Bio-information sensor monitoring system and method

Abstract

A bio-information monitoring system passively monitors a patient with a remote portable bio-information unit that takes various bio-information measurements at selected time intervals as well as at random times without patient intervention. The measurements are converted to digital signals which are transmitted from the bio-information unit to a modem when the bio-information unit is in proximity to the modem. The signals are stored in the modem and uploaded to a central monitoring network. Automatic alerts may be sent from the central monitoring network to a treatment provider. The treatment provider may also access the information through secured dedicated websites via the Internet.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 10 / 441,960, filed on May 19, 2003, titled “BIO-INFORMATION SENSOR MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application is also related to a co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10 / 441,940 by Hawthorne et al. titled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOTE BLOOD ALCOHOL MONITORING” and filed on May 19, 2003, which is owned by the same assignee of this invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to medical monitoring systems, and more particularly, relates to an improved passive method and system for monitoring bio-information of a subject. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In-home monitoring for the purpose of health management of chronic disease patients typically requires the patients to attach monitors of various kinds to their bodies, actuate the monitors to take various bio-information readings, and...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a system and method for remotely monitoring the bio-information of a subject. The system includes a portable bio-information sensor monitoring unit that collects data from various bio-sensors and a bio-information modem that forwards the data to a central database. The system allows for untethered monitoring of the subject's bio-information, eliminating the need for the subject to manually record the readings. The data can be downloaded and transmitted to a monitoring station or healthcare provider without the subject's intervention. The invention provides a more efficient and accurate way to monitor the health of chronic disease patients."

Problems solved by technology

Such written logs are subject to errors or missing data, and are usually only reviewed by a healthcare provider during routine checkups.

In addition, some patients do not want to cooperate and take the readings that are needed, posing an additional problem to the healthcare provider.

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