DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 1, 8-10, 12-19, 23-25, 28-29, and 33-35 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Respond to Applicant’s Arguments/Remarks
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 11/11/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1, 7-10, 12-19, 23-25, 28-29, and 33-34 has been fully considered and the results as followings:
On pages 8-9 of Applicant’s remarks, Applicant argues that the combination of Bodurka and Bhimavarapu does not disclose the invention of claim 1 because the light sensor of Bhimavarapu is position on a patient support apparatus.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with Applicant because as discussed in the Non-Final rejection mailed on 08/11/2025, the rejection relied upon Bodurka to disclose the headwall unit receives various data from a detector directly connected to a controller of the headwall unit (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the caregiver detector 98, the medical device 112) or the headwall unit receives data from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus via wires (Bodurka: [0076]-[0078] and FIG. 4: In those situations where it is desired to have patient support apparatus 20 communicate with room interface board 58 via wires, rather than wirelessly, a nurse call cable from patient support apparatus 20 plugs into second cable port 84b and cable 72 is plugged into first cable port 84a and cable port 56 of headwall 54).
Further, Bhimavarapu discloses the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room (Bhimavarapu: [0092]-[0099], and FIG. 12 the light sensor 124: the controller 84 is configured to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the first illumination level 90A when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the first ambient light threshold T1 (see FIG. 12B), and to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the second illumination level 90B when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the second ambient light threshold T2 (see FIG. 12A). In one embodiment, the light sensor 124 is spaced from the input device 94. Advantageously, the light sensor 124 and the input device 94 are subjected to substantially similar ambient light. However, it will be appreciated that the light sensor 124 could be arranged in any suitable location).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka and Bhimavarapu, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka to include the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room, as suggested by Bhimavarapu. The motivation for this is to selectively control lighting in a patient room based on sensing information from a light sensor positioned in the room as a known alternative sensor in a patient room.
On page 9 of Applicant’s remarks, Applicant argues that Bodurka does not disclose the invention of claim 16 because Bodurka discloses a microphone on the patient support apparatus.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with Applicant because as discussed in the Non-Final rejection mailed on 08/11/2025, the rejection relied upon Bodurka to disclose the headwall unit receives various data from a detector directly connected to a controller of the headwall unit (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the caregiver detector 98, the medical device 112) or the headwall unit receives data from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus via wires/cable port (Bodurka: [0076]-[0078] and FIG. 4: In those situations where it is desired to have patient support apparatus 20 communicate with room interface board 58 via wires, rather than wirelessly, a nurse call cable from patient support apparatus 20 plugs into second cable port 84b and cable 72 is plugged into first cable port 84a and cable port 56 of headwall 54) wherein the one or more sensor comprises a microphone (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor).
On pages 9-10 of Applicant’s remarks, Applicant argues that Bodurka does not disclose the invention of claim 23 because Bodurka does not disclose the second stationary communication unit including the same components as the stationary communication unit. Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination of references including prior art being used in the current rejection (see below for detail) under new grounds of rejection, necessitated by amendment.
As a result, Applicant arguments are not deemed persuasive, and the previous rejections pertaining to the previous set of claims are sustained. Therefore, due to the claimed amendments, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejections necessitated by amendments is made in view of following reference/combinations.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 13-16 and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bodurka (Bodurka – US 2019/0183705 A1).
As to claim 13, Bodurka discloses a stationary communication unit adapted to be mounted in a room of a healthcare facility, the stationary unit comprising:
a first transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the second wireless transceiver 88) adapted to transmit signals (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned) to a patient support apparatus (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the patient support apparatus 20);
a second transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the first wireless transceiver 86) adapted to transmit a message (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12) to the patient support apparatus positioned in the room (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12: the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102), the message including a first identifier associated with the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0092]-[0093], [0095], [0097]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4 the communication link 128: once the patient support apparatus 20 is moved to its intended bay area 102, the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102. The patient support apparatus 20 uses this specific identifier to determine which of the multiple headwall units 66 it is supposed to have second communication link 118 with, and disestablishes any second communication links 118 it may have established with the other headwall unit(s) 66 that do not have the specific identifier it received via communication link 128);
a third transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100) in communication with a nurse call system outlet installed on a wall of the room (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56), the nurse call system outlet communicatively coupled to a nurse call system (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56 and the nurse call system 60), wherein the third transceiver is adapted to receive audio signals from a wire of the nurse call system outlet (Bodurka: [0069], [0072]-[0073], [0075]-[0078], [0081], [0091], [0164-[0167], [0172], and FIG. 2-4: the headwall unit 66 therefore reacts to the exit message it receives from patient support apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30 and #31. The nurse call system 60 that is communicatively coupled to cable port 56 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the same manner as if a cable were coupled between cable port 56, such as by sending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations, flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20, forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by the caregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20, and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration of the nurse call system);
a sensor (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the caregiver detector 98, the medical device 112, and the one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20) adapted to detect sound in the room; (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor); and
a controller adapted to forward the audio signals received from the third transceiver to the first transceiver for transmission to the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor), the controller further adapted to forward readings from the sensor to an off-board device (Bodurka: [0071]: diagnostic information about patient support apparatus 20; messages containing patient data gathered from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20; message containing patient data gathered from one or more medical devices that are separate from patient support apparatus 20 but which communicate such data to patient support apparatus 20, [0074], [0079], [0100]-[0101], [0144] Controller 92 of headwall unit 66 responds to the request by sending the requested data to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, [0153]-[0155], [0173], FIG. 4 the memory 94: Memory 94 (FIG. 4), in addition to storing instructions followed by controller 92, stores data received from patient support apparatus 20 and/or from other devices positioned within the room in which headwall unit 66 is positioned. As will be discussed in greater detail below, such data may include patient data, sensor data, device data, alerts, communication preferences, and other data, and FIG. 7-8).
As to claim 14, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 13 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 13 wherein the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver (Bodurka: [0089] and FIG. 4 the second transceiver 88: In some embodiments, second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver configured to communicate using one or more of the Bluetooth standards (e.g. IEEE 802.14.1 or any of the standards developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group)), the second transceiver is an infrared transceiver (Bodurka: [0092] and FIG. 4 the first transceiver 86: If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of the bay area 102, first transceiver 86 will not be able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 because first transceiver 86 uses infrared signals, which are line-of-sight signals, and first transceiver 86 is set up such that its line-of-sight signals are only detectable by the patient support apparatus 20 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the corresponding bay 102, or a portion of that bay 102), and the controller is adapted to forward the readings from the sensor to the off-board device using the Bluetooth transceiver (Bodurka: [0071]: diagnostic information about patient support apparatus 20; messages containing patient data gathered from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20; message containing patient data gathered from one or more medical devices that are separate from patient support apparatus 20 but which communicate such data to patient support apparatus 20, [0074], [0079], [0100]-[0101], [0144] Controller 92 of headwall unit 66 responds to the request by sending the requested data to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, [0153]-[0155], [0173], FIG. 4 the memory 94: Memory 94 (FIG. 4), in addition to storing instructions followed by controller 92, stores data received from patient support apparatus 20 and/or from other devices positioned within the room in which headwall unit 66 is positioned. As will be discussed in greater detail below, such data may include patient data, sensor data, device data, alerts, communication preferences, and other data, and FIG. 7-8 ).
As to claim 15, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 14 wherein the off-board device is one of the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor) or a second stationary communication unit different from the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0130] and FIG. 6: in still another embodiment, controller 92 of headwall unit 66 sends the data to be displayed on TV/display 62 first to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, which in turn forwards the data wirelessly directly to TV/display 62 via a wireless link 166. Wireless link 166 may utilize second transceiver 140 of patient support apparatus 20, network transceiver 150 of patient support apparatus 20, or some other transceiver of patient support apparatus 20).
As to claim 16, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 14 wherein the off-board device is the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor).
As to claim 18, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 14 further comprising a WiFi transceiver adapted to communicate with a wireless access point of a local area network (Bodurka: [0009], [0078], [0080], [0105], [0121], [0169], [0177], FIG. 4 the network transceiver 90: Network transceiver 90 (FIG. 4) is adapted to communicate with one or more wireless access points 110 of healthcare facility network 106. In some embodiments, network transceiver 90 is a WiFi transceiver (IEEE 802.11) adapted to communicate with access points 110 using any of the various WiFi protocols (IEEE 802.11b, 801.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac . . . , etc.)), and wherein the off-board device is a server communicatively coupled to the local area network (Bodurka: [0009], [0078], [0080], [0105], [0121], [0169], [0177], FIG. 4 the network transceiver 90 and the wireless access points 110In other embodiments, headwall unit 66 copies the data locally into memory 94 and also sends a copy of the data to a remote location via network transceiver 90, such as a headwall server 132 that is in communication with healthcare facility network 106. In still other embodiments, headwall unit 66 also forwards the received data to EMR server 130 in addition to, or in lieu of, the forwarding of the data to headwall server 132).
As to claim 19, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 14 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 14 wherein the first transceiver is adapted to transmit signals using a first protocol (Bodurka: [0016], [0068], [0070], and FIG. 4) and a second protocol different from the first protocol (Bodurka: [0095], [0125], [0129], [0140]-[0141], [0160], and FIG, 4 the second transceiver 88: The beacon signal includes an identifier of that particular headwall 66 and the devices (patient support apparatus 20, medical device 112, and mobile electronic device 116) automatically establish communication links with the headwall unit 66 in response to the beacon signal), and the controller is adapted to forward the audio signals received from the third transceiver (Bodurka: [0069], [0078], [0081], [0091], FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100: In addition to other communications, first and second transceivers 86 and 88 are utilized by controller 92 of headwall unit 66 to communicate information wirelessly to patient support apparatus 20 and to receive information wirelessly from patient support apparatus 20. In some instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is forwarded to room interface board 58 via nurse call transceiver 100, while in other instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is stored in memory 94) to the patient support apparatus ([0016], [0068], [0166], FIG. 4, and FIG. 11: these audio signals pass through headwall unit 66 and headwall unit 66 forwards them back and forward between patient support apparatus 20 and nurse call system 60 as appropriate. During time period 228, the sound from TV/display 62 is muted or sufficiently reduced such that the conversation between the patient and the remote nurse does not suffer from aural interference due to sounds emanating from TV/display 62. When the time comes for the patient and nurse to end their conversation, either the nurse of the patient hangs up and the audio connection is terminated) using the first transceiver and the first protocol (Bodurka: [0016], [0068], [0070], FIG. 4 and FIG. 11), and the controller is further adapted to periodically emit a beacon signal from the first transceiver using the second protocol (Bodurka: [0095], [0125], [0129], [0140]-[0141], [0160], and FIG, 4 the second transceiver 88: The beacon signal includes an identifier of that particular headwall 66 and the devices (patient support apparatus 20, medical device 112, and mobile electronic device 116) automatically establish communication links with the headwall unit 66 in response to the beacon signal), the beacon signal including a second identifier adapted to be detected by electronic devices positioned in the room (Bodurka: [0095], [0125], [0129], [0140]-[0141], [0160], and FIG, 4 the second transceiver 88: The beacon signal includes an identifier of that particular headwall 66 and the devices (patient support apparatus 20, medical device 112, and mobile electronic device 116) automatically establish communication links with the headwall unit 66 in response to the beacon signal).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 8-10, 12, 17, and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bodurka (Bodurka – US 2019/0183705 A1) in view of Bhimavarapu et al. (Bhimavarapu – US 2018/0369035 A1).
As to claim 1, Bodurka discloses a stationary communication unit adapted to be mounted in a room of a healthcare facility, the stationary unit comprising:
a first transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the second wireless transceiver 88) adapted to wirelessly communicate over a first communication channel (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the communication link 118) with a patient support apparatus (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the patient support apparatus 20) positioned in the room (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned);
a second transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the first wireless transceiver 86) adapted to wirelessly communicate over a second communication channel (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12) with the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the patient support apparatus 20), the second communication channel (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12: the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102) different from the first communication channel (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned),
the second transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the first wireless transceiver 86) further adapted to transmit a message to the patient support apparatus over the second communication channel that includes a first identifier associated with the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0092]-[0093], [0095], [0097]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4 the communication link 128: once the patient support apparatus 20 is moved to its intended bay area 102, the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102. The patient support apparatus 20 uses this specific identifier to determine which of the multiple headwall units 66 it is supposed to have second communication link 118 with, and disestablishes any second communication links 118 it may have established with the other headwall unit(s) 66 that do not have the specific identifier it received via communication link 128);
a third transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100) in communication with a nurse call system outlet installed on a wall of the room (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56), the nurse call system outlet communicatively coupled to a nurse call system (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56 and the nurse call system 60), wherein the third transceiver is adapted to receive audio signals from a wire of the nurse call system outlet (Bodurka: [0069], [0072]-[0073], [0075]-[0078], [0081], [0091], [0164-[0167], [0172], and FIG. 2-4: the headwall unit 66 therefore reacts to the exit message it receives from patient support apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30 and #31. The nurse call system 60 that is communicatively coupled to cable port 56 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the same manner as if a cable were coupled between cable port 56, such as by sending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations, flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20, forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by the caregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20, and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration of the nurse call system);
a controller (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the controller 92) adapted to perform the following:
(a) forward the audio signals received from the third transceiver (Bodurka: [0069], [0078], [0081], [0091], FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100: In addition to other communications, first and second transceivers 86 and 88 are utilized by controller 92 of headwall unit 66 to communicate information wirelessly to patient support apparatus 20 and to receive information wirelessly from patient support apparatus 20. In some instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is forwarded to room interface board 58 via nurse call transceiver 100, while in other instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is stored in memory 94) to the patient support apparatus over the first communication channel (Bodurka: [0016], [0068], [0166], FIG. 4, and FIG. 11: these audio signals pass through headwall unit 66 and headwall unit 66 forwards them back and forward between patient support apparatus 20 and nurse call system 60 as appropriate. During time period 228, the sound from TV/display 62 is muted or sufficiently reduced such that the conversation between the patient and the remote nurse does not suffer from aural interference due to sounds emanating from TV/display 62. When the time comes for the patient and nurse to end their conversation, either the nurse of the patient hangs up and the audio connection is terminated),
(b) periodically emit a beacon signal from the first transceiver (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: second transceiver 88 is configured to periodically transmit a beacon signal, such as, but not limited to, approximately once every second. When a patient support apparatus 20, medical device 112, or mobile electronic device 116 moves into the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned, these devices receive the beacon signal and respond thereto. The beacon signal includes an identifier of that particular headwall 66 and the devices (patient support apparatus 20, medical device 112, and mobile electronic device 116) automatically establish communication links with the headwall unit 66 in response to the beacon signal), the beacon signal including a second identifier adapted to be detected by an electronic device other than the patient support apparatus positioned in the room (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned), and
(c) forward light readings from the sensor (Bodurka: Abstract, [0078], [0083]-[0084], [0160], [0172], and FIG. 4: Caregiver detector 98 (FIG. 4) is a device used to detect when a caregiver 114 associated with a patient or patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the room and when such a caregiver is not positioned within the room) to an off-board device using at least one of the first transceiver or the second transceiver (Bodurka: [0071]: diagnostic information about patient support apparatus 20; messages containing patient data gathered from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20; message containing patient data gathered from one or more medical devices that are separate from patient support apparatus 20 but which communicate such data to patient support apparatus 20, [0074], [0079], [0100]-[0101], [0144] Controller 92 of headwall unit 66 responds to the request by sending the requested data to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, [0153]-[0155], [0173], FIG. 4 the memory 94: Memory 94 (FIG. 4), in addition to storing instructions followed by controller 92, stores data received from patient support apparatus 20 and/or from other devices positioned within the room in which headwall unit 66 is positioned. As will be discussed in greater detail below, such data may include patient data, sensor data, device data, alerts, communication preferences, and other data, and FIG. 7-8 ).
Bodurka does not explicitly disclose the limitations the sensor as a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room.
However, it has been known in the art of patient room support to implement the sensor as a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room, as suggested by Bhimavarapu, which discloses the sensor as a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room (Bhimavarapu: [0092]-[0099], and FIG. 12 the light sensor 124: the controller 84 is configured to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the first illumination level 90A when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the first ambient light threshold T1 (see FIG. 12B), and to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the second illumination level 90B when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the second ambient light threshold T2 (see FIG. 12A). In one embodiment, the light sensor 124 is spaced from the input device 94. Advantageously, the light sensor 124 and the input device 94 are subjected to substantially similar ambient light. However, it will be appreciated that the light sensor 124 could be arranged in any suitable location).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka and Bhimavarapu, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka to include the sensor as a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room, as suggested by Bhimavarapu. The motivation for this is to selectively control lighting in a patient room based on sensing information from a light sensor positioned in the room.
As to claim 8, Bodurka and Bhimavarapu disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 1 further including a sound sensor adapted to detect sound in the room (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor) and the controller is adapted to forward sound readings from the sound sensor to the off-board device (Bodurka: [0016], [0068], [0166], FIG. 4, and FIG. 11: these audio signals pass through headwall unit 66 and headwall unit 66 forwards them back and forward between patient support apparatus 20 and nurse call system 60 as appropriate. During time period 228, the sound from TV/display 62 is muted or sufficiently reduced such that the conversation between the patient and the remote nurse does not suffer from aural interference due to sounds emanating from TV/display 62. When the time comes for the patient and nurse to end their conversation, either the nurse of the patient hangs up and the audio connection is terminated).
As to claim 9, Bodurka and Bhimavarapu disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 1 wherein the off-board device is the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor and Bhimavarapu: [0092]-[0099], and FIG. 1).
As to claim 10, Bodurka and Bhimavarapu disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to include the first identifier in the audio signals forwarded to the patient support apparatus via the first transceiver (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor), and wherein the electronic device includes a smart phone (Bodurka: [0074], [0079], [0089], [0093]-[0098], and FIG. 7-8: As will be discussed in greater detail below, such data may include patient data, sensor data, device data, alerts, communication preferences, and other data. As will also be explained in greater detail, memory 94 contains a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) 108 that controller 92 transmits to mobile electronic devices 116, such as a smart phones, carried by caregivers and/or other authorized individuals associated with the healthcare facility. The URL enables the mobile electronic device 116 to easily access and retrieve data stored in memory 94 (or elsewhere) that relates to patient, patient support apparatus 20, and/or other medical devices 112 associated with headwall unit 66).
As to claim 12, Bodurka and Bhimavarapu disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 1 wherein the off-board device is a second stationary communication unit different from the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0130] and FIG. 6: in still another embodiment, controller 92 of headwall unit 66 sends the data to be displayed on TV/display 62 first to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, which in turn forwards the data wirelessly directly to TV/display 62 via a wireless link 166. Wireless link 166 may utilize second transceiver 140 of patient support apparatus 20, network transceiver 150 of patient support apparatus 20, or some other transceiver of patient support apparatus 20).
As to claim 17, Bodurka disclose the limitations of claim 14 except for the claimed limitations of the stationary communication unit of claim 14 further including a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room and the controller is adapted to forward light readings from the light sensor to the off-board device.
However, it has been known in the art of patient room support to implement a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room and the controller is adapted to forward light readings from the light sensor to the off-board device, as suggested by Bhimavarapu, which discloses a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room and the controller is adapted to forward light readings from the light sensor to the off-board device (Bhimavarapu: [0092]-[0099], and FIG. 12 the light sensor 124: the controller 84 is configured to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the first illumination level 90A when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the first ambient light threshold T1 (see FIG. 12B), and to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the second illumination level 90B when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the second ambient light threshold T2 (see FIG. 12A). In one embodiment, the light sensor 124 is spaced from the input device 94. Advantageously, the light sensor 124 and the input device 94 are subjected to substantially similar ambient light. However, it will be appreciated that the light sensor 124 could be arranged in any suitable location).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka and Bhimavarapu, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka to include a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room and the controller is adapted to forward light readings from the light sensor to the off-board device, as suggested by Bhimavarapu. The motivation for this is to selectively control lighting in a patient room based on sensing information from a light sensor positioned in the room.
As to claim 35, Bodurka and Bhimavarapu disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 1 wherein the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver (Bodurka: [0089] and FIG. 4 the second transceiver 88: In some embodiments, second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver configured to communicate using one or more of the Bluetooth standards (e.g. IEEE 802.14.1 or any of the standards developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group)), the second transceiver is an infrared transceiver (Bodurka: [0092] and FIG. 4 the first transceiver 86: If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of the bay area 102, first transceiver 86 will not be able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 because first transceiver 86 uses infrared signals, which are line-of-sight signals, and first transceiver 86 is set up such that its line-of-sight signals are only detectable by the patient support apparatus 20 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the corresponding bay 102, or a portion of that bay 102), and the first transceiver is adapted to use a Bluetooth classic protocol for the first communication channel (Bodurka: [0089], [0093], [0114]-[0115], and FIG. 6-8: Second transceiver 88 of headwall unit 66 is adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 using Radio Frequency (RF) communications that are not line-of-sight, unlike the IR communications of first transceiver 86. In some embodiments, second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver configured to communicate using one or more of the Bluetooth standards (e.g. IEEE 802.14.1 or any of the standards developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group). It will be understood, however, that in other embodiments, second wireless transceiver 88 may utilize other forms of Radio Frequency (RF) and non-RF communication. For purposes of the following written description it will be assumed that second transceiver 88 communicates using conventional Bluetooth technology, although this written description is not meant to be an indication that other types of communication cannot be used between second transceiver 88 and the off-board devices with which it communicates, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus 20, one or more medical devices 112, and/or one or more mobile electronic devices 116 associated with caregivers 114) and a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol for transmitting the second identifier (Bodurka: [0084], [0140], and FIG. 6-8. Using this technology, bed unit 168 repetitively broadcasts a beacon, such as Bluetooth Low Energy beacon, that contains a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with that particular patient support apparatus 20 and/or the particular headwall unit 66 adjacent to patient support apparatus 20. In some embodiments where mobile electronic device 116 is an Android device, the beacon is detected by the Nearby Notifications operating system level functionality that is built into the Android Lollipop operating system version (and other versions)).
Claims 23-24, 29, and 33-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bodurka (Bodurka – US 2019/0183705 A1) in view of Sakabayashi (Sakabayashi – US 2019/0311605 A1).
As to claim 23, Bodurka discloses a stationary communication unit adapted to be mounted in a room of a healthcare facility, the stationary unit comprising:
a first transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the second wireless transceiver 88) adapted to wirelessly communicate over a first communication channel (FIG. 4 the communication link 118) with a patient support apparatus (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the patient support apparatus 20) positioned in the room (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned);
a second transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the first wireless transceiver 86) adapted to wirelessly communicate over a second communication channel (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12) with the patient support apparatus (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the patient support apparatus 20), the second communication channel (Bodurka: [0006]-[0008], [0078], [0086]-[0093], [0097]-[0099], [0114], FIG. 4-5 the communication link 128, and FIG. 12: the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102) different from the first communication channel (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned), the second transceiver further adapted to transmit a message to the patient support apparatus over the second communication channel that includes a first identifier associated with the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0092]-[0093], [0095], [0097]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4 the communication link 128: once the patient support apparatus 20 is moved to its intended bay area 102, the patient support apparatus 20 establishes link 128 with first transceiver 86, and first transceiver 86 transmits to the patient support apparatus the unique identifier 104 corresponding to the headwall unit 66 of that particular bay area 102. The patient support apparatus 20 uses this specific identifier to determine which of the multiple headwall units 66 it is supposed to have second communication link 118 with, and disestablishes any second communication links 118 it may have established with the other headwall unit(s) 66 that do not have the specific identifier it received via communication link 128);
a third transceiver (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100) in communication with a nurse call system outlet installed on a wall of the room (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56), the nurse call system outlet communicatively coupled to a nurse call system (Bodurka: FIG. 2-4 the cable port 56 and the nurse call system 60), wherein the third transceiver is adapted to receive audio signals from a wire of the nurse call system outlet (Bodurka: [0069], [0072]-[0073], [0075]-[0078], [0081], [0091], [0164-[0167], [0172], and FIG. 2-4: the headwall unit 66 therefore reacts to the exit message it receives from patient support apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30 and #31. The nurse call system 60 that is communicatively coupled to cable port 56 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the same manner as if a cable were coupled between cable port 56, such as by sending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations, flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20, forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by the caregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20, and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration of the nurse call system); and
a controller (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the controller 92) adapted to forward the audio signals received from the third transceiver (Bodurka: [0069], [0078], [0081], [0091], FIG. 4 the nurse call transceiver 100: In addition to other communications, first and second transceivers 86 and 88 are utilized by controller 92 of headwall unit 66 to communicate information wirelessly to patient support apparatus 20 and to receive information wirelessly from patient support apparatus 20. In some instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is forwarded to room interface board 58 via nurse call transceiver 100, while in other instances, the information received from patient support apparatus 20 is stored in memory 94) to the patient support apparatus over the first communication channel ([0016], [0068], [0166], FIG. 4, and FIG. 11: these audio signals pass through headwall unit 66 and headwall unit 66 forwards them back and forward between patient support apparatus 20 and nurse call system 60 as appropriate. During time period 228, the sound from TV/display 62 is muted or sufficiently reduced such that the conversation between the patient and the remote nurse does not suffer from aural interference due to sounds emanating from TV/display 62. When the time comes for the patient and nurse to end their conversation, either the nurse of the patient hangs up and the audio connection is terminated),
the controller further adapted to transmit data to a second stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0130] and FIG. 6: in still another embodiment, controller 92 of headwall unit 66 sends the data to be displayed on TV/display 62 first to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, which in turn forwards the data wirelessly directly to TV/display 62 via a wireless link 166. Wireless link 166 may utilize second transceiver 140 of patient support apparatus 20, network transceiver 150 of patient support apparatus 20, or some other transceiver of patient support apparatus 20) using the first transceiver (Bodurka: [0071]: diagnostic information about patient support apparatus 20; messages containing patient data gathered from one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20; message containing patient data gathered from one or more medical devices that are separate from patient support apparatus 20 but which communicate such data to patient support apparatus 20, [0074], [0079], [0100]-[0101], [0130], [0144] Controller 92 of headwall unit 66 responds to the request by sending the requested data to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, [0153]-[0155], [0173], FIG. 4 the memory 94: Memory 94 (FIG. 4), in addition to storing instructions followed by controller 92, stores data received from patient support apparatus 20 and/or from other devices positioned within the room in which headwall unit 66 is positioned. As will be discussed in greater detail below, such data may include patient data, sensor data, device data, alerts, communication preferences, and other data, and FIG. 7-8 ), the second stationary communication unit different from the stationary communication unit (Bodurka: [0127], [0130], and FIG. 6: In a first embodiment, controller 92 sends the data to be displayed on TV/display 62 by transmitting the data over a communication link 164. Communication link 164 includes cable 72, cable port 56, room interface board 58, and one or more wires coupling room interface board 58 to TV/display 62. In an alternative embodiment, TV/display 62 is equipped with a wireless transceiver and one of the transceivers of headwall unit 66 wirelessly transmits the data directly to the wireless transceiver of TV/display 62).
While Bodurka, in one embodiment, discloses a medical setting having a first headwall unit (FIG. 5 the headwall unit 66) in communication with a second headwall unit (FIG. 5 the headwall unit 66a) via a room interface board (FIG. 5), Bodurka does not explicitly disclose the second stationary communication unit including the same components as the stationary communication unit.
However, it has been known in the art of communication to implement the second stationary communication unit including the same components as the stationary communication unit, as suggested by Sakabayashi, which discloses the second stationary communication unit including the same components as the stationary communication unit (Sakabayashi: Abstract, [0026]-[0030], [0175]-[0180], FIG. 5, and FIG. 7-9 the relay device 200: the second BLE transceiver having received the report information transmitted from the first BLE transceiver in step S202 transmits the received report information (S204). Further, in a case in which report information and user information are received, the second BLE transceiver transmits the received report information and user information).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka and Sakabayashi, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka to include the second stationary communication unit including the same components as the stationary communication unit, as suggested by Sakabayashi. The motivation for this is to relay information to a designated receiver.
As to claim 24, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 23 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 23 further including a sensor (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the caregiver detector 98, the medical device 112, and the one or more sensors on board patient support apparatus 20) in communication with the controller (Bodurka: FIG. 4 the caregiver detector 98 in communication with the controller 92), the sensor adapted to detect a parameter relating to the room (Bodurka: Abstract, [0078], [0083]-[0084], [0160], [0172], and FIG. 4: Caregiver detector 98 (FIG. 4) is a device used to detect when a caregiver 114 associated with a patient or patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the room and when such a caregiver is not positioned within the room), and wherein the data transmitted to the second stationary communication unit includes data from the sensor (Bodurka: [0134], [0143], [0154], [0162]-[0167], and FIG. 6: It will also be understood that the displayed data may come from multiple sources, yet still be displayed on a common display. For example, headwall unit 66 may display on TV/display 62 data from one or sensors 148 on board patient support apparatus 20, data from a first medical device 112, and data from a second medical device 112. As was noted previously, the format for displaying this multi-sourced data can be selected by a caregiver and input into the preference setting stored on board mobile electronic device 116 and Sakabayashi: Abstract, [0026]-[0030], [0175]-[0180], FIG. 5, and FIG. 7-9 the relay device 200: the second BLE transceiver having received the report information transmitted from the first BLE transceiver in step S202 transmits the received report information (S204). Further, in a case in which report information and user information are received, the second BLE transceiver transmits the received report information and user information).
As to claim 29, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 24 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 24 the second identifier (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned) indicating the room in which the stationary communication unit is located (Bodurka: [0087] and FIG. 4: Each headwall unit 66 includes a unique identifier 104 that uniquely identifies that particular headwall unit 66 from the other headwall units 66 within the healthcare facility. This unique identifier is used by patient support apparatus 20 and/or other devices in communication with first transceiver 86 of headwall unit 66 to determine their location within a particular healthcare facility. When first transceiver 86 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20, controller 92 of headwall unit 66 transmits the unique identifier 104 to the patient support apparatus 20 (or other device). In the embodiment shown, unique identifier 104 is sent to patient support apparatus 20 only via first transceiver 86. It will be understood, however, that both first and second transceiver 86 and 88 may transmit identifier 104 to the patient support apparatus 20) except for the claimed limitations of wherein the controller is further adapted to include a second identifier with the data transmitted to the second stationary communication unit.
However, Bodurka discloses the transceivers of the headwall unit transmit the second identifier to establish communication with the patient support apparatus, the medical devices, the mobile electronic device of the caregiver ([0087]-[0088], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5), and other devices position within the room ([0078] and FIG. 4). Further, in one embodiment, Bodurka discloses the headwall unit transmitting/receiving information from other devices within the room using the transceivers connected to the headwall unit ([0130]-[0131] and FIG. 6: In an alternative embodiment, TV/display 62 is equipped with a wireless transceiver and one of the transceivers of headwall unit 66 wirelessly transmits the data directly to the wireless transceiver of TV/display 62. In some embodiments, the wireless transceiver is a conventional wireless dongle that is inserted into a port of TV/display 62 and that enables wireless communication with appropriately configured wireless devices (e.g. headwall unit 66). In still another embodiment, controller 92 of headwall unit 66 sends the data to be displayed on TV/display 62 first to controller 136 of patient support apparatus 20, which in turn forwards the data wirelessly directly to TV/display 62 via a wireless link 166. Wireless link 166 may utilize second transceiver 140 of patient support apparatus 20, network transceiver 150 of patient support apparatus 20, or some other transceiver of patient support apparatus 20).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka and Sakabayashi , it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka and Sakabayashi to include wherein the controller is further adapted to include a second identifier with the data transmitted to the second stationary communication unit, as suggested by Bodurka, as desired. The motivation for this is to establish a communication link with other devices in the room.
As to claim 33, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 29 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 29 wherein the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver (Bodurka: [0082]-[0084]-[0093], [0095], [0098]-[0099], [0129], and FIG. 4-5: Second transceiver 88 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of bay area 102 because second transceiver 88 is a Bluetooth transceiver that uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight. Accordingly, none of patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 needs to be in bay area 102 to communicate with second transceiver 88. However, the power levels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 88 are set such that patient support apparatus 20, medical devices 112, and/or mobile electronic device 116 are not generally able to communicate with second transceiver 88 when these devices are positioned outside of the room in which the headwall unit 66 is positioned) and the second transceiver is an infrared transceiver (Bodurka: [0092] and FIG. 4 the first transceiver 86: If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of the bay area 102, first transceiver 86 will not be able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 because first transceiver 86 uses infrared signals, which are line-of-sight signals, and first transceiver 86 is set up such that its line-of-sight signals are only detectable by the patient support apparatus 20 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the corresponding bay 102, or a portion of that bay 102).
As to claim 34, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 23 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 23 wherein the first transceiver (Bodurka: [0016], [0068], [0070], FIG. 4 and FIG. 11) is adapted to receive audio signals from the patient support apparatus and forward the received audio signals to the nurse call system outlet using the third transceiver (Bodurka: [0069], [0072]-[0073], [0075]-[0078], [0081], [0091], [0164-[0167], [0172], and FIG. 2-4: the headwall unit 66 therefore reacts to the exit message it receives from patient support apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30 and #31. The nurse call system 60 that is communicatively coupled to cable port 56 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the same manner as if a cable were coupled between cable port 56, such as by sending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations, flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20, forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by the caregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20, and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration of the nurse call system).
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bodurka (Bodurka – US 2019/0183705 A1) in view of Sakabayashi (Sakabayashi – US 2019/0311605 A1) and further in view of Delaney (Delaney – US 2021/0279417 A1).
As to claim 25, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 24 further comprising the stationary communication unit of claim 24 wherein the sensor is a sound sensor adapted to detect sound in the room (Bodurka: [0056], [0070]-[0071], [0073], [0118], and FIG. 5: Sensor(s) 148 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) may take on a variety of different forms. In some embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail below, sensor(s) 148 include any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted to detect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient support apparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of support deck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are in their raised or lowered orientations; an exit detection status sensors adapted to detect whether an exit detection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not; a microphone adapted to detect the voice of patient positioned on patient support apparatus 20 so that the patient can communicate aurally with a remotely positioned caregiver (via nurse call system 60); and/or another type of sensor) except for the claimed limitations of the controller is further adapted to only transmit the data from the sensor to the stationary communication unit if the sound sensor detects a sound above a threshold, and wherein the stationary communication unit further comprises a clock and the controller is further adapted to transmit a time signal from the clock along with the data from the sensor that is transmitted to the stationary communication unit.
However, it has been known in the art of patient room support to implement the controller is further adapted to only transmit the data from the sensor to the stationary communication unit if the sound sensor detects a sound above a threshold, and wherein the stationary communication unit further comprises a clock and the controller is further adapted to transmit a time signal from the clock along with the data from the sensor that is transmitted to the stationary communication unit, as suggested by Delaney, which discloses the controller is further adapted to only transmit the data from the sensor to the stationary communication unit if the sound sensor detects a sound above a threshold, and wherein the stationary communication unit further comprises a clock and the controller is further adapted to transmit a time signal from the clock along with the data from the sensor that is transmitted to the stationary communication unit (Delaney: Abstract, [0028]-[0033], [0035]-[0036], and FIG. 1-2: For example, the sound and light sensors may be situated within a living room, and thus can detect sound and light within the living room. The sound sensor can record time stamps when sound having an amplitude above a predetermined threshold is detected. Similarly, the light sensor can record time stamps when light having an intensity above a predetermined threshold is detected. The sensors can provide the sound amplitude and light intensity information along with the time stamps to the server 108 for receipt by the description generator 110).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka, Sakabayashi and Delaney, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka and Sakabayashi to include the controller is further adapted to only transmit the data from the sensor to the stationary communication unit if the sound sensor detects a sound above a threshold, and wherein the stationary communication unit further comprises a clock and the controller is further adapted to transmit a time signal from the clock along with the data from the sensor that is transmitted to the stationary communication unit, as suggested by Delaney. The motivation for this is to determine a condition of a room based on sensing information of sensors positioned in the room.
Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bodurka (Bodurka – US 2019/0183705 A1) in view of Sakabayashi (Sakabayashi – US 2019/0311605 A1) and further in view of Bhimavarapu et al. (Bhimavarapu – US 2018/0369035 A1).
As to claim 28, Bodurka and Sakabayashi disclose the limitations of claim 24 except for the claimed limitations of the stationary communication unit of claim 24 wherein the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room.
However, it has been known in the art of patient room support to implement wherein the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room, as suggested by Bhimavarapu, which discloses wherein the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room (Bhimavarapu: [0092]-[0099], and FIG. 12 the light sensor 124: the controller 84 is configured to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the first illumination level 90A when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the first ambient light threshold T1 (see FIG. 12B), and to control the light module 90 to illuminate the input device 94 at the second illumination level 90B when the light sensor 124 senses ambient light at the second ambient light threshold T2 (see FIG. 12A). In one embodiment, the light sensor 124 is spaced from the input device 94. Advantageously, the light sensor 124 and the input device 94 are subjected to substantially similar ambient light. However, it will be appreciated that the light sensor 124 could be arranged in any suitable location).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Bodurka, Sakabayashi and Bhimavarapu, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the patient room support of Bodurka and Sakabayashi to include wherein the sensor is a light sensor adapted to detect an amount of light in the room, as suggested by Bhimavarapu. The motivation for this is to selectively control lighting in a patient room based on sensing information from a light sensor positioned in the room.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Durlach et al., US 2020/0312115 A1, discloses patient care system.
Bhimavarapu et al., US 10,235,845 B2, discloses patient support apparatuses with reconfigurable communication .
Hayes et al., US 9,320,662 B2, discloses patient support apparatus with in-room device communication.
Conclusion
All claims are drawn to the same invention claimed in the application prior to the entry of the submission under 37 CFR 1.114 and could have been finally rejected on the grounds and art of record in the next Office action if they had been entered in the application prior to entry under 37 CFR 1.114. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP §706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685