Patent ID: 8083676

Claim:
A method for acquiring vital sign information, comprising the steps of: providing a chair having a frame and a seat element movably coupled to the frame, that is moveable between a seated position and a weight data acquisition position, a scale positioned with respect to the frame such that when the seat is moved so as to be in the weight data acquisition position, the scale is exposed and a sufficient area is provided within the frame so that a patient can step up onto the scale and when the seat is in the seated position weight data of the patient is not acquied by action of a patient sitting on the seat, a storage device for receiving a weight measurement, the frame being configured so as to include one or more adjustable vertically extending structures that form sides of the chair, the one or more adjustable vertically extending structures being arranged so as to form a support surface for an arm of a patient when the patient is seated on the seat, the one or more adjustable vertically extending structures including an adjustment mechanism so that the support surface can be adjusted to any of a number of vertical distances with respect to the seat, and a monitoring device operable coupled to the scale for one of displaying the measured weight or communicating the measurement to the storage device; and raising the seat so as to expose the scale; standing on the scale by a patient when the seat is raised; and measuring the weight of the patient when the seat is raised.