Patent ID: 8484393

Claim:
A patient monitor system, comprising: a plurality of docking stations, each docking station associated with a respective patient monitoring location; a portable patient monitor configured to be selectively coupled with and selectively decoupled from the respective docking stations as a user transports the portable patient monitor among the patient monitoring locations, the portable patient monitor comprising: a patient data acquisition unit for receiving patient data signals from one or more sensors attached to a patient; and a processor for processing the patient data signals, the processor configured to: detect a coupling of the portable patient monitor to a first docking station of the plurality of docking stations, the first docking station being associated with a first patient monitor location; in response to a determination by the processor that the first patient monitor location is a non-transient hospital ward, prompt the user to select one or more first default configuration settings associated with the first patient monitor location; in response to a user selection, load the selected one or more first default configuration settings into the patient monitor; detect a coupling of the patient monitor to a second docking station of the plurality of docking stations, the second docking station being associated with a second patient monitor location; in response to a determination by the processor that the second patient monitor location is a transient location where the patient is expected to remain for a relatively short period of time as compared to that spent in the first patient monitor location, maintain a current set of configuration settings in disregard to one or more second default settings, if any, associated with the second patient monitor location.