Patent ID: 8172752

Claim:
A communication system configured to connect a portable patient monitoring device to a plurality of networks via separate communication links, comprising: a first patient area network including a first docking station and a first destination; a second patient area network, different from the first patient area network, including a second docking station and a second destination; and a portable patient monitoring device including an adaptive communication interface configured to: establish communication with the first patient area network when the portable patient monitoring device is docked to the first docking station, receive a first unique identifier from the first docking station via a first exclusive communication link between the first docking station and the portable patient monitoring device, and transmit patient parameters to the first destination via the first exclusive communication link, and maintain communication with the first patient area network when the portable patient monitoring device is undocked from the first docking station and the first exclusive communication link is inoperative, by establishing a first wireless communication link between the portable patient monitoring device and the first patient area network and obtaining the first unique identifier from the first patient area network via the first wireless link, and transmit patient parameters via the first wireless communication link to the first destination, when the portable patient monitoring device is undocked and is in an area where the first and second patient area networks overlap and are within range of the patient monitoring device, the adaptive communication interface is configured to maintain connection with the first patient area network, and is actively inhibited from establishing communication with the second network when the second network provides an identifier that does not match the first unique identifier, and when the portable patient monitoring device is docked to the second docking station, the adaptive communication interface is configured to establish a second exclusive communication with the second patient area network, receive a second unique identifier from the second docking station via the second exclusive communication link between the second docking station and the portable patient monitoring device, and transmit patient parameters to the second destination.