Abstract:
Incorporated to a finger grip device are an oximeter that measures the SpO 2  of the patient and a fingerprint sensor for sensing the fingerprint of the finger from which the SpO 2  is measured. The sensed fingerprint is used to identify the patient. By thus establishing the identity of the patient, the measured SpO 2  could readily be associated with the patient and appropriately displayed and stored, either at the patient site or remotely. The monitored data could also be readily associated with records of the patient and other physiological could data of the patient that may have been prestored in the controller to which the finger grip device is connected, or in a memory at a remote location. Mistakes in patient identification and the correspondence of wrong patient data to patients are thereby substantially reduced if not eliminated.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to devices for monitoring the physiological attributes of a user and more particularly to a combination fingerprint and oximetry device that identifies or confirms the identity of the user as the oxygen saturation level of the arterial blood of the user is being monitored. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The oxygen saturation in blood is monitored by oximeters. Some of these oximeters include BCI&#39;s 6200 and 6100 Series Vital Sign Monitors, and BCI&#39;s Capnocheck Plus, Autocorr Plus and Mini-Torr Plus monitors. In addition, there are a number of handheld pulse monitors including for example BCI&#39;s 3301 handheld pulse oximeter and 3301T Oxitemp Oximeter. The handheld oximeters are mainly used for on-spot checking of a patient, while the vital sign monitors are used to measure myriad physiological parameters of a patient which may then be transmitted to a remote location such as for example a nursing station or a doctor&#39;s office so that-the physiological parameters of the patient may be remotely monitored and analyzed. The fact that there are oftentimes a number of patients connected to separate vital sign monitors mean that there is a chance that the monitored parameters of a particular patient may be wrongly assigned to and be confused with another patient when displayed at the remote location. A system, and a device therefor, is therefore needed to ensure that patient outputs are correctly identified and assigned, particularly with being monitored pulse oximetry. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     To provide positive identification of a patient, the system of the instant invention includes a finger grip device that has incorporated therein both an oximeter and a fingerprint sensor. The finger grip device may be connected to a controller on which both graphic display and numeric display may be provided for indicating the measured or monitored oxygen saturation level of the blood of the patient. The controller may include a fingerprint circuit in addition to the oximeter circuit and other physiological circuitries such as ECG, SpO 2 , pulse or heart rate, NIBP (Non-Invasive Blood Pressure), as well as temperature. The controller may also include a switch and a timer for controlling the activation of the fingerprint circuit, in relation to the oximeter circuit, so that a fingerprint scan of the finger of the patient may be activated for a brief period either before or after the oximeter circuit begins to measure the oxygen saturation in blood via the oximeter in the finger grip device. Alternatively, the activation of both the oximeter circuitry and the fingerprint circuitry may be done at the same time, and maintained on for the duration of the testing/monitoring. Further, the fingerprint sensor may be activated individually to obtain the fingerprint of a patient, which may be recorded in a memory, either in the controller or a remote memory store, or both. 
     To provide remote monitoring of the physiological parameters of a patient being measured, and specifically the oxygen saturation and the fingerprint of the patient, an optional display may be provided remotely from the controller such as for example at a nursing station or a doctor&#39;s office. 
     The controller further includes a communications port that enables it to be connected to a remote computer, for example the mainframe computer of the hospital to which the patient records are stored. Either by means of the controller, or by a separate fingerprint scanner connected to the remote computer, the fingerprint of a patient may be scanned and stored in the memory store of the remote computer, for identifying the patient and matching the patient with her records, medical or otherwise, and her other being measured physiological data, which may also be stored in the memory of the remote computer. As a consequence, for any real time measuring or monitoring of the physiological data of a patient, by means of the fingerprint data stored in the controller to which the finger grip device is connect and the remote mainframe computer, the being measured physiological data is readily matched to the appropriate patient, whose identity is confirmed via her fingerprint while her physiological data is being collected. 
     The connection of the finger grip device to the controller is by way of a conventional cable. However, it is envisioned that a short range wireless communications protocol, such as Bluetooth, may also be used, so that the finger grip device does not need to be physically tethered to the controller. 
     It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a patient monitoring system that includes a finger grip device that has incorporated therein both an oximeter and a finger print sensor. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to use, by means of the sensed or scanned fingerprint of the patient, as her SPO 2  is being measured, to identify the patient, so that both the being measured physiological data and any previously stored records of the-patient can be correlated or matched to the patient. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     The above-mentioned objectives and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an overall view of the system of the instant invention; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a top view of a top or upper portion of a finger grip device; 
     FIG. 2 b  is a side view of the finger grip device; 
     FIG. 3 is another side view of the instant invention finger grip device, with respective upper and lower covers being shown removed from the upper and lower portions; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the finger grip device with the upper finger grip being shown to have mounted to the finger grip device; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the upper and lower finger grip portions of the finger grip device, with the oximeter sensor and fingerprint sensor shown; 
     FIG. 6 is a reverse plan view of the finger grip portions of the device showing the respective windows at the upper and lower finger grip portions through which the oxygen saturation level and the finger print of a patient may be obtained; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of a light source for the oximeter of the finger grip device of the instant invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a detector portion that incorporates both the oximeter detector and the fingerprint sensor of the instant invention; and 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the finger grip device in which the upper and lower finger grip portions are held by a floating suspension system. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to FIG. 1, the instant invention system includes a finger grip device  2  that is connected to a controller  4 . The finger grip device may have the dimensions of one of the conventional finger grip devices being sold by the BCI company, and is configured to allow the insertion of a finger  6  therein so that the physiological data from the patient may be measured or monitored. Finger grip device  2  is shown to be electrically connected to controller  4  by means of a cable  8 . It should be noted, however, that cable  8  may be replaced by a wireless connection with the appropriate communications protocol, such as for example Bluetooth, between finger grip device  2  and controller  4 . 
     For the instant invention, however, cable  8  is connected to controller  4  by means of a probe interface  10 . Probe interface  10  is an input/output port through which data may traverse between finger grip device  2  and controller  4 . Probe interface  10  is connected to a memory  12  whereat, among other things, the scanned fingerprint of a patient may be stored for identification purposes. Memory  12  also stores the data collected from the oximeter portion of finger grip device  2 , as well as other physiological parameters collected from the patient by other probes or sensors that may also be connected to the controller. Memory  12  is connected to a processor, for example a conventional microprocessor  14 . 
     Connected to probe interface  10  are a number of circuits, including for example an oximeter circuit  16  and a fingerprint circuit  18 . The oximeter circuit  16  may be a circuit that is provided in the various BCI devices such as for example the aforenoted BCI 6200 and 6100 Series Vital Signs Monitor, and the BCI Capnocheck Plus, Autocorr Plus and Mini-Porr Plus devices. Specific reference of the oximeter circuit  16  may also be gleaned from co-pending application Ser. No. 09/940,418 filed Aug. 29, 2001 and assigned to the same assignee as the instant invention. The disclosure of the &#39;418 application including in particular the schematic directed to the oximeter circuit is incorporated by reference to the instant specification. The fingerprint circuit  18  may be a conventional fingerprint scan circuit disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,670. The disclosure of the &#39;670 patent is incorporated by reference herein. 
     There is also a switch  20  and a timer  22  provided in controller  4 . Both of switch  20  and timer  22  are controllable by the user so that the fingerprint sensor and the oximeter provided in device  2  may be selectively controlled. More on that later. The controller further includes an alarm  24  for providing an indication of potential problems when a particular measurement of a patient has exceeded or fallen below acceptable upper and lower thresholds, respectively. 
     The measured data from the patient may be displayed both graphically by means of a graphic display  26  and numerically by means of a numeric display  28 . The displays are driven by a display driver  30 , which is connected to processor  14 . Display driver  30  is also adaptable to drive an optional display  32  that ordinarily is not a part of controller  4 . Such optional display  32  may be a monitor provided at a location such as a central nursing station that is remote from the patient&#39;s room whereat controller  4  is located. 
     Controller  4  further has a communications port  34  that allows it to telecommunicate with remote devices such as for example a remote computer of a hospital where the patient&#39;s records may be located. Such remote computer is represented by mainframe computer  36 , which includes a processor  38  having electrically connected thereto a memory store  40 . It is in memory store  40  that the various records of the many patients of the hospital, including the patient that is being monitored, may be stored. A communications port  42  at remote computer  36  acts as a transceiver for exchanging data between computer  36  and controller  4 . 
     The mainframe computer may also be provided with an interface  44  that enables it to communicate with a remote fingerprint scanner  46 . Scanner  46  provides the means whereby the hospital can scan in the fingerprints of its patients for identification purposes, so that the respective records stored in memory  40  may be matched to the corresponding patients whose fingerprints are stored in memory store  40 . The connection between remote computer  36  and controller  4 , designated by communication link  48 , may be hardwired, telephonic, wireless or via the internet. 
     FIGS. 2-6 illustrate in detail the finger grip device  2 . In particular, device  2  is shown to have a first or upper finger grip portion  50  and a second or lower finger grip portion  52 . As best shown in FIGS. 2 b  and  3 , the finger grip portions  50  and  52  for the embodiment of the finger grip device shown in those figures is hingedly held by spring  54 , so that when a finger is moved along the direction of directional arrow  56  and makes contact with finger grip portions  50  and  52 , those portions are hingedly moved relative to each other to accommodate the incoming finger. 
     Upper and lower finger grip portions  50  and  52  are connected by a wire  56  that powers the oximeter detector  58  and the fingerprint sensor  60  provided at finger grip portion  52 . Covers  62  and  64  are provided to finger grip portions  50  and  52 , respectively, per shown in FIG.  3 . Handles  66  and  68  of covers  62  and  64 , respectively, enable a user to open finger grip portions  50  and  52  relative to each other to ease the insertion of the finger of the user between the finger grip portions. Covers  62  and  64  are held to the finger grip portions by inserts  70  and  72 , as shown in the top view of the device in FIG.  4 . To expose the finger pad of the inserted finger to the fingerprint sensor  60  and the oximeter detector  58 , a window  74  is provided at finger grip portion  52 . Window  74  is of a dimension sufficient to ensure that sufficient portion of the finger pad is exposed to the fingerprint sensor so that the fingerprint of the user could be sensed. 
     A light source  76  is provided at finger grip portion  50  to produce a light detected by photodetector  58  of the oximeter. The conventional light source is made up of at least two LEDs, as shown in FIG.  7 . The operation of the oximeter of the instant invention for obtaining the SPO 2  of the patient is similar to the operation performed by the aforenoted BCI oximeters, and is also disclosed in the aforenoted application Ser. No. 09/940,418. 
     As best shown in FIG. 8, in addition to photodetector  58  of the oximeter, the lower finger grip portion  52  of finger grip device  2  has a fingerprint sensor. Such fingerprint sensor is conventional and is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,413, the disclosure of which being incorporated by reference herein. In essence, fingerprint sensor  60  has an array of sensing cells, each including a transistor having a gain that depends on the pressure/temperature variations existing at the surface of the ball or pad of the finger that is making contact therewith. Sensor  60  converts the fingerprint at the ball of the finger into a topological pattern that is unique to the particular finger of the user. Although shown to be adjacent to each other, photodetector  58  and fingerprint sensor  60  may be arranged to complement each other to optimize the footpad of the finger grip device  2 . 
     In operation, when a patient or user inserts her finger to device  2 , depending on whether the patient&#39;s fingerprint had previously been stored, the nurse or physician in charge of controller  4  may selectively activate switch  20  and set timer  22  such that the fingerprint of the patient is sensed, before the patient&#39;s SPO 2  is measured. By scanning the patient&#39;s fingerprint first, the fingerprint of the patient may be routed by controller  4  to the mainframe computer  36  to identify the patient and to match the patient with the later collected data, which could then be stored in the appropriate file in remote memory store  40  that is associated with the patient. As was mentioned previously, the scanned fingerprint of the patient may also be stored in memory  12  of controller  4 . 
     Once the patient is identified, the SpO 2  of the patient, as it is being measured, is displayed at controller  4 , and also possibly at optional display  32 , with the patient&#39;s identity associated with the particular display. 
     The fingerprint sensor may also be operated periodically, in accordance with a specific setting of the timer  22  and switch  20 , so that periodic reading of the fingerprint of the patient is taken to ensure that the being monitored physiological data continues to correspond to the same patient. Also, the fingerprint sensor may be turned on continuously, and simultaneously, with the operation of the oximeter, so that continuous readings of the patient&#39;s SPO 2  and fingerprint take place. As noted earlier, by associating the being collected physiological data with the identity of the patient, the collected data could readily be associated with previous collected data for that patient, so that the being collected data could be added to the previously stored data. Further, by identifying the patient every time that a physiological data such as for example the SpO 2  of the patient is collected, the chances of a patient identification error occurring are reduced. 
     In the event that the remote computer requires that particular records stored in memory  40  be related to a patient before any tests for the patient are performed, the remote fingerprint scanner  46  connected to the remote computer may be used to sense the fingerprint of the patient, so that the identity of the patient is preestablished in the remote computer. By thus preestablishing the identify of a patient, as the patient&#39;s SPO 2 , and other physiological data, is collected by finger grip device  2  and other probes coupled to the patient remote from mainframe computer  36 , the data collected and processed by controller  4  could readily be routed to remote computer  36 , and matched to the patient for storage and analysis remotely from the patient. 
     FIG. 9 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the finger grip device  2  in which the finger grip portions  50 ′ and  60 ′ are housed in a casing  80 , with upper finger grip portion being fixedly held to casing  80  by a cover  82 . The movement of upper portion  50 ′ relative to lower portion  60 ′ is supported by a plurality of springs  84 , which act as a suspension system for lower finger grip portion  60 ′ when it moves in a vertical direction relative to upper finger grip portion  50 ′. The detailed operation of such suspension system is provided in the aforenoted incorporated by referenced application Ser. No. 09/940,418. 
     The present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail. Thus, it is intended that all matter described throughout this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only by spirit and scope of the hereto appended claims.