Portable wireless gateway for remote medical examination

Abstract

A remote monitoring system that includes a portable measuring device that can be coupled to a portable wireless gateway. The portable measuring device obtains measurements including physiological data, movement data and ambient measurements and provides these measurements to the portable wireless gateway. The portable wireless gateway can interface with a networked personal computer through an USB connector. Once interfaced to the computer, the measurement data can be loaded into the computer and delivered to a central system through the networked personal computer. The system enables the monitoring of a user's medical information to allow diagnostics of the user.

1 . A method for remotely monitoring a subject, the method implemented as executable program instructions stored in a storage medium and executed by a processor, both the storage medium and processor being associated with a host computer, the storage medium providing storage of personal information and/or setting parameters, the executable program instructions, when executed, perform a process comprising the acts of:
 downloading the executable program instructions to the host computer; and   in the host computer, executing the executable program instructions to perform a process comprising the acts of:
 accessing at least one of:
 personal information of a user stored in said machine-readable storage medium; and 
 at least one setting parameter for a measuring device stored in said machine-readable storage medium; 
 
 receiving physiological data pertaining to a user from a measuring device coupled to the host computer through a wireless communication unit; 
 processing the received physiological data; and 
 providing an alert. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said method additionally comprising the act of:
 the host computer interfacing with a remote server.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the act of downloading the executable program instructions to the host computer is conducted over a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the personal information is used for at least one function selected from a group consisting of: authentication and encryption. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the personal information contains medical data pertaining to a particular user. 
     
     
         6 . A method for remotely monitoring a subject, the method comprising the acts of:
 a host computer interfacing to a storage medium and downloading an executable program into the host computer; and   the host computer executing the executable program instructions to perform the acts of:
 interfacing to a measuring device over a wireless interface, the measuring device being associated with the subject; 
 configuring the measuring device; 
 receiving physiological data pertaining to the subject from the measuring device coupled; 
 processing the received physiological data; and 
 providing an alert. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein a wireless gateway includes the wireless interface to the measuring device and the storage medium, further comprising the acts of:
 the wireless gateway emulating a nonvolatile memory device while the host computer is downloading the executable program; and   the wireless gateway operating in conjunction with the measuring device as a medical measuring system.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless gateway operates in conjunction with the measuring device as a medical measuring system in response to control from the host computer executing the downloaded executable program. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless gateway operates in conjunction with the measuring device as a medical measuring system in response to the completion of the host computer downloading the executable program. 
     
     
         10 . A method of remotely monitoring a subject, the method comprising the acts of:
 a host system interfacing to a gateway system to obtain an executable program;   the host system, in response to executing the executable program, performing a process comprising the acts of:
 obtaining operational data from the gateway system; and 
 obtaining measurement data from the gateway system; 
   the gateway system operating to perform the acts of:
 providing the executable program to the host system; 
 interfacing to a measuring device over a wireless interface to obtain measurement data; and 
 provide the measurement data to the host system. 
   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising the acts of:
 the gateway system emulating a memory storage device until the executable program is downloaded by the host system; and   operating as a wireless interface and control system to a medical measuring system including the measuring device subsequent to the executable program being downloaded by the host system.