Medical waste collection and disposal system

Abstract

A medical waste collection unit including collected medical waste is docked with a docking station to form a fluid connection and a first data connection therebetween. A cleaning cycle is performed on the medical waste collection unit, in which cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station and sprayed into the waste collection unit, and waste matter is discharged from the waste collection unit through the docking station. A state update indicating a docking state of the waste collection unit is transmitted from the docking station to the remote processing system over the second data connection, and response notification data is received at the docking station from the remote processing system. The notification data indicates a maintenance notification to be displayed on the medical waste collection unit and is triggered by the docking station over the first data connection for display on the waste collection unit.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority and all rights of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 419,012, filed Oct. 25, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] Waste collection devices are used in healthcare facilities to collect waste materials during medical procedures. Healthcare facilities often employ several such devices to accommodate the various procedures that occur at different parts of the facility. Routine maintenance and proper distribution of these devices are needed to ensure their efficient operation and utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A system of one or more computers can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by installing software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof on the system, the software, firmware, hardware, or combination thereof, in operation, causing the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by including instructions that, when executed by a data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. One general aspect includes a method of servicing a medical waste collection unit that includes a canister for collecting medical waste generated during a surgical procedure. The method includes transporting the medical waste collection unit having the collected medical waste to a docking station that includes: a supply line that is coupled to a first interface to establish a fluid supply connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; a discharge line that is coupled to a second interface to establish a fluid discharge connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; a first communication interface for establishing a first data connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; and a second communication interface for establishing a second data connection with a remote processing system. The method also includes docking the medical waste collection unit with the docking station to form the fluid supply connection, the fluid discharge connection, and the first data connection. The method also includes performing a cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit in which cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station supply line through the fluid supply connection to the medical waste collection unit and sprayed into the canister, and waste material is discharged from the canister through the fluid discharge connection to the docking station discharge line. The method also includes transmitting, from the docking station and through the second data connection, a status update indicating the docking status of the medical waste collection unit to the remote processing system. The method also includes receiving, at the docking station and through the second data connection from the remote processing system, notification data in response to the status update that indicates a maintenance notification to be displayed on the medical waste collection unit. The method also includes triggering, by the docking station and through the first data connection based on the notification data, the medical waste collection unit to display the maintenance notification. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of these methods.

[0005] One general aspect includes a method of servicing a medical waste collection unit that includes a canister for containing medical waste generated during a surgical procedure. The method includes transporting the medical waste collection unit having the collected medical waste to a docking station that includes: a supply line that is coupled to a first interface to establish a fluid supply connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; a discharge line that is coupled to a second interface to establish a fluid discharge connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station. The method further includes docking the medical waste collection unit with the docking station to form the fluid supply connection and the fluid discharge connection. The method further includes performing a cleaning cycle in which a cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station supply line through the fluid supply connection to the medical waste collection unit and sprayed into the canister, and waste material is discharged from the canister through the fluid discharge connection to the docking station discharge line. The method further includes tracking, by one or more controllers, a cleaning cycle metric for determining whether to trigger a maintenance notification that indicates performance of the cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit using the docking station. The method further includes resetting, by one or more controllers, the cleaning cycle metric in response to performance of the cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit by the docking station. The method further includes determining, by one or more controllers, a notification threshold based on operational data of the medical waste collection unit, the operational data indicating surgical data of the medical waste collection unit and / or cleaning cycle data of the medical waste collection unit. The method further includes triggering, by one or more controllers, a display of the maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit based on the cleaning cycle metric and the notification threshold. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatuses, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of these methods.

[0006] One general aspect includes a method of managing a group of medical waste collection units, each medical waste collection unit including a canister for containing medical waste. The method includes receiving, by a processing system remote from the medical waste collection units, first usage data from a first medical waste collection unit of the medical waste collection units, the first usage data indicating a duration that the first medical waste collection unit was operated to suction medical waste into the canister of the first medical waste collection unit via a vacuum source. The method further includes receiving, by the remote processing system, second usage data from a second medical waste collection unit of the medical waste collection units, the second usage data indicating a duration that the second medical waste collection unit was operated to suction medical waste into the canister of the second medical waste collection unit via a vacuum source. The method further includes comparing, by the remote processing system, the first usage data with the second usage data to determine relative usage data of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit. The method further includes comparing, by the remote processing system, the relative usage data with a preset relative usage threshold. The method further includes triggering a usage notification on at least one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit based on the comparison. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatuses, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform these actions of these methods.

[0007] One general aspect includes a method of managing a medical waste collection unit that includes a canister for containing medical waste and an aerosol extraction unit that includes a filter. The method includes tracking, by one or more controllers, based on operation data of the medical collection unit to determine a filter metric that indicates whether to replace the filter, the operation data indicating surgical procedure data of the medical waste collection unit. The method further includes resetting, by the one or more controllers, the filter metric in response to a filter change event. The method further includes triggering, by the one or more controllers, based on the filter metric, a maintenance notification on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit that instructs a user to replace the filter. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatuses, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform these actions of these methods.

[0008] One general aspect includes a method of maintaining a medical waste collection unit that includes a canister for collecting medical waste materials generated during a surgical procedure. The method includes capturing a video feed of the canister and the waste materials disposed therein by an imaging device supported by a device bracket coupled to the canister while a vacuum source of the medical waste collection unit is suctioning the waste materials into the canister. The method also includes analyzing image frames of the video feed by one or more controllers to determine visual data indicative of at least one of a degree of blockage, a composition of the waste materials, and a storage time of the waste materials. The method also includes tracking, by one or more controllers, a metric for determining whether to trigger a maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit. The method also includes determining, by one or more controllers, a notification threshold based on the visual data. The method also includes triggering, by one or more controllers, a maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit based on the notification threshold and the metric. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1A An exemplary medical waste collection and disposal system including a medical waste collection unit for collecting medical waste during a surgical procedure and a docking station for emptying and cleaning the medical waste collection unit is shown.

[0010] Figure 1B An exemplary aerosol extraction unit of the medical waste collection unit is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An exemplary system for maintaining a set of medical waste collection units deployable by a healthcare system is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 Another exemplary system for maintaining a set of medical waste collection units deployable by a healthcare system is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 The medical waste collection unit and a device bracket are shown, the device bracket being coupled to the medical waste collection unit and positioned to removably receive an imaging device for capturing an image of the waste canister.

[0014] Figure 5 An exemplary method for maintaining a set of medical waste collection units deployable by a healthcare facility or system is shown.

[0015] Figure 6A and 6B A graphical user interface (UI) that may be generated during the method of Figure 5 is shown.

[0016] Figure 7 Another exemplary method for maintaining a set of medical waste collection units that can be deployed by a healthcare facility or system is shown.

[0017] Figure 8 An exemplary screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be generated by a Figure 2 or Figure 3 system is shown to provide information about the set of medical waste collection units and associated docking stations.

[0018] Figure 9 Another exemplary screen of the GUI is shown that provides a detailed list of the set of medical waste collection units and associated docking stations.

[0019] Figure 10 Another exemplary screen of the GUI for displaying the status of a given medical waste collection unit is shown.

[0020] Figure 11 Another exemplary screen of the GUI for displaying the status of a given docking station is shown.

[0021] Figure 12 Another exemplary screen of the GUI for displaying a summary of the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0022] Figure 13 Another exemplary screen of the GUI that provides manifold usage data for the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0023] Figure 14 Another exemplary screen of the GUI that provides error code data for the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0024] Figure 15 Another exemplary screen of the GUI that provides filter data for the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0025] Figure 16A and Figure 16B An exemplary screen of the GUI that provides return on investment data for the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0026] Figure 17 Another exemplary screen of the GUI that provides runtime data for the vacuum pumps of the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0027] Figure 18 Another exemplary screen of the GUI that provides a summary of the docking stations associated with the set of medical waste collection units is shown.

[0028] Figure 19Shows another exemplary screen of a GUI that provides cleaning cycle data for the set of medical waste collection units.

[0029] Figure 20 Shows another exemplary screen of a GUI that provides facility waste data for the set of medical waste collection units. Detailed Description

[0030] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to operating and maintaining mobile waste collection units, also referred to herein as mobile carts, which are used by a healthcare facility or system to collect waste materials during a medical procedure. A given healthcare facility or system may deploy several mobile carts that vary in location and usage, and thus the optimal maintenance schedules for these mobile carts may also vary. Therefore, the management of these mobile carts is a difficult and complex task for administrators and clinical users, etc., and if not performed well, it may result in poor mobile cart performance, increased maintenance calls, and shortened mobile cart lifespan.

[0031] As a non-limiting example, after a surgical procedure using a given mobile cart, the mobile cart can be docked to a docking station to discharge the collected waste materials and perform a cleaning cycle on the mobile cart. The docking station can be configured to perform different types of cleaning cycles (e.g., quick wash cleaning cycle, normal wash cleaning cycle, extended wash cleaning cycle) according to the required "cleanliness" level. To thoroughly clean and ensure the normal operation of the mobile cart, an extended cleaning cycle should be performed regularly, and the components of the mobile cart should be evaluated and replaced regularly. However, in the case of a set of mobile carts with different usages (or "usage scenarios") and locations, it is difficult to determine and ensure that each mobile cart complies with the optimal maintenance schedule, including the performance of the extended cleaning cycle, which may vary depending on the specific usage of the mobile cart, and it is also difficult to efficiently manage the usage (scenarios) of the mobile carts as a whole based on the estimated lifespan and maintenance schedules of the individual mobile carts.

[0032] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for overcoming these and other challenges arising from the use and maintenance of a set of mobile carts with different usages and locations. As an example, the systems and methods described herein can be configured to implement a centralized management and notification service that monitors the specific activities of each mobile cart in a set, as well as the overall activities of the set, to dynamically update the maintenance and usage schedules of the set in real time, thereby increasing the lifespan of individual mobile carts and the efficient use of the set. The systems and methods can also be configured to generate notifications to the person most suitable to take action based on such monitoring, and aggregate data from multiple mobile carts to enable quick and informed decision-making.

[0033] The systems and methods described herein are unconventional in the field of medical waste collection equipment technology. Managing the use and maintenance of waste collection equipment within a healthcare facility or system is typically done by noting the cleaning history of each device on a whiteboard or other physical tracking sheet, such as recording the date, time, and device ID whenever a cleaning cycle is performed. However, this technique is inefficient in the case of using a set of mobile carts at different locations, different frequencies, and for different types of procedures within a healthcare facility or system. In particular, due to the temporary nature of such equipment, the noted history may quickly become outdated or may not be considered because there may be a delay in medical staff updating, reviewing, and digesting this information between procedures. By implementing a system that considers individual mobile cart activities and the set as a whole to dynamically control how these mobile carts are operated in real time, such as by leveraging nearby mobile devices or docking stations to which these mobile carts can be connected for cleaning as edge devices for transmitting mobile cart operation data to a central location, aspects of the present disclosure help overcome the above challenges while minimizing any impact on the configuration or operation of the mobile carts.

[0034] Figure 1A A medical waste collection and disposal system 100 is shown that is configured to collect and process waste materials generated during medical procedures (e.g., surgical procedures) performed within a healthcare facility such as a hospital. The waste materials can include body fluids, body tissues, irrigation fluids, and / or other materials that may be generated during various medical procedures. Typically, medical procedures require large amounts of saline and / or other irrigation fluids to irrigate anatomical sites. Thus, system 100 can be capable of processing large amounts of waste materials.

[0035] System 100 can include a mobile waste collection unit 102 (also referred to herein as a mobile cart) and a generally stationary docking station 104. Mobile cart 102 can be configured to collect waste materials generated during medical procedures. Docking station 104 can serve as the unit through which the waste materials collected by mobile cart 102 are discharged for processing. Docking station 104 can also be used to clean mobile cart 102, as explained in more detail below. During use, mobile cart 102 can collect and store waste materials on board until the user is ready to unload and process the waste materials. In some embodiments, mobile cart 102 can be capable of storing waste materials from a series of different medical procedures over a day or several days without the need to unload the waste materials. When the waste materials fill mobile cart 102 or the user is ready to process the waste materials, mobile cart 102 can be pushed by the user to docking station 104. At docking station 104, the waste materials can be emptied from mobile cart 102 into a waste discharge or processing area, and mobile cart 102 can be cleaned for further use.

[0036] The mobile cart 102 can include a trolley 106 that provides mobility to the mobile cart 102. The trolley 106 can include a trolley base 108 and a plurality of wheels 110 mounted to the bottom of the trolley base 108. A handle 112 can be mounted to a vertical frame 114 extending from the trolley base 108 to facilitate moving the mobile cart 102 between use areas and between a use area and the docking station 104. In this way, a user can move the mobile cart 102 around within a healthcare facility to collect waste materials generated during medical procedures performed at different locations within the healthcare facility or system.

[0037] The mobile cart 102 can also include one or more waste bins 116, such as an upper waste bin 116A and a lower waste bin 116B, to collect and temporarily store waste materials during use. One or more vacuum pumps 118 can be supported on the trolley base 108 and can be configured to draw a vacuum on the waste bins 116 through one or more vacuum lines.

[0038] Suitable construction and operation of several subsystems of the mobile cart 102 can be disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005 / 0171495, International Publication No. WO2007 / 070570, and International Publication No. WO2014 / 066337, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Suitable construction and operation of several subsystems of the mobile cart 102 can also be disclosed in commonly owned International Publication No. WO2017 / 112684, published on June 29, 2017, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0039] The mobile cart 102 may also include at least one receiver 120 supported on the cart base 108. The receivers 120 may each define an opening 122 sized to removably receive at least a portion of a manifold 124 (such as a surgical waste collection manifold 124). FIG. 1 shows two receivers 120, each associated with a different waste canister in the waste canisters 116. In an alternative embodiment, a single receiver 120 may be provided for all of the waste canisters 116. Each receiver 120 may include a suction inlet configured to be arranged in fluid communication with the waste canister 116 associated with the receiver 120. Thus, when the manifold 124 is removably inserted into the receiver 120, a suction path can be established from the suction tube 126 disposed at the surgical site, through the manifold 124, to the waste canister 116, thereby suctioning waste material from the surgical site into the waste canister 116. The manifold 124 may be configured to prevent waste material from returning through the suction tube 126 once the waste material has been collected by the mobile cart 102. Each manifold 124 may also be used to filter waste material received from the suction tube, such as for filtering large particles to prevent blockage. Some forms of the manifold 124 may also include a chamber for collecting and holding tissue samples, such as for subsequent analysis.

[0040] The mobile cart 102 may include a mobile cart controller 128A configured to control the actuation of the mobile cart 102. To this end, the mobile cart controller 128A may communicate with the vacuum pump 118 and be configured to regulate the on / off operation of the vacuum pump 118 and also regulate the operating range of the vacuum pump 118 to control the vacuum flow through the manifold 124. In some embodiments, the mobile cart controller 128A may include a processor 130A, a memory 132A, and a communication device 134A. The processor 130A may include one or more devices selected from a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a central processing unit, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic device, a state machine, a logic circuit, an analog circuit, a digital circuit, and / or any other device that manipulates signals (analog or digital) based on operating instructions stored in the memory 132A. The memory 132A may include a single memory device or multiple memory devices, including, but not limited to, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory, and / or any other device capable of storing information. The memory 132A may also include one or more persistent data storage devices, including, but not limited to, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a tape drive, a non-volatile solid state device, and / or any other device capable of persistently storing information.

[0041] Processor 130A can be configured to implement the functions, features, and processes of the mobile vehicle controller 128A described herein. More specifically, processor 130A can operate under the control of software embodied in computer-executable instructions residing in memory 132A, where the computer-executable instructions are configured to cause processor 130A to implement the functions, features, and processes of the mobile vehicle controller 128A described herein when executed by processor 130A. The computer-executable instructions can be compiled or interpreted by various programming languages and / or technologies, including, but not limited to, Java, C, C++, C#, Objective C, Fortran, Pascal, Java Script, Python, Perl, and PL / SQL, either alone or in combination. Memory 132A can also store data that can be accessed by the mobile vehicle controller 128A or more specifically read by processor 130A to facilitate the functions, features, and processes of the mobile vehicle controller 128A described herein.

[0042] Communication device 134A can provide a machine interface that facilitates data communication between the mobile vehicle controller 128A and one or more external systems and devices, such as other mobile vehicles 102, docking stations 104, remote terminals, nearby mobile devices, and remote servers (e.g., cloud services). Communication device 134A can employ one or more wired and / or wireless technologies to facilitate such communication, including, but not limited to, Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular. In some instances, given the transient nature of a given mobile vehicle 102, the communication device 134A of the mobile vehicle controller 128A may be limited to relatively short-range and / or direct-connection communication technologies, or more specifically relatively short-range or short-range and / or direct-connection wireless communication technologies, such as proximity-based wireless communication technologies (e.g., RFID, NFC), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, Zigbee, or line-of-site-based wireless communication technologies (e.g., infrared (IR)). In other words, communication device 134A may lack relatively long-range communication capabilities, such as cellular and Wi-Fi, which allow connection to remote systems and devices via one or more computer networks. In some embodiments, communication device 134A can be coupled to an outward-facing IR transceiver 136 of mobile vehicle 102 to facilitate wireless communication with other devices, such as docking station 104, using IR transmission.

[0043] The mobile vehicle 102 may also include a user interface 138A operably communicating with the mobile vehicle controller 128A. The user interface 138A may be configured to present operational data related to the mobile vehicle 102 to a user and receive user input for controlling the operation of the mobile vehicle 102. By way of example and not limitation, the user interface 138A may include a display, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), and / or speakers for providing operational data related to the mobile vehicle 102 to the user. Additionally, the user interface 138A may include a touch screen associated with the display to present a graphical user interface (GUI) having user-selectable elements through which the user may input commands to adjust the operation of the mobile vehicle 102, and / or may include one or more mechanically operable input devices, such as buttons or dials, by which the user may input commands to control the mobile vehicle 102. In some instances, the user interface 138A may also include a microphone for receiving voice commands from the user. In some instances, the user interface 138A may be provided by a tablet computer, with the display removably mounted to the vertical frame 114 of the mobile vehicle 102 and communicating with the mobile vehicle controller 128A via the communication device 134A.

[0044] The mobile vehicle 102 may also include a reader 140 positioned adjacent to each receiver 120. Each reader 140 may be configured to communicate with the RFID tag 142 of the manifold 124 when the manifold 124 is inserted into the associated receiver 120. The RFID tag 142 may be coupled to a surface of the manifold 124, such as an inner surface or an outer surface. The mobile vehicle controller 128A may communicate with each reader 140 and may be configured to command each reader 140 to periodically transmit a base interrogation signal for the RFID tag 142. If the manifold 124 is not positioned in a given receiver 120, the reader 140 associated with that receiver 120 may not receive a response to the base interrogation signal. The mobile vehicle controller 128A may be configured to prohibit activation of the vacuum pump 118 associated with a given receiver 120 if the manifold 124 is not positioned in the given receiver 120 or more specifically if a compatible manifold 124 is not positioned in the given receiver 120, where the non-positioning of a compatible manifold 124 in the receiver 120 may be determined based on data read from the RFID tag 142 of the compatible manifold 124 when the compatible manifold 124 is positioned in the receiver 120.

[0045] The mobile vehicle 102 may also include an aerosol evacuation system 150, a magnified view of which is shown in Figure 1BProvided herein. An aerosol evacuation system 150 can be used to remove aerosols such as smoke from a fluid such as air during a surgical procedure. The aerosol evacuation system 150 can include a conduit 152 and one or more inlets 154 that are in fluid communication with the conduit 152 such that fluid can be suctioned into the conduit 152 via the inlets 154. The aerosol evacuation system 150 can further include an outlet 156 through which the fluid exits the conduit 152. The fluid suctioned through the inlets 154 can be air and aerosols such as smoke generated during a medical procedure. A blower 158 of the aerosol evacuation system 150 can be in fluid communication with the conduit 152 to suction the fluid into the inlets 154 and draw it out through the outlet 156 when the blower 158 is activated.

[0046] The aerosol evacuation system 150 can further include a filter 160 that is in fluid communication with the conduit 152. The filter 160 can be configured to filter one or more aerosols from the fluid flowing through the conduit 152 such that “clean” air exits through the outlet 156. For example, the filter 160 can include a filter for filtering smoke generated during a surgical procedure, such as a ULPA filter. Preferably, the filter 160 can be supported by a filter housing including a filter enclosure and a filter cover to form a replaceable unit.

[0047] The aerosol evacuation system 150 can further include an aerosol sensor 162 that is in fluid communication with the conduit 152 and electrically connected to the mobile cart controller 128A. The aerosol sensor 162 can be arranged in series with the conduit 152 such that the fluid flowing through the conduit 152 can be sensed before passing through the filter 160. In other words, the aerosol sensor 162 can be located upstream of the filter 160. The aerosol sensor 162 can be disposed within the filter enclosure and can be replaceable like the filter 160 to ensure accurate readings.

[0048] The aerosol sensor 162 can be configured to sense the presence and / or amount of one or more aerosols (such as smoke) traveling through the conduit 152 and generate one or more sensor signals indicative of the presence and / or amount of each aerosol. The sensor signals can be transmitted to the mobile cart controller 128A. Based on the presence and / or amount of each aerosol indicated by the sensor signals, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to track compliance with certain safety recommendations (e.g., surgical smoke evacuation), track the remaining life of the filter 160, and / or control the operation of the blower 158. For example, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to perform one or more of the above operations by tracking the duration for which the sensor signals indicate the presence of aerosols.

[0049] As a non-limiting example, the aerosol sensor 162 can include at least one IR lamp for emitting IR light into the conduit 152, and can include at least one IR detector for sensing the reflection of the emitted IR light by the fluid passing through the conduit 152. The aerosol sensor 162 can then generate one or more sensor signals corresponding to the sensed reflection, and the one or more sensor signals can in turn indicate the presence and / or amount of one or more aerosols passing through the conduit 152. The mobile cart controller 128A can then be configured to evaluate the sensor signals to determine the presence and / or amount of one or more aerosols passing through the conduit 152. The aerosol sensor 162 can alternatively be implemented as another type of sensor, such as an electromagnetic sensor, which is configured to sense an electromagnetic field from an aerosol detection cable disposed within the conduit 152 or near the surgical site, the aerosol detection cable being configured to emit an electromagnetic field that varies according to the presence and / or amount of an aerosol (such as smoke) near the cable.

[0050] Based on the evaluation of the sensor signals, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to change the operation of the blower 158. For example, when the sensor signals indicate the absence of a monitored aerosol in the conduit 152, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to operate the blower 158 at a relatively low power level. That is, the blower 158 can be operated to provide just enough suction to draw the fluid into the conduit 152 such that if present, one or more aerosols can be sensed by the aerosol sensor 162.

[0051] During operation of the mobile cart 102, the mobile cart controller 128A can receive one or more sensor signals representative of the presence and / or amount of each of one or more aerosols sensed in the conduit 152. When, based on the sensor signals, the mobile cart controller 128A detects one or more aerosols in the conduit 152, or more specifically, detects that the amount of aerosol in the conduit 152 is greater than a threshold amount, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to increase the operation of the blower 158 to a relatively high power level. The relatively high power level can be configured to rapidly accelerate the operation of the blower 158 (e.g., rapidly accelerate the rotation of the fan within the blower 158). After operating the blower 158 at the relatively high power level, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to reduce the power level of the blower 158, such as to a medium power level that is greater than the above-described relatively low power level and less than the above-described relatively high power level.

[0052] When operating at a medium power level, the blower 158 can generate a greater suction force at the inlet 154 than when the blower 158 is operating at the relatively low power level described above. This enables aerosols such as smoke to be rapidly withdrawn from the surgical site and filtered through the filter 160. When the blower 158 is operating at a medium power level, the aerosol sensor 162 can be configured to continue to evaluate one or more aerosols in the fluid passing through the conduit 152. In response to the sensor signal indicating that the presence of each aerosol being monitored in the conduit 152 is less than a threshold amount or not detected, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to cause the blower 158 to return to the relatively low power level described above and continue to evaluate whether the sensor signal indicates the presence of the aerosol being monitored, as described above.

[0053] By operating the blower 158 at a relatively low power level, the noise caused by the blower 158 is significantly reduced, which helps to maintain a calmer environment during the performance of delicate surgical procedures. However, by quickly ramping up to a higher power level, the aerosol evacuation system 150 can maintain the performance level required for rapidly withdrawing aerosols from the surgical area. The above power levels of the blower 158 can be configured by the user via the user interface 138A. Additionally or alternatively, the blower 158 can be configured to operate at a constant power level throughout the surgical procedure, and this constant power level can be changed by the user via the user interface 138A.

[0054] Return reference Figure 1A , the mobile cart 102 can also include one or more particulate filters 164, such as HEPA filters, that are in fluid communication with the waste canister 116 for filtering the fluid (e.g., air) that is aspirated into the waste canister 116 during the collection of waste material from the surgical site. Similar to the filter 160, the particulate filter 164 can also be replaceable.

[0055] The mobile cart 102 may also include one or more sensors 166 in communication with the mobile cart controller 128A, which are configured to generate operational data related to the use of the mobile cart 102. By way of example and not limitation, the sensors 166 may include a fluid measurement subsystem arranged to: measure the volume of waste material received in the mobile cart 102 during a medical procedure or more specifically received in each waste canister 116 through the manifold 124, and / or measure the volume of cleaning fluid received in the mobile cart 102 during a cleaning cycle or more specifically received in each waste canister 116. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors 166 may include one or more flow rate sensors to measure the flow rate of waste material through the manifold 124 during a medical procedure and / or the flow rate of cleaning fluid through the mobile cart 102 during a cleaning cycle. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors 166 may include one or more blood concentration sensors for measuring the blood concentration within the waste material passing through the manifold 124 during a medical procedure. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors 166 may include one or more temperature sensors for measuring the temperature of the cleaning fluid passing through the mobile cart 102 during a cleaning cycle. Exemplary measurement or monitoring devices are disclosed in co-owned International Application No. PCT / US2021 / 058891, filed on November 11, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] As described above, the mobile cart 102 may periodically dock with the docking station 104 to empty and / or clean the waste canisters 116. Referring again to Figure 1A , the docking station 104 may include a metal cabinet 200 that is generally box-shaped. Guide rails 202 may extend from the front of the cabinet 200 to guide the mobile cart 102 when the mobile cart 102 docks with the docking station 104. An unloading pump 204 may be disposed inside the cabinet 200 and may be connected to a discharge line 206 and through a waste line 210 to a waste coupler 208. The unloading pump 204 may be configured to pump waste material from the mobile cart 102 through the waste coupler 208 and the waste line 210 to the discharge line 206 when the mobile cart 102 docks with the docking station 104. The discharge line 206 may extend from the unloading pump 204 to a waste yard.

[0057] The water valve 212 can also be disposed inside the cabinet 200. The water valve 212 can be connected via a supply line 214 to a water source in a healthcare facility. For example, the water valve 212 can be connected to a hot water source, a cold water source, or any combination thereof. A water pipeline 216 can extend from the water valve 212 to a water coupler 218. An injector 220 can also be coupled to the water pipeline 216 to inject a cleaning agent into the water pipeline 216. To this end, a container 222 for the cleaning agent can be disposed outside the cabinet 200, where an inlet line 224 of the syringe 220 feeds into the container 222 such that when the container 222 is depleted, it can be replaced with a new container 222 of the cleaning agent by simply moving the inlet line 224 to the new container 222. When the mobile cart 102 is docked to the docking station 104, the water valve 212 and the injector 220 can be used to deliver a cleaning fluid (e.g., water with or without a cleaning agent) to the mobile cart 102 via the water pipeline 216 and the water coupler 218.

[0058] The docking station 104 can also include a slidable cover 226 that is biased to be disposed over the waste coupler 208 and the water coupler 218 to prevent debris from entering the waste pipeline 206 and the water pipeline 214 when the mobile cart 102 is not docked to the docking station 104. When a sufficient force is applied to the slidable cover 226, such as when applied by the mobile cart 102 docked to the docking station 104 in the docking direction, the slidable cover 226 can slide into the cabinet 200, thereby exposing the waste coupler 208 and the water coupler 218 to engage with the discharge loop and the cleaning loop of the mobile cart 102, respectively.

[0059] The docking station 104 can also include a pair of docking receivers 228 disposed on the forward portion of the docking station 104. The mobile cart 102 can have a corresponding pair of metal impact plates 230 disposed on the forward portion of the mobile cart 102. The docking receivers 228 can be configured to receive the impact plates 230 during docking to mate the mobile cart 102 with the docking station 104. It should be understood that the impact plates 230 and the docking receivers 228 can be reversed. In some embodiments, the docking receivers 228 can be electromagnetically operable to magnetically adhere to the impact plates 230 when in close proximity to each other.

[0060] The docking station 104 may additionally include a docking station controller 128B. Similar to the mobile vehicle controller 128A, the docking station controller 128B may be configured to manage the components of the docking station 104, such as in accordance with instructions from the mobile vehicle controller 128A when the mobile vehicle 102 docks with the docking station 104. More specifically, the docking station controller 128B may be operatively coupled to the unloading pump 204, the water valve 212, and the ejector 220 to receive data from and / or control each of these devices. Similar to the mobile vehicle controller 128A, the docking station controller 128B may include a processor 130B, a memory 132B, and a communication device 134B, each of which may be configured similarly to those of the mobile vehicle controller 128A described above. In other words, the processor 130B may be configured to implement the functions, features, and processes of the docking station controller 128B described herein, such as by executing software embodied by computer-readable instructions resident in the memory 132B. The memory 132B may also store data accessed by the docking station controller 128B, or specifically read by the processor 130B, to facilitate the execution of such functions, features, and processes of the docking station controller 128B described herein.

[0061] The communication device 134B of the docking station controller 128B may provide a machine interface that facilitates data communication between the docking station controller 128B and one or more external systems and devices. For example, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 docking with the docking station 104, the communication device 134B of the docking station controller 128B may be configured to establish a connection with the communication device 134A of the mobile vehicle controller 128A (such as via a relatively short-range and / or direct-connection wireless communication protocol) to form a data connection between the docking station controller 128B and the mobile vehicle controller 128A. In one example, the communication device 134B may be coupled to an IR transceiver 232 disposed on the docking station 104 such that the IR transceiver 232 and the IR transceiver 136 of the mobile vehicle 102 are within line of sight of each other when the mobile vehicle 102 docks with the docking station 104. Then, the mobile vehicle controller 128A may communicate with the docking station controller 128B via the IR transceivers 136, 232 to select and initiate a certain type of cleaning cycle of the mobile vehicle 102, exchange operational data of the mobile vehicle 102, and / or exchange notification data, as described herein.

[0062] In some embodiments, the docking station 104 can be configured to function as an edge device for the mobile vehicle 102 when docked with the docking station 104, such as via a data connection established with a remote processing system through one or more networks (including the Internet in some embodiments). Thus, in response to receiving operation data from the mobile vehicle controller 128A via a data connection formed between the communication devices 134A, 134B, the docking station controller 128B can be configured to transmit the received operation data to the remote processing system for processing in the context of operation data received from other mobile vehicles 102 used in the healthcare system, and / or to determine whether maintenance of usage-related notifications is appropriate for the mobile vehicle 102. The communication device 134B of the docking station controller 128B can be configured to establish such a data connection using relatively long-range communication technologies such as Ethernet, fiber optic, cellular, or Wi-Fi. As described above, different from the communication device 134B of the docking station 104, the communication device 134A of the mobile vehicle 102 may lack long-range communication capabilities and / or Internet access. Thus, when the mobile vehicle 102 is operated to collect medical waste during a surgical procedure and / or is not docked to the docking station 104, transmission between the mobile vehicle controller 128A and devices external to the mobile vehicle 102 may be limited, thereby avoiding potential intraoperative interruptions to the operation of the mobile vehicle 102 or changes to the operation of the mobile vehicle 102 caused by such data transmission.

[0063] In some embodiments, as an alternative or supplement to the docking station 104, other devices in the healthcare facility with relatively long-range network connections (such as medical hubs or mobile personal computing devices (e.g., tablets)) can be configured to function as edge devices for the mobile vehicle 102 when the mobile vehicle 102 approaches the device. More specifically, when the mobile vehicle 102 enters the communication range of such other devices, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to establish a wireless data connection with these devices, such as using a relatively short-range and / or direct-connection wireless communication protocol, to enable data exchange between the two. For example, in some embodiments, a medical hub can be located outside but near the docking station 104 such that when the mobile vehicle 102 is docked to the docking station 104, the mobile vehicle controller 128A forms a wireless data connection with the hub. In some examples, the docking station controller 128B can also maintain a data connection with the hub, which can facilitate communication between the docking station 104 and the mobile vehicle 102 when the mobile vehicle 102 is docked to the docking station 104, such as for triggering an unloading and cleaning cycle, as described below.

[0064] Similar to the mobile vehicle 102, the docking station 104 may include one or more sensors 234 that communicate with the docking station controller 128B and are configured to generate operational data for the mobile vehicle 102 docked to the docking station 104, or more specifically, cleaning cycle data. More specifically, the sensors 234 may be configured to generate data indicative of characteristics of the discharge cycle and / or cleaning cycle performed on the mobile vehicle 102, including, but not limited to, at least one of water temperature data, water pressure data, detergent data, and cleaning cycle type data. By way of example and not limitation, the sensors 234 may include a fluid measurement subsystem arranged to measure the volume of the cleaning fluid supplied to the mobile vehicle 102 during the cleaning cycle or discharged from the mobile vehicle 102 during the discharge cycle. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors 234 may include one or more flow rate sensors for measuring the flow rate of the cleaning fluid entering the mobile vehicle 102 during the cleaning cycle and / or flowing out of the mobile vehicle 102 during the discharge cycle. Additionally or alternatively, the sensors 234 may include one or more temperature sensors for measuring the temperature of the cleaning fluid entering the mobile vehicle 102 during the cleaning cycle.

[0065] When the mobile vehicle 102 is ready to be emptied, the mobile vehicle 102 can be pushed to the docking station 104 to mate therewith. The guide rails 202 on the docking station 104 can guide the mobile vehicle 102 as it moves towards the docking station 104 until the impact plate 230 engages the receiver 228. During this movement, the cart base 108 can retract the sliding cover 226 into the cabinet 200 of the docking station 104 to expose the docking station connectors 208, 218. When the impact plate 230 engages the receiver 228, the docking station connectors 208, 218 can align and mate with a set of corresponding connectors 236, 238 on the underside of the mobile vehicle 102. More specifically, the docking station waste connector 208 can be coupled to the corresponding waste connector 236 of the mobile vehicle 102 to allow the waste material stored in the waste tank 116 to be transported via the unloading pump 204 to the discharge line 206. Similarly, the docking station water connector 218 can be coupled to the corresponding water connector 238 of the mobile vehicle 102 to transport the cleaning fluid into the waste tank 116 of the mobile vehicle 102 to clean the waste tank 116.

[0066] During the discharge cycle, after the waste material has been unloaded from the mobile vehicle 102 into the discharge line 206, cleaning can be activated. To this end, the mobile vehicle 102 may include a discharge circuit having an upper waste line 240 extending between the upper waste tank 116A and the lower waste tank 116B for discharging the waste material from the upper waste tank 116A into the lower waste tank 116B. An upper waste valve 242 may be provided in the upper waste line 240 and connected to the mobile vehicle controller 128A to enable the waste material to flow from the upper waste tank 116A into the lower waste tank 116B.

[0067] The discharge circuit may further include a lower waste line 244 that extends from the lower waste tank 116B to the vehicle waste coupler 236 for discharging waste material in the lower waste tank 116B to the discharge line 206 via the vehicle waste coupler 236 and the docking station 104. More specifically, the vehicle waste coupler 236 may be a dry break coupling configured to prevent material from leaving the lower waste line 244 prior to coupling with the waste coupler 208 of the docking station 104, and may open the vehicle waste coupler 236 such that material can be pumped from the lower waste line 244 to the discharge line 206 via the unloading pump 204.

[0068] In response to the vehicle 102 docking to the docking station 104, the user may instruct the vehicle controller 128A to initiate a discharge cycle to unload the collected waste material, such as by interacting with a corresponding element of the user interface 138A of the vehicle 102. In response, the vehicle controller 128A may be configured to open the waste valve 242 to allow waste material to discharge from the upper waste tank 116A to the lower waste tank 116B, and may also trigger the activation of the unloading pump 204, such as by transmitting a corresponding instruction to the docking station controller 128B via the data connection formed between the vehicle controller 128A and the docking station controller 128B as described above. In response to receiving such an instruction, the docking station controller 128B may be configured to operate the unloading pump 204 to pump the waste material out of the lower waste line 244, through the vehicle waste coupler 236, the docking station waste coupler 208, and the waste line 210, and ultimately to the discharge line 206.

[0069] After performing the discharge cycle, a cleaning cycle can be performed on the mobile vehicle 102, such as a cleaning cycle option according to the user-selected type. For example, the user interface 138A can be configured to present different cleaning cycle options for the user to select, such as a "quick wash" cleaning cycle option, a "normal wash" cleaning cycle option, and an "extended wash" cleaning cycle option. The user's selection of a given type of cleaning cycle can be transmitted to the mobile vehicle controller 128A, which can be configured to trigger a cleaning cycle of the waste tank 116 in response to the type of the selected cleaning cycle, such as by transmitting corresponding instructions to the docking station controller 128B via a data connection formed between the mobile vehicle controller 128A and the docking station controller 128B. The mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to automatically start a cleaning cycle of the waste tank 116 after the discharge cycle has been completed (e.g., after the waste tank 116 has emptied the waste material), which can be determined by the mobile vehicle controller 128A based on data generated by a sensor 166 disposed in or adjacent to the waste tank 116, based on data generated by a sensor 234 of the docking station 104, and / or based on the runtime of the unloading pump 204.

[0070] In response to receiving the cleaning cycle instruction, the docking station controller 128B can be configured to open the water valve 209 and / or inject a cleaning agent from the container 222 into the water pipeline 212 via the injector 220. Then, the cleaning fluid can flow through the docking station water coupler 218 and the mobile vehicle water coupler 238 into the cleaning circuit of the mobile vehicle 102, which can include a lower supply pipeline 246 extending from the mobile vehicle water coupler 238 to the lower waste tank 116B, and an upper supply pipeline 248 extending from the lower supply pipeline 246 to the upper waste tank 116A. A lower supply solenoid valve 250 can be disposed in the lower supply pipeline 246, between the lower tank 116B and the upper supply pipeline 248, and an upper supply solenoid valve 252 can be disposed in the upper supply pipeline 248, between the upper waste tank 116A and the lower supply pipeline 246. The lower supply solenoid valve 250 and the upper supply solenoid valve 252 can be connected to and operable by the mobile vehicle controller 128A.

[0071] At the start of a cleaning cycle, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to open the upper supply solenoid valve 252 to allow cleaning fluid to flow under pressure from the lower supply line 246 to the upper supply line 248 and then to a spray head disposed at the end of the upper supply line 248 for spraying around the interior of the upper waste tank 116A. In response to the cleaning fluid being sprayed in the upper waste tank 116A for a set spray time period, which can correspond to the currently selected cleaning cycle, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to close the upper supply solenoid valve 252 and open the lower supply solenoid valve 250 to spray the cleaning fluid around the interior of the lower waste tank 116B. In response to the cleaning fluid being sprayed in the lower waste tank 116B for the set spray time period, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to close the lower supply solenoid valve 250. During or after spraying the waste tanks 116 with the cleaning fluid, the docking station controller 128B can be configured to operate the drain pump 204 to drain the dirty cleaning fluid from the upper and lower waste tanks 116 into the drain line 206, as described above.

[0072] In the example above, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to alternate between opening the lower supply solenoid valve 250 and the upper supply solenoid valve 252 to alternately spray the lower waste tank 116A and the upper waste tank 116B. However, in other embodiments, such as when there is sufficient water pressure, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to open the supply solenoid valves 250, 252 simultaneously to spray these waste tanks 116 simultaneously.

[0073] A given cleaning cycle performed by the docking station 104 on the mobile vehicle 102 can include one or more wash phases and one or more rinse phases. During each wash phase, a solution including a cleaning agent (e.g., water with a cleaning agent) can be supplied by the docking station 104 to the mobile vehicle 102 to be sprayed in the waste tank 116 for a set duration and then drained as described above. During each rinse phase, following each wash cycle with a rinse phase, water without a cleaning agent can be supplied by the docking station 104 to the mobile vehicle 102 to be sprayed in the tank 116 for a set duration and then drained as described above.

[0074] Different types of cleaning cycles can be associated with different durations of spraying the waste tanks 116 during each wash stage and / or rinse stage of the cleaning cycle, and / or can be associated with different numbers of wash stages and / or rinse stages performed during the cleaning cycle. For example, when performing a "quick wash" cleaning cycle, the above-described wash and rinse stages can be performed a relatively small number of times (e.g., once for each stage) and / or for a relatively short duration. When performing a "normal wash" cleaning cycle, the above-described wash and rinse stages can be performed a greater number of times (e.g., repeated two or three times for each stage) and / or for a longer duration. Finally, when performing an "extended wash" cleaning cycle, the above-described wash and rinse stages can be performed an even greater number of times (e.g., repeated five or six times for each stage) and / or for an even longer duration.

[0075] During each wash and rinse stage, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to hold the waste valve 242 in an open state and trigger the operation of the unloading pump 204 so that the dirty cleaning fluid can be pumped to the discharge line 206 while the fluid is being sprayed. Alternatively, in some embodiments, when the cleaning fluid is being sprayed into the waste tank 116, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to hold the waste valve 242 in a closed state and / or disable the operation of the unloading pump 204 until an event such as the completion of spraying each waste tank for a set duration occurs.

[0076] In some embodiments, when the waste valve 242 transitions from a closed state to an open state and / or when the unloading pump 204 transitions to an operating state may depend on the type of cleaning cycle being performed. For example but not limited to, when performing a quick cleaning cycle or a normal cleaning cycle, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to hold the waste valve 242 in an open state and hold the unloading pump 204 in an operating state during all wash and rinse stages so that fluid can be discharged from each waste tank 116 while the waste tank 116 is being sprayed. In contrast, when performing an extended cleaning cycle, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to hold the waste valve 242 in a closed state and / or hold the unloading pump 204 in a disabled state for a set soak period after spraying of the waste tank 116 has stopped in order to soak each waste tank 116 for a period of time, which can help to further remove soil, dirt, or waste material from the waste tank 116. When the set soak period has expired, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to open the waste valve 242 and / or enable the operation of the unloading pump 204 so that the dirty fluid can be pumped to the discharge line 206 using the unloading pump 204.

[0077] In some embodiments, a user may be able to customize the parameters of a given cleaning cycle that the mobile vehicle 102 is to undergo. More specifically, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 docking to the docking station 104, the mobile vehicle controller 128A may be configured to provide a GUI on the display of the user interface 138A that enables selection of one of the available cleaning cycle options for an upcoming cleaning cycle and also provides one or more user-selectable elements for customizing the parameters of the upcoming cleaning cycle. By way of example and not limitation, the one or more selectable elements may enable a user to set cleaning cycle parameters such as set spraying duration, fill level, tank soak time, detergent volume, detergent addition timing, water pressure, water temperature, ingredient addition, or UV light activation. Additionally and / or alternatively, one or more of these parameters may be set using a remote user terminal 284 or a mobile user device 286 ( Figure 2 ) that communicates with the docking station 104 or the mobile vehicle 102 (such as via one or more computer networks). In any case, in response to receiving an input that configures one or more of the above-described cleaning cycle parameters, the controllers 128A, 128B may be configured to perform a cleaning cycle on the docked mobile vehicle 102 according to the input.

[0078] As described above, a given healthcare facility or system may deploy a fleet of mobile vehicles 102, each having different uses and locations. Figure 2 An example of a mobile vehicle management and notification system 280A is shown, which may be implemented to facilitate optimal maintenance and operation of the mobile vehicles 102 in a manner not previously possible. As shown in the example shown, the mobile vehicle management and notification system 280A may include a plurality of mobile vehicles 102, at least one docking station 104 for performing draining and cleaning cycles on the mobile vehicles 102, at least one remote server 282, at least one remote user terminal 284, and at least one mobile user device 286. Each of these components may be able to communicate with the other components via one or more computer networks 288. To this end, different from the above example, the mobile vehicles 102 in this example may include relatively long-range communication capabilities in order to establish a data connection with the remote server 282 via the computer network 288 without, for example, establishing a relatively short-range data connection with the docking station 104 or a nearby mobile user device 286. The computer network 288 may employ wireless and / or wired technologies and may include, but is not limited to, one or more local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and / or wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet.

[0079] Typically, when the mobile cart 102 is used to collect medical waste during a surgical procedure and cooperate with the docking station 104 for discharge and cleaning, the mobile cart 102 and / or the docking station 104 can be configured to transmit operation data related to such activities to the server 284, such as via one or more computer networks 288. The server 282 can generally form a processing system remote from the mobile cart 102 and / or the docking station 104, and can include one or more cloud servers and / or dedicated servers, and can host one or more applications configured to aggregate operation data from different mobile carts 102 and track metrics for determining whether to trigger an action of the mobile cart 102, such as the display of maintenance or usage notifications as described below. The (one or more) user terminals 284 can be configured to provide user access to the mobile cart management and notification system 280A, or more specifically, provide access to the applications hosted by the (one or more) servers 282, such as viewing data specific to each mobile cart 102, including operation data, status data, and tracked metrics associated with each mobile cart 102, viewing aggregated operation data for the entire group, and receiving notifications for maintaining the mobile cart 102. By way of example and not limitation, the user terminal 284 can include one or more personal computing devices that are generally remote from the mobile cart 102, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a thin client terminal. The mobile user device 286 (which can include transient battery-powered personal computer devices such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a smart phone) can likewise be used to access the mobile cart management and notification system 280A, or more specifically, access the applications hosted by the server 282 as described herein. Additional details of the operation of the components of the mobile cart management and notification system 280A are provided below.

[0080] The server 282, the user terminal 284, and the mobile device 286 can include controllers 128C, 128D, 128E configured to implement the functions, features, and processes of the components described herein. Similar to the controllers 128A, 128B of the mobile cart 102 and the docking station 104 discussed above, each of the controllers 128C, 128D, 128E can include a processor, a memory, and a communication device, which can be configured similarly to at least those of the docking station controller 128B above. The (one or more) user terminals 284 and the (one or more) mobile devices 286 can also include corresponding user interfaces 138B, 138C for presenting data and notifications generated by the mobile cart management and notification system 280A and for receiving user input to adjust them. By way of example and not limitation, each user interface 138B, 138C can include any one or more components of the user interface 138A described above for each mobile cart 102.

[0081] Figure 3Shows an alternative example of the mobile cart management and notification system 280B according to the present disclosure. As described above, in some embodiments, the communication capabilities of the mobile cart 102 may be relatively limited. For example, the communication capabilities of the mobile cart 102 may be restricted to relatively short distances and / or direct connection communication technologies, such as proximity-based wireless communication technologies (e.g., RFID, NFC), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, Zigbee, or line-of-sight-based wireless communication technologies (e.g., IR). For this reason, the mobile cart 102 may not be able to directly establish a data connection with the server 284 via the computer network 288. In such a case, as Figure 3 shown in the exemplary mobile cart management and notification system 280B, one of the other components of the mobile cart management and notification system 280B, such as the docking station 104 and / or the mobile device 286, may be configured to act as an edge communication device for the mobile cart 102.

[0082] For example and as described above, each mobile cart 102 may be configured to use a relatively short-range communication technology (such as IR) to establish a data connection with the docking station 104 when coupled to the docking station 104, or more specifically, to establish a wireless data connection with the docking station 104 for evacuation and / or cleaning. The docking station 104 may be configured with a relatively long-range communication technology, such as Ethernet, cellular, or Wi-Fi, to facilitate communication between the docked mobile cart 102 and the server 282 via the computer network 288. Additionally or alternatively, each mobile cart 102 may be configured to establish a wireless data connection with a nearby mobile device 286 using a relatively short-range communication technology (such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct). The mobile device 286 may be configured with a relatively long-range communication technology, such as Ethernet, cellular, or Wi-Fi, to facilitate communication between the mobile cart 102 and the server 282 via the computer network 288.

[0083] During operation of the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B, operation data (including cleaning cycle data and / or surgical data) indicating updated activities of a given mobile cart 102 of the group may be sent to the server 284 to be aggregated with similar data from other mobile carts 102, which can facilitate providing an administrator with a complete view of the group of mobile carts 102 to plan future use and replacement of mobile cart 102 components, to check compliance with relevant policies (e.g., smoke evacuation policies, cleaning policies), and to determine the return on investment for the group of mobile carts 102. These tasks have traditionally either not been achievable or only achievable to a very limited extent, such as by comparing order history with current inventory, conducting post hoc interviews with clinical users, and attempting to compare historical and current red bag waste costs for a given department.

[0084] To this end, the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B can provide an application through which administrators and other non-clinical users can view summary data related to the above-mentioned matters (e.g., replacing parts, compliance, return on investment) in different scenarios, such as by mobile cart 102, day, week, month, department, or type of mobile cart 102. As an example, based on summary operation data generated from the operation data of a single mobile cart 102, the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B can provide (such as on the user interfaces 138B, 138C of the remote terminal 284 and / or the mobile device 286) a graphical user interface that allows users to view graphs of filter usage ratios in various scenarios, including cases with and without smoke, graphs of surgical waste fluid disposal volumes in various scenarios, and add factors such as the cost of a can or red bag waste per liter of waste fluid to determine the return on investment.

[0085] As another example, the summary function of the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B can enable users to view graphs of manifold usage ratios in various situations for future usage planning and ordering. For example, during a given medical surgical procedure involving the mobile cart 102, the mobile cart controller 128A of the mobile cart 102 can be configured to generate manifold usage data by assigning a manifold usage profile for each use of the replaceable manifold 124 inserted into the mobile cart 102. The usage profile assigned to each use of the replaceable manifold 124 can include one or more data selected from the group consisting of: usage date, usage time, medical specialty, type of surgery, associated mobile cart type and / or model and / or unique identifier, and manifold type and / or part number and / or unique identifier. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to generate manifold usage data by determining the fluid disposal volume for each use using a fluid measurement system associated with the manifold 124 (e.g., the mobile cart sensor 166).

[0086] The mobile vehicle controller 128A of each mobile vehicle 102 can be configured to transmit manifold usage data including a manifold usage profile and / or a fluid disposal volume to a server 284, which can be configured to generate and provide summary usage data for display, such as on user interfaces 138B, 138C of a remote terminal 284 and / or a mobile device 286, the summary usage data indicating the manifold usage characteristics of all the mobile vehicles 102 in the groups. As an example, the server 284 can be configured to generate summary data at least in part by: determining a fluid disposal cost based on the fluid disposal volume and a weight-based disposal cost conversion, comparing the fluid disposal cost with the operating cost of the mobile vehicle 102, and displaying cost savings on the user terminal 284, such as in response to a corresponding request received from the user terminal 284. Such analysis enabled by aggregating operation data from multiple mobile vehicles 102 can help a user quickly and accurately determine the cost-effectiveness of the group of mobile vehicles 102 managed by the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B.

[0087] The aggregation function of the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B can also help diagnose common problems with the mobile vehicles 102 on a group-wide basis. For example, each mobile vehicle controller 128A can be configured to generate an error code based on an anomaly identified during operation of the mobile vehicle 102. Error code data indicating such error codes can be transmitted from each mobile vehicle 102 to the server 284, which in turn can generate summary error code data indicating the diagnostic pattern of all the mobile vehicles 102 in the group. By way of example and not limitation, the transmitted error code data can include one or more data selected from the group consisting of: usage date, usage time, medical specialty, type of surgery, associated mobile vehicle type and / or model and / or unique identifier, and part number. Transmitting such data to the server 284 can also enable a technician to view a mobile vehicle history report including error codes with time / date stamps (e.g., via the user terminal 284) prior to dispatching service, which can help improve the efficiency of diagnostic and corrective actions, save time and money, and minimize mobile vehicle downtime.

[0088] (One or more) servers 282 may be configured to use push communication to provide summary data for display on one of the user interfaces 138 of other devices of the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B, such as (one or more) user terminals 284, (one or more) mobile devices 286, or (one or more) mobile carts 102. Alternatively, the summary data may be transmitted from the server 282 to a given one of the above devices periodically and / or as needed, such as based on user input received via the user interface 138 of the device. In some examples, in response to a given mobile cart 102 being coupled to the docking station 104, and optionally in response to corresponding user input received on the user interface 138A of the mobile cart 102, the docking station 104 may be configured to request summary data from the server 282 for display on the user interface 138A of the mobile cart 102, such as via the docking station 104 acting as an edge device as described above.

[0089] In some embodiments, a given mobile device 286 may be configured to act as a remote controller for the mobile cart 102, e.g., when in close proximity to each other, to trigger and control the operation of the mobile cart 102 to collect medical waste during a surgical procedure via a data connection established between the mobile device controller 128E and the mobile cart controller 128A. Additionally or alternatively, such a mobile device 286 may be configured to transfer status information about the mobile cart 102, as well as operation data of the mobile cart 102 related to the surgical procedure as described herein, to the server 282 during a surgical procedure, such as when the mobile cart 102 is currently applying suction to a surgical site.

[0090] In some embodiments, the mobile device 286 may also include a camera 290 or other scanner that communicates with the mobile device controller 128E, which may be configured to operate the camera 290 to scan a practitioner's ID badge before enabling the mobile cart 102 to operate. To this end, the mobile device controller 128E may be configured to associate the scan of the ID badge with the start of a procedure and, in response, transmit a corresponding status update indicating that the mobile cart 102 has entered a clinical state to the server 282. The mobile device controller 128E may be configured to associate subsequent scans of the badge with the end of the procedure and, in response, transmit a further status update indicating such and the operation data of the mobile cart 102 generated during the procedure to the server 282. In some embodiments, the mobile device controller 128E may be configured to restrict communication to and / or from the mobile cart 102 when in a clinical state or applying suction, e.g., to avoid interrupting the operation of the mobile cart 102.

[0091] In some embodiments, when identifying the badge of a given practitioner, the mobile device controller 128E may be configured to set the operating parameters of the mobile cart 102 based on presets associated with the practitioner (e.g., suction level, maximum flow rate). Additionally or alternatively, the mobile device controller 128E may be configured to display an interface for selecting a given type of surgery being performed with the mobile cart 102 and to set the operating parameters of the mobile cart 102 based on presets associated with the selected surgery type. Further in response to receiving the selected surgery type, the mobile device controller 128E may be configured to present instructions for the use of the mobile cart 102 that are specific to that surgery type.

[0092] As described above, the operating data for a given mobile cart 102 may include surgical data indicative of the operating characteristics of the mobile cart 102 during one or more surgical procedures, which may be used by the mobile cart controller 128A and / or the server 282 of the given mobile cart 102 to determine whether to trigger an action with respect to the given mobile cart 102. At least a portion of such operating data may be generated by the sensors 166 of the mobile cart 102 and may be transmitted to the server 282 upon completion of each surgical procedure (e.g., via the connected mobile device 286) or when docked to the docking station 104. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the mobile device 286 may also be used to generate operating data for a given mobile cart 102, such as by being configured to image the waste can 116 with the camera 190 during and / or after a surgical procedure and / or for analyzing the image to determine characteristics of waste collection by the mobile cart 102 with respect to that surgical procedure.

[0093] For example, as Figure 4As shown, a given mobile cart 102 can include a front housing 292 that is coupled to a vertical frame 114 and defines at least one cutout or window 294 to expose a portion of a waste can 116. The waste can 116 can be formed of a transparent material through which a user can visually observe waste material collected within the waste can 116 and, if desired, visually approximate an estimate of the volume of waste material collected therein using volume markings disposed on an outer surface of the waste can 116. The optically transparent waste can 116 also allows waste material collected therein to be imaged by a camera 290 included in a mobile device 286. Images from the camera 290 can be transmitted to and processed by a controller 128E of the mobile device 286 for determining operating data of the mobile cart 102 associated with a surgical procedure, such as at least one of the following: a degree of blockage of the collected waste material, a composition of the collected waste material (e.g., blood concentration), and a duration that the waste material has been present in the waste can 116. More specifically, optical characteristics of the waste material can be analyzed and processed to determine such data, as disclosed, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Patent No. 8,926,693, issued July 29, 2014, and PCT Patent Application No. PCT / US2023 / 025603, filed June 16, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0094] At least one device bracket 296 can be removably coupled or rigidly fixed to the mobile cart 102. The device bracket 296 can position the camera 290 relative to the waste can 116 in an exact manner to provide continuous image capture (e.g., video feed) of at least substantially the entire waste can 116. The video feed generates continuous data from which the above-described characteristics can be determined in real time, and as described in more detail below, the continuous data can be used to dynamically adjust one or more action notification thresholds of the mobile cart 102, such as a cleaning notification threshold, thereby helping to obtain its optimal performance.

[0095] Figure 5 A method 300 is shown for dynamically managing the use and maintenance of a group of mobile carts 102 based on an analysis of the activities of each mobile cart 102, which can extend the service life of the mobile carts 102 and improve the operating efficiency of the group. The method 300 can be implemented by a mobile cart management and notification system 280A, 280B, or more specifically, by one or more controllers 128 of the mobile cart management and notification system 280A, 280B, and can be performed with respect to each mobile cart 102 of the group.

[0096] In block 302, the status of the mobile cart 102 can be set to idle. Typically, when the mobile cart 102 is available to healthcare professionals for collecting medical waste, the mobile cart 102 can initially enter the idle state, which can correspond to the mobile cart 102 being inactive, powered off, in a low power or standby mode, not receiving the manifold 124 in the receiver 120 of the mobile cart 102, and / or not being enabled to activate suction. The mobile cart controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C can be configured to track the current status of each mobile cart 102. In this way, in response to a user checking the status of a given mobile cart 102, such as via the user terminal 284, the mobile device 286, or the user interface 138A of another mobile cart 102, the mobile cart controller 102 and / or the server controller 128C can provide (such as via the computer network 288) status data indicating the current status of the mobile cart 102 to the requesting device for display.

[0097] In block 304, it can be determined whether the mobile cart 102 has exited the idle state and entered a different state, such as a docking state or a clinical state. The docking state can typically correspond to the mobile cart 102 being successfully docked to the docking station 104. The determination of whether the mobile cart 102 is in the docking state can be made by the mobile cart 102, or more specifically by the mobile cart controller 128A of the mobile cart 102, or by the docking station 104, or more specifically by the docking station controller 128B of the mobile cart docking station 104. In one example, sensors included in the receiver 228 or the impact plate 230 can be used to determine successful docking. Alternatively, successful docking can be detected based on the communication established between the mobile cart 102 and the docking station 104 (such as via the communication devices 134A, 134B). For example, the docking station 104, or more specifically the docking station controller 128B, can be configured to determine that successful docking with a given mobile cart 102 has occurred in response to receiving communication from the mobile cart controller 128A of the mobile cart 102 via the IR transceivers 127, 229. Such communication can identify the specific mobile cart 102 coupled to the docking station 104, such as by providing a unique identifier of the mobile cart 102. In response to the mobile cart 102 being successfully docked to the docking station 104, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to display a notification indicating the successful docking on the user interface 138A of the mobile cart 102.

[0098] In response to determining that the mobile vehicle 102 is in a docking state (the "Yes - Docking" branch of block 304), at block 306, the state of the mobile vehicle 102 can be set to the docking state, for example, by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server 284. For example, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 being docked, a status update can be transmitted (such as via the computer network 288 from the mobile vehicle 102 or the docking station 104) to the server 284, indicating the docking state of the mobile vehicle 102. In this way, in response to a user (such as via the user terminal 284, the mobile device 286, or the user interface 138A of another mobile vehicle 102 communicating with the server 284) checking the status of a given mobile vehicle 102, the server 284 can provide status data indicating the docking state of the mobile vehicle 102 to the requesting device for display. The status data can also indicate the specific docking station 104 and also indicate the location of the docking station 104 within the healthcare facility or system for display. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can locally store the docking state of the mobile vehicle 102 and can also be configured to reply to requests from remote devices for display with status data indicating the docking state of the mobile vehicle 102, the specific docking station 104, and / or the location of the docking station 104 within the healthcare facility or system.

[0099] In some embodiments, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 entering the docking state, method 300 can proceed to block 308A, where the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 is processed. As previously described, the server controller 128C can be configured to track one or more metrics associated with each mobile vehicle 102 based on the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102, where the metrics are used to determine whether a notification related to the mobile vehicle 102 should be triggered. As previously described, the mobile vehicle 102 may have relatively limited communication capabilities, which may prevent the mobile vehicle 102 from directly communicating with the computer network 288, for example, to exchange operation data with the server 284. In some instances, the mobile vehicle 102 can be configured to pair with the mobile device 286, such that the mobile device 286 can be used as an edge device to receive operation data from the mobile vehicle 102 for transmission to the server 282 via the computer network 288, for example, when a procedure is completed, and / or to receive data (such as notification data, software updates) from the server 282 via the computer network 288 for transmission to the mobile vehicle 102. However, if the mobile vehicle controller 128A has operation data that has not been uploaded to the server 282, for example, because there is no available mobile device 286 paired with the mobile vehicle 102, or the mobile vehicle 102 is not configured to cooperate with the mobile device 286 to access the computer network 288, then method 300 can proceed to block 308A in response to the mobile vehicle 102 being docked. Exemplary details of block 308A are described below with reference to Figure 7 Describe the exemplary details of block 308A.

[0100] In block 310A, it can be determined whether a notification should be displayed on the mobile vehicle 102, such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C of the mobile vehicle 102. For example, in response to receiving a status update indicating the docking status of the mobile vehicle 102, the server controller 128C can be configured to look up and / or generate notification data for the mobile vehicle 102, which can indicate whether a notification has been triggered for the mobile vehicle 102. More specifically, the notification data can indicate any outstanding notifications for the mobile vehicle 102 that may have been previously triggered, as described in more detail below. The notification data can also indicate the type of notification that has been triggered, such as a maintenance-related notification (e.g., cleaning, filtering) or a usage-related notification. The server controller 128C can be configured to transmit such notification data to the mobile vehicle 102 or to the docking station 104 via the one or more computer networks 288, and the docking station 104 can be configured to transmit a corresponding communication to the mobile vehicle controller 128A via a data connection formed between it and the mobile vehicle controller 128A, which causes the mobile vehicle controller 128A to determine whether a notification should be displayed. Alternatively, the determination in block 306 can be made by the mobile vehicle controller 128A of the mobile vehicle 102 based on notification data previously generated and / or locally stored by the mobile vehicle controller 128A, as described in more detail below.

[0101] In response to determining that a notification should be displayed on the mobile vehicle 102 (the "yes" branch of block 310A), in block 312A, one or more notifications can be generated and displayed on the user interface 138A of the mobile vehicle 102, such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A. The content of the displayed notification can depend on the type of outstanding notification indicated by the notification data. For example, a cleaning-related notification can be configured to direct the user to perform a specific type of cleaning cycle on the mobile vehicle 102, such as an extended cleaning cycle. In this way, the user can be directed to perform the specific type of cleaning cycle when docking the mobile vehicle 102 to the docking station 104 and before performing another type of cleaning cycle. A usage-related notification can direct the user to use another less frequently used mobile vehicle in the set of mobile vehicles 102 for the next medical waste collection procedure, such as to provide balanced usage of the set as a whole. A filter-related notification can direct the user to replace a filter of the mobile vehicle 102, such as the aerosol filter 160 and / or the particulate filter 164 described above.

[0102] In response to generating one or more notifications (block 312A), or in response to determining that no notification should be generated (the "No" branch of block 310A), at block 314, a cleaning cycle and / or a discharge cycle can be performed on the mobile vehicle 102. As an example, a user can select and initiate a discharge cycle and / or a cleaning cycle via the user interface 138A of the mobile vehicle 102, which can then cause the mobile vehicle controller 128A to send an instruction to the docking station controller 128B to start running the discharge cycle and / or the selected cleaning cycle. As described above, the docking station 104 can perform a discharge cycle and / or a cleaning cycle on the mobile vehicle.

[0103] At block 308B, in response to the waste canister 116 being discharged and / or cleaned by the docking station 104 according to the selected cleaning cycle, the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 can be processed (such as based on the characteristics of the cleaning cycle). The mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B can maintain operation data across various operational aspects of each mobile vehicle 102 specific to that mobile vehicle 102. The operation data of each mobile vehicle 102 can be maintained locally by that mobile vehicle 102, for example, in the memory 132A of the mobile vehicle 102. Additionally or alternatively, the operation data of each mobile vehicle 102 can be maintained centrally at the server 284, for example, in the memory 132C. As an example and not a limitation, the operation data stored by each mobile vehicle 102 can include the cleaning cycle data of that mobile vehicle 102 and / or the surgical data of that mobile vehicle 102. The cleaning cycle data can generally indicate information related to the discharge and / or cleaning cycle performed by the docking station 104 on the mobile vehicle 102, such as indicated by the data generated by the sensors 166, 234 during such cycles. The surgical data of the mobile vehicle 102 can indicate information related to collecting medical waste during a surgical procedure using the mobile vehicle 102, such as error code data, fluid collection volume data, filter usage data, data when the vacuum pump is running, manifold usage data, surgical type data, patient data, and / or visual data determined by imaging the waste canister 116 as described above. In some instances, the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B can also maintain management data for each mobile vehicle 102, such as return on investment data and / or service data of the mobile vehicle 102.

[0104] Generally, processing the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 at block 308B can include analyzing the operation data specific to a given mobile vehicle 102 to determine whether to trigger a maintenance notification for the mobile vehicle 102, such as a cleaning-related or filter-related notification. The operation data of a given mobile vehicle 102 can also be combined with the operation data of other mobile vehicles 102 in the group at block 308B to provide a comprehensive understanding of the entire group and also to determine whether to trigger a notification, such as a usage-related notification, to facilitate the efficient allocation of the mobile vehicle 102. Refer to the followingFigure 7 Additional details of the box 308B are described in more detail.

[0105] In response to processing the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 in box 308B, the method 300 may return to box 302 to set the state of the mobile vehicle 102 back to idle. For example, assume that the mobile vehicle 102 is currently in a docking state. The mobile vehicle 102 can undock from the docking station 104. In response to the mobile vehicle 102 exiting the docking state, the mobile vehicle controller 128A or the docking station controller 128B may be configured to transmit a status update indicating that the mobile vehicle 102 is no longer docked to the docking station 104 and has returned to the idle state to the server 284. The server controller 128C may be configured to store this status as part of the operation data specific to the mobile vehicle 102. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile vehicle controller 128A may be configured to reflect the idle state of the mobile vehicle 102 in the locally stored operation data of the mobile vehicle 102.

[0106] As previously described with reference to box 304, the mobile vehicle 102 can also exit the idle state by being placed in a clinical use state, such as preparing for a surgical operation. This determination can be made by the mobile vehicle 102, or more specifically by the mobile vehicle controller 128A of the mobile vehicle 102. As a non-limiting example, the mobile vehicle controller 128A may be configured to determine that the mobile vehicle 102 enters the clinical use state in response to the mobile vehicle 102 being powered on while not docked to the docking station 104, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 receiving a user input via the user interface 138A indicating a wake-up from a lower power or standby mode, or in response to one or more manifolds 124 being installed on the mobile vehicle 102. Additionally or alternatively, this determination can be made by the controller 128E of the mobile device 286 connected to the mobile vehicle 102, such as in response to receiving a user input indicating that the mobile vehicle 102 will be used in a surgical operation, and / or scanning an ID badge associated with a practitioner.

[0107] In response to determining that the mobile vehicle 102 is in a clinical use state (the "Yes - Clinical" branch of block 304), at block 316, the status of the mobile vehicle 102 can be set to a clinical state (such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C). For example, a status update can be transmitted to the server 284, such as from the mobile vehicle 102 or a mobile device 286 connected to the mobile vehicle 102, indicating the clinical state of the mobile vehicle 102. In this way, in response to a user (e.g., via the user terminal 284, the mobile device 286, or the user interface 138A of another mobile vehicle 102 communicating with the server 284) checking the status of a given mobile vehicle 102, the server 284 can provide status data indicating the clinical state of the mobile vehicle 102 to the requesting device for display. The status data can also indicate the location of the mobile vehicle 102 within the healthcare facility or system for display. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile vehicle controller 128A can locally store status data indicating the clinical state of the mobile vehicle 102 and can also be configured to reply to requests from remote devices for display using the status data indicating the clinical state of the mobile vehicle 102 and / or the location of the mobile vehicle 102 within the healthcare facility or system.

[0108] At block 310B, it can be determined whether a notification should be displayed on the mobile vehicle 102, such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C of the mobile vehicle 102. Block 310B can include a process similar to block 310A described above. For example, in response to receiving a status update indicating the clinical state of the mobile vehicle 102, the server controller 128C can be configured to look up and / or generate notification data for the mobile vehicle 102, which can indicate whether a notification for the mobile vehicle 102 has been triggered previously. More specifically, the notification data can indicate any outstanding notifications that may have been previously triggered for the mobile vehicle 102, as described in more detail below. The notification data can also indicate the type of notification that was triggered, such as a cleaning - related notification, a usage - related notification, or a filter - related notification. The server controller 128C can be configured to transmit such notification data to the mobile vehicle 102 via one or more computer networks 288, and the mobile vehicle 102 can be configured to determine whether to display the notification based on the received data. Alternatively, the determination of block 310B can be made by the mobile vehicle controller 128A of the mobile vehicle 102 based on notification data previously generated and / or locally stored by the mobile vehicle controller 128A, as described in more detail below.

[0109] In response to determining that a notification should be displayed on the mobile vehicle 102 (the "Yes" branch of block 310B), at block 312B, one or more notifications can be generated and displayed on the user interface 138A of the mobile vehicle 102, such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A. Block 312B can include a process similar to block 312A discussed above.

[0110] In response to generating one or more notifications (block 312B), or in response to determining that no notification should be generated (the "No" branch of block 312B), at block 318, the activities of the mobile cart 102 can be tracked. The activities of the mobile cart 102 tracked at block 310B can generally correspond to at least a portion of the operational data maintained for each mobile cart 102 described herein. More specifically, the mobile cart 102, or more specifically the mobile cart controller 128A of the mobile cart 102, can be configured to track the operational data or more specifically the surgical data of the mobile cart 102 when the mobile cart 102 is being used and / or maintained, such as based on data generated by the sensors 166 of the mobile cart 102 and / or visual data generated using the mobile device 286 as described above. Such data can be used to update one or more metrics tracked for the mobile cart 102 to determine whether to trigger an action of the mobile cart 102, such as a notification.

[0111] As an example, tracking the activities of the mobile cart 102 at block 318 can include tracking the use of the vacuum source (e.g., vacuum pump 118) of the mobile cart 102 for aspirating medical waste to generate vacuum runtime data for the mobile cart 102. For example, in response to each time the vacuum source of the mobile cart 102 is operated to aspirate medical waste into at least one of the waste containers 116, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to index a counter or start a timer, such as until the vacuum source stops aspirating medical waste into the container 116. In some embodiments, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to determine when medical waste is aspirated into the container 116 based on when the mobile cart controller 128A operates the vacuum pump 118 of the mobile cart 102 and / or based on data from one or more sensors 166 (such as weight sensors or volume sensors) associated with each of the waste containers 116.

[0112] Additionally or alternatively, tracking the activities of the mobile cart 102 in block 324 can include tracking the filter usage of the mobile cart 102 to generate filter usage data for the mobile cart 102. For example, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to index a counter or start a timer specific to the aerosol filter 160 of the mobile cart 102 in response to each instance in which the mobile cart 102 is operated, where in that instance a vacuum source (such as the blower 158 of the aerosol evacuation system 150) draws fluid through the filter 160 and / or the aerosol sensor 162 indicates the presence or the presence of one or more aerosols above a preset non-zero threshold, such as until the blower 158 stops drawing fluid through the filter 160 and / or the aerosol sensor 162 indicates the absence or the absence of aerosols above the preset threshold. Similarly, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to index a counter or start a timer specific to the particulate filter 164 in response to each instance in which the mobile cart 102 is operated, where in that instance a vacuum source (such as the vacuum pump 118) draws fluid into the waste canister 116, such as until the vacuum pump 118 stops drawing fluid through the particulate filter 164.

[0113] In some instances, tracking the filter usage of the mobile cart 102 can also include assigning a filter usage profile for each use of each filter 160, 164 during a medical procedure. Each assigned filter usage profile can include one or more data selected from the group consisting of: date of use, time of use, medical specialty, type of procedure, associated mobile cart type, model, and / or unique identifier, and type, model, and / or unique identifier of the filter.

[0114] Additionally or alternatively, tracking the filter usage can include determining whether a filter change event has occurred. As an example, each filter 160, 164 used with the mobile cart 102 can include an RFID tag indicating whether the filter 160, 164 is new or used or associated with the RFID tag. The mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to read this data from the RFID tag of each currently attached filter 160, 164 to determine whether the filter 160, 164 is new or used. In response to the read data indicating that a given filter 160, 164 is new, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to determine that a filter change event has occurred and update the status of the filter 160, 164 for use, such as by locally recording the unique identifier of the filter 160, 164 present on the RFID tag and / or by writing data indicating that the filter 160, 164 has now been used to the RFID tag.

[0115] Additionally or alternatively, tracking the activities of the mobile cart 102 in block 308 can include tracking manifold usage to determine the manifold usage data of the mobile cart 102. For example, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to assign a manifold usage profile for each use of the replaceable manifold 124 during a medical procedure. The usage profile assigned to each use of the replaceable manifold 124 can include one or more data selected from the group consisting of: usage date, usage time, medical specialty, type of surgery, associated mobile cart type, model, and / or unique identifier, and type, model, and / or unique identifier of the manifold.

[0116] Additionally or alternatively, tracking the activities of the mobile cart 102 in block 318 can include tracking the fluid disposal volume to generate the fluid disposal volume data of the mobile cart 102. For example, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to track the fluid disposal volume of the mobile cart 102 based on the data generated by the sensors 166 of the mobile cart 102.

[0117] Additionally or alternatively, tracking the activities of the mobile cart 102 in block 318 can include tracking the error codes generated by the mobile cart 102 to generate the error code data of the mobile cart 102. For example, the mobile cart controller 128A can be configured to generate error codes based on anomalies identified during the operation of the mobile cart 102 (such as based on the data generated by the sensors 166).

[0118] After block 318, method 300 can move to block 308B, where the operation data of the mobile cart 102 can be processed, such as based on the activities of the mobile cart 102 tracked in block 324. As previously described, processing the operation data of the mobile cart 102 in block 314 can include analyzing one or more metrics corresponding to the operation data specific to a given mobile cart 102 to determine whether to trigger a notification and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the entire group. Other details of block 308B are described in more detail below with reference to Figure 7 Additional details of block 308B are described in more detail.

[0119] In response to processing the operation data of the mobile cart 102 in block 308B, method 300 can return to block 302 to set the state of the mobile cart 102 back to idle, as described above. For example, assuming the mobile cart 102 is currently in a clinical state, the mobile cart 102 can be powered off or placed in a low power or standby state, all manifolds 124 can be removed from the mobile cart 102, and / or an input indicating the end of the surgery can be provided to the mobile device 286 connected to the mobile cart 102.

[0120] When the mobile vehicle 102 is in an idle state, the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B can be configured to periodically process the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 to determine, for example, whether a notification should be triggered. Thus, continuing again at block 304, in response to determining that the mobile vehicle 102 has not exited the idle state (the "No" branch of block 304), at block 322, an idle metric can be tracked. For example, an idle counter can be indexed or an idle timer can be started (if not already started), such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A or the server controller 128C. At block 324, it can be determined whether the idle metric has reached a preset value corresponding to a desired waiting time. If so (the "Yes" branch of block 324), the method 300 can proceed to block 308C, where the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 can be processed. Block 308C can roughly correspond to blocks 308A and 308B, as described below. Thereafter, at block 326, the idle metric can be reset.

[0121] In the above example, the mobile vehicle 102 is shown as entering the idle state from the clinical state and the docking state. However, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, in other embodiments, the mobile vehicle 102 can also transition from the docking state to the clinical state, and vice versa, without having to enter the idle state.

[0122] Figure 6A and Figure 6BShows the screen of the GUI that can be generated on the user interface 138A of the mobile vehicle 102 when the mobile vehicle 102 enters the docking state, such as when the frame 310A indicates that a filter-related notification should be triggered on the mobile vehicle 102. In response to the mobile vehicle 102 being docked, the GUI can display screen 332, which includes different types of selectable cleaning cycles, as well as a filter notification metric indicating the remaining life of the filter 160. In response to selecting a given type of cleaning cycle, in this case the "normal wash" cleaning cycle, the GUI can advance to screen 334, where selectable elements are presented to the user to start executing the selected cleaning cycle. In response to the execution of the selected cleaning cycle being started, the GUI can show another screen 336 including a status bar indicating the progress of the cleaning cycle. Screen 336 can also provide one or more notifications determined for the mobile vehicle 102, in this case filter-related notifications, which indicate to the user to replace the filter 160 and then reset the filter notification metric. After replacing the filter 160 and selecting the reset element, the GUI can advance to screen 338 to display the reset filter notification metric and the cleaning cycle status bar. When the cleaning cycle is completed, the GUI can then advance to screen 340 to indicate that the cleaning cycle is completed and also provide a selectable element for releasing the mobile vehicle 102 from the docking station 104. Finally, after selecting the release element, the GUI can display screen 342, providing an indication of being ready to remove the mobile vehicle 102 from the docking station 104.

[0123] Figure 7 Shows a method 350 for processing the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102, such as for determining whether a notification should be triggered and / or for providing a comprehensive understanding of the entire group. Method 350 can be executed in Figure 5 Blocks 308A, 308B, and / or 308C of the method 300 shown, and can be implemented by the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B or more specifically by one or more controllers 128 of the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B.

[0124] In block 352, operation data specific to the mobile vehicle 102 can be updated, such as based on the cleaning and other activities of the mobile vehicle 102 discussed above, and such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C. As previously described, the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B can maintain operation data specific to each mobile vehicle 102 across various operational aspects of that mobile vehicle 102, and provide a comprehensive snapshot of that mobile vehicle 102 to enable efficient utilization and maintenance of that mobile vehicle 102 and the group as a whole. The operation data for each mobile vehicle 102 can be maintained locally by the mobile vehicle 102, such as in the memory 132A of the mobile vehicle 102. Additionally or alternatively, the operation data for each mobile vehicle 102 can be maintained centrally at the server 284, such as in the memory 132C of the server 284. In such a case, updating the operation data specific to the mobile vehicle 102 in block 352 can include transmitting locally recorded operation data to the server 284 via the network 288, such as from the mobile vehicle 102, and / or via the docking station 104 to which the mobile vehicle 102 is docked, and / or via the mobile device 286 paired with the mobile vehicle 102. Locally recorded operation data can generally include data related to the operation of the mobile vehicle 102 that has not yet been transmitted to the server 284. By way of example and not limitation, the data transmitted can include one or more of the cleaning cycle data of the mobile vehicle 102, the error code data of the mobile vehicle 102, the filter data of the mobile vehicle 102, the runtime data of the vacuum pump of the mobile vehicle 102, the manifold usage data of the mobile vehicle 102, and / or the visual data of the mobile vehicle 102.

[0125] More specifically but not by way of limitation, the data that may be provided in the operation data of the mobile vehicle 102 may include: mobile vehicle part number; mobile vehicle serial number; total number of mobile vehicle power-on events, including main power-on and docking power-on; total mobile vehicle power-on time; total number of vacuum pump start events; total mobile vehicle vacuum pump power-on time; average vacuum pump current at all times; average vacuum pump current before each of the last three cleaning cycles; total number of smoke removal motor start events; total power-on time of the smoke removal motor; total ULPA filter usage; total HEPA filter usage; last reset HEPA filter life; last reset ULPA filter life; total number of times the HEPA filter life has been reset; total number of times the ULPA filter life has been reset; total number of quick wash cleaning cycles completed; total number of attempted quick wash cleaning cycles; last completed quick wash cycle; total number of normal wash cleaning cycles completed; total number of attempted normal wash cleaning cycles; last normal wash cycle completed; total number of extended wash cleaning cycles completed; total number of attempted extended wash cleaning cycles; last extended wash cycle completed; maximum cleaning cycle flow rate experienced by the mobile vehicle; sum of all cleaning cycle flow rates experienced by the mobile vehicle; minimum cleaning cycle flow rate experienced by the mobile vehicle; total number of successful docking cycle flow rates calculated by the mobile vehicle; maximum peak cleaning cycle water temperature experienced by the mobile vehicle; sum of the maximum peak cleaning cycle water temperatures experienced by the mobile vehicle; minimum peak cleaning cycle water temperature experienced by the mobile vehicle; sum of the minimum peak cleaning cycle water temperatures experienced by the mobile vehicle; total number of successful cleaning cycle water temperatures calculated by the mobile vehicle; most recent cleaning cycle flow rate experienced by the mobile vehicle; most recent peak cleaning cycle water temperature experienced by the mobile vehicle; total waste fluid collected and unloaded by the mobile vehicle; total number of manifolds used by each tank 116 of the mobile vehicle 102; date of data download; total number of attempted tank dumps; total number of completed tank dumps; total number of volume resets; total time the IV lever UP button of the mobile vehicle has been pressed; date / time stamp of the last time the mobile vehicle updated this data; total number of 1-port manifolds used on this mobile vehicle; total number of 4-port manifolds used on this mobile vehicle; total number of 4-port SC manifolds used on this mobile vehicle; total number of manifolds used on this mobile vehicle today; total number of manifolds used on this mobile vehicle yesterday; total number of manifolds used on this mobile vehicle 2 days ago; total number of manifolds used on this mobile vehicle 3 days ago; total number of manifolds used on this mobile vehicle 89 days ago; most recent error code (left side of the decimal point); most recent error date / time stamp (UTC); second most recent error code (left side of the decimal point); second most recent error date / time stamp (UTC); 200th most recent error code (left side of the decimal point); 200th most recent error date / time stamp (UTC).

[0126] Additionally or alternatively, the operational data updated in block 352 may include notification metrics for determining whether a notification for the mobile vehicle 102 is appropriate. Accordingly, updating the operational data specific to the mobile vehicle 102 in block 352 may include updating one or more of these metrics, such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C.

[0127] As an example, the operational data maintained for each mobile vehicle 102 may include one or more cleaning-related metrics specific to that mobile vehicle 102. For example, the (one or more) cleaning-related metrics may include a metric corresponding to the time since the last cleaning cycle, or the time since the mobile vehicle 102 first applied suction after the last cleaning cycle. Additionally or alternatively, the (one or more) cleaning-related metrics may include a counter and / or a timer that tracks the usage of the mobile vehicle 102 since the last cleaning cycle or since the mobile vehicle 102 first applied suction after the last cleaning cycle, which is similar to the vacuum pump runtime data discussed above and may be indexed or initiated (such as by the mobile vehicle controller 128A) in response to each instance in which a mobile vehicle 102 is operated to collect medical waste.

[0128] In response to the completion of a cleaning cycle on the mobile vehicle 102, the cleaning-related metrics may be reset to zero in block 352. Assuming that the (one or more) such metrics are maintained by the (one or more) servers 284, in response to the completion of a cleaning cycle on a given mobile vehicle 102, the mobile vehicle 102 or the docking station 104 to which the mobile vehicle 102 is docked or the mobile device 286 paired with the mobile vehicle 102 may be configured to send an indication of the completion of the cleaning cycle to the (one or more) servers 284 via the (one or more) computer networks 288, which may cause the (one or more) server controllers 128C to reset the cleaning-related metrics for the mobile vehicle 102. In some embodiments, at least one of the cleaning-related metrics maintained for each mobile vehicle 102 may be specific to the execution of a special type of cleaning cycle (such as an extended wash cleaning cycle). Such a cleaning-related metric may be reset in response to the mobile vehicle 102 undergoing an extended wash cleaning cycle rather than other cleaning cycle options.

[0129] Another cleaning-related metric that may be updated in block 352 is the cleaning cycle ratio specific to the mobile vehicle 102. The cleaning cycle ratio may be the ratio of the number of cleaning cycles the mobile vehicle 102 undergoes according to one or more cleaning cycle options (e.g., a quick wash cleaning cycle and / or a standard wash cleaning cycle) to the number of cleaning cycles the mobile vehicle 102 undergoes according to the extended wash cleaning cycle option.

[0130] As further described above, updating the operation data specific to the mobile vehicle 102 in block 352 may include updating one or more filter-related metrics specific to the mobile vehicle 102, which may include one or more filter metrics indicating the following: the time since each filter 160, 164 was last replaced, the time since the mobile vehicle 102 first provided suction after replacing the particulate filter 164, and / or the time since the aerosol extraction unit 150 was first operated after the last replacement of the aerosol filter 164. Additionally or alternatively, the filter-related metrics may include at least one counter and / or timer that tracks the usage of each filter 160, 164, such as based on data generated by the sensors 162 of the aerosol extraction unit 150 (e.g., for filter 160) and / or based on the vacuum operation data discussed above (e.g., for filter 164). In response to determining a filter change event such as for the aerosol filter 160 or the particulate filter 164, updating the operation data specific to the mobile vehicle 102 may include resetting the filter metrics associated with the changed filters 160, 164 to zero.

[0131] In response to updating the mobile vehicle-specific data in block 352, method 350 may proceed to block 354, where the aggregated mobile vehicle data may be updated. More specifically, the operation data specific to the mobile vehicle may be combined with the operation data from other mobile vehicles 102 to form aggregated mobile vehicle operation data. Generally speaking, the aggregated mobile vehicle operation data may provide information about each mobile vehicle in the group in the context of the group as a whole, so as to enable intelligent decisions regarding the maintenance of each mobile vehicle 102 and their assignment to different surgical procedures. The aggregated mobile vehicle operation data may also include one or more metrics for determining whether a notification is appropriate in the context of the group as a whole, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the aggregated mobile vehicle operation data may be updated by the server controller 128C.

[0132] For example, updating the aggregated mobile vehicle operation data in block 354 may include determining relative cleanliness data indicating one or more relative cleanliness-related metrics specific to the group of mobile vehicles 102, such as based on the updated mobile vehicle cleaning cycle data of a given mobile vehicle 102 (and other mobile vehicles 102 performing method 300). More specifically, the server 284 may be configured to combine the cleaning cycle data of each mobile vehicle 102 in the group to generate one or more relative cleanliness-related metrics for the group, such as a sorted list of the relative cleanliness of the group of mobile vehicles 102. For example, the sorted list of relative cleanliness may be based on the values of the cleanliness-related metrics tracked for each mobile vehicle 102 in the group as described above.

[0133] Additionally or alternatively, updating the aggregated mobile cart operation data in block 354 can include determining relative usage data for the set of mobile carts 102. Different from mobile cart specific usage data (such as that indicated by the above-described vacuum pump runtime data, which can include data specific to one mobile cart 102 of the set), the relative usage data can include metrics indicating the relative usage of two or more of the mobile carts 102 therein. Thus, such data can enable efficient utilization of the set across multiple locations to maximize resources, such as to avoid one mobile cart 102 of the set being used in most procedures while another mobile cart 102 is rarely used.

[0134] The relative usage data can generally be generated by comparing the mobile cart usage data specific to one mobile cart 102 with the mobile cart usage data specific to other mobile carts 102 of the set, where the comparison indicates the relative usage of each mobile cart 102. For example, the (one or more) server controllers 128C can be configured to determine the relative usage metric for a given pair of mobile carts 102 by: subtracting the operation duration indicated by the received mobile cart usage data associated with one mobile cart of the pair of mobile carts 102 (such as that indicated by the counter or timer of the above-described vacuum pump runtime data) from the operation duration indicated by the received mobile cart usage data associated with the other mobile cart 102 of the pair, where the magnitude of the difference is used as the relative usage metric for the pair of mobile carts 102. Additionally or alternatively, the server controller 128C can be configured to determine the relative usage metric for a given pair of mobile carts 102 by determining the usage ratio for each mobile cart 102 in the given pair of mobile carts 102, where the usage ratio can be the ratio of the operation duration indicated by the mobile cart usage data of one mobile cart of the pair to the operation duration indicated by the usage data of the other mobile cart of the pair. In some embodiments, the server controller 128C can be configured to generate a given relative usage metric for each possible combination of two or more of the mobile carts 102 in the set. As another example, the relative mobile cart usage data can include a sorted list of the relative usage of the mobile carts 102, which can be generated at least in part based on the above-described relative usage metrics.

[0135] In block 358, the aggregated mobile cart operation data can be published to one or more devices of the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B, such as each of the mobile carts 102, the user terminal 284, and / or the mobile device 286, for selective display on these devices. An exemplary GUI for presenting such data on a given one of the above devices is described in more detail below.

[0136] In block 360, vehicle-specific operation data and / or aggregated vehicle data, or more specifically metrics indicated by such data, can be compared to one or more corresponding notification thresholds to determine whether any notifications are triggered. Vehicle-specific operation data can be compared by the controller 128A of a given vehicle 102 or the server controller 128C, while relative vehicle operation data can be compared by the server controller 128C. In some embodiments, a user can be able to customize the thresholds, such as by interacting with the user interface 138 of the vehicle management and notification systems 280A, 280B.

[0137] For example, comparing vehicle-specific operation data in block 358 can include comparing cleaning-related data of the given vehicle 102 to a corresponding preset threshold. More specifically, the vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C can be configured to compare each cleaning-related metric to a corresponding threshold value. Additionally or alternatively, comparing vehicle-specific operation data in block 358 can include comparing filter usage data of the given vehicle 102 to one or more preset thresholds. More specifically, the vehicle controller 128A or the server controller 128C can be configured to compare each filter usage metric to a corresponding threshold value.

[0138] Additionally or alternatively, comparing aggregated vehicle data in block 358 can include comparing relative vehicle usage data to one or more corresponding thresholds. For example, the server controller 128C can be configured to compare each of the above difference magnitudes to a threshold difference, and / or can be configured to compare each relative usage ratio to a threshold usage ratio. As a non-limiting example, the threshold usage ratio can be at least 150%.

[0139] In some embodiments, the mobile cart controller 128A or the server controller 128C may be configured to dynamically update a given notification threshold for the mobile cart 102 based on the operational data of the mobile cart 102. As an example, when a cleaning cycle or a particular type of cleaning cycle (e.g., an extended wash cleaning cycle) should be performed on a given mobile cart 102 to improve the optimal functionality of the mobile cart 102 may depend on the usage of the mobile cart 102 indicated by the operational data. For example, the higher the blood concentration, holding time, and / or clogging level of the waste collected by the mobile cart 102 (e.g., as indicated by visual data), the earlier it may be desirable to perform a cleaning cycle on the mobile cart 102, or more specifically, an extended cleaning cycle. Additionally, when cleaning a given mobile cart 102, the lower the water pressure and / or temperature of the cleaning fluid provided by the facility, the more frequently it may be desirable to perform a cleaning cycle on the mobile cart 102, or more specifically, an extended cleaning cycle. The type of surgery and / or the condition of the patient may also affect the frequency at which a cleaning cycle (e.g., an extended cleaning cycle) should be performed. For example, if the patient using the mobile cart 102 has a highly viral disease, it may be desirable to perform a cleaning cycle on the mobile cart 102 earlier, or more specifically, an extended wash cleaning cycle, than if the patient does not have a highly viral disease. The mobile cart controller 128A or the server controller 128C may be configured to consider such information indicated by the operational data of the mobile cart 102 to adjust (e.g., lower) the cleaning-related notification threshold accordingly.

[0140] As another example, the useful life of each filter 160, 164 may vary depending on its expected life as well as the fluid components to which the filters 160, 1964 are exposed, which may be indicated by the operational data of the mobile cart 102, such as in the data generated by the aerosol sensor 162 and the visual data respectively indicating the characteristics of the collected medical waste. Thus, the mobile cart controller 128A or the server controller 128C may be configured to adjust the filter notification threshold for a given mobile cart 102, each filter metric being based on the expected life of the corresponding filter 160, 164 and such operational data.

[0141] In block 360, based on the comparison, it may be determined whether to trigger a notification. This determination may be made by the device performing the comparison (e.g., the mobile cart controller 128A, the server controller 128C). In one embodiment, in response to one of the above comparisons indicating that the compared metric (e.g., the cleaning-related metric, the filter usage metric, the relative usage metric) is greater than its corresponding preset threshold, it may be determined that a notification should be triggered.

[0142] Typically, determining that a notification should be triggered in block 360 can be used to dynamically update the usage or maintenance schedule of the mobile vehicle 102 or the fleet of mobile vehicles 102 and generate a related notification. For example, the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C can be configured to determine whether the cleaning schedule of the mobile vehicle 102 should be dynamically updated and a related notification should be generated based on a comparison of cleaning-related data of the mobile vehicle 102. Similarly, the mobile vehicle controller 128A and / or the server controller 128C can be configured to determine whether the filter maintenance schedule of a given mobile vehicle 102 should be dynamically updated and a related notification should be generated based on a comparison of filter usage data of the mobile vehicle 102. Likewise, the server controller 128C can be configured to determine whether the usage schedule of the fleet of mobile vehicles 102 should be dynamically updated and generate a related notification based on a comparison of relative usage data.

[0143] In response to determining that a notification should be triggered (the "yes" branch of block 360), in block 362, one or more notification operations can be performed, such as by the server controller 128C and / or the mobile vehicle controller 128A. In some embodiments, such as when the server controller 128C determines that a notification should be triggered, notification data for the given mobile vehicle 102 can be generated at the server controller 128C for the notification indicated as being triggered by the comparison. In this way, in response to the mobile vehicle 102 later communicating with the server 284, such as in one or more of the above blocks 308A, 308B, and 308C, the notification data can be forwarded to the mobile vehicle 102 to cause the mobile vehicle 102 to display a notification corresponding to the notification data.

[0144] Additionally or alternatively, performing one or more notification operations in block 362 can include generating and displaying a notification relative to the determination of the triggered notification in real time, such as on the user interface 138A of a given mobile vehicle 102, and / or on the user interface 138B of a user terminal 284, and / or on the user interface 138C of a mobile device 286 registered to the given mobile vehicle 102. For example, the given mobile vehicle 102 and / or the server 284 can be configured to generate such notifications and push them to one or more of the above devices, such as based on stored contact data that indicates devices subscribed to the given mobile vehicle 102 and their contact information associated with the given mobile vehicle 102 (e.g., phone number, IP address, email address). In this way, notifications can be provided to those who are most suitable to receive such notifications. For example, when the filter 160 or particulate filter 164 of the aerosol evacuation system 150 is due for replacement, the mobile vehicle 102 can be configured to notify clinical users by locally prompting them to replace it as soon as possible. However, clinical users are usually not the same users who actually purchase and replace the filter. Therefore, in addition to or instead of displaying the filter-related notification on the mobile vehicle 102, the server controller 128C can cause the notification to be displayed on the user terminal 284 or mobile device 286 of those who are most suitable to receive such notifications.

[0145] As previously described, the content of the notification can depend on the notification type, which in turn can depend on the comparison that associates the notification-triggering event. For example, each comparison of relative usage data may involve mobile vehicle usage data specific to at least two mobile vehicles 102. In response to such a comparison of data indicating that a notification should be triggered, the notification generated by the comparison can direct the user to use the less frequently used one of the mobile vehicles 102 involved in the comparison, such as indicated by the mobile vehicle usage data specific to each of the mobile vehicles 102 involved in the comparison. As an example, for a given set of mobile vehicles 102 involved in the comparison that causes such a notification, the server controller 128C can be configured to generate notification data for each mobile vehicle 102, the relative mobile vehicle usage data of each mobile vehicle 102 indicating that it has a more frequent usage compared to the less frequently used mobile vehicle 102, such that when a given one of the more frequently used mobile vehicles 102 docks or enters a clinical state, a notification is provided on the user interface 138A of the mobile vehicle 102 that directs the user to use the less frequently used mobile vehicle 102 in the set.

[0146] As another example, in response to a determination that filter usage data for a given mobile cart 102 has caused a notification trigger event, performing a notification operation at block 362 can include triggering a notification on any user terminal 284 that has subscribed to the mobile cart 102, such as the user terminal 284 of an administrator responsible for ordering and replacing the mobile cart filters 160, 164.

[0147] As previously described, the mobile cart management and notification systems 280A, 280B can provide an application through which administrators and other non-clinical users can obtain a complete view of the set of mobile carts 102 for planning future use and replacement of components of the mobile carts 102, for checking compliance with relevant policies (e.g., smoke extraction policies), and for determining the return on investment for the set of mobile carts 102. Figure 8 Shown is a home screen 702 of a GUI that can be generated, for example, on a user interface 138A of the mobile cart 102 and / or on a user interface 138B of the user terminal 284 and / or on a user interface 138C of the mobile device 286 according to the above-described exemplary method. As shown in the example, the home screen 702 can include a mobile cart summary section 704 and a docking station summary section 706, each providing various data regarding the inventory of the corresponding devices deployed by a healthcare facility or system.

[0148] The mobile cart summary section 704 can include at least one data indicating the number of mobile carts 102 deployed by a given healthcare facility or system. In some instances, a healthcare facility or system may utilize various types of mobile carts. For example, a given healthcare facility or system may deploy one or more type A mobile carts 102 and one or more type B mobile carts 102. Relative to the type A mobile carts 102, the type B mobile carts 102 may have different characteristics, such as being smaller and more portable but capable of holding less waste. In such a case, the mobile cart summary section 704 can include type A mobile cart data 708A indicating the number of type A mobile carts 102 owned by the healthcare facility or system, and can include type B mobile cart data 708B indicating the number of type B mobile carts 102 owned by the healthcare facility or system.

[0149] For each mobile cart data 708A, 708B, the mobile cart summary section 704 may also indicate the inventory status of the mobile carts 102 of the given type. As an example, for each mobile cart data 708A, 708B, the mobile cart summary section 704 may include action data 710A, 710B indicating the number of mobile carts 102 of the given type that currently require action (e.g., maintenance), upcoming action data 712A, 712B indicating the number of mobile carts 102 of the given type that will soon require action, action requested data 714A, 714B indicating the number of mobile carts 102 of the given type for which action has been requested, and unavailability data 716A, 716B indicating the number of mobile carts 102 of the given type that are currently unavailable (e.g., cannot perform functions).

[0150] Similarly, the docking station summary section 706 may include docking station data 708C indicating the number of docking stations 104 owned by the healthcare facility or system, action data 710C indicating the number of docking stations 104 that currently require action (e.g., maintenance), upcoming action data 712C indicating the number of docking stations 104 that will soon require action, action requested data 714C indicating the number of docking stations 104 for which action has been requested, and unavailability data 716C indicating the number of docking stations 104 that are currently unavailable (e.g., cannot perform functions).

[0151] Figure 9 Another screen 739 is shown that may be generated by the GUI, such as in response to a user selecting the list view option 736 in screen 730 ( Figure 8 ). Screen 739 may present a detailed view of the mobile carts 102 and docking stations 104, such as in the form of a table, where rows are for each mobile cart 102 or docking station 104 owned by the healthcare facility or system. The table may also provide various data for each mobile cart 102 or docking station 104, including, but not limited to, one or more of description data 740, serial number data 742, asset number data 744, assigned location data 746, last connection data 748, and status data 750. The last connection data 748 may indicate the time when the mobile cart 102 was last docked to the docking station 104 or paired with the mobile device 286, and the status data 750 may indicate the current service requirements of the mobile cart 102 or docking station 104 (e.g., whether the mobile cart 102 or docking station 104 currently requires service or is expected to require service soon).

[0152] As shown in the illustrated example, each mobile cart 102 and docking station 104 may also be associated with a user-interactive service request element 752 for requesting service for the mobile cart 102 or docking station 104. Figure 10A service request window 754A is shown, which may be generated via a GUI in response to a user selecting a service request element 752 associated with the mobile vehicle 102 being indicated as in need of service. As shown in the illustrated example, the service request window 754A may include an information section 756A indicating that the mobile vehicle 102 is in need of service. The service request window 754A may also include a usage history section 758 indicating the historical usage of the mobile vehicle 102, including relative usage data indicating the average number of times the mobile vehicle 102 has been used in the most recent four weeks, and a most recent events section 760 indicating the most recent events of the mobile vehicle 102, such as the most recent errors and / or services. In this way, when the request is forwarded to the service team, it comes with a history of events and usage information, providing some context for the service team to address the issue of the service needed.

[0153] Finally, the service request window 754A may also include a user-selectable "Add to Cart" element 762A, which may be selected by the user to place the service request in the user's shopping cart. The shopping cart may generally be used as a temporary holding for each service request desired by the user. Specifically, once the user has identified each desired service request and added it to the shopping cart, the user may navigate to the shopping cart by selecting the user-interactive shopping cart element 752 while submitting each service request in the shopping cart. Figure 11 A service request window 754B is shown, which may be generated via a GUI in response to a user selecting a service request element 752 associated with a given docking station 104, and includes information and components similar to those of the service request window 754A.

[0154] Figure 12 A screen 730 is shown that may be displayed via a GUI in response to a user selecting a user-selectable element 726 corresponding to a Type A mobile vehicle module. Although the foregoing figures describe exemplary screens with respect to the Type A mobile vehicle 102, it should be understood that the GUI may be configured to display a similar screen in response to selecting a user-selectable element 727 corresponding to a Type B mobile vehicle 102, but with data specific to the Type B mobile vehicle 102.

[0155] As Figure 12 shown in the illustrated example, the screen 730 may include a user-interactive navigation element 732, such as in the form of a dropdown list, for navigating between different views of the summary data of the Type A mobile vehicle 102. In the illustrated example, "Device Availability" is currently selected from the navigation element 732.

[0156] The screen 730 may also include a mobile vehicle summary section 738, which may include information related to the main screen 702 ( Figure 8) similar information to that provided in the mobile vehicle summary section 704 for the Type A mobile vehicle 102. To this end, the mobile vehicle summary section 738 may include Type A mobile vehicle data 708D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 owned by the healthcare facility or system, may include action data 710D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 for which action (e.g., maintenance) is currently required, upcoming action data 712D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 for which action will soon be required, action requested data 714D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 for which action has been requested, and unavailability data 716D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 that are currently unavailable (e.g., not functioning). The mobile vehicle summary section 738 may also include available mobile vehicle data 718D indicating the number of Type A mobile vehicles 102 that are available for use and for which neither action is required nor will soon be required.

[0157] Figures 13 to 17 Other screens 772, 774, 776, 778, 780, 782 are shown, which may be generated by the GUI in response to a user selecting another view from the navigation element 732 in the Type A mobile vehicle module corresponding to the user-selectable element 726. Generally, each of the screens 772, 774, 776, 778, 780, 782 shown in these figures may present a different aspect of the above summary data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the operation of the group of mobile vehicles 102. As shown in the illustrated example, each of the screens 772, 774, 776, 778, 780, 782 may include a user-interactive navigation element 732 for navigating between the different screens 772, 774, 776, 778, 780, 782 to view different aspects of the summary data.

[0158] Figure 13 The screen 772 shown in may correspond to selecting "manifold" in the navigation element 732 and may generally be configured to display summary manifold usage data for the group of mobile vehicles 102. To this end, the screen 772 may include a graph 784 that schematically shows the number of each of one or more types of manifolds used by each mobile vehicle 102 over a given time period, which may be set using the user-interactive time period selector 786.

[0159] Figure 14The screen 774 shown may correspond to selecting "Behavior Analysis" in the navigation element 732 and may generally be configured to display summary error code data for all the mobile carts 102 of the group. To this end, the screen 774 may include a pie chart 788 that indicates the number and type of errors generated by the group of mobile carts 102 during a given time period, which may be set using the user-interactive time period selector 786. The screen 774 may also include total error data 790 indicating the total number of errors recorded during the given time period and may include average procedure length data 792 indicating the average length of procedures using the Type A mobile carts 102 during the given time period, which may be determined based on the duration for which the mobile carts 102 operate to collect waste.

[0160] The screen 774 may also include a bar chart 794 that indicates the number of a given type of error that occurred during each defined sub-period (e.g., month) of a given time period (e.g., 52 weeks). The error type represented by the bar chart 794 may be selected via a user-interactive error type selector 796, which may be in the form of a drop-down menu. The screen 774 may also include a field 798 associated with the error type selector 796 such that in response to selecting a given error type via the error type selector 796, the field 798 may be updated to indicate the number of the selected type of error that occurred during the given time period.

[0161] Figure 15 The screen 776 shown may correspond to selecting "HEPA Filter" in the navigation element 732 and may generally be configured to display summary filter usage data across the Type A mobile carts 102. To this end, the screen 776 may include a bar chart 800 that indicates the remaining life of the particulate filter 164 for each Type A mobile cart 102 and / or indicates whether the particulate filter 164 of each mobile cart 102 needs to be replaced or is expected to need replacement soon. The GUI may provide a similar screen with respect to the aerosol filter 160.

[0162] Figure 16AThe screen 778 shown in [Fig. 0] may correspond to selecting "Mobile Cart ROI" in the navigation element 732 and may generally be configured to display summary return on investment data for the group of Type A mobile carts 102. To this end, the screen 778 may include a number of data calculated by the server 284 based on the operation data received from the Type A mobile carts 102, which operation data indicates the return on investment obtained by the Type A mobile carts 102. Such data may include, but is not limited to: total savings data 802, which indicates the total savings provided by the Type A mobile carts 102 relative to alternative waste collection and disposal methods; red bag savings data 804, which indicates the savings in red bag waste disposal relative to alternative waste collection and disposal methods; savings hours data 806, which indicates the number of hours of staff time saved through increased efficiency relative to other waste collection and disposal methods; pollution prevention data 808, which indicates the number of splashes / spills prevented relative to other waste collection and disposal methods; and carbon impact data 810, which indicates the reduction in CO 2 production.

[0163] Figure 16B The screen 780 shown in [Fig. 6] may also correspond to selecting "Mobile Cart ROI" in the navigation element 732 and may generally be configured to display other summary data related to the return on investment of the group of Type A mobile carts 102. To this end, the screen 778 may include a number of data, at least some of which may be calculated by the server 284 based on the operation data related to the ROI of the Type A mobile carts 102 received from the Type A mobile carts 102. For example, the data displayed may include, but is not limited to: mobile cart quantity data 812, which indicates the number of Type A mobile carts 102 served by a healthcare facility or system; total manifold data 814, which indicates the number of manifolds 124 that may have been used within a given time period, which may be set using the user-interactive time period selector 786; and daily manifold data 816, which indicates the average number of manifolds 124 used per day within a given time period. The screen 780 may also include a bar graph 818 indicating the age of the Type A mobile carts 102 and / or the docking stations 104 to which the Type A mobile carts 102 may dock, and may include a protection plan summary section 820 indicating the protection plan coverage of the Type A mobile carts 102. The protection plan summary section 820 may include one or more data related to the protection plan coverage of the Type A mobile carts 102, such as, but not limited to, percentage coverage data 822 indicating the percentage of Type A mobile carts 102 covered by the protection plan, protection plan savings data 824 indicating the savings provided by the protection plan, and ROI data 826 indicating the return on investment of the protection plan.

[0164] Figure 17 It should be noted that there seems to be an incomplete expression "carbon impact data 810, which indicates the reduction in CO" in the original text. Please check and correct it if necessary. Also, the reference to "[Fig. 0]" and "[Fig. 6]" in the translation is just a placeholder as the specific figure references are not clear in the provided text. They should be adjusted according to the actual figure numbers in the relevant context.The screen 782 shown in may correspond to selecting "Vacuum Pump" in the navigation element 732, and may generally be configured to display the data of the vacuum pumps of the group of Type A mobile vehicles 102 during operation. To this end, the screen 782 may include a bar chart 828, which indicates the total operating time of each vacuum pump 113 of each Type A mobile vehicle 102 within a given time period, which can be set using the user-interactive time period selector 786.

[0165] It should be understood that the same GUI can be configured to display similar screens, schematically showing the summary data of each docking station 104 across the mobile vehicle management and notification systems 280A and 280B, for example when the user interaction element 728 corresponding to the docking station module is selected. Figure 18 Another screen 830 that can be displayed by the GUI when the user interaction element 728 corresponding to the docking station module is selected is shown.

[0166] The screen 830 may include a user-interactive navigation element 832, such as in the form of a drop-down list, for navigating between different views of the summary data of the docking stations 104. In the example shown, "Device Availability" is currently selected from the navigation element 832. Corresponding to this selection, the screen 830 may also include a docking station availability summary section 834, which may include information similar to the information about the docking stations 104 provided in the docking station summary section 706 of the main screen 702 ( Figure 8 ). To this end, the docking station availability summary section 834 may include docking station data 708E indicating the number of docking stations 104 that a healthcare facility or system can use (in service), may include action data 710E indicating the number of docking stations 104 that currently require action (e.g., maintenance), upcoming action data 712E indicating the number of docking stations 104 that are expected to require action soon, requested action data 714E indicating the number of docking stations 104 for which action has been requested, and unavailability data 716E indicating the number of docking stations 104 that are currently unavailable (e.g., not working). The docking station availability summary section 834 may also include available docking station data 718E, which indicates the number of docking stations 104 that are available for use and neither require action nor are expected to require action soon.

[0167] Figure 19Illustrates another screen 840 that can be generated by the GUI in response to selecting "Cleaning Cycle" in the navigation element 832. The screen 840 can generally be configured to indicate the aggregated cleaning cycle data of the set of mobile carts 102. To this end, the screen 840 can include a bar graph 842 that indicates the number of each type of cleaning cycle that has been performed on each mobile cart 102 during a given time period, which can be set using the user-interactive time period selector 786 present on the screen 840.

[0168] Figure 20 Illustrates another screen 843 that can be generated by the GUI in response to selecting "Facility Water Data" in the navigation element 832. The screen 843 can include a table 844 that indicates several cleaning cycle data for each mobile cart 102 with respect to a given facility. By way of example and not limitation, the cleaning cycle data can include one or more of the following: minimum flow rate data 846, which indicates the minimum flow rate that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period; maximum flow rate data 848, which indicates the maximum flow rate that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period; latest flow rate data 850, which indicates the last flow rate that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period; highest water temperature data 852, which indicates the highest water temperature that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period; lowest water temperature data 854, which indicates the lowest water temperature that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period; and last water temperature data 856, which indicates the last water temperature that each mobile cart 102 experienced during the cleaning cycle within the set time period.

[0169] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for managing a set of mobile carts 102 owned by a healthcare facility or system in an unconventional manner in the industry. In particular, different from the previous method of recording the cleaning history of each system on a whiteboard or other physical tracking sheets (which results in disjointed and outdated data and cannot consider a set of medical devices as a whole), the present disclosure describes systems and methods that introduce a specific combination of non-traditional features, such as using a docking station for cleaning the mobile carts as an edge device to allow communication between the mobile carts and a remote central processing system, thereby enabling centralized management and notification processes for the set of mobile carts 102. Such processes can be configured to monitor the activities of the set of mobile carts as a whole to dynamically update the maintenance and usage scenarios of the set in real time, improve the lifespan of individual mobile carts and the efficient use of the set, and provide a complete and up-to-date view of the set that cannot be obtained using previous methods. The present systems and methods can also be configured to generate notifications to the person most suitable to take action based on such monitoring in order to enable rapid service and informed decision-making.

[0170] Generally, routines that are executed to implement the various aspects described above, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module, or sequence of instructions, or even a subset thereof, may be referred to herein as "computer program code" or simply "program code" for short. The program code may include computer-readable instructions that reside at various times in various memories and storage devices in a computer and, when read and executed by one or more processors in the computer, cause the computer to perform operations necessary to execute the operations and / or elements embodying the various aspects of this description. The computer-readable program instructions for performing the operations of the various aspects of this description may be, for example, assembly language or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0171] The program code embodied in any application / module described herein may be capable of being distributed, either alone or in combination, as various different forms of program products. Specifically, the program code may be distributed using a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions thereon to cause a processor to execute the various aspects of this description.

[0172] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium inherently may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable tangible media implemented in any method or technology for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. The computer-readable storage medium may also include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other solid state memory technologies, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical storage devices, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that can be read by a computer. A computer-readable storage medium should not be construed as a transitory signal itself (e.g., radio waves or other propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a transmission medium such as a waveguide, or electrical signals transmitted through a wire). The computer-readable program instructions may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a computer, another type of programmable data processing device, or another device, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network.

[0173] Computer-readable program instructions stored in a computer-readable medium can be used to cause a computer, other types of programmable data processing apparatuses, or other devices to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram, and / or block diagram. The computer program instructions can be provided to one or more processors, such that the instructions executed via the one or more processors cause a series of computations to be performed to implement the functions and / or acts specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram, and / or block diagram described herein.

[0174] In certain alternative embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the functions and / or acts specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram, and / or block diagram can be reordered, processed sequentially, and / or processed in parallel. Additionally, any one of the flowchart, sequence diagram, and / or block diagram can include more or fewer blocks than those shown herein.

[0175] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular examples only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, singular forms without a quantifier are also intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Further, with respect to the terms "comprises", "has", "carries", "consists of" or variants thereof used in the detailed description or claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising".

[0176] Although descriptions of various examples have been provided and although these examples have been described in considerable detail, the applicant's intention is not to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Those skilled in the art will readily envision additional advantages and modifications. Accordingly, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Thus, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept.

[0177] Clause 1. A method of managing a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste, wherein the medical waste collection unit is capable of being coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can, the method comprising: resetting a counter or a timer for the medical waste collection unit in response to the can of the medical waste collection unit being cleaned by the docking station; indexing the counter or starting the timer in response to each instance of the medical waste collection unit being operated to suction medical waste into the can using a vacuum source; comparing the counter to a preset value or comparing the timer to a first preset duration since the previous cleaning of the can by the docking station; and based on the comparison, triggering a notification instructing a user to have the docking station clean the medical waste collection unit.

[0178] Clause 2. The method according to clause 1, further comprising: resetting the counter or the timer in response to the can of the medical waste collection unit being cleaned in an extended cleaning cycle, in which fluid from the docking station is sprayed into the can for a duration greater than a second preset duration associated with another cleaning cycle of the docking station, wherein the preset value defines the number of extended cleaning cycles, or the first preset duration defines the duration since the previous extended cleaning cycle of the can, and wherein the notification instructs the user to have the docking station clean the medical waste collection unit in the extended cleaning cycle.

[0179] Clause 3. The method according to clause 2, further comprising not resetting the counter or the timer in response to the can of the medical waste collection unit being cleaned by the docking station in the another cleaning cycle.

[0180] Clause 4. The method according to clause 3, further comprising: determining a ratio of the number of times the can is cleaned by the docking station in the another cleaning cycle to the number of times the can is cleaned by the docking station in the extended cleaning cycle; comparing the ratio to a preset ratio; and based on the comparison, triggering the notification.

[0181] Clause 5. The method according to any one of clauses 24, further comprising displaying a graphical user interface on one or more displays, the graphical user interface including one or more user-selectable options associated with the extended cleaning cycle, the one or more user-selectable options being configured to set at least one of the following: fill level, can soak time, detergent volume, detergent addition timing, water pressure, water temperature, component addition, or ultraviolet light activation to be implemented in a subsequent instance in which the medical waste collection unit is cleaned in the extended cleaning cycle.

[0182] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-5 further includes displaying a graphical user interface on one or more displays, the graphical user interface including one or more user-selectable options for setting the preset value and / or the first preset duration.

[0183] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 5 or 6, wherein the one or more displays include a display of the medical waste collection unit and / or a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0184] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-7 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of the medical waste collection unit.

[0185] Clause 9. The method according to Clause 8 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notification is displayed when the medical waste collection unit is not being operated to collect medical waste, wherein the notification instructs the user to have the docking station clean the medical waste collection unit before starting another waste collection operation.

[0186] Clause 10. The method according to Clause 8 or 9 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notification is displayed in response to the medical waste collection unit exiting the idle state.

[0187] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 7-10 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notification is displayed in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station.

[0188] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 11, wherein triggering the display of the notification on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notification is displayed in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station includes: in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station, transmitting notification data from a remote processing system to the docking station via one or more computer networks, the notification data causing the docking station to instruct the medical waste collection unit to display the notification.

[0189] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 12 further includes: in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station, receiving, by the remote processing system from the docking station, a status update indicating the docking status of the medical waste collection unit; and in response to receiving the status update, transmitting, by the remote processing system, notification data to the docking station.

[0190] Clause 14. The method according to clause 13 further includes: receiving, by the remote processing system, a request for the status of the medical waste collection unit from a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit; and, in response to receiving the request, transmitting, by the remote processing system, status data indicating the docking of the medical waste collection unit to the docking station to the personal computing device.

[0191] Clause 15. The method according to any one of clauses 1-14 further includes: in response to the tank of the medical waste collection unit being cleaned by the docking station, receiving, by the remote processing system, updated cleaning data for the medical waste collection unit from the docking station via one or more computer networks.

[0192] Clause 16. The method according to clause 15, wherein the updated cleaning data includes one or more of at least one characteristic of the counter of the medical waste collection unit, the timer of the medical waste collection unit, or the last cleaning cycle performed on the medical waste collection unit.

[0193] Clause 17. The method according to clause 15 or 16, wherein in response to the medical waste collection unit being docked to the docking station and / or the tank of the medical waste collection unit being cleaned by the docking station, the updated cleaning data is transmitted from the medical waste collection unit to the docking station.

[0194] Clause 18. The method according to any one of clauses 1-17, wherein the medical waste collection unit is a first medical waste collection unit, and further includes: in response to each instance where a medical waste collection unit is operated to suction medical waste into the tank of the medical waste collection unit using a vacuum source, generating, based on a counter indexed for each medical waste collection unit in the medical waste collection units or a started timer, a sorted list of the relative cleanliness of a group of medical waste collection units including the first medical waste collection unit; and, providing the sorted list for display on the medical waste collection unit and / or a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0195] Clause 19. The method according to clause 18, wherein a display is mounted on the mobile carriage of the first medical waste collection unit, and optionally, wherein data indicating the sorted list of relative cleanliness is transmitted from the remote processing system to the medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks for display on the carriage-mounted display.

[0196] Clause 20. The method according to clause 19, wherein the data is pushed to each of the medical waste collection units in the group for selective viewing on the carriage-mounted display of the medical waste collection unit.

[0197] Clause 21. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 - 20 further includes triggering the display of the notification on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0198] Clause 22. A method of managing a group of medical waste collection units, each medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste, wherein the medical waste collection unit is capable of being interchangeably coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can, the method including: receiving first usage data from a first medical waste collection unit among the medical waste collection units, the first usage data indicating a duration during which the first medical waste collection unit is operated to suck medical waste into the can of the first medical waste collection unit through a vacuum source; receiving second usage data from a second medical waste collection unit among the medical waste collection units, the second usage data indicating a duration during which the second medical waste collection unit is operated to suck medical waste into the can of the second medical waste collection unit through a vacuum source; comparing the first usage data with the second usage data to determine relative usage data for the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit; comparing the relative usage data with a preset relative usage threshold; and triggering a notification based on the comparison.

[0199] Clause 23. The method according to Clause 22, wherein the notification instructs the user to use the less frequently used one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit in a subsequent medical waste collection procedure.

[0200] Clause 24. The method according to Clause 22 or 23 further includes triggering the display of the notification on a first display mounted on a frame of the first medical waste collection unit in response to the first medical waste collection unit exiting an idle state, and / or triggering the display of the notification on a second display mounted on a frame of the second medical waste collection unit in response to the second medical waste collection unit exiting an idle state.

[0201] Clause 25. The method according to Clause 24 further includes: in response to one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit exiting the idle state, receiving, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, a status update indicating the non-idle state of one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit from one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit; and, in response to receiving the status update, transmitting, by the remote processing system, notification data to one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit, the notification data causing one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit to display the notification.

[0202] Clause 26. The method according to Clause 24 or 25 further includes transmitting, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, relative usage data to the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks for selective viewing on the first display and / or the second display respectively.

[0203] Clause 27. The method according to any one of Clauses 24-26 further includes transmitting, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, relative usage data to the first medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks in response to the first medical waste collection unit docking with a docking station, and / or transmitting relative usage data to the second medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks in response to the second medical waste collection unit docking with a docking station.

[0204] Clause 28. The method according to any one of Clauses 22-27 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of the more frequently used one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit.

[0205] Clause 29. The method according to any one of Clauses 22-28 further includes triggering the display of the notification on the display of a personal computing device remote from the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit.

[0206] Clause 30. The method according to any one of Clauses 22-29 further includes: generating a sorted list of the relative usage of the first medical waste collection unit, the second medical waste collection unit, and other medical waste collection units in the group; and, implementing selective display of the sorted list of the relative usage.

[0207] Clause 31. The method according to any one of Clauses 22 - 30 further includes: determining a relative usage ratio based on the first usage data and the second usage data; comparing the relative usage ratio with a preset usage ratio; and triggering the display of the notification based on the comparison.

[0208] Clause 32. The method according to Clause 31, wherein the preset usage ratio is at least 150%.

[0209] Clause 33. The method according to any one of Clauses 22 - 32, wherein the notification is further configured to direct the user to dock the more frequently used one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit with the docking station for cleaning.

[0210] Clause 34. A method of managing a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste and an aerosol extraction unit, the aerosol extraction unit including a filter having an expected filter life, the method including: resetting a filter timer of the medical waste collection unit in response to a filter change event; starting the filter timer in response to each instance of the medical waste collection unit being operated to draw fluid through the filter; and triggering the display of a notification on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit based on the filter timer and the expected filter life, the notification directing the user to replace the filter.

[0211] Clause 35. The method according to Clause 34 further includes: determining a filter usage threshold based on a preset percentage of the expected filter life; and triggering the display of the notification on the personal computing device based on the filter timer and the filter usage threshold.

[0212] Clause 36. The method according to Clause 35 further includes displaying a graphical user interface on a display of the personal computing device and / or on a display of the medical waste collection unit, the graphical user interface including one or more user - selectable options for setting the expected filter life and / or the preset percentage.

[0213] Clause 37. The method according to any one of Clauses 34 - 36, wherein the aerosol extraction unit includes an aerosol sensor configured to generate a signal indicating whether aerosol is being drawn through the filter, and the method further includes starting the filter timer in response to each instance where the signal from the aerosol sensor indicates that aerosol is being drawn through the filter.

[0214] Clause 38. The method according to Clause 37, wherein the aerosol sensor includes a smoke sensor, and the filter includes a smoke filter, optionally including a ULPA filter.

[0215] Clause 39. The method according to any one of Clauses 34 - 36, wherein the filter includes a smoke filter, optionally a ULPA filter.

[0216] Clause 40. The method according to any one of Clauses 34 - 39, wherein the filter includes a HEPA filter.

[0217] Clause 41. The method according to any one of Clauses 34 - 40, further comprising providing at least one of a filter timer or a remaining filter life to be presented on a display of a personal computing device and / or a display of a medical waste collection unit.

[0218] Clause 42. The method according to any one of Clauses 34 - 41, wherein the medical waste collection unit is capable of being coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the canister, and the method further comprises: in response to the medical waste collection unit being docked with the docking station, receiving, at a processing system remote from the medical waste collection unit, filter usage data of the medical waste collection unit from the docking station via one or more computer networks; aggregating, by the remote processing system, the received filter usage data with filter usage data from other medical waste collection units to generate aggregated filter usage data; and transmitting, by the remote processing system, the aggregated filter usage data to the personal computing device to be presented on a display of the personal computing device.

[0219] Clause 43. The method according to Clause 42, wherein the filter usage data includes the filter timer and / or the expected filter life.

[0220] Clause 44. The method according to Clause 42 or 43, wherein the filter usage data includes a profile assigned to each use of the filter during a medical procedure, the profile including one or more data selected from the group consisting of: date of use, time of use, medical specialty, type of procedure, medical waste collection unit part number, and filter part number.

[0221] Clause 45. A method of managing a group of medical waste collection units, each medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste and a manifold receiver configured to receive a replaceable manifold, the method comprising: receiving usage data from each of the medical waste collection units; aggregating the received usage data to generate aggregated usage data indicative of usage characteristics across all of the medical waste collection units in the group; and providing the aggregated usage data for display on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection units.

[0222] Clause 46. The method according to clause 45, wherein each of the medical waste collection units includes a fluid measurement system, and the usage data from each medical waste collection unit includes the fluid disposal volume measured by the fluid measurement system of the medical waste collection unit for each use of the replaceable manifold during a medical procedure.

[0223] Clause 47. The method according to any one of clauses 46, further comprising: determining a fluid disposal cost based on the fluid disposal volume and a weight-based disposal cost conversion; comparing the fluid disposal cost with the operating cost of the medical waste collection unit to determine a cost savings; and providing the cost savings for display on the remote personal computing device.

[0224] Clause 48. The method according to any one of clauses 45-47, wherein the usage data from each medical waste collection unit includes a profile assigned by the medical waste collection unit to each use of the replaceable manifold during a medical procedure.

[0225] Clause 49. The method according to clause 48, wherein the profile assigned to each use of the replaceable manifold includes one or more data selected from the group consisting of: a usage date, a usage time, a medical specialty, a type of procedure, a type and / or model of the medical waste collection unit, a unique identifier of the medical waste collection unit, a type and / or model of the manifold, and a unique identifier of the manifold.

[0226] Clause 50. The method according to any one of clauses 45-49, wherein the medical waste collection unit is removably couplable to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can of each medical waste collection unit, and the method further comprises: in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station, receiving, at a processing system remote from the medical waste collection unit and via one or more computer networks, the usage data of each medical waste collection unit in the medical waste collection unit.

[0227] Clause 51. A method for managing a group of medical waste collection units, each of the medical waste collection units including a can for containing medical waste, the method comprising: receiving error code data for each of the medical waste collection units, the error code data indicating one or more error codes generated by the medical waste collection unit based on an abnormality identified during operation of the medical waste collection unit; aggregating the received error code data to generate aggregated error code data indicating a diagnostic distribution across the group of medical waste collection units; and providing the aggregated error code data for display on a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection units.

[0228] Clause 52. The method according to Clause 51, wherein the error code data from each medical waste collection unit includes one or more data selected from the group consisting of: date of use, time of use, medical specialty, type of surgery, type and / or model of the medical waste collection unit, and / or unique identifier of the medical waste collection unit.

[0229] Clause 53. The method according to Clause 51 or 52, wherein the medical waste collection unit is removably coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can in each of the medical waste collection units, and the method further comprises receiving, at a processing system remote from the medical waste collection units, error code data for the medical waste collection unit from the docking station in response to each of the medical waste collection units docking with the docking station.

[0230] Clause 54. A method for managing the operation of a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste and configured to be removably coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can of the medical waste collection unit, the method comprising: receiving, at a processing system remote from the medical waste collection unit and via one or more computer networks, a status update indicating that the medical waste collection unit has docked with the docking station in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station to run a cleaning cycle on the can of the medical waste collection unit; determining, by the remote processing system, that a notification should be triggered in response to receiving the status update; and triggering, by the remote processing system, the notification in response to determining that the notification should be triggered.

[0231] Clause 55. The method according to Clause 44, further comprising: triggering the notification to be displayed on a display of the medical waste collection unit and / or triggering the notification to be displayed on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit by sending, via the one or more computer networks, notification data to the docking station causing the docking station to command the medical waste collection unit to display the notification.

[0232] Clause 56. The method according to Clause 54 or 55 further includes: receiving, at a remote processing system, operation data related to the activities of the medical waste collection unit in response to the medical waste collection unit being docked to a docking station to clean the tank of the medical waste collection unit; and determining, by the remote processing system based on the operation data, that a notification should be triggered.

[0233] Clause 57. The method according to Clause 56 further includes: aggregating the operation data with operation data received from other medical collection units when the other medical collection units are docked to the docking station in response to receiving the operation data to generate aggregated operation data; and determining, based on the aggregated operation data, that a notification should be triggered.

[0234] Clause 58. The method according to Clause 57 further includes providing the operation data of the medical waste collection unit and / or the aggregated operation data to be presented on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0235] Clause 59. The method according to any one of Clauses 54 - 58, wherein the operation data of the medical waste collection unit includes one or more of cleaning-related data of the medical waste collection unit, error code data of the medical waste collection unit, filter usage data of the medical waste collection unit, data during operation of the vacuum pump of the medical waste collection unit, manifold usage data of the medical waste collection unit, or fluid disposal volume data of the medical waste collection unit.

[0236] Clause 60. The method according to any one of Clauses 54 - 59 further includes: receiving, at a remote processing system from a docking station, cleaning data for the medical waste collection unit in response to a cleaning cycle being run on the medical waste collection unit; determining, by the remote processing system based on the cleaning data, that a cleaning-related notification should be displayed on the medical waste collection unit; and triggering, by the remote processing system, the display of the cleaning-related notification on a display of the medical waste collection unit in response to a subsequent docking of the medical waste collection unit to the docking station.

[0237] Clause 61. A method of managing the operation of a set of medical waste collection units, the medical waste collection units including a can for containing medical waste and being configured to be removably coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can of the medical waste collection unit, the method comprising: in response to the medical waste collection unit being docked to the docking station to run a cleaning cycle on the can of the medical waste collection unit, receiving, at a processing system remote from the medical waste collection unit and via one or more computer networks, operation data related to the activities of the medical waste collection unit from the docking station; in response to receiving the operation data, aggregating, by the remote processing system, the operation data with operation data received from other medical waste collection units when the other medical waste collection units are docked to the docking station to generate aggregated operation data; and providing, by the remote processing system, the operation data and / or the aggregated operation data of the medical waste collection unit for presentation on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0238] Clause 62. The method according to Clause 61, wherein the operation data of the medical waste collection unit includes one or more of the following: cleaning-related data of the medical waste collection unit, error code data of the medical waste collection unit, filter usage data of the medical waste collection unit, data during operation of a vacuum pump of the medical waste collection unit, manifold usage data of the medical waste collection unit, or fluid disposal volume data of the medical waste collection unit.

[0239] Clause 63. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory memory and including computer-executable instructions configured to implement the method according to any one of Clauses 1-62 when executed by at least one controller or processor.

[0240] Clause 64. At least one controller or processor configured to implement the method according to any one of Clauses 1-62.

[0241] Clause 65. A system for managing the operation of a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a canister for containing medical waste, the system including: a remote processing system; and a docking station for cleaning the canister of the medical waste collection unit, the docking station communicating with the remote processing system via one or more computer networks and being configured to removably couple with the medical waste collection unit to form a fluid connection and a data connection with the medical waste collection unit, wherein in response to being coupled to the medical waste collection unit, the docking station is configured to: perform a cleaning cycle in which fluid for spraying into the canister of the medical waste collection unit is supplied from the docking station to the medical waste collection unit via the fluid connection, transmit a status update indicating the docking status of the medical waste collection unit to the remote processing system; in response to the status update indicating whether a notification should be displayed on the medical waste collection unit, receive notification data from the remote processing unit; and based on the notification data, trigger the medical waste collection unit to display the notification using the data connection.

[0242] Clause 66. The system according to clause 65, wherein in response to being coupled to the medical waste collection unit, the docking station is further configured to: receive operation data related to the activity of the medical waste collection unit via the data connection; and transmit the operation data to the remote processing system via one or more computer networks, wherein the remote processing system is configured to generate notification data based on the operation data of the medical waste collection unit.

[0243] Clause 67. The system according to clause 66, wherein the remote processing system is configured to: in response to receiving the operation data, aggregate the operation data with operation data received from another medical waste collection unit when the other medical waste collection unit is docked to the docking station to generate aggregated operation data; and trigger the notification data based on the aggregated operation data.

[0244] Clause 68. The system according to clause 67, wherein the remote processing system is configured to provide the operation data of the medical waste collection unit and / or the aggregated operation data for presentation on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0245] Clause 69. The system according to any one of clauses 65 - 68, wherein the operation data of the medical waste collection unit includes one or more of the following: cleaning-related data of the medical waste collection unit, error code data of the medical waste collection unit, filter usage data of the medical waste collection unit, data during operation of the vacuum pump of the medical waste collection unit, manifold usage data of the medical waste collection unit, or fluid disposal volume data of the medical waste collection unit.

[0246] Clause 70. The system according to any one of Clauses 65 - 69, wherein in response to the cleaning cycle being run on the medical waste collection unit, the docking station is configured to transmit cleaning - related data of the medical waste collection unit to the remote processing system via the one or more computer networks, and wherein the remote processing system is configured to trigger the display of cleaning - related notifications on the medical waste collection unit upon subsequent docking of the medical waste collection unit with the docking station based on the cleaning - related data.

[0247] Clause 71. A system for managing a group of medical waste collection units, each medical waste collection unit including a canister for collecting medical waste, the system comprising: a remote processing system; and a docking station for cleaning the canister of the medical waste collection unit, the docking station communicating with the remote processing system via one or more computer networks and configured to be removably coupled to each of the medical waste collection units to form a fluid connection and a data connection with the medical waste collection unit, wherein in response to being coupled to one of the medical waste collection units, the docking station is configured to: perform a cleaning cycle in which fluid for spraying into the canister of the medical waste collection unit is supplied from the docking station to the medical waste collection unit via the fluid connection, receive operation data from the medical waste collection unit via the data connection, and transmit the operation data to the remote processing system; and wherein the remote processing system is configured to: aggregate the operation data of each of the medical waste collection units received from the docking station; and provide the aggregated operation data for display on the medical waste collection unit and / or on a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

[0248] Clause 72. The system according to Clause 71, wherein the remote processing system is configured to transmit the aggregated operation data to the docking station for presentation on a display of the medical waste collection unit in response to each of the medical waste collection units subsequently being coupled to the docking station.

[0249] Clause 73. The system according to Clause 71 or 72, wherein the operation data of the medical waste collection unit includes one or more of the following: cleaning - related data of the medical waste collection unit, error - code data of the medical waste collection unit, filter - usage data of the medical waste collection unit, vacuum - pump runtime data of the medical waste collection unit, manifold - usage data of the medical waste collection unit, or fluid - disposal volume data of the medical waste collection unit.

Claims

1. A method of servicing a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a canister for collecting medical waste generated during a surgical procedure, the method comprising: transporting the medical waste collection unit having collected medical waste to a docking station, the docking station including: a supply line that is coupled to a first interface to establish a fluid supply connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; a discharge line that is coupled to a second interface to establish a fluid discharge connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; a first communication interface for establishing a first data connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station; and a second communication interface for establishing a second data connection with a remote processing system; docking the medical waste collection unit with the docking station to form the fluid supply connection, the fluid discharge connection, and the first data connection; performing a cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit, in which cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station supply line through the fluid supply connection to the medical waste collection unit and sprayed into the canister, and waste material is discharged from the canister through the fluid discharge connection to the docking station discharge line; transmitting, from the docking station and through the second data connection, a status update indicating the docking status of the medical waste collection unit to the remote processing system; receiving, at the docking station and through the second data connection, notification data in response to the status update from the remote processing system, the notification data indicating a maintenance notification to be displayed on the medical waste collection unit; and triggering, based on the notification data, the medical waste collection unit by the docking station and through the first data connection to display the maintenance notification.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: tracking, by the remote processing system, metrics for determining whether to trigger the maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit; receiving, by the remote processing system, operation data of the medical waste collection unit, the operation data indicating surgical procedure data of the medical waste collection unit and / or cleaning cycle data of the medical waste collection unit; determining, by the remote processing system, a notification threshold based on the operation data; and generating the notification data based on the metrics and the notification threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the surgical procedure data includes at least one of error code data, filter usage data, vacuum pump runtime data, manifold usage data, medical waste volume data, surgical procedure type data, and patient data.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cleaning cycle data includes at least one of water temperature data, water pressure data, detergent data, and cleaning cycle type data.

5. The method according to any one of claims 24, comprising: While the vacuum source of the medical waste collection unit is sucking waste material into the canister, a video feed of the canister and the waste material disposed within the canister is captured by an imaging device supported by an equipment bracket coupled to the canister; Image frames of the video feed are analyzed by the imaging device or the remote processing system to determine visual data indicative of at least one of: a degree of blockage, a composition of the waste material, and a storage time of the waste material; and the notification threshold is determined by the remote processing system based on the visual data.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, comprising: aggregating, by the remote processing system, the operation data of the medical waste collection unit with operation data received from another medical waste collection unit when the another medical waste collection unit is docked to the docking station to generate aggregated operation data; and generating, by the remote processing system, the notification data based on the aggregated operation data.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising providing the operation data and / or the aggregated operation data of the medical waste collection unit to be presented on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

8. The method according to any one of claims 6 or 7, comprising: generating, based on the aggregated data, a sorted list of relative cleanliness of a group of medical waste collection units including the medical waste collection unit and the another medical waste collection unit; and providing the sorted list to be displayed on the medical waste collection unit and / or a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, comprising: determining, by the remote processing system, based on the aggregated data, that the medical waste collection unit is used more frequently than the another medical waste collection unit; and in response to determining that the medical waste collection unit is used more frequently, transmitting, by the remote processing system and via the second data connection, further notification data indicative of a usage notification to be displayed on the medical waste collection unit, the usage notification instructing a user to use the another medical waste collection unit in a subsequent procedure; and triggering, based on the further notification data, by the docking station and via the first data connection, the medical waste collection unit to display the usage notification.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the maintenance notification indicates an extended cleaning cycle to be performed on the medical waste collection unit, in which a cleaning fluid from the docking station supply line is sprayed into the canister for a duration greater than a duration associated with another cleaning cycle that the medical waste collection unit can obtain from the docking station.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising: tracking, by the remote processing system, a cleaning cycle metric used to determine whether to trigger a maintenance notification indicating execution of the extended cleaning cycle; performing the extended cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit; In response to performing the extended cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit, the cleaning cycle metric is reset by the remote processing system; and performing the another cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit, wherein the cleaning cycle measure is not reset in response to performing the another cleaning cycle.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, the cleaning cycle metric includes the ratio of the number of times the canister is cleaned by the docking station in the another cleaning cycle to the number of times the canister is cleaned by the docking station in the extended cleaning cycle.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein performing the cleaning cycle and transmitting the operation data occur during a first docking of the medical waste collection unit with the docking station, and triggering the medical waste collection unit by the docking station to display the maintenance notice occurs during a subsequent docking of the medical waste collection unit with the docking station.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, comprising: in response to performing the cleaning cycle, resetting, by the medical waste collection unit, a locally stored cleaning cycle metric for determining whether to display a notice indicating that an additional cleaning cycle is to be performed; comparing, by the medical waste collection unit, the locally stored cleaning cycle metric with a cleaning notice threshold; and based on the comparison, displaying, by the medical waste collection unit, the notice indicating that the additional cleaning cycle is to be performed.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the cleaning notice threshold is dynamically adjusted by the medical waste collection unit based on operation data of the medical waste collection unit recorded during at least one surgical procedure.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein the medical waste collection unit includes an aerosol extraction unit, the aerosol extraction unit includes a filter, and the maintenance notice indicates to replace the filter.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the aerosol extraction unit includes an aerosol sensor configured to generate a signal indicating whether aerosol is being aspirated through the filter, and the method comprising: tracking, by the remote processing system, a filter metric for determining whether to indicate that the filter is to be replaced based on the signal; and generating, by the remote processing system, the notification data based on the filter metric.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the aerosol sensor includes a smoke sensor, and the filter includes a smoke filter, optionally including a ULPA filter.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1-18, comprising triggering, by the remote processing system, a second notice corresponding to the notice to be displayed on a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1-19, comprising causing, by the medical waste collection unit, the notice to be displayed during the cleaning cycle.

21. A method of maintaining a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste generated during a surgical procedure, the method comprising: transporting the medical waste collection unit having the collected medical waste to a docking station, the docking station including: a supply line that is coupled to a first interface when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station to establish a fluid supply connection with the medical waste collection unit; a discharge line that is coupled to a second interface when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station to establish a fluid discharge connection with the medical waste collection unit; docking the medical waste collection unit with the docking station to form the fluid supply connection and the fluid discharge connection; performing a cleaning cycle in which a cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station supply line through the fluid supply connection to the medical waste collection unit and sprayed into the can, and in which waste material is discharged from the can through the fluid discharge connection to the docking station discharge line; tracking, by one or more controllers, a cleaning cycle metric for determining whether to trigger a maintenance notification indicating performance of the cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit using the docking station; resetting, in response to performance of the cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit by the docking station, the cleaning cycle metric by the one or more controllers; determining, by the one or more controllers, a notification threshold based on operation data of the medical waste collection unit, the operation data indicating surgical data of the medical waste collection unit and / or cleaning cycle data of the medical waste collection unit; and triggering, by the one or more controllers, display of the maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit based on the cleaning cycle metric and the notification threshold.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the maintenance notification indicates performance of an extended cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit, in the extended cleaning cycle, the cleaning fluid from the docking station supply line is sprayed into the can for a duration greater than a duration associated with another cleaning cycle that the medical waste collection unit can obtain from the docking station, and the method comprising: performing the extended cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit; resetting the cleaning cycle metric in response to performance of the extended cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit; and performing the another cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit, wherein the cleaning cycle metric is not reset in response to performance of the another cleaning cycle.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, the cleaning cycle metric includes a ratio of a number of times the can is cleaned by the docking station in the another cleaning cycle to a number of times the can is cleaned by the docking station in the extended cleaning cycle.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21-23, including triggering the display of the maintenance notice on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notice is displayed when the medical waste collection unit is not being operated to collect medical waste, wherein the maintenance notice instructs the user to have the docking station clean the medical waste collection unit before starting another waste collection operation.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21-24, including triggering the display of the maintenance notice on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the maintenance notice is displayed in response to the medical waste collection unit exiting an idle state.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21-25, including triggering the display of the notice on the display of the medical waste collection unit such that the notice is displayed in response to the medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station.

27. The method according to any one of claims 1-26, including triggering the display of the notice on the display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit.

28. A method of managing a group of medical waste collection units, each medical waste collection unit including a can for containing medical waste, wherein the medical waste collection unit is capable of being interchangeably coupled to a docking station for emptying and cleaning the can, the method comprises: receiving, by a processing system remote from the medical waste collection unit, first usage data from a first medical waste collection unit among the medical waste collection units, the first usage data indicating a duration during which the first medical waste collection unit was operated to suction medical waste into the can of the first medical waste collection unit through a vacuum source; receiving, by the remote processing system, second usage data from a second medical waste collection unit among the medical waste collection units, the second usage data indicating a duration during which the second medical waste collection unit was operated to suction medical waste into the can of the second medical waste collection unit through a vacuum source; comparing, by the remote processing system, the first usage data with the second usage data to determine relative usage data for the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit; comparing, by the remote processing system, the relative usage data with a preset relative usage threshold; and triggering, based on the comparison, a usage notice on at least one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the usage notice instructs the user to use the one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit that is used less frequently in a subsequent medical waste collection procedure.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, further comprises: Triggering the display of the notification on a first display mounted on a frame of the first medical waste collection unit in response to the first medical waste collection unit exiting an idle state, and / or triggering the display of the notification on a second display mounted on a frame of the second medical waste collection unit in response to the second medical waste collection unit exiting the idle state.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising: In response to one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit exiting the idle state, receiving, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, a status update indicating a non-idle state of one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit from one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit; and In response to receiving the status update, transmitting, by the remote processing system, notification data to one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit, the notification data causing one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit to display the notification.

32. The method according to claim 30 or 31, further comprising transmitting, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, the relative usage data to the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks for selective viewing on the first display and / or the second display, respectively.

33. The method according to any one of claims 30-32, further comprising: Transmitting, by a processing system remote from the first medical waste collection unit and / or the second medical waste collection unit, the relative usage data to the first medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks in response to the first medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station, and / or transmitting the relative usage data to the second medical waste collection unit via one or more computer networks in response to the second medical waste collection unit docking with the docking station.

34. The method according to any one of claims 28-33, further comprising triggering the display of the notification on a display of the more frequently used one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit.

35. The method according to any one of claims 28-34, further comprising triggering the display of the notification on a display of a personal computing device remote from the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit.

36. The method according to any one of claims 28-35, further comprising: Generating a sorted list of the relative usage of the first medical waste collection unit, the second medical waste collection unit, and other medical waste collection units in the group; and Implement selective display of the sorted list for relative usage.

37. The method according to any one of claims 28 - 36, further comprises: Determining a relative usage ratio based on the first usage data and the second usage data; Comparing the relative usage ratio with a preset usage ratio; and Based on the comparison, triggering the display of the notification.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the preset usage ratio is at least 150%.

39. The method according to any one of claims 28 - 38, wherein the notification is further configured to guide the user to dock the more frequently used one of the first medical waste collection unit and the second medical waste collection unit with the docking station for cleaning.

40. A method for managing a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit comprising a can for containing medical waste and an aerosol extraction unit including a filter, the method comprises: Based on the operation data of the medical collection unit, one or more controllers track a filter metric for determining whether to indicate replacement of the filter, the operation data indicating surgical data of the medical waste collection unit; In response to a filter change event, the one or more controllers reset the filter metric; and Based on the filter metric, the one or more controllers trigger the display of a maintenance notification on a display of a personal computing device remote from the medical waste collection unit to guide the user to replace the filter.

41. The method according to claim 40, comprises: Determining a filter usage threshold based on the expected life of the filter and the operation data; and Based on the filter metric and the filter usage threshold, triggering the display of the notification on the personal computing device.

42. The method according to claim 40 or 41, wherein the aerosol extraction unit includes an aerosol sensor configured to generate a signal indicating whether aerosol is being drawn through the filter, and the method further comprises tracking the filter metric based on the signal.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the aerosol sensor includes a smoke sensor, and the filter includes a smoke filter, optionally including a ULPA filter.

44. The method according to any one of claims 40 - 43, wherein the filter includes a smoke filter, optionally including a ULPA filter.

45. The method according to any one of claims 40 - 45, wherein the filter includes a HEPA filter.

46. A method for maintaining a medical waste collection unit, the medical waste collection unit comprising a can for collecting medical waste substances generated during a surgical procedure, the method comprises: When a vacuum source of the medical waste collection unit sucks waste substances into the can, capturing a video feed of the can and the waste substances disposed in the can by an imaging device supported by a device bracket coupled to the can; One or more controllers analyze image frames of the video feed to determine visual data indicative of at least one of: degree of blockage, composition of the waste material, and storage time of the waste material; The one or more controllers track metrics for determining whether to trigger a maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit; The one or more controllers determine a notification threshold based on the visual data; And The one or more controllers trigger the maintenance notification on the medical waste collection unit based on the notification threshold and the metrics.

47. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-46 when executed by at least one controller.

48. A medical waste collection system, Comprising: A medical waste collection unit including a can for collecting medical waste generated during a surgical procedure; A docking station including a supply line and a discharge line, the supply line being coupled to a first interface to establish a fluid supply connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station, the discharge line being coupled to a second interface to establish a fluid discharge connection with the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked with the docking station, wherein the docking station is configured to perform a cleaning cycle on the medical waste collection unit when the medical waste collection unit is docked to the docking station, in which cleaning fluid is supplied from the docking station supply line through the fluid supply connection to the medical waste collection unit and sprayed into the can, and waste material is discharged from the can through the fluid discharge connection to the docking station discharge line; and One or more controllers configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-46.

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