associated with motion detection along 1, 2, or 3-axes of measurement, without limitation to any specific type of specification of sensor. Accelerometer 302 may also be implemented to measure various types of user motion and may be configured based on the type of sensor, firmware, software, hardware, or circuitry used. As another example, altimeter/barometer 304 may be used to measure environment pressure, atmospheric or otherwise, and is not limited to any specification or type of pressure-reading device. In some examples, altimeter/barometer 304 may be an altimeter, a barometer, or a combination thereof. For example, altimeter/barometer 304 may be implemented as an altimeter for measuring above ground level (“AGL”) pressure in band 200, which has been configured for use by naval or military aviators. As another example, altimeter/barometer 304 may be implemented as a barometer for reading atmospheric pressure for marine-based applications. In other examples, altimeter/barometer 304 may be implemented differently.
Other types of sensors that may be used to measure light or photonic conditions include light/IR sensor 306, motion detection sensor 320, and environmental sensor 322, the latter of which may include any type of sensor for capturing data associated with environmental conditions beyond light. Further, motion detection sensor 320 may be configured to detect motion using a variety of techniques and technologies, including, but not limited to comparative or differential light analysis (e.g., comparing foreground and background lighting), sound monitoring, or others. Audio sensor 310 may be implemented using any type of device configured to record or capture sound.
In some examples, pedometer 312 may be implemented using devices to measure various types of data associated with pedestrian-oriented activities such as running or walking. Footstrikes, stride length, stride length or interval, time, and other data may be measured. Velocimeter 314 may be implemented, in some examples, to measure velocity (e.g., speed and directional vectors) without limitation to any particular activity. Further, additional sensors that may be used as sensor 212 include those configured to identify or obtain location-based data. For example, GPS receiver 316 may be used to obtain coordinates of the geographic location of band 200 using, for example, various types of signals transmitted by civilian and/or military satellite constellations in low, medium, or high earth orbit (e.g., “LEO,” “MEO,” or “GEO”). In other examples, differential GPS algorithms may also be implemented with GPS receiver 316, which may be used to generate more precise or accurate coordinates. Still further, location-based services sensor 318 may be implemented to obtain location-based data including, but not limited to location, nearby services or items of interest, and the like. As an example, location-based services sensor 318 may be configured to detect an electronic signal, encoded or otherwise, that provides information regarding a physical locale as band 200 passes. The electronic signal may include, in some examples, encoded data regarding the location and information associated therewith. Electrical sensor 326 and mechanical sensor 328 may be configured to include other types (e.g., haptic, kinetic, piezoelectric, piezomechanical, pressure, touch, thermal, and others) of sensors for data input to band 200, without limitation. Other types of sensors apart from those shown may also be used, including magnetic flux sensors such as solid-state compasses and the like, including gyroscopic sensors. While the present illustration provides numerous examples of types of sensors that may be used with band 200 (
For example, logic module 404 may be configured to send control signals to communications module 406 in order to transfer, transmit, or receive data stored in memory 206, the latter of which may be managed by a database management system (“DBMS”) or utility in data management module 412. As another example, security module 408 may be controlled by logic module 404 to provide encoding, decoding, encryption, authentication, or other functions to band 200 (
Interface module 410, in some examples, may be used to manage user interface controls such as switches, buttons, or other types of controls that enable a user to manage various functions of band 200. For example, a 4-position switch may be turned to a given position that is interpreted by interface module 410 to determine the proper signal or feedback to send to logic module 404 in order to generate a particular result. In other examples, a button (not shown) may be depressed that allows a user to trigger or initiate certain actions by sending another signal to logic module 404. Still further, interface module 410 may be used to interpret data from, for example, accelerometer 210 (
As shown, audio module 414 may be configured to manage encoded or unencoded data gathered from various types of audio sensors. In some examples, audio module 414 may include one or more codes that are used to encode or decode various types of audio waveforms. For example, analog audio input may be encoded by audio module 414 and, once encoded, sent as a signal or collection of data packets, messages, segments, frames, or the like to logic module 404 for transmission via communications module 406. In other examples, audio module 414 may be implemented differently in function, structure, configuration, or implementation and is not limited to those shown and described. Other elements that may be used by band 200 include motor controller 416, which may be firmware or an application to control a motor or other vibratory energy source (e.g., notification facility 208 (
Another element of application architecture 400 that may be included is service management module 418. In some examples, service management module 418 may be firmware, software, or an application that is configured to manage various aspects and operations associated with executing software-related instructions for band 200. For example, libraries or classes that are used by software or applications on band 200 may be served from an online or networked source. Service management module 418 may be implemented to manage how and when these services are invoked in order to ensure that desired applications are executed properly within application architecture 400. As discrete sets, collections, or groupings of functions, services used by band 200 for various purposes ranging from communications to operating systems to call or document libraries may be managed by service management module 418. Alternatively, service management module 418 may be implemented differently and is not limited to the examples provided herein. Further, application architecture 400 is an example of a software/system/application-level architecture that may be used to implement various software-related aspects of band 200 and may be varied in the quantity, type, configuration, function, structure, or type of programming or formatting languages used, without limitation to any given example.
Band 539 may be used to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions and diseases. For example, the types of sensor data described above may be useful for diagnosing or monitoring medical conditions and diseases such as sleep disorders, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, hyperthermia, hypothermia, shock, Parkinson's Disease or other disorders (e.g., disorders involving movement-related symptoms). In some examples, band 539 may be implemented with multiple temperature sensors (e.g., one to gather body temperature data 564 and another to gather ambient temperature (i.e., environmental data 530)) in order to isolate changes to a user's body temperature, which may be useful for numerous medical reasons. For example, dramatic changes in body temperature may indicate various types of illnesses (e.g., cold, flu, etc.) or life-threatening events (e.g., heart attack, stroke, hyperthermia, hypothermia, shock, etc.). In another example, changes in a person's body temperature may be used to monitor a menstrual cycle and determine ovulation times (or failure to ovulate). In some examples, band 539 may be implemented to gather SCR data using two or more sensors. SCR data is known to measure arousal due to emotional intensity or cognitive effort. As such, SCR data may also be gathered to determine if a user is experiencing sympathetic stress, poor sleep quality or psychopathic tendencies. In another example, heart rate monitoring data 560, respiratory monitoring data 562, alone or along with other data types (e.g., motion sensor data 542, accelerometer data 544, etc.) may be gathered by band 539 to aid in determining when a baby stops breathing, if a baby has irregular breathing patterns when sleeping, or whether the baby is otherwise in danger of suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In other examples, band 539 may gather similar, or additional, data types to diagnose and monitor sleep disorders in adults. In other examples, various types of data gathered by band 539 may be useful in determining negative reactions to food, drink, or environmental influences (e.g., allergies, indigestion, intoxication, etc.). In yet other examples, band 539 may be implemented with different data types to diagnose or monitor other medical conditions and diseases. In some examples, the analysis of the above-described data types to diagnose and monitor medical conditions and diseases may be carried out using an application (i.e., software application), which may be stored in a memory (i.e., memory 206) and executed by a processor (i.e., processor 204). The application may be implemented using application architecture 400, as described in more detail above (see
In response to the diagnosis and monitoring of medical conditions and diseases described above, band 539 may be implemented to provide notifications to a user (i.e., using notification facility 208) for treatment or prevention purposes. In some examples, patient medical records data 570 and healthcare professional (e.g., doctor, physician, registered nurse, physician's assistant, dentist, orthopedist, surgeon, and others) data 572 may be used in conjunction with the sensor-gathered data types described above to determine types of notifications for treatment and prevention of medical conditions and diseases. This determination may be made by an application (i.e., software application), which may be stored in a memory (i.e., memory 206) and executed by a processor (i.e., processor 204). The application may be implemented using application architecture 400, as described in more detail above (see
As described in more detail below, band 539 may be implemented in communication with other bands and other devices. The data types described above may be gathered by multiple bands and devices to obtain a more comprehensive set of data for analysis by an application. In some examples, one band (e.g., band 539) may be worn by a non-human subject, such as an animal (e.g., a pet, a zoo animal, a trained animal, etc.) to gather various types of data, as described above, and notification may be provided to a person associated with the non-human subject (e.g., a pet owner, a zookeeper, an animal trainer, etc.) for the administration of various treatments or preventative measures.
A mode can be entered and exited implicitly 605. In particular, a band and its logic can determine whether to enter or exit a mode of operation by inferring either an activity or a mode at 630. An inferred mode of operation can be determined as a function of user characteristics 632, such as determined by user-relevant sensors (e.g., heart rate, body temperature, etc.). An inferred mode of operation can be determined using motion matching 634 (e.g., motion is analyzed and a type of activity is determined). Further, an inferred mode of operation can be determined by examining environmental factors 636 (e.g., ambient temperature, time, ambient light, etc.). To illustrate, consider that: (1.) user characteristics 632 specify that the user's heart rate is at a resting rate and the body temperature falls (indicative of resting or sleeping), (2.) motion matching 634 determines that the user has a relatively low level of activity, and (3.) environment factors 636 indicate that the time is 3:00 am and the ambient light is negligible. In view of the foregoing, an inference engine or other logic of the band likely can infer that the user is sleeping and then operate to transition the band into sleep mode. In this mode, power may be reduced. Note that while a mode may transition either explicitly or implicitly, it need not exit the same way.
Here, band 900 may be configured to perform data communication with one or more other data-capable devices (e.g., other bands, computers, networked computers, clients, servers, peers, and the like) using wired or wireless features. For example, plug 900 may be used, in connection with firmware and software that allow for the transmission of audio tones to send or receive encoded data, which may be performed using a variety of encoded waveforms and protocols, without limitation. In other examples, plug 904 may be removed and instead replaced with a wireless communication facility that is protected by molding 902. If using a wireless communication facility and protocol, band 900 may communicate with other data-capable devices such as cell phones, smart phones, computers (e.g., desktop, laptop, notebook, tablet, and the like), computing networks and clouds, and other types of data-capable devices, without limitation. In still other examples, band 900 and the elements described above in connection with
According to some examples, computer system 1000 performs specific operations by processor 1004 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions stored in system memory 1006. Such instructions may be read into system memory 1006 from another computer readable medium, such as static storage device 1008 or disk drive 1010. In some examples, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions for implementation.
The term “computer readable medium” refers to any tangible medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 1004 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as disk drive 1010. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as system memory 1006.
Common forms of computer readable media includes, for example, floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.
Instructions may further be transmitted or received using a transmission medium. The term “transmission medium” may include any tangible or intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such instructions. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including wires that comprise bus 1002 for transmitting a computer data signal.
In some examples, execution of the sequences of instructions may be performed by a single computer system 1000. According to some examples, two or more computer systems 1000 coupled by communication link 1020 (e.g., LAN, PSTN, or wireless network) may perform the sequence of instructions in coordination with one another. Computer system 1000 may transmit and receive messages, data, and instructions, including program, i.e., application code, through communication link 1020 and communication interface 1012. Received program code may be executed by processor 1004 as it is received, and/or stored in disk drive 1010, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.
Diagram 1300 of
In at least some examples, the structures and/or functions of any of the above-described features can be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, circuitry, or a combination thereof. Note that the structures and constituent elements above, as well as their functionality, may be aggregated with one or more other structures or elements. Alternatively, the elements and their functionality may be subdivided into constituent sub-elements, if any. As software, the above-described techniques may be implemented using various types of programming or formatting languages, frameworks, syntax, applications, protocols, objects, or techniques. As hardware and/or firmware, the above-described techniques may be implemented using various types of programming or integrated circuit design languages, including hardware description languages, such as any register transfer language (“RTL”) configured to design field-programmable gate arrays (“FPGAs”), application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”), or any other type of integrated circuit. These can be varied and are not limited to the examples or descriptions provided.
Although the foregoing examples have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the above-described inventive techniques are not limited to the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementing the above-described invention techniques. The disclosed examples are illustrative and not restrictive.
Claims
1. A medical band, comprising:
- one or more sensors configured to gather data associated with at least one symptom of a medical condition;
- a memory configured to store the data and an application, the application being configured to determine the medical condition using the data;
- a processor configured to execute the application; and
- a notification facility configured to provide a notification upon receiving from the application an instruction associated with the notification.
2. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification is associated with a drug regimen.
3. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification is associated with a diet.
4. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to prompt movement.
5. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises an alarm.
6. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a plurality of temperature sensors, one of the plurality of temperature sensors configured to gather data associated with body temperature, another of the plurality of temperature sensors configured to gather data associated with ambient temperature.
7. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification facility is configured to provide a vibratory energy.
8. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification facility is configured to provide an audio signal.
9. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the notification facility is configured to provide a visual signal.
10. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the medical band is configured to be worn by an animal.
11. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors is configured to gather data associated with an indicator of an animal's health.
12. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the application is configured to determine a medical condition associated with an animal.
13. The medical band of claim 1, wherein the medical band is configured to provide a notification using another device.
14. A medical diagnosis and monitoring system, comprising:
- a medical band comprising one or more sensors configured to gather data associated with at least one symptom of a medical condition and a communications facility configured to communicate with another device;
- a memory configured to store the data;
- a notification facility configured to provide a notification; and
- an application implemented on the another device, the application configured to determine the medical condition using the data and to provide an instruction to the medical band.
15. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the another device comprises a computer.
16. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the another device comprises another medical band.
17. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the another device comprises a mobile communication device.
18. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the another device comprises a mobile computing device.
19. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the instruction is associated with the notification.
20. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the notification facility is configured to provide a notification using a remote device.
21. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the notification is provided using an application implemented on the remote device.
22. The medical diagnosis and monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the medical band is configured to be worn by a child and the remote device is operable by a caretaker.
23. A medical diagnosis and monitoring system, comprising:
- a plurality of medical bands, each of the plurality of medical bands comprising one or more sensors configured to gather data associated with at least one symptom of a medical condition and a communications facility configured to communicate with another of the plurality of medical bands;
- a memory configured to store the data;
- a notification facility configured to provide a notification; and
- an application implemented on one of the plurality of medical bands, the application configured to determine the medical condition using the data and to provide to another of the plurality of medical bands an instruction associated with the notification.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 11, 2011
Publication Date: Dec 13, 2012
Applicant: AliphCom, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Inventors: Hosain Sadequr Rahman (San Francisco, CA), Richard Lee Drysdale (Santa Cruz, CA), Michael Edward Smith Luna (San Jose, CA), Scott Fullam (Palo Alto, CA), Travis Austin Bogard (San Francisco, CA), Jeremiah Robison (San Francisco, CA), Max Everett Utter, II (San Francisco, CA), Thomas Alan Donaldson (London)
Application Number: 13/180,000
International Classification: A61B 5/01 (20060101); G08B 1/08 (20060101);