Patent ID: 7536309

Claim:
A remotely-accessible medical device system, comprising: an electronically-controllable medical device connected to a patient, the medical device configured to operate in accordance with a programmable protocol and having patient data associated therewith, said medical device and said patient being located at a first location; a memory configured to store the programmable protocol and patient data; a processor configured to manipulate the programmable protocol and patient data; a voice storage unit; a first communication port; and a second communication port; wherein said memory, said processor, said voice storage unit, said first communication port and said second communication port are located at said first location, said first communication port being configured to permit said processor to be connected to a local telephone and said second communication port is configured to permit said processor to be connectable to a remote telephone, wherein when a connection is established between said processor and one of said local and remote telephones, said processor accesses said voice storage unit to send a voice signal emulating a sound of a human voice to said local or remote telephone, said voice signal including a number of voice queries comprising a main menu, said voice queries instructing a user of the system to select among said voice queries by pressing a key of a touchtone keypad of said local or remote telephone; wherein programming of said system is accomplished by one of a local programming signal and a remote programming signal generated by a touchtone keypad of said local telephone and said remote telephone, respectively, and wherein said processor is configured to manipulate the programmable protocol in said memory in response to receiving one of said local programming signal and said remote programming signal and wherein data retrieval is accomplished by said processor being configured to send one of a local data signal and a remote data signal in response to one of a local data access signal generated by said touchtone keypad of said local telephone and a remote data access signal generated by said touchtone keypad of said remote telephone, respectively, said local data signal and said remote data signal being in the form of a voice signal from said voice storage unit.