초록 ▼

An apparatus and method are disclosed for improving a medical infusion pump. Users of medical infusion pumps, such as insulin pumps, require a bolus of a medication at predicable times of the day, such as at or near mealtimes for insulin pumps. The disclosed medical infusion pump determines bolus ti

An apparatus and method are disclosed for improving a medical infusion pump. Users of medical infusion pumps, such as insulin pumps, require a bolus of a medication at predicable times of the day, such as at or near mealtimes for insulin pumps. The disclosed medical infusion pump determines bolus time intervals during which boluses are usually taken, and, alerts the user at one or more calculated alert times during an active bolus time interval when a bolus has not yet been delivered during the active bolus time interval. Advantageously, a different set of bolus time intervals are determined by day of week, to accommodate, for example, different bolus patterns during weekends versus weekdays.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A medical infusion pump, comprising: an infusion pump processor in the medical infusion pump; an actuator in the medical infusion pump coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable for delivering medicament doses to a user; a storage coupled to the infusion pump processor,

What is claimed is: 1. A medical infusion pump, comprising: an infusion pump processor in the medical infusion pump; an actuator in the medical infusion pump coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable for delivering medicament doses to a user; a storage coupled to the infusion pump processor, the storage further comprising more than one time interval groups, each of the more than one time interval groups being capable of storing one or more bolus time intervals; an input device coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable to allow the user to cause a bolus to be delivered; an alert mechanism coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable to warn the user; and a timer coupled to the infusion pump processor capable of maintaining time information; wherein the processor determines, using the user's history of boluses delivered by the medical infusion pump in each of the more than one time interval groups, the one or more bolus time intervals during which a bolus is usually taken by the user in the each of the more than one time interval groups, and, activating the alerting mechanism at one or more calculated alert times associated with an active bolus time interval in the one or more bolus time intervals, if a bolus has not been taken yet in the active bolus time interval. 2. The medical infusion pump of claim 1, wherein the user can define at least one of the more than one time interval groups. 3. A medical infusion pump, comprising: an infusion pump processor in the medical infusion pump; an actuator in the medical infusion pump coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable for delivering medicament doses; a storage coupled to the infusion pump processor; an input device coupled to the infusion pump processor suitable to allow a user to cause a bolus to be delivered; an alert mechanism suitable to warn the user; and a timer coupled to the infusion pump processor capable of maintaining time information; wherein the processor determines, using the user's history of bolus deliveries by the pump, one or more bolus time intervals during which a bolus is usually taken by the user, and, activating the alerting mechanism at one or more calculated alert times associated with the one or more bolus time intervals. 4. The medical infusion pump of claim 3, wherein the alerting mechanism is activated when a current time equals a particular calculated alert time in the one or more calculated alert times of an active bolus time interval in the one or more of the bolus time intervals, and a bolus has not yet been taken during the active bolus time interval prior to the particular calculated alert time. 5. The medical infusion pump of claim 3, the storage including a bolus time table. 6. The medical infusion pump of claim 5, the bolus time table constructed as a FIFO (first in first out) structure. 7. The medical infusion pump of claim 5, the bolus time table constructed as a linearly addressable storage array. 8. The medical infusion pump of claim 5, the bolus time table partitioned into one or more time interval groups. 9. The medical infusion pump of claim 8, the bolus time table logically partitioned into one or more time interval groups. 10. The medical infusion pump of claim 9, wherein the bolus time table logical partitioning is determined by time table logical partition information in a control data. 11. The medical infusion pump of claim 10, wherein the control data includes time table logical partition information in a default data that can be overridden by user override logical partition information, if entered by the user. 12. The medical infusion pump of claim 8, the bolus time table physically partitioned into one or more time interval groups. 13. The medical infusion pump of claim 8, further comprising a working space in storage large enough to store a largest time interval group of the one or more time interval groups. 14. The medical infusion pump of claim 3, comprising: a plurality of bolus time tables in the storage; means for allowing the user to specify to the infusion pump processor a particular bolus time table in the plurality of bolus time tables to use. 15. A method of alerting a user of a medical infusion pump, comprising the steps of: storing, in the medical infusion pump, time information at which boluses are taken by the user; determining, by the medical infusion pump, one or more bolus time intervals during which a bolus is usually taken by the user, using the time information; and alerting the user when a current time equals one or more calculated alert times associated with an active bolus time interval until a bolus is taken during the active bolus time interval. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of logically partitioning a storage in the infusion pump into one or more time interval groups, a time interval group corresponding to a recurring period of time during which the user's bolus pattern does not substantially vary. 17. The method of claim 16, the step of logically partitioning a storage in the infusion pump into one or more time interval groups is at least partially determined by the user. 18. The method of claim 16, the step of logically partitioning the storage comprises the step of creating a separate time interval group for each day of a week. 19. The method of claim 16, the step of logically partitioning the storage comprises the step of creating a first time interval group that includes Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 20. The method of claim 19, the step of logically partition the storage further comprising the step of creating a second time interval group that includes Saturdays. 21. The method of claim 19, the step of logically partitioning the storage further comprising the step of creating a third time interval group that includes Sundays. 22. The method of claim 15, the step of determining, by the medical infusion pump, one or more bolus time intervals, further includes sorting the time information at which boluses are taken by the user. 23. The method of claim 15, the step of determining, by the medical infusion pump, one or more bolus time intervals, further comprising use of a maximum bolus time interval duration to distinguish a first bolus time interval from a second time interval. 24. The method of claim 15, the step of alerting the user when a current time equals one or more calculated alert times during an active bolus time interval until a bolus is taken during the active bolus time interval further comprises the step of testing one or more alert criteria, and, if the one or more alert criteria is satisfied, activating an alert mechanism. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more alert criteria includes a current time equaling a first particular calculated alert time that is a predetermined anticipatory period prior to the first bolus time of the active bolus time interval. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more alert criteria includes a current time equaling a second particular calculated alert time that is an earliest bolus time of the active bolus time interval. 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more alert criteria includes a current time equaling a third particular calculated alert time during the active bolus time interval, the third particular calculated alert time being an average of all bolus times in the active bolus time interval. 28. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more alert criteria includes a current time equal to a fourth particular calculated alert time that is later than the latest bolus time of the active bolus time interval. 29. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of alerting the user further includes activating the alert mechanism differently responsive to which of the alert criteria is satisfied. 30. A program product, distributed on computer-readable media that, when executed on a suitable processor, executes the steps of claim 15. 31. A method of alerting a user of a medical infusion pump, comprising the steps of: learning, by the medical infusion pump, one or more bolus time intervals during which a user of the medical infusion pump normally takes a bolus; and alerting the user at one or more calculated alert times associated with an active bolus time interval in the one or more bolus time intervals if a bolus has not yet been taken prior to the calculated alert time. 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of alerting the user at a first particular calculated alert time that is a predetermined anticipatory period prior to a first bolus time of the particular bolus time period. 33. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of alerting the user at a second particular calculated alert time that is a the earliest bolus time in the active bolus time period. 34. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of alerting the user at a third particular calculated alert time during the active bolus time interval. 35. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of alerting the user at a fourth particular calculated alert time that is later than the latest bolus time in the active bolus time interval. 36. A program product, distributed on computer-readable media that, when executed on a suitable processor, executes the steps of claim 31. 37. A medical infusion pump, comprising: a timer; and an alerting mechanism; wherein the medical infusion pump determines, using a user's history of bolus deliveries by the medical infusion pump, one or more bolus time intervals during which a bolus is usually taken by the user, and, activating the alerting mechanism at one or more calculated alert times associated with the one or more bolus time intervals. 38. The medical infusion pump of claim 37, wherein the medical infusion pump has more than one time interval groups, each time interval group containing one or more of the bolus time intervals. 39. The medical infusion pump of claim 37, wherein the medical infusion pump is an insulin pump.