Patent Publication Number: US-2012025990-A1

Title: Bed exit alert silence with automatic re-enable

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to beds that are used in healthcare facilities and that have bed exit alert or alarm systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to beds having an alarm silence function that can be used to silence an audible alarm. 
     Hospital beds having bed exit alarms are known. Such beds typically have a local alarm, such as a buzzer or beeper, that sounds when the bed exit alarm is armed or enabled and the patient gets out of bed. Some such beds may also be configured to send an alert message to a nurse call system so that a nurse at a master station and/or caregivers carrying wireless communication devices, are alerted to the bed exit alarm condition. Many of the prior art beds also have an alarm silence button that, when pressed, turns off the bed exit alarm function of the bed and also stops an audible alarm, such as a beeper or buzzer, from sounding. Pressing the alarm silence button also may cancel the alert in the nurse call system. 
     In a typical scenario, when the bed exit alarm system is enabled with a patient on the bed, the alarm will sound when the patient gets out of the bed such as to go to the bathroom, for example. A caregiver will respond to the alarm, see that the patient is simply going to the bathroom, and then press the alarm silence button. Once the patient has finished going to the bathroom, the caregiver may even assist the patient in getting back into bed. However, on some occasions, caregivers forget to turn the bed exit alarm system back on. That is, a caregiver may, on occasion, forget to re-enable the alarm. Thus, the next time that the patient decides to get out of bed, no bed exit alarm sounds and no bed exit alert message is sent to the nurse call system. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention comprises one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject matter: 
     A hospital bed may include a patient support structure and a bed exit alarm system carried by the patient support structure. The bed exit alarm system may have an audible alarm that sounds when an alert condition is detected. The bed exit alarm system may further include at least one user input that is used to enable the bed exit alarm system when a patient is supported by the patient support structure. Thus, the audible alarm may sound if the bed exit alarm system is enabled and the alert condition is detected. The hospital bed may further have a bed exit alarm silence input. Use of the bed exit alarm silence input stops the audible alarm from sounding. The bed exit alarm system may be configured such that after the bed exit alarm silence input is used, the bed exit alarm system is re-enabled automatically without any action by a caregiver in response to the bed exit alarm system sensing that the patient is, once again, supported on the support structure. 
     The term “hospital bed” as used herein, is intended to cover beds used in all types of healthcare settings such as, for example, nursing homes and even a patient&#39;s residence, and is not intended to be limited to just those beds used in hospitals. When it is stated herein that the bed exit alarm system is “enabled” (as well as uses of other forms of the word “enable”), it is intended to mean that the bed exit system is “armed.” That is, if the bed exit alarm system is enabled or armed, that means that the bed exit alarm system is on and a bed exit alarm will be activated in response to an alert condition being detected. On the other hand, if the bed exit alarm system is disabled or disarmed, that means that the bed exit alarm system is off. The terms “alert” and “alarm,” as used herein, are each intended to have the broad meanings of both. The term “bed exit alarm system” is intended to cover systems that can alarm in response to patient movement, such as sitting up from a lying position or movement toward an edge or end of the bed and not just systems that alarm as a result of a bed exit. 
     The bed exit alarm system may include control circuitry and a plurality of sensors that produce signals from which the control circuitry may determine whether the alert condition exists. The plurality of sensors may comprise, for example, at least one load cell and/or at least one force sensitive resistor. The signals from the sensors may also be used by a weigh scale system of the bed. 
     The bed exit alarm silence input may comprise a button that is pressed or may comprise an icon on a graphical display screen that is touched. If a button is used, the button may comprise a membrane switch in some embodiments. However, other types of buttons, including touch sensors, are contemplated by this disclosure as well. The patient support structure may comprise a barrier, such as a footboard or siderail, and the bed exit alarm silence input may be located on the barrier. Alternatively or additionally, the bed exit alarm silence input may be provided on a wired or wireless caregiver pod or pendant. In some embodiments, the caregiver pod or pendant may detachably couple to a siderail of the bed. 
     According to some embodiments, the hospital bed may further include a first light coupled to the patient support structure. The first light may blink after the bed exit alarm silence input is used and prior to the bed exit alarm system being re-enabled automatically. The first light may be amber in color when blinking. The patient support may have a second light that also blinks after the bed exit alarm silence input is used and prior to the bed exit alarm system being re-enabled automatically. The second light may be on the barrier. 
     The second light may be associated with one of the user inputs that is used for enabling the bed exit alarm system in a particular mode. The bed exit alarm system may be enabled in a plurality of system modes, each system mode requiring a different amount of movement by the patient relative to the patient support structure before an alarm condition is considered to exist. The second light may be adjacent to an indicia on the barrier that indicates in which system mode of the plurality of system modes the bed exit alarm system has been enabled. The indicia may be on one of the user inputs. 
     The bed exit alarm system may be enabled in a first system mode in which movement by the patient relative to the patient support structure by a first amount is considered to be the alert condition. The bed exit alarm system also has an out-of-bed mode in which movement by the patient relative to the patient support structure by a second amount, greater than the first amount, is considered to be the alert condition. If the bed exit alarm system was enabled in the first mode prior to the bed exit alarm silence input being used, the bed exit system may first re-enable in the out-of-bed mode as an interim step as the patient enters onto the patient support structure and then may re-enable in the first mode after the patient has more fully moved onto the patient support structure. In some embodiments, the bed exit alarm system re-enables in the out-of-bed mode in response to a threshold amount of weight being detected as being added to the patient support structure. 
     According to this disclosure, the at least one user input may also be used for manually disabling the bed exit alarm system. In some embodiments, the at least one user input may include a key button and a plurality of mode buttons, each of the mode buttons corresponding to a mode of operation of the bed exit alarm system. The bed exit alarm system may be configured so that, if the bed exit alarm system is disabled, the bed exit alarm system becomes enabled in response to the key button and a selected one of the plurality of mode buttons being pressed simultaneously or the key button being pressed for a threshold amount of time and then one of the plurality of mode buttons being pressed within a short time period thereafter. Similarly, the bed exit alarm system may be configured so that, if the bed exit alarm system is enabled, the bed exit alarm system becomes disabled in response to the key button and a selected one of the plurality of mode buttons being pressed simultaneously or the key button being pressed for a threshold amount of time and then the appropriate one of the plurality of mode buttons being pressed within a short time period thereafter. 
     The hospital bed may have a power plug coupled to the patient support structure. The bed exit alarm system may become disabled in response to the power plug being unplugged from a power source regardless of whether the bed exit alert silence input has been used. The bed exit alarm system may be configured to sound an arming tone after the bed exit alarm system is re-enabled automatically. 
     After the bed exit alarm silence input is used, a first message may be transmitted from the bed to a remote computer device to indicate that the bed exit alarm system is in a suspend mode. After the bed exit alarm system is re-enabled automatically, a second message may be transmitted from the bed to the remote computer device to indicate that the bed exit alarm system is no longer in the suspend mode and is re-enabled. The remote computer device may comprise a master station computer or console of a nurse call system, for example. The remote computer device may display information indicating whether the bed exit alarm system of the hospital bed is enabled, alarming, suspended, or disabled. The remote computer device may display this type of information for a plurality of hospital beds. 
     Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), such as those listed above and those listed in the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently perceived. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hospital bed; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of a user input panel having user inputs for controlling the operation of a bed exit alarm system of the hospital bed and having an alarm silence/alarm pause input; 
         FIG. 3  is a template showing how  FIGS. 3A and 3B  fit together to form a flow chart of an algorithm that includes steps for automatically re-enabling the bed exit alarm system after the alarm silence button has been used; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing basic components of the bed exit alarm system of the bed and showing the bed communicating through communication infrastructure with a remote computer device and an in-room computer device; 
         FIG. 5  is a screen shot showing an Alarm Silence Durations screen that appears on a graphical display screen of an alternative hospital bed and that has fields for entry of a silence duration and a suspend duration; 
         FIG. 6  is a screen shot showing a first alarm screen that appears on the graphical display screen in response to an alarm condition when a bed exit alarm system is enabled or armed in a patient movement mode; 
         FIG. 7  is a screen shot showing a second alarm screen that appears on the graphical display screen in response to an alarm condition when a bed exit alarm system is enabled or armed in a patient exit mode; 
         FIG. 8  is a screen shot showing a third alarm screen that appears on the graphical display screen in response to an alarm condition when a bed exit alarm system is enabled or armed in an out-of-bed mode; and 
         FIG. 9  is a screen shot of a Bed Exit Monitoring Options screen that appears on the graphical display screen if a silence button on any of the screens of  FIGS. 6-8  is touched or pressed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to this disclosure, a hospital bed  10 , shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a bed exit alarm system  12 , shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 4 , which has an auto re-enable function or feature. The auto re-enable feature is unique in that no hospital beds known heretofore include such a feature. While the auto re-enable feature disclosed herein may be implemented on any type of hospital bed having a bed exit alarm system, illustrative hospital bed  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is a VersaCare® bed available from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. As such, the details of bed  10  can be found, in large part, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,658,680; 6,691,346; 6,957,461; and 7,296,312 each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     Bed  10  has a number of barriers  14  coupled to a bed frame  16  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Barriers  14  include a headboard  18 , a footboard  20 , and siderails  22 . Frame  16  includes a base frame  24  with casters  26  and an upper frame  28  to which siderails  22  are coupled. Upper frame  16  includes a number of mattress support sections that support a mattress  30 . In  FIG. 1 , all of the siderails  22  are shown in a raised position. However, each siderail  22  is movable form the raised position to a lowered position to permit a patient to get on and off the mattress  30  of bed  10 . Thus, frame  16  or mattress  30  or both serves as a patient support structure of bed  10 . The term “patient support structure” as used in the claims is intended to cover all types of mattresses and/or bed frames, including bariatric mattresses or bed frames. Typically, a mattress or support surface, such as mattress  30 , is present when beds are used to support patients, but the mattress and bed frames are often sold separately. 
     Bed  10  has a number of user input panels or control panels, including user input panels  32  that are affixed to the siderails closest to the head end of bed  10 , a hand-held pendant or pod  34  removably coupled to one of the siderails  22  closest to the foot end of bed  10 , and another user input panel  36  coupled to footboard  20 . Pendant  34  is configured to snap into openings  38  provided in each siderail  22 . Pendant  34  can be detached from each siderail  22  and held by a patient or caregiver during use. Control panel  36  is movable from a storage position, shown in  FIG. 1 , to a use position by pulling panel  36  upwardly relative to footboard  20 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , one of the control panels  32  affixed to the head end siderails  22  includes various user inputs that control scale, surface, and bed exit alarm system functions of bed  10 . Alternatively or additionally, the same type of user inputs for controlling these same functions can be provided on pendant  34  and control panel  36 . In the illustrative example, the user inputs are buttons that are pressed to close contacts of a membrane switch, but other types of user inputs may be used if desired. For example, a touch screen display would be one suitable alternative. 
     The control panel  32  of  FIG. 2  includes a weigh button  40  that is pressed to take a patient weight reading, a zero bed button  42  that is pressed prior to the patient getting on the bed to set a tare weight of the scale system, and a display screen  44  on which the patient&#39;s weight is displayed. Control panel  32  also has a normal button  46  that is pressed to signal a mattress control system to inflate mattress air bladders to target pressures that are normal for supporting a patient. A max inflate button  48  of panel  32  is pressed to inflate the air bladders of the mattress to their maximum target pressures such when a patient is being transferred laterally from bed  10  onto a stretcher for transport. Panel has a right turn button  50  and a left turn button  52  that are used to inflate a right turn bladder and a left turn bladder, respectively, to turn a patient onto their right side or left side. Each of buttons  46 , 48 ,  50 ,  52  has an LED  49  that is lit during the time that the function corresponding to buttons  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52  is in operation. 
     Panel  32  of  FIG. 2  also has an Alerts On/Off button  54  that that can be pressed to turn on and off, alternately, the alerting function of bed  10 . When the alert function is on, signals are transmitted from bed  10  to alert caregivers at remote locations of designated alert conditions. The caregivers are notified of the alerts at a master nurse call station computer, for example, and in some instances, on the display screens of portable wireless communication devices carried by caregivers. The alerts that are communicated include, for example, siderail down alerts, brake not set alerts, bed exit or patient movement alerts, and so forth. U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,386 includes a discussion of selecting the bed alert types to which caregivers are to be notified and is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Button  54  has an LED  55  that is lit when the alerting function of bed  10  is turned on. 
     Panel  32  of  FIG. 2  also has first, second and third buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64  that are used to select the sensitivity level of the bed exit alarm system  12  of bed  10 . Thus, in the illustrative example, the bed exit alarm system  12  of bed  10  has three modes of sensitivity. However, bed exit alarm systems having more or less than three modes of sensitivity are within the scope of this disclosure. The sensitivity level dictates the amount that the patient must move on bed  10  before an alert condition is considered to exist. In some embodiments, to select the level of sensitivity of the bed exit alarm system  12 , an enable button  66  is pressed simultaneously with pressing the desired one of buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64 . In some embodiments, the simultaneous pressing of button  66  along with one of buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64  must occur for a short duration, such as two seconds for example. In other embodiments, the enable button  66  is pressed for a threshold amount of time, such as two seconds, and then one of the plurality of mode buttons is pressed within a short time period thereafter, such as within two seconds. Once system  12  is enabled, LED  67  is no longer lit and the LED  63  corresponding to the sensitivity level in which system  12  is enabled is lit. After system  12  becomes enabled, a short tone will sound to indicate that the bed exit alarm system  12  has been successfully enabled. 
     When buttons  60 ,  66  are used to enable system  12 , the bed exit alarm system  12  is enabled in a patient movement mode in which only a slight amount of movement of the patient, such as the patient sitting up in bed, for example, causes system  12  to alarm. When buttons  62 ,  66  are used to enable system  12 , system  12  is enabled in a patient exit mode in which movement of the patient toward exiting the bed by a sufficient amount to constitute an impending exit from the bed  10  causes system  12  to alarm. When buttons  64 ,  66  are used to enable system  12 , system  12  is enabled in an out-of-bed mode in which the patient has, at least partially, moved off of the bed by transferring a threshold amount of weight onto a floor of a room in which bed  10  is situated, for example. In other embodiments, the out-of-bed mode may correspond to a large amount of movement of the patient toward exiting the bed, but prior to the transfer of any of the patient&#39;s weight off of the bed. When system  12  is enabled, an LED  63  of the button  60 ,  62 ,  64  corresponding to the mode in which system  12  is enabled is lit as is an LED  67  of button  66 . 
     Panel  32  of  FIG. 2  has a volume button  68  that is pressed to toggle through different volume settings to select a volume at which an audible alarm  70 , shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 4 , sounds when activated. According to this disclosure, audible alarm  70  can be any sound producing device such as, for example, a speaker, horn, or buzzer. In one embodiment, audible alarm  70  is a piezoelectric buzzer. First, second, and third LED&#39;s  72 ,  74 ,  76  are situated adjacent to button  68  and are lit to indicate the selected volume level. Sequential presses of button  68  scrolls through high, medium, and low volume levels. LED  72  corresponds to the high volume level, LED  74  corresponds to the medium volume level, and LED  76  corresponds to the low volume level. LEDs  72 ,  74 ,  76  have different sizes to provide the user with a visual indication of the volume level selected. LED  72  is bigger than LED  74  and LED  76  is smaller than LED  74  in this regard. 
     Panel  32  of  FIG. 2  has an alarm pause button or user input  80  which is sometimes referred to herein as an alarm silence input. Button  80  is pressed to silence the sounding of alarm  70  after an alert condition has been detected by system  12 . In the illustrative example, button  80  only has any affect on system  12  after an alarm condition has been detected. That is, button  80  cannot be used to preemptively stop the alarm  70  from sounding in the illustrative embodiment. So, in the illustrative example, after system  12  is enabled, if a caregiver wants to have the patient exit bed  10  without the alarm  70  sounding, the caregiver will disable the alarm system altogether by simultaneously pressing button  66  and the button  60 ,  62 ,  64  corresponding to the mode in which system  12  is currently enabled or by button  66  being pressed for a threshold amount of time and then one of the plurality of mode buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64  being pressed within a short time period thereafter. A short tone will sound when system  12  becomes disabled. Embodiments in which system  12  is configured to preemptively stop the sounding of alarm  70  in response to pressing button  80  when system  12  is enabled and the patient is in bed  10  are, however, contemplated by this disclosure. When button  80  is pressed after system  12  detects a bed exit alert condition, an LED  81  of button  80  is lit, such as by blinking or flashing. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , system  12  has control circuitry  82  that is electrically coupled to audible alarm  70  and alarm silence input  80 . Circuitry  82  is also electrically coupled to buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  which, in  FIG. 4 , are illustrated generically as user inputs  84 . Circuitry  82  is also coupled to one or more sensors  86  that are used to detect the movement of the patient on bed  10  and/or the exit of the patient from bed  10 . In one embodiment, sensors  10  are load cells that are included as part of bed frame  16 . The load cells each include strain gage elements that are mounted to a mass of material, such as a metal material like aluminum, and that change resistance based on an amount that the mass of material of the load cell is deflected. A discussion of how the use of load cells as sensors  86  may provide different bed exit modes of varying levels of sensitivity can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,366 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Signals from the load cells are also used by the weigh scale system of bed  10  to calculate patient weight. 
     Sensors  86  of system  12  can include other types of sensing devices in other embodiments. For example, suitable sensors may include force sensitive resistors (FSRs) that are placed beneath the mattress  30  of the bed  10  on the mattress support deck. In fact, one example in which FSRs are used in combination with load cells in a bed exit alarm system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,312 which is already incorporated by reference herein. Other examples in which FSRs are used as part of a bed exit alarm system are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,464,605 and 6,208,250 which are both hereby incorporated by reference herein. Other types of contemplated sensors include capacitive sensors such as those shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,552 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein and tape switches such as those shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,560 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Thus, according to this disclosure sensors  86  of a bed exit system  12  can be of one type, such as load cells, FSRs, tape switches, or capacitive sensors, just to name a few, or can be of different types, such as using combinations of the sensors mentioned herein. 
     In the illustrative embodiment, bed  10  has alert lights  88  provided at the bottom corners of upper frame  28  at the foot end of bed  10  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Lights  88  are activated in different ways to indicate the condition of bed  10 . When no alerts or alarms exist, lights  88  are activated to shine green, for example. When an alert or alarm occurs, including a bed exit alarm, lights  88  are activated to shine red and, in some embodiments, to blink. When alarm silence input  80  is pressed, alert lights  88  shine amber and, in some embodiments such as the illustrative one, are operated to blink. Lights  88  are illustrated diagrammatically in  FIG. 4  as visual alarm  88 . Other visuals alarms  88  that may be used in addition to, or instead of lights  88 , include graphical display screens that change background color, for example, and may even include IV pole mounted or wall mounted devices such as lights or graphical display screens. 
     Control circuitry  82  of bed  10  is electrically coupled to a communication port  90  as shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 4 . Port  90  is communicatively coupleable to a remote computer device  92  via communication infrastructure  94 . Thus, data is transmitted from bed  10  to computer device  92  via infrastructure  94  and data is received by bed from computer device  92  via infrastructure  94  in the illustrative example. Bed  10  also communicates with an in room computer device  96  via communication infrastructure  94 . In an alternative arrangement, in room computer device  96  couples to port  90  directly as indicated by the dashed line between device  96  and port  90  in  FIG. 4 . 
     Remote computer device  92  is a master nurse call station or console and in room computer device  96  is an audio station or graphical room station in some embodiments. The communication infrastructure  94  includes the various electrical and communications equipment that interconnects bed  10  with devices  94 ,  96 . Thus, devices  92 ,  96  and infrastructure  94  may comprise part of a dedicated nurse call system in some embodiments. Infrastructure  94  may comprise part of an ethernet of a healthcare facility in other embodiments. Examples of the types of equipment used to interconnect beds with remote computer devices and in-room computer devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,386 which is already incorporated by reference herein, U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,659 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, and in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009/0217080; 2009/0212956; and 2009/0212925 which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     When alert silence input  80  is engaged, system  12  enters into a suspend mode in which the sounding of alarm  70  is silenced. Furthermore, in response to system  12  being put into the suspend mode, control circuitry  82  transmits a message destined for remote computer device  92  and/or in room computer device  96  if those devices  92 ,  96  happen to be communicatively coupled to bed  10 . Computer devices  94 ,  96  have display screens to display a message or icon or to otherwise visually indicate that system  12  of bed  10  is in the suspend mode. For example, a bed exit icon or field that is associated with bed  10  may change colors on the display screen of devices  94 ,  96  in response to the message indicating that system  12  has entered the suspend mode. 
     Control circuitry of bed  82  includes, among other things, at least one microcontroller or microprocessor and memory devices that stores software which controls the operation of the bed exit alarm system  12 . Circuitry  82  as illustrated diagrammatically in  FIG. 4  represents all of the circuitry of bed  10 , including the portion of the circuitry dedicated to the bed exit alarm system  12 . In some embodiments, circuitry  82  comprises various circuit modules that interconnect in a network configuration, such as a controller area network (CAN). The details of this sort of bed network configuration are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,658,680; 6,691,346; 6,957,461; and 7,296,312 which are already incorporated by reference herein. 
     As alluded to above, bed exit alarm system  12  has an auto re-enable feature. An algorithm which is illustrative of the software that is stored in circuitry  82  of system  12  and that implements the auto re-enable feature is shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . As indicated at block  100 , system  12  has an idle mode in which system  12  is disabled or not enabled. In the idle mode, in which the patient&#39;s movement toward exiting the bed  10  is not even monitored, alarms  70 ,  88  are off as are the LED&#39;s  63  that are associated with buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64 . In  FIGS. 3A and 3B  the term “safelights” is referring to lights  88  and the term “bed exit indicators” is referring to LED&#39;s  63 . In the algorithm depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the state of alarms  70 ,  88  is relative only to bed exit alarm system  12 . Other conditions of bed  10  being monitored may result in alarms  70 ,  88  being activated even though a bed exit alarm does not exist. 
     As indicated at block  102 , system  12  checks to determine if it has been enabled in any of its bed exit modes (e.g., the patient movement, patient exit, and out-of-bed modes discussed above). If system  12  has not been enabled, then the algorithm returns to block  100 . If system has been enabled, then the algorithm proceeds to block  104  which corresponds to an armed mode in which alarm  70  is off, lights  88  shine green, and the LED  63  corresponding to the mode in which system  12  is enabled is on or lit. When enabling system  12 , a caregiver may check to determine that the patient is properly positioned on mattress  30  such as making sure the patient is generally centered between the sides of the bed and, in some embodiment, that the patient&#39;s hips are generally aligned with a hip locator such as an indicia on upper frame  28  or on one of siderails  22 . 
     As indicated at block  106 , after the system is armed, the algorithm determines whether system  12  has been deactivated or disabled or disarmed. If system  12  has been deactivated, the algorithm returns to block  100 . If the system  12  has not been deactivated, then system  12  is still enabled, and the algorithm proceeds to block  108 . As indicated at block  108 , system  12  determines whether bed exit alarm criteria have been met. If the bed exit alarm criteria are not met, then the algorithm returns to block  104  as indicated in  FIG. 3A . If the bed exit alarm criteria are met, then system  12  is in an alarm mode and the algorithm proceeds to block  110 . 
     As indicated at block  110 , when system  12  is in the alarm mode, audible alarm  70  is activated, lights  88  blink amber, and the LED  63  associated with the mode in which system  12  is enabled blinks. In some embodiments, when an alarm condition is detected, a message such as “bed exit alarm” is displayed on display screen  44  and optionally, the displayed message may flash. While system  12  is alarming in the alarm mode, the algorithm checks to determine if alarm pause button  80  (referred to as a “silence key” in  FIG. 3A ) has been pressed as indicated at block  112 . If button  80  has not been pressed, then the algorithm returns to block  110  and the alarming continues. If button  80  has been pressed, the algorithm proceeds to a silenced or suspend mode as indicated at block  114 . 
     In the silenced or suspend mode of block  114 , audible alarm  70  is off, lights  88  continue to blink amber, and the bed exit indicator (i.e., the LED  63  associated with the mode in which the system  12  was enabled) continues to blink. As indicated at block  116  of  FIG. 3B , after the algorithm enters the silenced mode, system  12  determines whether a threshold amount of time has elapsed, which in the illustrative example, is 30 seconds. If the threshold amount of time has not elapsed, system  12  proceeds to block  118  and determines whether bed exit alarm system has been deactivated via the use of button  66  and the button  60 ,  62 ,  64  corresponding to the mode in which system  12  was enabled. If at block  118  it is determined that system  12  has been deactivated, the algorithm proceeds back to the idle mode of block  100 . If at block  118  it is determined that system  12  has not been deactivated, system  12  remains in the silenced mode and the algorithm returns to block  114 . 
     If at block  116  it is determined that the threshold amount of time has elapsed, then system  12  checks to determine whether the original arming criteria is met as indicated at block  120 . At block  120 , therefore, system  12  is checking to determine whether the patient has returned to the bed. This is done in the illustrative embodiment by determining whether a sufficient amount of weight, as measured by the scale system of bed  10 , has returned to the bed  10  and is not distributed in a manner that would violate the original arming criteria corresponding to the selected sensitivity in which system  12  was originally armed. If at block  120  it is determined that the original arming criteria has been met, then system  12  of bed  10  is automatically re-enabled and the algorithm returns to the armed or enabled mode of block  104 . A short tone sounds when system  12  is re-enabled or re-armed. 
     As is evident in the algorithm of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , when the patient returns to bed  10  when system  12  is in the silenced or suspend mode and the patient returns to a proper position on bed  10 , system  12  is enabled or armed without the need for a caregiver to manipulate any of the user inputs of bed  10 . This alleviates the problems that may arise due to a caregiver forgetting to re-enable the bed exit alarm system  12  after a patient returns to bed  10 . 
     If at block  120 , it is determined that the original arming criteria is not met, then the algorithm proceeds to block  122  to determine whether the out of bed arming criteria. Thus, at block  120 , system  12  is checking to determine whether the patient is in the process of getting back on bed  10  and has gotten onto the bed an amount sufficient to meet the less sensitive criteria of the out-of-bed mode but not the more sensitive criteria of the patient exit mode or patient movement mode. If at block  122  the out of bed arming criteria has not been met, then the algorithm returns to block  114 . 
     If at block  122  the out of bed arming criteria has been met, then system  12  enters into an interim out of bed arming mode as indicated at block  124 . In the interim out of bed arming mode, audible alarm  70  continues to be turned off, lights  88  continue to blink amber, and the bed exit indicator (i.e., the LED  63  associated with the mode in which the system  12  was enabled) continues to blink. In the illustrative example, if system  12  enters into the interim out of bed arming mode, the bed exit alarm activation tone does not sound. The tone only sounds when the originally armed mode is re-established in the illustrative example. However, it is within the scope of this disclosure for the bed exit alarm activation tone to sound when system  10  enters into the interim out of bed arming mode. It will be appreciated that, if system  12  was originally enabled or armed in the out-of-bed mode, the algorithm will not proceed to block  122  from block  120  because the original arming criteria is the out-of-bed mode criteria in that instance and the “yes” branch from block  120  will be followed when the out-of-bed mode criteria is met. 
     After entering the interim out of bed arming mode, the algorithm proceeds to block  126  and determines whether the bed exit alarm system has been deactivated altogether by appropriate use of buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66  as described above. If system  12  has been deactivated as determined at block  126 , the algorithm returns to block  100 . If the system  12  has not been deactivated as determined at block  126 , the algorithm continues to block  128  and determines whether a threshold amount of time, which is 30 seconds in the illustrative embodiment, has elapsed since system  12  entered the interim out of bed arming mode. If the threshold amount of time of block  128  has not elapsed, the algorithm returns to block  124  and system  12  remains in the interim out of bed arming mode. 
     If at block  128  it is determined that the threshold amount of time has elapsed, then the algorithm proceeds to block  130  to determine whether the original arming criteria has been met. If at block  130  it is determined that the original arming criteria has not been met, then the algorithm proceeds to block  110  and reactivates or sounds the audible alarm  70  along with continuing to blink lights  88  amber and continuing to blink the bed exit indicators. If at block  130  it is determined that the original arming criteria has been met, then the algorithm proceeds back to the armed mode of block  104 . Thus, in the illustrative example, once system  12  enters the interim out of bed arming mode, the patient has 30 seconds to return to the proper position on bed  12  or else a new alarm will sound. 
     As shown diagrammatically in  FIG. 4 , bed  10  has a power plug  132  at the end of a power cord  134 . Plug  132  couples to a standard power outlet so that power is supplied to bed  10 . The algorithm shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B  is drawn under the assumption that plug  132  of bed  10  is plugged into a power outlet. If plug  132  of bed  10  becomes disconnected, the bed exit alarm system  12  automatically becomes disabled regardless of the portion or mode of the algorithm of  FIGS. 3A and 3B  in which system  12  is otherwise operating. 
     In some embodiments, messages from bed  10  are sent to remote computer device  92  and/or in-room computer device  96  to indicate entry into the various modes mentioned above in connection with the algorithm of  FIGS. 3A and 3B . As indicated above, text in various fields and/or icons may be changed on the graphical display screens of devices  92 ,  96  in response to bed exit alarm system  12  changing modes of operation. The remote computer devices  92  include hand held portable wireless devices carried by caregivers in some embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, the remote computer device  92  and the in room computer device  96  includes devices forming part of a locating and tracking system. In a locating and tracking system, caregivers wear badges or tags that transmit signals which are sensed by receivers of the locating and tracking system. Thus, device  96  comprises a locating and tracking system receiver in some instances. When device  96  senses the presence of a caregiver in a room, that information is communicated to computer device  92  for storage in a database in some embodiments. It is contemplated by this disclosure that, in some embodiments, remote computer device  96  sends a message via infrastructure  94  to bed  10  to preemptively suspend alarm  70  from sounding when an alert condition of system  12  occurs if a caregiver is present in the room. In such an embodiment, it is contemplated that bed exit alarm system  12  will automatically re-enable when the patient returns to bed  10  as discussed above. 
     As is evident from the above discussion of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , system  12  of bed  10  will remain perpetually in the suspend mode until a sufficient amount of weight, assumed to be the patient, returns to the bed unless the bed  10  becomes unplugged or a caregiver manipulates buttons  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66  to turn off the bed exit alarm system altogether. In an alternative embodiment of hospital bed  10 , the bed exit alarm system remains in a silenced or suspend mode for a threshold amount of time and then the bed exit alarm system either (i) automatically re-alarms if the weigh scale system does not sense an appropriate amount of weight has returned to the bed and is positioned appropriately for the mode in which the bed exit alarm was originally enabled, or (ii) automatically re-enables if the weigh scale system senses that an appropriate amount of weight, assumed to be the patient, has returned to the bed and is positioned appropriately for the mode in which the bed exit system was originally enabled. In this alternative embodiment, there is no interim out of bed arming mode of the type described above. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an Alarm Silence Durations screen  150  appears on a graphical display screen of the alternative embodiment of bed  10 . Screen  150  is a touchscreen display and has a keypad  152  with 1-9 buttons, a decimal button, a “clear” button, and a “backspace” button. Screen also has a silence duration field  154  and a suspend duration field  156  in which a user enters threshold amounts of time for the silence and suspend durations to be discussed below. A user simply touches whichever of fields  154 ,  156  the user wishes to edit and then uses the buttons of keypad  152  to enter the desired threshold durations. After editing one or both of fields  154 ,  156 , the user presses a “Set” button  158  to store suspend and silence durations in memory of the control circuitry of the bed exit alarm system of the alternative hospital bed  10 . In the illustrative example, the silence duration threshold can be selected by the user to be any time value between 1 and 5 minutes and the suspend duration threshold can be selected by the user to be any time value between 1 and 30 minutes. Of course, bed exit alarm systems having other time duration ranges are within the scope of this disclosure. 
     If the user wishes to reset fields  154 ,  156  to default times, the user presses a “Reset to Defaults” button  160  and the default silence and suspend times are stored in the memory of the control circuitry of the bed exit alarm system of the alternative hospital bed  10 . In the illustrative example, the defaults silence and suspend times are one minute and ten minutes, respectively. If the user does not wish to make any changes to fields  154 ,  156 , the user presses “Back” button  162  to return to a prior screen, such as a Main screen or Home screen, for example. In some embodiments, after either of buttons  158 ,  160  are pressed, screen  150  returns to the Main or Home screen as well. 
     The bed exit alarm system of alternative bed  10  also has patient movement, patient exit, and out-of-bed alarm modes which are substantially the same as those described above. When the bed exit alarm system is enabled in the patient movement mode and an alarm condition is detected, a first alarm screen  170  appears on the graphical display screen as shown in  FIG. 6  and an audible alarm sounds. When the bed exit alarm system is enabled in the patient exit mode and an alarm condition is detected, a second alarm screen  172  appears on the graphical display screen as shown in  FIG. 7  and the audible alarm sounds. When the bed exit alarm system is enabled in the out-of-bed mode and an alarm condition is detected, a third alarm screen  174  appears on the graphical display screen as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Each of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  has a “Silence” button  176  and a “Resume Now” button  178 . While the audible alarm is sounding, button  178  can be pressed on any of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  if the patient is still on the bed or has returned to the bed and is properly positioned. When button  178  is pressed, the bed exit alarm system will re-enable and turn off the audible alarm if the patient is positioned properly so as to meet the original bed exit arming criteria. Under those circumstances, the bed exit alarm system will have been manually re-enabled by pressing button  178 . If button  178  is pressed and the patient is not properly positioned on the bed, the audible alarm will simply continue to sound. However, button  176  can be pressed by the caregiver on any of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  to turn off the audible alarm for the silence duration established on screen  150  regardless of the patient&#39;s position, including the patient being out of bed altogether. In the illustrative example of  FIGS. 6-8 , the silence duration is five minutes. 
     In addition to the audible alarm being silenced when button  176  is pressed, a Bed Exit Monitoring Options screen  180  appears on the graphical display screen as shown in  FIG. 9 . Screen  180  includes a silence countdown bar  182  which graphically shows the amount of time left in the silence duration. A numerical countdown timer  184  appears above countdown bar  182  to provide a numerical indication of the amount of time left in the silence duration in the illustrative example. At the end of the silence duration, the audible alarm will re-sound if the patient has not returned to the bed in the proper position corresponding to the original mode in which the bed exit alarm system was enabled and the appropriate one of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  will again be shown on the graphical display screen. If the patient has returned to the bed in the proper position, then the bed exit alarm system will automatically be re-enabled at the end of the silence duration without any further action on the part of a caregiver. 
     Screen  180  also has a “Suspend” button  186 , a “Resume Now” button  188 , and an “Alarm Off” button  190 . At any time during the silence duration, a caregiver can press button  190  to disable the bed exit alarm system altogether or the caregiver can press button  188  which functions in the same manner on screen  180  as button  178  on screens  170 ,  172 ,  174 . Thus, when button  188  is pressed, the bed exit alarm system will re-enable and turn off the audible alarm if the patient is positioned properly so as to meet the original bed exit arming criteria. Again, under those circumstances, the bed exit alarm system will have been manually re-enabled by pressing button  178 . If button  188  is pressed and the patient is not properly positioned on the bed, the audible alarm will simply continue to sound. 
     At any time during the silence duration, a caregiver can press button  186  to extend the amount of time that the audible alarm is turned off regardless of the patient&#39;s position, including the patient being out of bed altogether. In some embodiments, when button  186  is pressed, countdown bar  182  and countdown timer  184  are reset to the suspend duration and begin counting down therefrom. At the end of the suspend duration, the audible alarm will re-sound if the patient has not returned to the bed in the proper position corresponding to the original mode in which the bed exit alarm system was enabled and the appropriate one of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  will again be shown on the graphical display screen. If the patient has returned to the bed in the proper position, then the bed exit alarm system will automatically be re-enabled at the end of the suspend duration without any further action on the part of a caregiver. In some embodiments, the suspend button  186  can be pressed numerous times to reset the countdown bar  182  and countdown timer  184  to the suspend duration assuming the suspend duration has not fully elapsed. In other embodiments, the suspend button  186  can only be pressed once per alarm cycle and a new alarm cycle will occur at the end of the suspend duration, with the alarm sounding and the appropriate one of screens  170 ,  172 ,  174  being shown if the patient has not returned to bed in the proper position. 
     In the above description of  FIGS. 6-9 , when it is stated that a particular button is “pressed” it is intended to mean that the button is “touched” since the graphical display screen of the alternative bed is a touch screen display. Other manners of selecting buttons or icons on a display screen, such as using stylus or light pen to select an icon or using tab or arrow keys to highlight an icon and then using an enter key, are also intended to be within the scope of this disclosure, as are using hard keys on a key pad adjacent a display screen, and all of these are intended to be equivalents of pressing or touching a button or icon on a graphical display screen. Also, if desired, the alternative embodiment bed discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 6-9  also interacts with computer devices  92 ,  96  via infrastructure  94 , such as by sending messages including messages regarding the silenced and suspend modes, in substantially the same manner as described above in connection with the illustrative embodiment of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail above, many embodiments, variations and modifications are possible that are still within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described herein and as defined in the following claims.