| Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicineApparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090167842, Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 11/223,647 filed Sep. 9, 2005, and claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/609,042 filed on Sep. 9, 2004 and entitled “Apparatuses, Systems and Methods For Enhancing Telemedicine, Video-Conferencing, and Video-Based Sales” each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This disclosure generally relates to telemedicine, video-conferencing, and video-based sales. The disclosure more particularly relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods adapted to reduce delays caused by the movement and/or focusing of a movable camera used to view different areas of an originating site during telemedicine or video-conferencing sessions. The disclosure also relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods adapted to improve video-based sales using video-based communications mediums. The terms “telemedicine,” “telehealth,” “e-health” and the like are generally used to connote the use of telephony and/or other communication links (e.g., satellite) in combination with a camera (e.g., a still camera or a video camera) and/or a connected medical device or instrument (e.g., an electrocardiograph (ECG)) to convey sound, image, and data from a patient in a first location (e.g., an “originating site”) to a doctor or other health care provider in a second, distal, location (e.g., a “remote site”) to enable the doctor or health care provider to evaluate, advise, treat and/or diagnose the patient. Now, emerging from its investigational phase, insurance carriers are increasingly providing coverage for telemedicine services. Legislatures are also recognizing the benefits of telemedicine to their constituents and many are developing or have developed laws to protect the citizens and to regulate this advance. As one example, California has passed laws promoting the acceptability of telemedicine including, but not limited to, Cal. Health and Safety Code § 1374.13, which recognizes telemedicine as a means for receiving medical services and establishes that certain telemedicine services are reimbursable under the Medi-Cal program and 1996 Cal. Stats., Chap. 902 (SB 2098), which authorizes the Medical Board of California to develop a proposed registration program permitting physicians, surgeons and podiatrists located outside the state to practice medicine across state lines if they meet the legal requirements of the state. A number of publications have issued relating to the communications systems underlying telemedicine including, but not limited to, U.S. Published Patent Applications Nos. 2003/0144579, 2003/0231238, 2004/0039606, and 2004/0078825, the disclosures of which are all incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. However, little attention appears to have been directed to the patient space or, more particularly, the arrangement of the patient space to address the ergonomic and temporal needs of the doctors providing the telemedicine consult or services. A need exists for improvements not only to interface between the doctor and patient, but also to the interface between the doctor and the patient space and/or the doctor and the originating facility or “telesuite” itself. In one aspect a telesuite comprises a camera rotatable about at least one axis, the camera being rotatably mounted to a fixed structure, and a plurality of predetermined viewing positions, each of which includes a predetermined coordinate upon which the camera is focused. The telesuite also comprises a camera controller configured to rotate the camera to view a designated one of the predetermined viewing positions upon receipt of a control signal corresponding to the designated one of the predetermined viewing positions. In one aspect thereof, at least two of the plurality of predetermined viewing positions are disposed substantially equidistant from the camera. In another aspect, a telesuite comprises a camera rotatable about at least one axis and translatable along at least one of a substantially horizontal and a substantially vertical direction from a first origin position to a second origin position and a plurality of predetermined viewing positions, each of which includes a predetermined coordinate relative to at least one of the first origin position and second origin position upon which the camera is focused. A camera controller configured to cause said camera to perform at least one of a translation to a designated one of the first and second origin positions and a rotation to point the camera at a selected one of the plurality of predetermined viewing positions upon receipt of a corresponding control signal. The plurality of predetermined viewing positions comprising at least two predetermined viewing positions selected from the group consisting of a patient viewing area, a health care practitioner viewing area, a desk top area, a radiograph viewing device area, a physical exhibit viewing device area, a computer monitor, a television, a medical device display, and a medical instrument. In one aspect thereof, the two predetermined viewing positions are disposed substantially equidistant from the camera along a radial arc path of the camera. In still another aspect, a telesuite comprises a camera rotatable about at least one axis, the camera being mounted to a fixed structure, a plurality of predetermined viewing positions, each of which includes a predetermined coordinate upon which the camera is focused, and a camera controller configured to rotate the camera to a designated one of the predetermined viewing positions upon receipt of a corresponding control signal. A first grouping of the plurality of predetermined viewing positions comprises at least a first predetermined viewing position and a second predetermined viewing position disposed substantially equidistant from the camera at a first radius from the camera and a second grouping of the plurality of predetermined viewing positions comprises at least a third predetermined viewing position and a fourth predetermined viewing position disposed substantially equidistant from the camera at a second radius from the camera. In yet another aspect, a telesuite comprises a camera rotatable about at least one axis, a plurality of predetermined viewing positions, each of which includes a predetermined coordinate upon which the camera is focused, and a camera controller configured to rotate the camera to a designated one of the predetermined viewing positions upon receipt of a corresponding control signal. In this aspect, the camera controller is configured to automatically re-focus the camera during movement between a first predetermined viewing position and a second predetermined viewing position so that, upon completion of the camera movement, the camera is already at least substantially focused at a distance corresponding to a distance of the second predetermined viewing position from the camera. A method for arranging a telemedicine suite is also disclosed and comprises the steps of providing a camera rotatable about at least one axis, the camera being mounted to at least one of a wall and a ceiling, providing a camera controller to control rotation of the camera, electrically connecting a computer having a processor to the camera controller and at least one of a hub, a router, a modem, and a transmitter, and providing software and/or an instruction set configured, upon execution by the processor, to store in a memory device operatively associated with the computer a plurality of predetermined viewing positions comprising a predetermined coordinate upon which the camera is focused. A method is also provided for using a telemedicine suite comprising a camera fixed in a predetermined location and rotatable about at least one axis, comprising the steps of defining a plurality of predetermined viewing areas comprising a predetermined coordinate upon which the camera is focused, the plurality of predetermined viewing areas including a first predetermined viewing area and a second predetermined viewing area which are substantially equidistant from the camera, and rotating the camera from the first predetermined viewing area to the second predetermined viewing area during a telemedicine session, wherein the defining step includes associating the first predetermined viewing area with an area selected from a group consisting of a patient viewing area, a health care practitioner viewing area, a desk top area, a radiograph viewing device area, a physical exhibit viewing device area, a computer monitor, a television, a medical device display, a medical instrument, and a mirror, and associating said second predetermined viewing area with another member of the group. The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the presently disclosed concepts. Additional features and benefits of the presently disclosed concepts will become apparent from the detailed description, figures, and claims set forth below. Continue reading about Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine... Full patent description for Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090290012 - Methods for providing video content and associated service devices, systems thereof - A method for providing video content in a video conference includes sending, by a conference terminal, a video content access request to a video conference system, controlling a VOD proxy server to obtain video streams from a streaming media application system and providing the video streams to the video conference ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method and apparatus for cleaning a telemedicine station Next Patent Application: Methods and apparatus for providing communication between multiple television viewers Industry Class: Television ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatuses, systems and methods for enhancing telemedicine patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 3.39328 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. Storage , Static Storage , Printers paws |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
