Patent ID: 8120471

Claim:
A system comprising at least one computer device coupled to a hospital Ethernet, the hospital Ethernet having at least one wired access point and at least on wireless access point, a hospital bed having associated therewith bed identification (ID) data, and a network interface unit (NIU) coupled to the hospital bed, the NIU having associated therewith NIU ID data, the NIU having a communications port that is coupleable to the Ethernet via a data link, the NIU being configured to sense whether the communications port is coupled to the Ethernet via the data link, wherein if the NIU is coupled to the Ethernet via the data link then the bed ID data received by the NIU is transmitted along with the NIU ID data to the Ethernet over the data link, wherein if the NIU is not coupled to the Ethernet via the data link then the NIU ID data received by the hospital bed is transmitted wirelessly by the hospital bed to one of the wireless access points of the Ethernet along with the bed ID data.