Abstract:
An office communication system provides intra-office communication within a medical or dental office, for example. The system includes a door or wall unit, a table or desk unit, and a wearable or portable unit. The door and desk units are configured to transmit and receive both infrared and radio frequency type wireless signals. The portable unit may include an infrared light transmitter configured to transmit infrared light encoded with a unique address or identifier. The system operates to non-obtrusively notify office personnel whether a practitioner has entered or is presently within a particular exam room of the office, even if a door of the exam room is closed.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/831,394 filed Jul. 15, 2006 and entitled REMOTE CONTROL OFFICE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to an office communication system having a number of units that are spatially separated and in communication with one another such that information may be exchanged between or among the units. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A medical office setting relies on unobtrusive methods to communicate information regarding office personnel needs and whereabouts, front desk needs and patient flow information. For example, the front desk or other office personnel may need to determine whether a particular doctor is in a particular exam room. Frequently, there are multiple examination rooms as well as multiple doctors, which can pose a challenge to continually monitor and track the whereabouts of various office personnel. 
     By way of example, a technician may need to notify a particular doctor that his or her patient has been placed in a certain exam room and is ready to be seen. Frequently, a doctor in a room with a patient needs to alert a medical technician outside of the room that assistance is needed in the room. 
     One commonly used, low-tech approach to solving the aforementioned problems includes a system of colored flags that are rotated into view and visible down a hallway of the office. Different colored flags can be manually rotated into view to signal various needs. 
     Intercom systems are also available to communicate between various locations in the office setting, but such systems often require hard wiring. In addition, intercom systems must be used with caution when patients are present due to privacy issues and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, commonly referred to as HIPAA. 
     Traditionally pagers have been used in medical settings, but pagers are more appropriate in a hospital based setting to call a doctor for a particular need or emergency and are impractical in smaller office environment such as a medical clinic or dental office. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, an office communication system provides intra-office communication, for example, within a medical or dental office. The system includes a door or wall unit, a table or desk unit and a wearable or portable unit. The door and desk units may be configured to transmit and receive optical, radio frequency, and other types of data or information carrying signals that are preferable sent and received wirelessly, but may be sent and received via other methods. For example, the door and desk units may be configured to send and receive infrared light signal encoded with a unique address or identifier. The portable unit may also include a transceiver configured to transmit and receive optical, radio frequency, and other types of data or information carrying signals. In an alternative embodiment, for example in order to conserve power, the portable unit may be substantially dormant until such time as it receives a low level radio frequency communication signal, such as from a radio frequency identification (RFID) device 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an office environment utilizing an office communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a first communication unit mountable on a vertical surface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a number of inter-related components within the first communication unit of  FIG. 2  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a second communication unit mountable on a horizontal surface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a number of inter-related components within the second communication unit of  FIG. 4  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of a portable communication unit attachable to an item of apparel of an office personnel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of a number of inter-related components within the portable communication unit of  FIG. 6  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  shows an office environment  100  having a first unit  101 , a second unit  200 , and a portable unit  300  according to an illustrated embodiment of the invention. The office environment  100  may be a medical office, dental office, or a similar office where patients or clients are seated in various rooms to be seen by at least one of the office personnel, for example a nurse, a doctor, a dentist, or a hygienist. In a preferred embodiment, the first unit  101  is mounted on a substantially vertical surface  106  such as an exterior surface of a door or wall of an examination room  108  such that the first unit  101  may be visible to those outside of the examination room  108  when the door  106  is closed. Likewise, the second unit  200  is positioned on a substantially horizontal surface  110  such as a desk or counter located in the examination room  108  and may be visible from within the examination room  108 . Alternatively, the first unit  101  and the second unit  200  may be mounted or supported on a variety of surfaces being horizontal, vertical, or having other slopes, and thus are not limited to being mounted or supported on the above-described vertical and horizontal surfaces. The portable unit  300  is attachable to an apparel item  112  such as a coat or scrubs typically worn by medical or dental office personnel. Preferably, the portable unit  300  is attached to the apparel item  112  so that it is visible to other personnel in the office environment  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic view of an external, viewable configuration of the first unit  101  (e.g., door unit) according to an embodiment of the invention. The door unit  101  includes a housing  114  having switches  116 ,  118 , and  120 , an audible sensory device  122 , optical sensory devices  124 ,  126 , and  128 , and a receiving element  130  for receiving a wireless signal (not shown). The door unit  101  may have a number of purposes such as, but not limited to, helping office personnel schedule and prioritize the occupancy of various exam rooms  108  ( FIG. 1 ), providing a notification that someone in the exam room  108  needs assistance, for example a doctor may need a particular medical instrument or indicating that the exam room needs to be cleaned, and for indicating specifically whether a particular individual, such as a particular doctor or dentist, is inside the exam room  108 . In one embodiment, the first and second units  101  and  200 , the door and desk units, respectively, may not be identical in appearance, structural configuration, purpose, or function. For example, the room unit  200  may not include any type of visible indicator to designate who is in the room and may not be battery powered. It is appreciated and discussed below, however, that the room unit  200  would be configured to provide information about who was in the room to another desk or room unit located in a remote part of the office or at least located outside of the particular room. 
     The switches  116 ,  118 , and  120  may be touch sensitive switches that are manually activated and cooperate with optical sensory devices  124 ,  126 , and  128 . In the illustrated embodiment, the switches  116 ,  118 , and  120  are located on a front surface  132  of the housing  114  below and approximately aligned with corresponding optical sensory devices  124 ,  126 , and  128 . In one embodiment, the optical sensory devices  124 ,  126 , and  128  are light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the audible sensory device  122  may be a piezoelectric beeper (not shown) for emitting an audible sound. It is appreciated that the number and arrangement of the switches and sensory devices may vary depending on different office configurations and office communication needs. 
     In one embodiment, the receiving element  130  operates as a light transmissive lens or filter for receiving a predetermined type of light, such as infrared light from an infrared LED source. Alternatively, the receiving element  130  may be configured as radio reception device capable of receiving a predetermined radio frequency (RF), which may include but is not limited a low frequency radio signal generally in a range of about 30 KHz to 500 KHz, a high frequency radio signal generally in a range of about 850 MHz to 950 MHz and 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz, or substantially any other radio frequency or rate in an overall range of about 3 Hz to 30 GHz. In an alternative embodiment, the light array  134  includes an array of different colored LEDs in which each color corresponds to an individual working in the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, the LED array  134  may have separate and discretely colored LEDs that represent each doctor or dentist working in the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). Accordingly and by way of example, a blue LED within the LED array  134  will light up when a Dr. Doe enters the exam room  108  ( FIG. 1 ) and will remain lit while the doctor remains in the exam room  108 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of the working components located within the housing  114  of the door unit  101 . In one example of the present invention, switches  116 ,  118 , and  120  are electronically connected to a circuit  152 , which in turn communicates with a microprocessor  154 . The microprocessor  154  is operably connected to a radio frequency transmitting module  156 , LED lights  124 ,  126 , and  128 , the LED array  134 , the audible sensory device  122 , and a radio frequency (RF) receiving module  158 . In one embodiment, the transmitting module  156  and the receiving module  158  are combined to take the form of a transceiver that operates to both send and receive signals. A transmission antenna  160  is connected to the RF transmitting module  156  and a reception antenna  162  is connected to the RF receiving module  158 . A power supply source  164 , such as a battery, supplies power to the at least some of the working components within the first unit  101 . 
     In addition, the microprocessor  154  is operably connected to an infrared receiver module  166  located behind the receiving element  130  ( FIG. 2 ) for receiving and processing infrared light. In one embodiment, the receiver module  166  communicates with an intermediate microprocessor  168 . In addition, the microprocessor  154  and the intermediate microprocessor  168  may include timing devices  170 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of an external, viewable configuration of the second unit  200  (e.g., desk unit) according to an embodiment of the invention. For purposes of this description, the configuration of the desk unit  200  is sufficiently identical to the configuration of the door unit  101  described above. One difference between the door unit  101  and the desk unit  200  is how or where the unit is located within the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, the door unit  101  may be mounted outside of the exam room  108  on a substantially vertical surface, whereas the desk unit  200  may be supported on a substantially horizontal surface such as a table, desk, or countertop within the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     The desk unit  200  includes a housing  214  having switches  216 ,  218 , and  220 , an audible sensory device  222 , optical sensory devices  224 ,  226 , and  228 , and a receiving element  230  for receiving a wireless signal (not shown). The desk unit  200  may have a number of purposes such as, but not limited to, helping office personnel schedule and prioritize the occupancy of various exam rooms  108  ( FIG. 1 ), providing a non-obtrusive means to request assistance within the exam room  108  without opening the door  106  ( FIG. 1 ) of the exam room  108 . By way of example, the desk unit  200  may provide an indication that a certain task, activity, or function is required to be performed in the exam room  108 . For example, the desk unit  200  may have color-coded LED that indicates to a person entering the room  108  that the room needs to be refreshed before the next patient arrives. It is appreciated that a variety of other tasks, activities, or functions may be coded on the desk unit  200  depending on the needs of the particular office environment. 
     The switches  216 ,  218 , and  220  may be touch sensitive switches that are manually activated and cooperate with optical sensory devices  224 ,  226 , and  228 . In the illustrated embodiment, the switches  216 ,  218 , and  220  are located on a front surface  232  of the housing  214  below and approximately aligned with corresponding optical sensory devices  224 ,  226 , and  228 . In one embodiment, the optical sensory devices  224 ,  226 , and  228  are light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the audible sensory device  222  is a piezoelectric beeper  240  for emitting an audible sound. It is appreciated that the number and arrangement of the switches and sensory devices may vary depending on different office configurations and office communication needs. 
     In one embodiment, the receiving element  230  operates as a light transmissive lens or filter for receiving a predetermined type of light, such as infrared light from an infrared LED source. Alternatively, the receiving element  230  may be configured as sound reception device capable of receiving a predetermined sound within a desired frequency range. Preferably, the desired frequency range is outside of an audible range (i.e., not detectable by a human ear). The receiving element  230  may cooperate with a light array  234 . 
     In one embodiment, the light array  234  includes an array of different colored LEDs in which each color corresponds to an individual working in the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, the LED array  234  may have separate and discretely colored LEDs that represent each doctor or dentist working in the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). 
       FIG. 5  shows a schematic view of the working components located within the housing  214  of the second or desk unit  200 . In one example of the present invention, switches  216 ,  218 , and  220  are electronically connected to a circuit  252 , which in turn communicates with a microprocessor  254 . The microprocessor  254  is operably connected to a radio frequency (RF) transmitting module  256 , LED lights  224 ,  226 , and  228 , the LED array  234 , the audible sensory device  222 , and a radio frequency (RF) receiving module  258 . In one embodiment, the transmitting module  256  and the receiving module  258  are combined to take the form of a transceiver that operates to both send and receive signals. A transmission antenna  260  is connected to the RF transmitting module  256  and a reception antenna  262  is connected to the RF receiving module  258 . A power supply source  264 , such as a battery, supplies power to the at least some of the working components within the desk unit  200 . One purpose of the desk unit  200  is to transmit a signal to a remote portion of the office carrying information about who is in the room at a particular time. In view of this, the desk unit  200  does not necessarily require any visible indicators on the desk unit  200 . If a visible indicator is provided, the indicator may take the form of a single LED with the capability to change colors depending on who is in the room or depending on whether a certain task, activity, or function is required in the room or the indicator may take the form of a panel of LEDs where each individual LED represents discrete and independent information. Further, the visible indicator may take a non-optical form, such as providing a particular sound or beep. 
     In addition, the microprocessor  254  is operably connected to an infrared receiver module  266  located behind the receiving element  230  ( FIG. 4 ) for receiving and processing infrared light. In one embodiment, the receiver module  266  communicates with an intermediate microprocessor  268 . In addition, the microprocessor  254  and the intermediate microprocessor  268  may include timing devices  270 . The timing device  270  may operate to automatically trigger the microprocessor  268  either ON or OFF so that it is not constantly in an “ON” state. 
       FIG. 6  shows the portable unit  300 , which may operate as a name tag and as a wireless office management device. One purpose of the portable unit  300  is to provide a means for office personnel to locate a particular individual within the office environment  100  ( FIG. 1 ). Preferably, the portable unit  300  includes a name  302  within a bordered region  304  located on a front surface  306  of a housing  308  of the portable unit  300 . The portable unit  300  further includes a transmitter lens  310  through which light or another type of wireless signal is transmitted to the first unit  101 , the second unit  200 , or both. In one embodiment, the transmitter lens  310  includes an optical filter for transmitting only infrared light. As will be explained in greater detail below, the transmitter lens  310  cooperates with the receiving elements  130 ,  230  of the first and second units  101 ,  200 , respectively. 
     In addition, an audible sensory device  312  is coupled to the portable unit  300  for emitting an audible sound, for example a beeping sound. In one embodiment, the audible sensory device  312  is a piezoelectric beeper. A pin  314  with a corresponding hook  316 , or other equivalent mechanical attachment means, is coupled to the housing  308  and may be manipulated to attach the portable unit  300  to an item of apparel such as a doctor&#39;s coat or a medical scrub shirt  112  ( FIG. 1 ). 
       FIG. 7  shows a schematic view of the working components of the portable unit  300 . Continuing the above-described example of the present invention, an RF receiving module  318  is connected to a microprocessor  320  which connects to a small vibrator motor  322  and a piezoelectric beeper  324 . The microprocessor  320  further includes a timing device  326 . The pin  148  functions as an antenna for the RF receiving module  172  in the illustrated embodiment. The antenna, however, may take other forms and may be located on other portions of the portable unit  300 . The transmitter lens  144  receives infrared light from an infrared transmitting module  328 , which may be coupled to an intermediate microprocessor  330  and may include another timing device  326 . A power supply source  332 , such as a battery, supplies power to the at least some of the working components within the portable unit  300 . In another embodiment, the receiving module  318  receives an infrared signal and the transmitting module  328  transmits an RF signal. Alternatively, the receiving module  318  and the transmitting module  328  may be configured to receive and transmit, respectively, other types of data or information carrying signals. 
     In one embodiment, the portable unit  300  is configured to be a passive RF unit. By way of example, the portable unit  300  may operate without a separate external power source and instead obtain operating power from the door unit  101 , the desk unit  200 , some other remote power source, or a combination of the above. Some possible advantages of a passive unit are a lower weight, less expensive, and a longer operational lifetime. 
     The timing devices  170  ( FIG. 3 ),  270  ( FIG. 5 ), and  326  ( FIG. 5 ) conserve power by allowing the respective microprocessors, transmitters and receivers to pulse on and off in a coordinated way. In one embodiment, the timing devices  170 ,  270  and  326  are configured to switch the respective units  101 ,  200 , and  300  from a sleep mode to an active mode, or vice-versa. Consequently, the timing devices  170 ,  270  and  326  may operate to reduce the overall power consumption and prolong battery life, which is likely more important for the portable unit  300  because the portable units  300  will likely be worn by office personnel throughout an entire workday. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-7  described above and using an office environment of a family practice medical clinic as an example, the general operation and intra-office communication of the door unit  101  and the desk unit  200  will now be described. If the doctor, nurse, or other person in the examination room  108  needs assistance, they may press or otherwise activate a desired switch  216 ,  218 , or  220  of the desk unit  200  to communicate with the microprocessor  254 . For example, activating the switch  216  signals the microprocessor  254  to briefly turn on the corresponding LED  224  and may further signal the RF transmitting module  256  to open radio frequency communication on a desired channel with the door unit  101 . 
     The door unit  101  receives the radio signal from the desk unit  200  via the RF receiving module  158 , which communicates with the microprocessor  154  of the door unit  101  to illuminate the LED  124  and may briefly activate or sound the audible sensory device  122  of door unit  101 . The LED  124  of the door unit  101  stays lit until one of the office personnel outside of the exam room  108  touches the switch  116  of the door unit  101  to turn off LED  124 . In one embodiment the office personnel outside of the exam room  108  may be alerted by the audible sensory device  122 , and can look up to see which room has the LED lit. Similarly, personnel outside of the exam room may touch switch  118  of the door unit  101  to sound beeper  222  and LED  224  of the desk unit  200 .The doctor or other person in the room would then be prompted to turn off the LED  224  of the desk unit  200  by touching the switch  220  of the desk unit  200 . Thus, a type of wireless 3-way switch is created between the door unit  101  and the desk unit  200 . The electronics can be designed so that LEDs stay on via a brief RF signal with the microprocessor providing an ON and OFF toggling function. In addition, the door unit  101  and the desk unit  200  may operate on a three-way switch meaning that same button is not required to turn features on the respective units either ON or OFF. For example, the LED  224  of the desk unit  200  may be turned ON or OFF remotely, by personnel using another desk unit  200  in a front office area. 
     If the officer personnel want to communicate that a particular exam room  108  is next to be seen by the doctor, the switch  116  of the door unit  101  may be touched, which signals the touch-sensitive circuit  152  and the microprocessor  154  and turns on the LED  124 . If the office personnel wish to turn off the LED  124 , the switch  116  is simply touched again. Similarly, the doctor may active the switch  218  on the desk unit  200  to signal a particular need, such as the assistance of one of the office personnel to obtain or clean a medical instrument. 
     Various embodiments of this invention can consist of multiple door and desk units, each with multiple rows of touch sensitive switches and LEDs. Each switch of each box with a remote control function can have a unique RF signal or channel. Alternatively, some switches can have a common channel, thus allowing the front desk to signal all rooms with one button. Additionally, other embodiments may allow an individual switch to be selected to act either as an individual on/off switches or as paired remote switches. 
     In one embodiment, a front desk unit  200  includes a central panel having and LED array showing various activities in the multiple rooms of the office environment, for example indicating which doctor is in which room at any given time. The central panel permits the front office personnel to schedule and prioritize aspects of the office by having real time information about what is happening in a selected room. The LED array may take the form of a map or a layout of the office environment with each room having at least one LED indicator associated therewith. 
     The operation of the portable unit  300  will now be described. There may be times where the doctor needs to signal the assistant for help when the location of the assistant is not known. Or similarly, for the assistant or front desk to alert the doctor when his whereabouts in the office are not known. The doctor, needing to call the assistant for help, presses the touch switch  220  on desk unit  200 , which activates the circuit  252  of the desk unit  200 , which then triggers the microprocessor  254  to briefly light LED  224 . In addition, the microprocessor  254  controls the RF transmitting module  256  of desk unit  200  for communicates on a unique channel with RF receiving module  328  of the portable unit  300 , which signals the microprocessor  330  to briefly activate the vibrator motor  322  and beeper  324  of the portable unit  300 . Each portable unit  300  may have a unique RF communication address, which permits the signaling of a specific person. In addition or alternatively, each portable unit  300  may have a common address, which permits at least a majority of the office personnel to be alerted. Other embodiments of the portable unit  300  may allow for switching between a common address and a unique address to increase the versatility of the overall system. In another embodiment, each portable unit  300  may have separate and discrete beeper tones to designate specific signals. 
     In one embodiment, the infrared transmitting module  328  of the portable unit  300  transmits a unique signal at a particular interval determined by the timing device  326  in communication with the intermediate microprocessor  330 . When the doctor wearing the portable unit  300  enters the examination room  108 , the receiving element  230  of the desk unit  200  receives the infrared light from the portable unit  300 . Then, the desk unit  200 , using the RF transmitting module  256 , signals the RF receiving module  156  of the door unit  101  to activate the microprocessor  154  of the door unit  101  to controllably turn on one of the LEDs in the LED array  134  of the door unit  101 . The particular LED which is lit may be associated with unique address corresponding to the infrared transmitting module  328  of portable unit  300 . 
     Thus, no matter which room the doctor enters, the same color LED will be lit on the door unit  101  outside that particular exam room  108 . At the same time the LED array  134  is signaled on the door unit  101  when the doctor enters the exam room  108 , either the door unit  101  or the desk unit  200 , or both, depending on the embodiment, may communicate with the other regarding the status of the doctor and provide instructions to turn on or off the LED However, the above-identified LED of the LED array  134  on the door unit  101  will remain lit until the doctor exits the exam room  108 . At that point, the infrared receiving module  266  of the desk unit  200  no longer receives the infrared signal from portable unit  300 . Once the desk unit  200  has failed to receive any infrared light from the portable unit  300  for a predetermined amount of time, the desk unit  200  signals the microprocessor  154  of the door unit  101  to turn off the individual LED of LED array  134 . 
     In yet another example of the operation of the system, one of the office personnel signals which room the doctor will be entering next by touching the switch  116  on the door unit  101 , which turns on one of the LEDs  124 ,  126 , or  128 . When the doctor enters that room the lit LED  124 ,  126 , or  128  automatically turns off, and the LED light unique to that doctor within the LED array  134  is turned on. When the doctor leaves the room, the unique LED light on the LED array  134  of the door unit  101  is automatically turned off. Consequently, anyone in proximity to a particular door unit  101  may be able to determine which doctor is in which room looking at which color LED within the LED array  134  happens to be lit. 
     In yet another embodiment, the door unit  101  works directly with the portable unit  300  without any intermediate communication with the desk unit  200 . Other embodiments may include radio frequency identification technology having a directional capability, rather than infrared sensing modules. Further, the wireless signals may be transmitted and received using short range radio frequency technology, blue tooth type technology, or an equivalent technology. Moreover, many different variations of LED colors, flashing LEDs, bi-color or tri-color LEDs, LED array configurations or layouts, different sounds or different types of beepers, may be included in the above-described embodiments. Additionally, the portable unit  300  may include a belt clip (not shown) so that it may be worn similar to a pager. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.