Abstract:
A system and a corresponding method processes data acquired from multiple medical devices located at one of multiple patient bed stations. A first data interface bi-directionally communicates with multiple medical devices in acquiring data, including patient related information, and acquisition device type identifier information from one of the multiple medical devices using a communication protocol selected from multiple communication protocols associated with different medical devices. A data processor incorporates the acquisition device type identifier information derived from the acquired data into a message in an Internet compatible format for communication to a remote device. A second data interface bi-directionally communicates with the remote device to convey the acquisition device type identifier information to the remote device in the Internet compatible format message and employs a predetermined source Internet communication address usable by the remote device to identify a source location of the message from a map associating Internet communication addresses and source locations.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application is a non-provisional application of provisional application having serial No. 60/337,062 filed by Julianne Noonan on Dec. 4, 2001. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to data processing systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for processing data acquired from multiple medical devices.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    A healthcare data processing system typically communicates healthcare data between one or more medical devices and one or more information systems for a healthcare provider such as a hospital. The medical devices are typically located at a patient&#39;s bedside in the patient&#39;s room and monitor the status of the heath of the patient, such as the patient&#39;s pulse rate, by generating healthcare data. The information systems may be located inside or outside of a person&#39;s room and monitor the healthcare data provided by the medical devices and other information systems for one or more patients.  
           [0004]    Standardized data interface formats, such as a Medical Information Bus (MIB), permit the information systems to identify the source of the medical device providing the healthcare data. The Medical Information Bus (MIB) is typically used for locally interconnecting the medical devices in a patient&#39;s room. However, the majority of the medical devices presently available on the market do not conform to such a standardized data interface format. Hence, the information systems, such as a computer with a monitor, are typically located inside of a patient&#39;s room and typically require hardware and/or software drivers that interface with the various data interface formats provided by the medical devices.  
           [0005]    A problem with this configuration is that new hardware and/or software drivers need to be installed in the information system every time a new medical device is added or changed. To overcome this problem, individual hardware interface drivers, containing hard-coded circuits, are connected between each medical device and the information system to convert the data format of each medical device to a standard data format that can be recognized by one hardware and/or software driver installed in the information system. These hardware interface drivers merely shift the interface driver functionality from inside the information system to outside the information system. Therefore, the problem remains that each new medical devices that is added or changed requires a new hardware interface driver, which is costly and time consuming to install and maintain.  
           [0006]    Some healthcare data processing systems provide an information system, such as a computer with a monitor, which is located outside of a patient&#39;s room and typically provides centralized monitoring for one or more patients. However, this information system also requires that new hardware and/or software drivers need to be installed in the information system every time a new medical device is added, which is costly and time consuming to install and maintain.  
           [0007]    It would be desirable to have a healthcare data processing system wherein new medical devices could be added or changed, without requiring the installation of new hardware and/or software drivers, to permit a “plug and play” solution. It would further be desirable to have a healthcare data processing system that could provide more information than that typically provided by the medical devices. Preferably, the information would include the source of the location of the healthcare data, such as the patient&#39;s room, bed, and name.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, there is a need for a system for processing data acquired from multiple medical devices that overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional healthcare data processing system by providing a “plug and play” solution and by adding information associated with the healthcare data.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    According to one aspect of the present invention, a system and a corresponding method processes data acquired from multiple medical devices located at one of multiple patient bed stations. A first data interface bi-directionally communicates with multiple medical devices in acquiring data, including patient related information, and acquisition device type identifier information from one of the multiple medical devices using a communication protocol selected from multiple communication protocols associated with different medical devices. A data processor incorporates the acquisition device type identifier information derived from the acquired data into a message in an Internet compatible format for communication to a remote device. A second data interface bi-directionally communicates with the remote device to convey the acquisition device type identifier information to the remote device in the Internet compatible format message and employs a predetermined source Internet communication address usable by the remote device to identify a source location of the message from a map associating Internet communication addresses and source locations.  
           [0010]    These and other aspects of the present invention, are further described with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying figures, wherein the same reference numbers are assigned to the same features or elements illustrated in different figures. Note that the figures may not be drawn to scale. Further, there may be other embodiments of the present invention explicitly or implicitly described in the specification that are not specifically illustrated in the figures and visa versa. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a healthcare data processing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the data router, as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the server, as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 illustrates a method performed by the medical device to server data router, as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 illustrates a message formed by one of the medical devices, as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 illustrates a message formed by the data router, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, using the method, as shown in FIG. 4, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 illustrates a method performed by the Internet Protocol (I.P.) address identifier in the server, as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 illustrates a method performed by the mapping system in the server, as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 illustrates a message formed by the mapping system in the server, as shown in FIG. 3, using the method, as shown in FIG. 8, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 illustrates a method performed by the message generator in the server, as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 illustrates a message formed by the message generator in the server, as shown in FIG. 3, using the method, as shown in FIG. 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 illustrates a method performed by the server to medical device data router, as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a healthcare data processing system  100  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the healthcare data processing system  100  is intended for use by a healthcare provider that is responsible for monitoring the health and/or welfare of people in its care. Examples of healthcare providers include, without limitation, a hospital, a nursing home, an assisted living care arrangement, a home health care arrangement, a hospice arrangement, a health care clinic, a physical therapy clinic, a chiropractic clinic, and a dental office. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the healthcare provider is a hospital. Examples of the people being serviced by the healthcare provider include, without limitation, a patient, a resident, and a client.  
         [0024]    The healthcare data processing system  100  generally includes one or more patient monitoring systems  101 , a server  108 , and one or more information systems  110 - 112 . The patient monitoring system  101  further includes one or more medical devices (M.D.)  102 - 104  and a data router  106 .  
         [0025]    The server  108  is preferably implemented as a personal computer or local server. The server  108  also preferably embodies hardware and/or software provided by a system that converts the data format and processes the data between different computer systems.  
         [0026]    The information systems  110 - 112  are systems that need access to data related to the health and/or welfare of people in the care of the healthcare provider. Examples of the information systems  110 - 112  include, without limitation, a records system, a nurse&#39;s station system, a pharmacy system, a lab system, a radiology system, an accounting system, and a billing system.  
         [0027]    The medical devices  102 - 104  are devices that monitor the health and/or welfare of the people in the care of the healthcare provider. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the medical devices  102 - 104  are bedside medical devices that provide patient related information. The health and/or welfare of the people include, without limitation, the status of a person&#39;s biological condition, the status of a person&#39;s environment, the location of a person, and the status and/or position of a machine used by a person. The status of a person&#39;s biological condition includes, without limitation, the measurable bodily functions of a person, such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, the sounds made by a person (i.e., audio), the movement of a person (i.e. video), the aroma of a person (i.e., smell), and the feel of a person (i.e., touch). Examples of the medical devices  102 - 104  include, without limitation, a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, a fetal monitor, a medication dispensing monitor, a temperature sensor for the person, a temperature sensor the person&#39;s environment, a location sensor in a person&#39;s bed or on the person, a machine sensor that determines the position of a person&#39;s bed, for example, a video camera, and an audio input, such as a microphone.  
         [0028]    The patient monitoring system  101  is electrically coupled to the server  108  via a communication path  118 . The communication path  118  is preferably adapted to use an Internet Protocol (I.P.) data format, otherwise called an I.P. protocol, and IP addresses. Examples of the I.P. addresses include, without limitation, Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol (TCPIP) address, an I.P. address, a Universal Resource Locator (URL), and an electronic mail (Email) address. The communication path  118  may be formed as a wired or wireless (W/WL) connection. Preferably, the communication path  118  is formed as a wired connection. In the case of a wired connection, the I.P. address is preferably assigned to a physical location of the termination point of the wire, otherwise called a jack. The jack is mounted in a fixed location relative to the person receiving the health care. The fixed location depends on the type of healthcare provider arrangement, as described above. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the healthcare provider is a hospital, the fixed location is mounted at a patient&#39;s bedside station, such as in a wall next to the patent&#39;s bed. Alternatively, the data router  106  may be assigned an I.P. address. In this case the data router  106  itself is preferably mounted in a fixed location relative to the person receiving the health care, such as on or in a wall next to the patient&#39;s bed. In the case of a wireless connection, the I.P. address is preferably assigned to the device router  106 , since the device router  106  would be mobile. The wireless connection permits the person receiving the healthcare to be mobile beyond the distance permitted with the wired connection.  
         [0029]    The server  108  is electrically coupled to the information systems  110 - 112  via a communication path  120 . The server  108 , also referred to as a remote device, is preferably implemented as a personal computer or a workstation. The communication path  120  is preferably adapted to use one or more information system data formats, depending on the type and/or configuration of the information systems  110 - 112 . The communication path  120  is preferably adapted to use one or more information system data formats, otherwise called protocols, depending on the type and/or configuration of the information systems  110 - 112 . Examples of the information system data formats include, without limitation, an RS232 protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a Medical Interface Bus (MIB) compatible protocol, the I.P. data format, as described above, a Local Area Network (LAN) protocol, a Wide Area Network (WAN) protocol, an IEEE bus compatible protocol, and an Health Level Seven (HL7) protocol. Note any particular one of these protocols may be implemented the same or different among various similar or different information systems  110 - 112 .  
         [0030]    In the patient monitoring system  101 , each of the medical devices  102 - 104  is electrically coupled to the data router  106  via communication paths  114 - 116 , respectively. Preferably, the data router  106  is configured to receive one or more, as represented by medical devices  102 - 104 . Each of the communication paths  114 - 116  is preferably adapted to use one or more medical device data formats, otherwise called protocols, depending on the type and/or configuration of the medical devices  102 - 104 . Examples of the medical device data formats include, without limitation, the same protocols described above with reference to the information system data formats. Note any particular one of these protocols may be implemented the same or different among various similar or different medical devices manufactured by different manufacturers. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the medical device data format is the RS232 protocol, wherein different manufacturers implement the RS232 protocol in a different way for similar or different medical devices.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the data router  106 , as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The data router  106  generally includes a processor  200 , medical device data interfaces  202 - 204 , a server data interface  208 , a memory device  216  and a power supply interface  218 . The processor  200  further includes a medical device to server data router  212  and a server to medical device data router  214 . The medical device data interfaces  202 - 204  and the server data interface  208  may also be referred to as an interface processor. The data router  106  may alternatively be referred to as a data processor, a data converter, a data consolidator, a data formatter, and the like.  
         [0032]    The medical device data interfaces  202 - 204  are electrically coupled to the medical device to server data router  212  and the server to medical device data router  214  via communication paths  205 - 207 , respectively. The medical device to server data router  212  and the server to medical device data router  214  are electrically coupled to the server data interface  208  via the communication path  210 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the communication paths  205 ,  206 ,  207  and  210  are bi-directional communication paths over a common connection, but are shown as separate inputs and outputs connecting to the respective data routers  212  and  214  for the sake of clarity and understanding.  
         [0033]    The medical device data interfaces  202 - 204  provide a physical interface, otherwise called a jack, for receiving data from and sending messages to the medical devices  202 - 204 , respectively, over the communication paths  114 - 116 , respectively. The server data interface  208  also provides a physical interface, otherwise called a jack, for receiving messages from and sending messages to the server  108  over the communication path  118 .  
         [0034]    The medical device to server data router  212  routes data from any one of the medical devices  202 - 204  to the server  108  by performing two functions. The first function is to convert the data format or the protocol of the messages from the medical device data format to the I.P. data format. Although the data format of the messages is converted, the information content of the messages is not changed. The second function is to append fields of information to the converted messages related to the source of the messages sent. Such source information permits the server to identify the model of the data router sending the messages, the make and model of the medical device sending the messages, and the data interface port location on the data router  106  of the medical device sending the messages. In the specific cases of the wired communication path  118 , wherein the I.P. address is assigned to the data router  106  and not assigned to the jack, or the wireless communication path  118 , as described above, the medical device to server data router  212  would also append a field of information representative of the I.P. address of the data router  106 . The operation of the medical device to server data router  212  is described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and  6 .  
         [0035]    The server to medical device data router  214  routes data from the server  108  to any one of the medical devices  202 - 204  by performing two functions. The first function is to convert the data format or the protocol of the messages from the I.P. data format to the medical device data format. Although the format of the messages is converted, the information content of the messages is not changed. The second function is to remove fields of information from the messages that are related to the destination of the messages. Such destination information permits the data router  106  to receive the messages responsive to the I.P. address of the data router  106 , and to identify the data interface port location on the data router  106  for the medical device. The operation of the server to medical device data router  214  is described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 and  5 .  
         [0036]    Hence, the server to medical device data router  214  and the medical device to server data router  212  complement each other to route the messages in both directions through the data router  106  by converting the format of the data between the medical device data format and the I.P. data format, and by adding or removing fields of information related to the source or destination, respectively, of the messages. Note that the server to medical device data router  214  and the medical device to server data router  212  are shown as two separate functional blocks for the sake of clarity and understanding, but are preferably implemented in one software program.  
         [0037]    The memory device  216  is electrically coupled to the processor  200  and may comprise read only memory (ROM) and/or random access memory (RAM) in their various available forms. The memory  216  is preferably physically integrated with the processor  200 , but, alternatively, may be physically separate from the processor  200 , as each arrangement is well known in the art.  
         [0038]    The power supply interface  218  is electrically coupled to the processor  200 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the communication path  118  is a wired connection, the power supply interface  218  connects to an alternating current (AC) power supply located in relatively close proximity to the jack for the communication path  118 , to minimize the length of the power cord. Alternatively, when the communication path  118  is a wireless connection, the power supply interface  218  would connect to a direct current (DC) power supply, such as a battery, because of the need for a mobile power supply. In this case, the DC power supply may be physically carried with the data router  106 , such as inside or outside a housing of the data router  106 , or may be connected to the power supply interface  218  via a short power cable.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the server (integration engine)  108 , as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The server  108  generally includes a data router interface  302 , a processor  304 , an information system interface  306 , a user interface  308 , a memory device  310  and a power supply interface  312 . The processor  304  further includes a data router to information system mapping system  314 , a data router I.P. address identifier  316 , and an information system and/or server to data router message generator  318 .  
         [0040]    The data router interface  302  is electrically coupled to the mapping system  314  via communication path  320  and to the I.P. address identifier  316  via communication path  322  via communication path  324 . The I.P. address identifier  316  is electrically coupled to the mapping system  314  and to the message generator  318 . The mapping system  314  is electrically coupled to the information system interface  306  via the communication path  326 . The information system interface  306  is electrically coupled to the message generator  318  via the communication path  328 . The message generator  318  is electrically coupled to the data router interface  302  via the communication path  324 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication paths  320 ,  322  and  324  together form a bi-directional communication path over a common connection, but are shown as separate inputs and outputs connecting to the respective mapping system  314 , I.P address identifier  316  and the message generator  318  for the sake of clarity and understanding. Likewise, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication paths  326  and  328  together form a bi-directional communication path over a common connection, but are shown as separate inputs and outputs connecting to the respective mapping system  314  and the message generator  318  for the sake of clarity and understanding.  
         [0041]    The data router interface  302  provides a physical interface, otherwise called a jack or a network connection, for receiving data from and sending messages to the data router  106  over the communication path  118 . The information system interface  306  also provides a physical interface, otherwise called a jack or a network connection, for receiving messages from and sending messages to the information systems  110 - 112  over the communication path  120 .  
         [0042]    The I.P. address identifier  316  identifies the I.P. address, otherwise known as a predetermined source Internet address, associated with the data router  106 . The I.P. address corresponds to a physical location, otherwise known as a source location, of the data router  106  that is stored in the memory  310  of the server  108 . The I.P. address is used by the mapping system  314  to append source information to the messages sent to the information systems  110 - 112 , and by the message generator  318  to append destination information to the messages sent to the data router  106 . The operation of the I.P. address identifier  316  is described in further detail with reference to FIG. 7.  
         [0043]    The mapping system  314  routes messages from the data router interface  302  to the information system interface  306  by performing two functions. The first function is to convert the data format or the protocol of the messages from the I.P. data format to the information system data format. Although the data format of the messages is converted, the information content of the messages is not changed. The information system data format of the messages is well known to those skilled in the art of healthcare information systems. The second function is to route the formatted data to the appropriate information system  110 - 112  with additional appropriate corresponding information, if it is not already included in the content of the message. The additional information includes, without limitation, patient related information, a patient&#39;s physical location (e.g., room number and/or bed location in the room) corresponding to the I.P. address of the jack or data router  106 , the make and/or model of the medical device that sent the message, a time and/or date stamp of when the message was sent, a patient&#39;s name corresponding to the I.P. address of the jack or data router  106 , and the units of the data being sent. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mapping system  314  associates, using a map  311  stored in the memory device  310 , the predetermined source Internet address to the source location. The additional information that is included is preferably programmable and definable by a user or technician of the server  108  via the user interface  308 . The operation of the medical device to server data router  212  is described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8.  
         [0044]    The message generator  318  forms or routes messages from the server  108  or the information systems  110 - 112 , respectively, to the data router  106  by performing two functions. The first function is to convert the data format or the protocol of the messages from the information system data format to the I.P. data format. Although the format of the messages is converted, the information content of the messages is not changed. The second function is to append fields of information to the converted messages that is related to the destination of the messages. Such destination information includes the I.P. address of the data router  106 , and the data interface port location on the data router  106  for the medical device. The operation of the message generator  318  is described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 1000.  
         [0045]    Hence, the mapping system  314  and the message generator  318  complement each other to route the messages in both directions through the server  108  by converting the format of the data between the information system data format and the I.P. data format, and by adding fields of information related to the source or destination, respectively, of the messages. Note that the mapping system  314 , the I.P. address identifier  316 , and the message generator  318  are shown as three separate functional blocks for the sake of clarity and understanding, but are preferably implemented in one software program.  
         [0046]    The memory device  310  is electrically coupled to the processor  304  and may comprise read only memory (ROM) and/or random access memory (RAM) in their various available forms. The memory  310  is preferably physically integrated with the processor  304 , but, alternatively, may be physically separate from the processor  304 , as each arrangement is well known in the art. The mapped information, described above, is stored in the memory device  310 .  
         [0047]    The power supply interface  312  is electrically coupled to the processor  304 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply interface  312  connects to an alternating current (AC) power supply.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIGS. 4, 5 and  6  are described together. FIG. 4 illustrates a method  400  performed by the medical device to server data router  212 , as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a message  500  formed by one of the medical devices, as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a message  600  formed by the data router  106 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, using the method, as shown in FIG. 4, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The message  600  has the I.P. data format.  
         [0049]    At step  401 , the method  400  starts.  
         [0050]    At step  402 , the method  400  receives the message  500 , as shown in FIG. 5, from one of the medical device  102 - 104  in a medical device data format. The message  500  contains patient related information provided by the medical device  102 - 104 , such as the person&#39;s heart rate, units of the measurement, as is well known in the art to those skilled in the art of medical devices. The medical device data format is well known in the art to those skilled in the art of medical devices. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the medical device data format is generated by controlling the data on one or more of the sixteen pins provided on a conventional RS232 cable connection.  
         [0051]    At step  403 , the method  400  determines a pin configuration for the medical device  102 - 104  responsive to receiving the message  500  from the medical device  102 - 104 . The pin configuration corresponds to the one or more of the sixteen pins provided on a conventional RS232 cable connection that carry data. Preferably, the pin configuration is determined by the processor  200  sniffing or scanning the pins at the medical device data interface  202 - 204  to detect any data activity on the pins. Presently, the various medical device  102 - 104  used in a particular healthcare setting are required to have different pin configurations so that the messages from one medical device  102 - 104  will not be confused with the messages from another medical device  102 - 104 . Hence, various determined pin configurations correspond to various makes, models, and/or types of medical device  102 - 104  in a particular healthcare setting. Alternatively, another characteristic identifying the medical device  102 - 104  may be a code included in the medical device message  500 .  
         [0052]    At step  404 , the method  400  reads a model number of the data router  106  from the data router&#39;s memory  216 . The model number of the data router  106  identifies the particular make, model and/or type of data router  106 . The model number is stored in the memory  216  of the data router  106  when the data router  106  is manufactured.  
         [0053]    At step  405 , the method  400  determines a data interface port location on the data router  106  for the medical device  102 - 104 . The processor  200  determines data interface port location by the electrically detecting which medical device data interface  202 - 204  received the message from the medical device  102 - 104 .  
         [0054]    At step  406 , the method  400  forms the message  600 , as shown in FIG. 6, that is compatible with the I.P. data format responsive to the model number, the pin configuration, the data interface port location for the data router  106 , and the received message  500 . In FIG. 6, the message  600  includes fields of information for the data router model number field  601 , the pin configuration for the medical device field  602 , the data interface port location for the data router  106  field  603 , and the medical device message field  604 . The particular order of the fields of information may vary according to design considerations. The pin configuration for the medical device field  602  and the medical device message field  604  are provided in the message  600  so that the server  108  knows what make, model and/or type of medical device  102 - 104  sent the message. The data router model number field  601  is included so that the server  108  knows what version of the data router  106  sent the message, which may be useful information when the data routers  106  are upgraded with newer models having different or more advanced capabilities. The data interface port location for the data router  106  field  603  is included so that the server knows which data interface port location on the data router sent the message  600 , which is useful information for the server  108  to be able to send a message back to the medical device  102 - 104 . As mentioned above, in the case of the communication path  118  being a wired connection, the I.P. address preferably corresponds to the location of the jack in the network. Alternatively, in the case of the communication path  118  being a wireless connection, the I.P. address of the data router  106  would also be added to the message  600  as an additional field of information. In both the wired and wireless cases, the I.P. address is useful information for the server  108  to be able to send a message back to the medical device  102 - 104  via the data router  106 . An example of the message  600 , as shown in FIG. 6, is as follows:  
         [0055]    1.0/1-3-6/2/O2Hb/13.4%, wherein  
         [0056]    1.0 is the model number of the data router  106 ,  
         [0057]    1-3-6 is the pin configuration of the medical device  102 - 104 ,  
         [0058]    2 is the data interface port location on the data router  106 , and  
         [0059]    O2Hb/13.4% is the medical device message.  
         [0060]    At step  407 , the method  400  sends the message  600  to the server  108  using the I.P. data format.  
         [0061]    At step  408 , the method  400  ends.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 7 illustrates a method  700  performed by the I.P. address identifier  316  in the server  108 , as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0063]    At step  701 , the method  700  starts.  
         [0064]    At step  702 , the method  700  determines that a data router  106  is active in the network. Preferably, I.P. address identifier  316  in the server  108  makes this determination when the data router  106  is plugged into the jack and when power is applied to the data router  106 .  
         [0065]    At step  703 , the method  700  identifies the I.P. address for the data router  106  responsive to the step  702  of determining that the data router  106  is active in the network. Alternatively, when the communication path  118  is a wireless connection, steps  702  and  703  are performed when the data router  106  request service from the system and provides the I.P. address associated with the data router  106 .  
         [0066]    At step  704 , the method  700  ends.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIGS. 8 and 9 are described together. FIG. 8 illustrates a method  800  performed by the mapping system  314  in the server  108 , as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 illustrates a message  900  formed by the mapping system  314  in the server  108 , as shown in FIG. 3, using the method, as shown in FIG. 8, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0068]    At step  801 , the method  800  starts.  
         [0069]    At step  802 , the method  800  receives the message  600 , as shown in FIG. 6, from the data router  106  using the I.P. data format.  
         [0070]    At step  803 , the method  800  identifies the pin configuration in the message  600 .  
         [0071]    At step  804 , the method  800  identifies the medical device  102 - 104  responsive to the pin configuration for the medical device field  602 . The various makes, models and/or types of medical devices  102 - 104  corresponding to the various pin configurations are stored in the memory device  310  in the server  108 . The mapping system  314  in the server  108  performs an open database connectivity (ODBC) process or a table lookup process to determine the corresponding medical devices  102 - 104 .  
         [0072]    At step  805 , the method  800  decodes the medical device message field  604  responsive to the identity of the medical device  102 - 104 . Preferably, only one decoder is needed because the messages  600  are received in the I.P. data format. Alternatively, depending on the arrangement of the content of the messages  600  in the I.P. data format, different decoders may be need to interpret the arrangement of the content of the messages  600  responsive to various makes, models and/or types of medical devices  102 - 104 .  
         [0073]    At step  806 , the method  800  formats the decoded medical device message  902 , as shown in FIG. 9, for the information system  110 - 112  using the information system data format. Different formatting schemes may be employed by the mapping system  314  corresponding the different types of information systems  110 - 112  intended to receive the formatted message.  
         [0074]    At step  807 , the method  800  appends additional information  901 , as shown in FIG. 9, to the medical device message  902  for the information system  110 - 112 . The additional information includes, without limitation, a person&#39;s physical location (e.g., room number and/or bed location in the room) corresponding to the I.P. address of the jack or data router  106 , the make and/or model of the medical device that sent the message, a time and/or date stamp of when the message was sent, the person&#39;s name corresponding to the I.P. address of the jack or data router  106 , and the units of the data being sent, as described above. The mapping system  314  in the server  108  performs an open database connectivity (ODBC) process or a table lookup process, using the map  311  stored in the memory device  310 , to determine the appropriate additional information  
         [0075]    For example, a patient in room and bed location  232 - 1 A is attached to a patient monitoring system  101  that continuously or periodically monitors the patient&#39;s pulse rate. The data from the pulse rate-monitoring device (i.e., the medical device) provides an output value of “94”. The output value of “94,” without including the units of the measurement, does not clearly identify that the output value represents a pulse rate, rather than representing a patient&#39;s temperature, for example. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the pulse rate-monitoring device is connected to the data router  106  via the RS232 cable with a pin configuration of 1-4-8, for example, the output value of “94” would be appended with the units of the measurement by the mapping system  314  in the server  108  before being sent on to the information system  110 - 112 .  
         [0076]    At step  808 , the method  800  sends the formatted message to the information system  110   112  using the information system data format.  
         [0077]    At step  809 , the method  800  ends.  
         [0078]    [0078]FIGS. 10 and 11 are described together. FIG. 10 illustrates a method  900  performed by the message generator  318  in the server  108 , as shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 illustrates a message  1000  formed by the message generator  318  in the server  108 , as shown in FIG. 3, using the method, as shown in FIG. 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0079]    At step  1001 , the method  1000  starts.  
         [0080]    At step  1002 , the method  1000  receives a message for a medical device  102 - 104  from an information system  110 - 112 . This step is optional and therefore shown as a dashed box. Typically, the information system  110 - 112  will be used only to receive data from the medical devices  102 - 104 , and will not need to send messages back to the medical device  102 - 104 .  
         [0081]    At step  1003 , the method  900  sends the message  100  to a medical device  102 - 104  via the data router  106 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the message  1100  is an acknowledgement message to notify the medical device that the server  108  received the message  500  (converted and appended to message  600 ) from the medical device  102 - 104 . Hence, the inbound message  500 / 600  to the server  108  and the outbound message  1100  from the server  108  provide a handshake scheme to ensure that message that are sent are actually received. However, if a medical device  102 - 104  does not request or require an acknowledgement message, then the message  1100  is not sent. Whether or not the message  1100  is sent may depend on the particular acknowledgement message. Alternatively, the message  1100  may also represent any other type of message including, without limitation, a test or diagnostic message, and a control message.  
         [0082]    At step  1005 , the method  1000  determines the I.P. address for the data router  106  responsive to the I.P. address identified by the I.P. address identifier  316 . The I.P. address for the data router  106  permits the message  1100  to be routed to the appropriate data router  106 .  
         [0083]    At step  1006 , the method  1000  determines the data interface port location on the data router  106  for the medical device  102 - 104 . The data interface port location on the data router  106  permits the message  1100  to be routed to the appropriate medical device  102 - 104  connected to the data router  106 .  
         [0084]    At step  1007 , the method  1000  determines the medical device message to be sent to the medical device  102 - 104 . The medical device message is the information that the server  108  desires to transmit to the medical device  102 - 104 , as described above.  
         [0085]    At step  1008 , the method  1000  forms the message  1100  compatible with the I.P. data format responsive to the I.P. address, the data interface port location, and the medical device message. The message  1100 , as shown in FIG. 1100, includes a field  1101  for the data interface port location of the data router  106  and a field  1102  for the medical device message. The particular order of the fields  1101 - 1102  may vary according to design considerations. In the wireless case, as described above, the message  1100  would also have a field for the I.P. address for the data router  106 .  
         [0086]    At step  1009 , the method  1000  sends the message  1100  to the data router  106  using the I.P. data format.  
         [0087]    At step  1010 , the method  1000  ends.  
         [0088]    [0088]FIG. 12 illustrates a method  1200  performed by the server to medical device data router  214 , as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0089]    At step  1201 , the method  1200  starts.  
         [0090]    At step  1202 , the method  1200  receives the message  1100 , as shown in FIG. 11, from the server  108  responsive to receiving and identifying the field  1101  having the I.P. address of the data router  106  in the message  1100 .  
         [0091]    At step  1203 , the method  1200  identifies the data interface port location on the data router  106  for the medical device  102 - 104  responsive to receiving and identifying the field  1102  having the data interface port location in the message  1100 .  
         [0092]    At step  1204 , the method  1200  identifies the medical device message responsive to receiving and identifying the field  1103  having the medical device message in the message  1100 .  
         [0093]    At step  1205 , the method  1200  forms a message  500 , as shown in FIG. 5, for a medical device  102 - 104  that is compatible with the medical device data format. The message  500  is formed by removing the fields  1001  and  1002  for the I.P. address and the data interface port location, respectively, and by converting medical device message from the I.P. data format to the medical device data format. Hence, the message  500 , as shown in FIG. 5, uses the same medical device data format used for messages being sent from or sent to a particular medical device  102 - 104 .  
         [0094]    At step  1206 , the method  1200  sends the message to the medical device  102 - 104  responsive to the data interface port location for the medical device  102 - 104 .  
         [0095]    At step  1207 , the method  1200  ends.  
         [0096]    Hence, while the present invention has been described with reference to various illustrative embodiments thereof, the present invention is not intended that the invention be limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations, modifications and combinations of the disclosed subject matter can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.