Abstract:
A method and a system for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result, the method comprising: defining treatment data comprising at least two of: a dermal characteristic of a patient, a dermal treatment parameter, and a dermal treatment result; collecting the treatment data at the treatment device and communicating the treatment data to a central network server; analyzing the treatment data at the server, forming analysis result; and providing the analysis result to operators of the dermal treatment devices.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application 61/039,699, filed Mar. 26, 2008, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to devices and methods for methods and system for dermal treatments and, more particularly, but not exclusively to treatments of the skin using intense pulsed light. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,348 is believed to represent the most relevant prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,348 teaches a photo-thermal epilation apparatus equipped with communication channel that links the apparatus to a remote system via a communication network. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,348, the linking to the remote system provides billing, remote monitoring, updating of system operating software, user training and evaluation, insuring safe and reliable operating procedures, security, etc. 
         [0004]    There are many devices available in the market for treating various medical aspects of the skin. Such dermal treatment devices use various technologies such as intense pulsed light, various lasers, radio frequency (RF), direct electric current and ultrasound. For example, dermal treatment devices use light for applications such as hair removal. Such devices may use intense pulsed light, preferably in specific wavelengths, to effect specific skin cells, such as hair roots. The higher concentration of melanin in the hair root, compared to the surrounding tissue, absorbs the light and concentrates the heat in the root of the hair, thus disturbing hair growth. Treatment parameters such as light intensity, treatment duration, etc. are subject to skin characteristics such as the color of the skin, the color of the hair, type of hair, etc. Dermal treatment systems enable the operator to set the treatment parameters or to select a preset treatment program according to the skin characteristics. Eventually, the effectiveness of the treatment depends on the experience gathered by each operator in identifying the skin characteristics and adapting the optimal treatment program and parameters. This experience is never shared and operators are destined to repeat other operators&#39; mistakes and undergo a long learning curve, while causing great discomfort to their patients. 
         [0005]    There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a light-based dermal treatment device devoid of the above limitations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result, the method containing:
       defining at least two parameters from a list containing:
           a dermal characteristic of a patient;   a dermal treatment parameter; and   a dermal treatment result;   
           providing a server operative to communicate with a plurality of dermal treatment devices;   accepting, at the server, dermal treatment information, for a dermal treatment applied to a patient, the dermal treatment information containing at least two of:
           the dermal characteristic of the patient;   the dermal treatment parameter; and   the dermal treatment result;   
           analyzing, at the server, the dermal treatment information for a plurality of medical treatments, to form an analysis result; and   providing the analysis result to a user of the dermal treatment device.       
 
         [0018]    According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result wherein the dermal characteristic of a patient contains at least one of:
       a patient identification;   a parameter identifying a skin type;   a parameter identifying a skin color;   a parameter identifying a hair color; and   a parameter identifying patients health status;       
 
         [0024]    According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result wherein the dermal treatment parameter contains at least one of:
       a clinic identifying parameter;   an operator identification parameter;   a patient identification parameter;   a treatment identifying parameter;   a dermal treatment system identifying parameter;   a dermal treatment applicator identifying parameter;   a dermal treatment duration parameter;   a dermal treatment intensity parameter;   a pulse count parameter;       
 
         [0034]    According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result wherein the steps of:
       defining at least two parameters;   accepting, at the server, dermal treatment information, for a dermal treatment applied to a patient, and   analyzing, at the server, the dermal treatment information;   additionally contains at least one of:
           operator&#39;s feedback per session;   operator&#39;s feedback per treatment;   operator&#39;s feedback per patient;   patient&#39;s feedback per session;   patient&#39;s feedback per treatment;   physician&#39;s feedback per session;   physician&#39;s feedback per treatment; and   physician&#39;s feedback per patient.   
               
 
         [0047]    Also according to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result wherein the step of providing the analysis result to a user of the dermal treatment device contains authenticating the user. 
         [0048]    Further according to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for sharing analysis of dermal treatment result wherein the step of providing the analysis result to a user of the dermal treatment device contains providing the analysis to the user according to access rights predefined for the user. 
         [0049]    Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Except to the extend necessary or inherent in the processes themselves, no particular order to steps or stages of methods and processes described in this disclosure, including the figures, is intended or implied. In many cases the order of process steps may varied without changing the purpose or effect of the methods described. 
         [0050]    Implementation of the method and system of the present invention involves performing or completing certain selected tasks or steps manually, automatically, or any combination thereof. Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and system of the present invention, several selected steps could be implemented by hardware or by software on any operating system of any firmware or any combination thereof. For example, as hardware, selected steps of the invention could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. As software, selected steps of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In any case, selected steps of the method and system of the invention could be described as being performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0051]    The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in order to provide what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. 
           [0052]    In the drawings: 
           [0053]      FIG. 1  is a simplified illustration of a clinical network containing a dermal treatment database hosted by a clinical network server connected via a communication network to a plurality of dermal treatment devices and to multimedia stations; 
           [0054]      FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of a data structure of the dermal treatment information communicated within the clinical network; 
           [0055]      FIG. 3  is a simplified flow chart of a device software program executed by a processor of the dermal treatment device; and 
           [0056]      FIGS. 4A and 4B , taken together, are a simplified flow chart of a server software program of the clinical network server. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0057]    The present invention in embodiments thereof comprises a clinical network, preferably connecting a plurality of dermal treatment devices with a central database, for collecting treatments data, analyzing the treatments data, and disseminating the results of the analysis of the treatments data. 
         [0058]    The principles and operation of the clinical network according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and accompanying description. 
         [0059]    Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0060]    In this document, an element of a drawing that is not described within the scope of the drawing and is labeled with a numeral that has been described in a previous drawing has the same use and description as in the previous drawings. Similarly, an element that is identified in the text by a numeral that does not appear in the drawing described by the text, has the same use and description as in the previous drawings where it was described. 
         [0061]    Reference is now made to  FIG. 1 , which is a simplified illustration of a clinical network  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0062]    As seen in  FIG. 1  the clinical network  10  preferably contains a clinical network server  11 , preferably containing a dermal treatment database  12 , connected via a communication network  13  to a plurality of dermal treatment devices  14  and to multimedia stations  15 . 
         [0063]    It is appreciated that the embodiment of the multimedia station  15  can take the form of a regular personal computer equipped with a special client software and connected to the clinical network server  11  via the communication network  13 . Alternatively the multimedia station  15  can take the form of a regular personal computer equipped with a regular Internet browsing software and connected to the clinical network server  11  via the Internet. It is appreciated that a multimedia station or its functions can be integrated into a dermal treatment devices. Therefore, when discussing the functions of a multimedia station it can be understood to be incorporated into a dermal treatment device. 
         [0064]    It is appreciated that the communication network  13  can be any of type of wired communication networks such as WAN, MAN or LAN, etc., or a wireless network such as WiMAX, Wifi, UMTS, etc., or their combinations, and including the Internet. 
         [0065]    As seen in  FIG. 1  the dermal treatment devices  14  are grouped according to customers  16 , where each customer, such as a hospital or a clinic, operates several dermal treatment devices  14 . Dermal treatment devices  14  of a customer  16  are preferably collocated, and thus may use a local communication concentrator  17 , such as a router or a hub, to connect to the communication network  13 . It is appreciated that the multimedia station can provide the functionality of the local communication concentrator  17 . 
         [0066]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , there are several types of dermal treatment devices  14 , such as intense pulse light devices  18 , laser devices  19 , and ultrasound devices  20 . Other types of dermal treatment devices are also possible. 
         [0067]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the dermal treatment devices  14  send dermal treatment information  21  to the clinical network server  11 . The clinical network server  11  stores the dermal treatment information in the dermal treatment database  12 , analyzes the collected dermal treatment information and sends dermal treatment updates  22  to the dermal treatment devices  14  and/or to the multimedia stations  15 . Alternatively or additionally, the clinical network server  11  posts dermal treatment updates  22  on a web-site to enable dermal treatment devices  14  and/or to the multimedia stations  15  to access the dermal treatment updates  22 , preferably selectably, and/or to download the dermal treatment updates  22 , preferably selectably. 
         [0068]    Reference is now made to  FIG. 2 , which is a simplified block diagram of a data structure  23  of the dermal treatment information  21  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0069]    As seen in  FIG. 2 , the data structure  23  of the dermal treatment information  21  preferably contains the following components:
       operator information  24 ;   patient information  25 ;   system information  26 ; and   treatment information  27 ;       
 
         [0074]    Preferably, the operator information  24  contains information about the customer and about the person operating the dermal treatment device. 
         [0075]    Preferably, the patient information  25  contains information about the patient such as: identification number, gender, age, type and color of the skin, type and color of the hair, health status, etc. Preferably, the patient information  25  excludes indication of the patient&#39;s name and similar private information. 
         [0076]    Preferably, the system information  26  contains:
       information about the medical treatment device  14  used to treat the patient, such as: type if system;   system serial number or similar means of identification;   type if applicator unit (head);   applicator serial number or similar means of identification;   system settings:   maintenance related information such as lamp lifetime;   etc.       
 
         [0084]    Preferably, the treatment information  27  contains information such as: type of treatment, treated body part, system used, and results. 
         [0085]    Preferably, the treatment information is generated by the dermal treatment device  14  for each application of the treatment. For example, for hair removal treatment using intense pulsed light, a dermal treatment information  21  is generated for each application of intense pulse light. Each such dermal treatment information  21  includes information about the patient, the session, the body part, and the parameters of the applied intense pulsed light. Additionally the dermal treatment information  21  contains information about the customer, the operator and the device used, including all the system settings. 
         [0086]    Reference is now made to  FIG. 3 , which is a simplified flow chart of a device software program  28  executed by a processor of the dermal treatment device  14  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0087]    As seen in  FIG. 3 , the device software program  28  preferably starts in steps  29  and  30  by logging in the operator of the dermal treatment device  14 . The device software program  28  then proceeds to steps  31 ,  32  and  33  to receive from the operator the details or identification of the patient and the treatment type and protocol. The device software program  28  then proceeds to steps  34  and  35  to collect from the system the system configuration parameters and the application parameters. In this respect, application parameters refer to the operating parameters applied for a single application of the treatment. For example, a single pulse of an intense pulsed light treatment. 
         [0088]    When the device software program  28  detects that the session is finished (step  36 ) the device software program  28  stores the collected information (step  37 ), and if, or when, the clinical network server  11  is available online (step  38 ) the device software program  28  send the information to the clinical network server  11  (step  39 ) in the form of dermal treatment information  21 . At the end of the treatment the device software program  28  preferably logs-out the operator (steps  40  and  41 ). 
         [0089]    It is appreciated that treatment parameters are collected repeatedly and/or continuously at least for each application of the selected treatment. The collected treatment parameters can be sent to the clinical network server  11  for each application separately, or collectively for the entire session, or later, for a plurality of session, according to the availability of the clinical network server  11  and according to the configuration of the dermal treatment device  14   
         [0090]    Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , which, taken together, are a simplified flow chart of a server software program  42  of the clinical network server  11  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4A  shows the flow-chart part of the server software program  42  in which the clinical network server  11  receives dermal treatment information  21  from a dermal treatment device  14  and disseminates dermal a treatment update  22 .  FIG. 4B  shows the flow chart of the part of the server software program  42  in which the clinical network server  11  communicates with a multimedia station  15 . 
         [0091]    As seen in  FIG. 4A , the server software program  42  starts with steps  43  and  44  by detecting a dermal treatment information  21  or a query such as for a treatment update  22 . If a dermal treatment information  21  is received the server software program  42  proceeds to steps  45  and  46  to arrange the dermal treatment information  21  per session. For example, if dermal treatment information  21  were received for each part of a session, such as for a pulse in a intense pulsed light treatment, then steps  45  and  46  collect the plurality of dermal treatment information  21  for each session and store them together. Alternatively, if dermal treatment information  21  were received for a group of sessions, for example because the clinical network server  11  was not available for the dermal treatment device  14  at the time the sessions were performed, then steps  45  and  46  divides the dermal treatment information  21  into the respective sessions and store them separately. 
         [0092]    The server software program  42  preferably proceeds to step  47  to analyze the collection of dermal treatment information  21  to form an analysis result. The server software program  42  preferably proceeds to step  48  to compare the analysis result with the results of the current session. If the session result differs from the expected result, for example, if the session result is outside the range of expected results (step  49 ) the server software program preferably proceeds to steps  50 ,  51  and  52  to prepare a message and to send it to the operator in real-time if the dermal treatment device  14  (or a multimedia station  15 ) is available to receive the message. 
         [0093]    Alternatively, step  53  enables the server software program  42  to accept registration information for a newly installed system, a change of configuration parameters, maintenance related information, etc. 
         [0094]    Reference is now made to  FIG. 4B , which is a simplified flow chart of the part of the server software program  42  in which the clinical network server  11  communicates with a multimedia station  15 . 
         [0095]    As seen in  FIG. 4B , the server software program  42  preferably arrives at step  54  after identifying a query (step  44  of  FIG. 4A ). If the operator issuing the query is not already logged-in the server software program  42  receives the operator&#39;s identification to log-in the operator (step  55 ). It is appreciated that each operator is assigned authorization to access specific information. Preferably, there is a hierarchical organization of authorization to access information. For example:
       a chief administrator can access all information items;   a division administrator can access information related to the professional expertise of the division, such as laser systems;   a distributor or a dealer can access information relating to systems sold or maintained by the specific distributor or dealer;   a customer&#39;s administrator can access all information associated with a customer, such as patient data and system data provided by the specific customer;   an operator can access information for a specific patient;   etc.   After the operator is logged-in and assigned the appropriate information access authorization the server software program  42  proceeds to steps  56 ,  57 ,  58 ,  59  and  60  to receive the details of the query such:   as patients information or identification (step  57 );   treatment information or identification (step  58 );   system information or identification  59 ;   session information or identification (step  60 );   etc.       
 
         [0108]    According to the received information the server software program  42  sends a dermal treatment update  22  to the multimedia station  15  containing, for example:
       comparison of the current session or the current procedure with recommended procedures (step  61 );   statistics of treatment results and relevant recommended procedures;   recommended procedures and relevant software updates ready for download (step  62 );   instructions for operating the system in use and/or recommendations for performing the treatment in session, such as recommended system configuration parameters.       
 
         [0113]    Preferably, the user may interact with the server software program  42  until the user logs-off (step  63 ). 
         [0114]    It is appreciated that the user or operator accessing the clinical network server  11  via the multimedia station  15  or via the dermal treatment devices  14  can perform the following actions:
       invoke remote customer support and product maintenance;   View, download and install, preferably automatically, software updates and upgrades;   receive or purchase authorization for new treatments, a basic system may includes basic features and treatments, while other, optional features and treatments are unbundled. Later, the owner of the system can purchase selected additional features or treatments, thus bundling the purchased treatments into the system. Following an online payment such unbundled features become available for the operator of the device immediately.   automatically upload treatment information as each treatment is completed;   receive treatment recommendations;   request service contact.       
 
         [0121]    As described above in accordance with  FIGS. 1-4 , the clinical network  10 , and particularly the clinical network server  11  that preferably enables a user to define a dermal treatment database  12  that contains records that contains parameters such as:
       a dermal characteristic of a patient;   a dermal treatment parameter; and   a dermal treatment result;       
 
         [0125]    Preferably, the clinical network server  11  communicates with a plurality of dermal treatment devices  14  and receives from them dermal treatment information  21  for the dermal treatment database  12 . The dermal treatment information  21  preferably contains information about dermal treatment applied to a patient such as:
       dermal characteristic of the patient;   dermal treatment parameters; and   dermal treatment result;       
 
         [0129]    Preferably, the clinical network server  11  analyzes the dermal treatment information  21  for a plurality of medical treatments, to form an analysis result. The clinical network server  11  then provides the analysis results to users of the clinical network  10  and particularly users of the dermal treatment devices  14 . 
         [0130]    Additionally, the dermal characteristic of a patient contains patient identification; parameters identifying skin type, parameters identifying skin color, parameters identifying hair color, and parameters identifying patients health status. 
         [0131]    Additionally, the dermal treatment information  21  contains:
       parameters identifying the clinic, parameters identifying the treatment,   parameters characterizing the dermal treatment device  14 ,   parameters identifying the applicator unit (head) of the dermal treatment device  14 ,   parameters characterizing the application unit (e.g. pulse) of the dermal treatment such as intensity, duration, number (e.g. pulse count), etc.       
 
         [0136]    Additionally, the dermal treatment information  21  contains:
       operator&#39;s feedback per session;   operator&#39;s feedback per treatment;   operator&#39;s feedback per patient;   patient&#39;s feedback per session;   patient&#39;s feedback per treatment;   physician&#39;s feedback per session;   physician&#39;s feedback per treatment; and   physician&#39;s feedback per patient.       
 
         [0145]    The clinical network server  11  preferably analyzes the information collected in the dermal treatment database  12 , including the parameters listed above, to produce analysis results. Such analysis results typically contain preferred procedures and/or protocol to achieve the required results for a selected treatment according to the characteristics of the patient, such as skin type, skin color, hair type, hair color, age, etc. The preferred procedures and/or protocol typically characterize system settings and treatment parameters such as: intensity, duration, number of applications, etc. 
         [0146]    It is expected that during the life of this patent many relevant types of dermal treatments will be developed as well as relevant devices and systems, and the scope of the terms herein, particularly of the terms “network”, “dermal treatment” and “treatment data”, is intended to include all such new technologies a priori. 
         [0147]    Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent to one ordinarily skilled in the art upon examination of the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting. Additionally, each of the various embodiments and aspects of the present invention as delineated hereinabove and as claimed in the claims section below finds experimental support in the following examples. 
         [0148]    It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. 
         [0149]    Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.