Methods for tracking and reporting usage events to determine when preventive maintenance is due for a medical robotic system

Abstract

A medical robotic system comprises a number of components that may be monitored to determine their preventive maintenance needs by recording usage-related information for the monitored components into associated non-volatile memories. When usage of the component exceeds a specified usage threshold, the system displays a warning message on its display screen to have preventive maintenance performed for the component. If the usage continues without such maintenance and exceeds a higher usage threshold, the system displays an error message on its display screen and the system transitions into an error state during which medical procedures are not allowed to be performed. The usage-related information may also be communicated to a remote computer which gathers and processes usage-related information from a number of medical robotic systems to estimate resource requirements for timely performing preventive maintenance on the medical robotic systems, and anticipated service revenues from such maintenance.

1 - 68 . (canceled) 
     
     
         69 . A method for monitoring preventive maintenance needs for a plurality of medical robotic systems, comprising:
 periodically receiving usage-related information for monitored components from each of the plurality of medical robotic systems; and   processing the periodically received usage-related information to estimate when preventive maintenance will be required for each of the monitored components of the plurality of medical robotic systems.   
     
     
         70 . The method according to  claim 69 , wherein the usage-related information includes counts of usages, and the estimation of when preventive maintenance will be required for each of the monitored components comprises:
 estimating when the count of each usage for each monitored component will reach a corresponding usage threshold.   
     
     
         71 . The method according to  claim 69 , further comprising:
 estimating resource needs for performing preventive maintenance for the plurality of medical robotic systems.   
     
     
         72 . The method according to  claim 69 , further comprising:
 estimating service revenues generated by performing preventive maintenance for the plurality of medical robotic systems.