Patent Abstract:
A physiological monitor touchscreen interface which presents interface constructs on a touchscreen display that are particularly adapted to finger gestures. The finger gestures operate to change at least one of a physiological monitor operating characteristic and a physiological touchscreen display characteristic. The physiological monitor touchscreen interface includes a first interface construct operable to select a menu item from a touchscreen display and a second interface construct operable to define values for the selected menu item. The first interface construct can include a first scroller that presents a rotating set of menu items in a touchscreen display area and a second scroller that presents a rotating set of thumbnails in a display well. The second interface construct can operate to define values for a selected menu item.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/615,307, filed Mar. 25, 2012, titled Physiological Monitor User Controls; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/615,316, filed Mar. 25, 2012, titled Physiological Monitor User Interface; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/615,876, filed Mar. 26, 2012, titled Physiological Monitor Touchscreen; all of the above referenced applications are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Pulse oximetry is a widely accepted noninvasive procedure for measuring the oxygen saturation level of arterial blood, an indicator of a person&#39;s oxygen supply. A typical pulse oximetry system utilizes an optical sensor attached to a fingertip to measure the relative volume of oxygenated hemoglobin in pulsatile arterial blood flowing within the fingertip. Oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ), pulse rate and a plethysmograph waveform, which is a visualization of pulsatile blood flow over time, are displayed on a monitor accordingly. 
     Conventional pulse oximetry assumes that arterial blood is the only pulsatile blood flow in the measurement site. During patient motion, venous blood also moves, which causes errors in conventional pulse oximetry. Advanced pulse oximetry processes the venous blood signal so as to report true arterial oxygen saturation and pulse rate under conditions of patient movement. Advanced pulse oximetry also functions under conditions of low perfusion (small signal amplitude), intense ambient light (artificial or sunlight) and electrosurgical instrument interference, which are scenarios where conventional pulse oximetry tends to fail. 
     Advanced pulse oximetry is described in at least U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,770,028; 6,658,276; 6,157,850; 6,002,952; 5,769,785 and 5,758,644, which are assigned to Masimo Corporation (“Masimo”) of Irvine, Calif. and are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein. Corresponding low noise optical sensors are disclosed in at least U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,985,764; 6,813,511; 6,792,300; 6,256,523; 6,088,607; 5,782,757 and 5,638,818, which are also assigned to Masimo and are also incorporated in their entirety by reference herein. Advanced pulse oximetry systems including Masimo SET® low noise optical sensors and read through motion pulse oximetry monitors for measuring SpO 2 , pulse rate (PR) and perfusion index (PI) are available from Masimo. Optical sensors include any of Masimo LNOP®, LNCS®, SofTouch™ and Blue™ adhesive or reusable sensors. Pulse oximetry monitors include any of Masimo Rad-8®, Rad-5®, Rad®-5v or SatShare® monitors. 
     Advanced blood parameter measurement systems are described in at least U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,083, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Multiple Wavelength Sensor Equalization; U.S. Pat. No. 7,729,733, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Configurable Physiological Measurement System; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0211925, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Physiological Parameter Confidence Measure and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0238358, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Noninvasive Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor, all assigned to Cercacor Laboratories, Inc., Irvine, Calif. (Cercacor) and all incorporated in their entirety by reference herein. Advanced blood parameter measurement systems include Masimo Rainbow® SET, which provides measurements in addition to SpO 2 , such as total hemoglobin (SpHb™), oxygen content (SpOC™), methemoglobin (SpMet®), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®) and PVI®. Advanced blood parameter sensors include Masimo Rainbow® adhesive, ReSposable™ and reusable sensors. Advanced blood parameter monitors include Masimo Radical-7™, Rad87™ and Rad57™ monitors, all available from Masimo. Such advanced pulse oximeters, low noise sensors and advanced blood parameter systems have gained rapid acceptance in a wide variety of medical applications, including surgical wards, intensive care and neonatal units, general wards, home care, physical training, and virtually all types of monitoring scenarios. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A physiological monitor touchscreen interface presents interface constructs on a touchscreen display that are particularly adapted to finger gestures so to change at least one of a physiological monitor operating characteristic and a physiological touchscreen display characteristic. The physiological monitor touchscreen interface has a first interface construct operable to select a menu item from a touchscreen display and a second interface construct operable to define values for the selected menu item. 
     In various embodiments, the first interface construct has a first scroller that presents a rotating set of the menu items in a touchscreen display area and a second scroller that presents a rotating set of thumbnails in a display well. The thumbnails reference the menu items and the thumbnails rotate with the menu items. The first scroller presents a rotating set of second level menu items upon selection of the menu item. The second interface construct is a slider for selecting limits for one of the second level menu items. A spinner is used in conjunction with the slider for making a first gross limit selection with the slider followed by a finer limit selection with the spinner. A parameter area displays parameter values in a full presentation format and a parameter well area displays parameter values in a abbreviated presentation format. The full presentation format is a larger font that the abbreviated presentation format. A dynamic space allocation for the parameters values is presented in the parameter area such that the more parameters there are in the parameter area and, accordingly, the fewer parameters there are in the parameter well area, then the larger the display font for the parameters in the parameter area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a hierarchical chart of a physiological monitor touchscreen interface including interface constructs and finger controls; 
         FIGS. 2-7  are illustrations of various touchscreen interface constructs for controlling a physiological monitor; 
         FIGS. 2A-D  are illustrations of a scroller; 
         FIGS. 3A-C  are illustrations of a physiological monitor main menu and sub-menus implemented with a scroller; 
         FIGS. 4A-C  are illustrations of a spinner; 
         FIGS. 5A-B  are illustrations of a slider; 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of a slider-spinner; and 
         FIGS. 7A-D  are illustrations of a parameter monitor touchscreen providing dynamic allocation of the parameter display area utilizing a parameter well. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a touchscreen interface  100  for a physiological monitor  10  and, in particular, for a touchscreen display  20  integral to the monitor  10 . In general, the touch screen interface  100  provides an intuitive, gesture-oriented control for the physiological monitor  10 . In particular, the touchscreen display  20  presents a user with interface constructs  110  responsive to finger controls  120  so as to change displays and settings, such as monitor operating characteristics, display contents and display formats using a finger touch, a finger touch and move, or a fingertip flick. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , interface constructs  110  include a scroller  111 , a spinner  112 , a slider  113 , a slider-spinner  114  and a scalable parameter well  115 . A scroller  111  is described below with respect to  FIGS. 2-3 . A spinner  112  is described below with respect to  FIGS. 4A-C . A slider  213  is described below with respect to  FIGS. 2-3 . A slider-spinner  214  is described below with respect to  FIGS. 5A-B . A scalable parameter well  216  is described below with respect to  FIGS. 7A-D . 
     Also shown in  FIG. 1 , finger controls  120  include a touch  121 , a touch and move  121  and a flick  121 . A touch  121  is finger contact with an active display area. A touch and move  121  is finger contact in conjunction with finger movement in a particular direction. A flick  121  is finger contact in conjunction with a quick finger movement in a particular direction. 
       FIGS. 2-7  illustrate various touchscreen interface constructs  110  ( FIG. 1 ) for controlling a physiological monitor  10  ( FIG. 1 ), as described above.  FIGS. 2A-D  illustrate a scroller  200  construct configured for a touchscreen display. The scroller  200  is organized as a menu  210  disposed on a virtual, horizontally-rotatable loop. Only a viewable section  201 - 204  of the menu  210  is visible on the display at any given time. The scroller  200  is responsive to finger controls so as to bring into view any menu section, as described below. 
     Also shown in  FIGS. 2A-D , a scroller  200  embodiment has thumbnails  250  disposed on a second, virtual, horizontally-rotatable loop located in a display well  211 . The menu  210  has menu icons  230  and corresponding menu titles  240 . The thumbnails  250  have a one-to-one correspondence to the menu icons  230 , as indicated by thumbnail icons corresponding to the menu icons or thumbnail initials corresponding to the menu titles  240 . 
     Further shown in  FIGS. 2A-D , the scroller  200  advantageously allows for an unrestricted number of menu items. A user can rotate the scroll left or right using touch and move  122  ( FIG. 1 ). A user can scroll left or right with velocity using flick  123  ( FIG. 1 ). Further, a user can navigate to a menu item using touch  121  ( FIG. 1 ) on menu item icon or title. In addition, a user can quick scroll to menu item using touch  121  ( FIG. 1 ) on a thumbnail in the display well  211 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2A-D , when the user applies touch and move  207  ( FIG. 2A ) to the menu icons the user can freely and smoothly slide the menu  201  ( FIG. 2A ) to the left  202  ( FIG. 2B ) or the right. On release the menu icons snap and lock  203  ( FIG. 2C ) to their closest grid location employing an ease-in animation so the transition is smooth and natural and not abrupt. Then, on touch  208  ( FIG. 2C ) the user can navigate to any visible menu option  210 . The navigate executes on release. 
     Further shown in  FIGS. 2C-D , when the user wants to jump to a menu item not on the screen they can use a quick scroll. The user applies touch  209  ( FIG. 2C ) on a particular thumbnail indicator (K)  233  and the icon menus scroll into position giving center focus to the menu item (Icon K)  214   FIG. 2D  represented by the touched thumbnail indicator  233 . As shown in  FIG. 2D , once the icon menu scroll animation is complete, the thumbnail indicators rapidly slide to their new orientation. 
     When the user applies flick (not shown) to the menu icons  210 , the menu icons move with velocity along the horizontal vector the gesture implied and the icon menus slide into place. In particular, when the menu icons momentum decreases and they begin to come to a stop, the menu icons will snap to their closest grid location as described above. 
       FIGS. 3A-C  illustrate a physiological monitor main menu  301  ( FIG. 3A ) and sub-menus  302 ,  303  ( FIGS. 3B-C ) implemented with a scroller construct, as described above with respect to  FIGS. 2A-D . For example, a user may touch “parameter settings”  310  in the main menu scroller  301  and be presented with a parameter menu stroller  302 . The user may then touch “alarm limits”  320  in the parameter settings stroller  302  and be presented with the alarm limits scroller  303 . 
       FIGS. 4A-C  illustrate a spinner having one or more tiers, which open one at a time. Shown is a two-tiered spinner  400 . Each spinner tier  410 ,  420  can display any specified number. The user applies touch to open one tier of the spinner at a time. The spinner elements include a label  430 , buttons  440  and corresponding button text. A tier open state  401  ( FIG. 4B ),  402  ( FIG. 4C ) has two preceding and two trailing values on a spinner element, and a spinner closed state  403  ( FIG. 4B ) displaying the selected value. In the spinner open state, the user can use a vertical touch and move or flick to adjust the value. When open, a spinner tier overlays other user controls on the screen. To close the spinner the user can touch the center, highlighted value or another control on the screen. 
       FIGS. 5A-B  illustrate a slider  500  that allows one touch value settings, such as for parameter limits as one example.  FIG. 6  illustrates a slider-spinner  600  embodiment, which is a combination of a slider and spinner, each described separately above. A slider-spinner  600  advantageously allows both a quick and an accurate capability to set a value. In particular, the slider  601  allows a user to quickly get to a specific range and the spinner allows a fine adjustment of that range. 
       FIGS. 7A-D  illustrate a scalable parameter display  700  and corresponding parameter well  710  advantageously providing a parameter monitor touchscreen with dynamic allocation of the parameter display area  700  so as to maximize screen capability and a caregiver&#39;s ability to automatically emphasize and distinguish parameters of greater importance from parameters of lesser importance. In particular, different monitor users care about different parameters. For example, a hemotologist might focus on blood-related parameters, such as SpHb, a noninvasive and continuous reading of total hemoglobin. Accordingly, the user has the ability to remove parameters of little or no interest from a main display area  700  and to place them in the parameter well  710 . This is accomplished by a touch and hold gesture over a parameter to select the parameter, followed by a drag and drop gesture to remove the selected parameter from the main display area  700  into the well  710 . The parameters remaining in the main display area  700  become bigger in size according to the number of remaining parameters. The removed parameters become smaller in size according to the number of parameters in the well  710 . That is, the monitor dynamically adjusts parameter size according the available main display and well display areas. For example,  FIG. 7A  illustrates eight parameters in the main display  700  and one parameter (SpOC) in the well  710 .  FIG. 7B  illustrates the relative size of six parameters in the main display  700 , with three parameters in the well  710 .  FIG. 7C  illustrates three parameters in the main display  700  dynamically increasing in size and six parameters in the well  710 .  FIG. 7D  illustrates a single, very large SpO2 parameter advantageously solely displayed  700  so as to provide particular emphasis to that parameter and in a manner that can be seen across a room and readily noticed and monitored for change even by caregivers passing by at a distance. Sensors trigger parameters that are displayed so as not to hold space for non-active parameters. 
     A physiological monitor touchscreen interface has been disclosed in detail in connection with various embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed by way of examples only and are not to limit the scope of the claims herein. One of ordinary skill in art will appreciate many variations and modifications.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6