Field of the Disclosure

[0001] The present disclosure is directed generally to systems and methods for providing a medical or dental appointment reminder to a personal or medical care device.

Background

[0002] A common challenge for medical or dental professionals is scheduling. Appointments are frequently scheduled up to 6 months or more in advance. In part because these appointments are made relatively far in the future, scheduling conflicts arise and can go unnoticed. To remind patients of upcoming appointments, medical and dental practices have adopted a practice of calling patients approximately 1-2 days in advance of appointments. The rate at which people reschedule appointments is high. Similarly, many individuals use personal medical devices and also require frequent or regularly scheduled appointments with doctors, other healthcare professionals, or technicians regarding their use of these devices. Accordingly, there is an on-going need in the art for systems and methods to provide dental and medical appointment reminders to patients.

Summary of the Disclosure

[0003] This disclosure relates to systems for providing a medical or dental appointment reminder to a personal or medical care device. Systems of this disclosure comprise personal or medical care devices comprising a sensory indicator located on or in a body of the personal or medical care device. The sensory indicator provides appointment information regarding a scheduled medical or dental appointment. The system also comprises a personal computing device comprising a second processor configured to arrange the scheduled appointment date, a second memory configured to store the scheduled appointment date, and a second communications link. Data regarding the scheduled appointment is conveyed between the personal or medical care device and the personal computing device via the first communications link and the second communications link. [0004] Generally, in one aspect, a personal or medical care device is provided. The personal or medical care device comprises: a device memory configured to store a scheduled appointment date; a device processor configured to receive the scheduled appointment date; a sensory indicator located on or in a body of the personal or medical care device and in communication with the device processor, wherein the sensory indicator provides appointment information regarding a scheduled appointment.

[0005] In an aspect, the personal or medical care device is an oral care device.

[0006] In an aspect, the personal or medical care device has a user interface comprising a first input and a second input for inputting appointment information.

[0007] In an aspect, the sensory indicator comprises at least one of: one or more LEDs, a segmented display, and a graphical display.

[0008] In an aspect, the sensory indicator comprises a speaker.

[0009] In an aspect, the sensory indicator is a light source, wherein the light source is arranged to project a first image onto a surface, wherein the first image comprises appointment information.

[0010] In an aspect, the sensory indicator comprises a graphical display arranged to display one or more characters, wherein the graphical display conveys appointment information.

[0011] In an aspect, the sensory indicator is arranged to produce a first indicator, the first indicator having a first indicator characteristic over a first time interval, and a second indicator. The second indicator has a second indicator characteristic over a second time interval. The first indicator characteristic and the second indicator characteristic can include at least one of: brightness, color, rate of illumination flash, textual display, display icon, volume, frequency, pitch, audio message, and rate of sound burst.

[0012] Generally, in one aspect, a system for providing a medical or dental appointment is provided. The system comprises: a personal or medical care device and a personal computing device. The personal or medical care device comprises a first processor configured to receive a scheduled appointment date, a first memory configured to store the scheduled appointment date, a first communications link, and a sensory indicator located on or in a body of the personal or medical care device. The sensory indicator provides appointment information regarding a scheduled medical or dental appointment. The personal computing device comprising a second processor configured to schedule the scheduled appointment date, a second memory configured to store the scheduled appointment date, and a second communications link. The data regarding the scheduled medical or dental appointment is conveyed between the personal or medical care device and the personal computing device via the first communications link and the second communications link.

[0013] In an aspect, the personal or medical care device is an oral care device.

[0014] In an aspect, the personal or medical care device has a user interface comprising a first input and a second input for inputting appointment information.

[0015] In an aspect, the sensory indicator comprises at least one of: one or more LEDs, a segmented display, a graphical display, and a speaker.

[0016] In an aspect, the sensory indicator is a light source, wherein the light source is arranged to project a first image onto a surface, wherein the first image comprises appointment information.

[0017] In an aspect, the sensory indicator comprises a graphical display arranged to display one or more characters, wherein the graphical display conveys appointment information.

[0018] In an aspect, the sensory indicator is arranged to produce a first indicator, the first indicator having a first indicator characteristic over a first time interval, and a second indicator. The second indicator has a second indicator characteristic over a second time interval. The first indicator characteristic and the second indicator characteristic can include at least one of: brightness, color, rate of illumination flash, textual display, display icon, volume, frequency, pitch, audio message, and rate of sound burst.

[0019] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed herein. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the various embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 1 is schematic illustration of a personal or medical care device according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a system for delivering an appointment reminder to a personal or medical care device to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator of a personal or medical care device according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a sensory indicator according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0030] The present disclosure relates to systems for providing a medical or dental appointment reminder to a personal or medical care device. More generally, Applicant has recognized and appreciated that it would be beneficial to provide a system to remind a user of a past or future appointment by employing a sensory indicator on a personal or medical care device. A personal or medical care device can be a device such as an insulin or other medication pump, c-pap breathing machine, breast pump, oxygen generator, toothbrush, oral irrigator, flosser, or other personal or medical care device that a user frequently or regularly utilizes. A medical care device can include devices regarding which a user has appointments with a doctor, dentist, medical specialist, healthcare provider, laboratory, or maintenance service relating to issues for which the device is utilized, and can include any home-medical care or home monitoring device. It is to be understood that a home-medical care or home monitoring device can be utilized in locations other than a home, such as nursing home, healthcare facility, spa or medical retreat.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a personal or medical care device 4 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Personal or medical care device 4 contains a device memory 8 and a device processor 12. The device memory 8 and device processor 12 are in communication with each other and control a sensory indicator 16 which provides appointment information about a scheduled appointment. The memory is configured to store information regarding a scheduled appointment, include the date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The device processor 12 is configured to receive information regarding the scheduled appointment, including date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The device processor 12 is in communication with the sensory indicator 16 and is configured to control the sensory indicator 16. The sensory indicator 16 is located on or in the body of the personal or medical care device 4 and provides appointment information regarding a scheduled appointment.

[0032] The device processor 12 may take any suitable form, including but not limited to a microcontroller, multiple microcontrollers, circuitry, a single processor, or plural processors. The device memory 8 may take any suitable form, including a non-volatile memory and/or RAM. The non-volatile memory may include read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The device memory 8 can store, among other things, an operating system. The RAM is sued by the processor for the temporary storage of data. According to an embodiment, an operating system may contain code which, when executed by the processor, controls operation of the hardware components of the personal or medical care device 4.

[0033] Appointment information can be inputted into the personal or medical care device via a user interface. As an example, the user interface can comprise at least a first input 20 for inputting appointment information, such as the time and date of an appointment. The first input 20 can be utilized to select a day, month, year, hour, and/or minute category. Additionally, the first input 20, can be utilized to confirm a specific day, specific month, specific year, specific hour, and/or specific minute of the appointment from a revolving list of days, months, years, hours, and minutes in each category; in some arrangements of the present invention, alternatively, a second input 24, is utilized for the confirming functions, while the first input 20 is used for the selecting functions.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an exemplary system 30 for providing a medical or dental appointment reminder to a personal or medical care device 4 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Personal or medical care device 4 contains a first memory 8, a first processor 12, and a first communication link 44. The first memory 8 and first processor 12 are in communication with each other and control a sensory indicator 16 which provides appointment information about a scheduled appointment.

[0035] The first memory 8 is configured to store information regarding a scheduled appointment, include the date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, and/or the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The first processor 12 is configured to receive information regarding the scheduled appointment, including date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, and/or the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The first processor 12 is in communication with the sensory indicator 16 and is configured to control the sensory indicator 16. The sensory indicator 16 is located on or in the body of the personal or medical care device 4 and provides appointment information regarding a scheduled appointment.

[0036] System 30 also comprises a personal computing device 60. The computing device 60 comprising a second processor 64 configured to schedule the scheduled appointment date, a second memory 68 configured to store the scheduled appointment date, and a second communications link 72. The second memory 68 is configured to store information regarding a scheduled appointment, include the date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The second processor 64 is configured to schedule the scheduled appointment date. The second processor can send and receive information regarding the scheduled appointment, including date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. The second communication link 72 can send and receive information and data regarding the scheduled appointment from and to the personal computing device. The second communication link 72 can send appointment information, including data regarding the date of the appointment, appointment time, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled, the address of the appointment, the phone number of the office or individual with whom the appointment is scheduled, etc. to the personal or medical care device 4 via the first communication link of 44 of the personal or medical care device 4.

[0037] The personal computing device 60 may be any computing device, including but not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile device, or a wearable device. The first processor 12 and second processor 64 may take any suitable form, including but not limited to a microcontroller, multiple microcontrollers, circuitry, a single processor, or plural processors. The first memory 8 and second memory 68 can take any suitable form, including a non-volatile memory and/or RAM. The non-volatile memory may include read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The first memory 8 and second memory 68 can store, among other things, an operating system. The RAM is used by the processors 12, 64 for the temporary storage of data. According to an embodiment, an operating system may contain code which, when executed by the first processor 12 and second processor 64, controls operation of the hardware components of the personal or medical care device 8 and/or the personal computing device 60, respectively. According to an embodiment, the first communication link 44 and the second communication link 72 transmits data, and can be any module, device, or means capable of transmitted a wired or wireless signal, including but not limited to a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio-frequency connection, near field communication, and/or cellular module.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, in one possible arrangement, the sensory indicator 16 can comprise one or more LEDs 76A-E which provide one or more lights to provide information about a scheduled appointment. As an example, the color of the LED displays 76A-E can differ depending on how near the scheduled appointment is. One color may be visible on the display if no scheduled appointment information is available (for example, purple). Another color may be visible on the display if the scheduled appointment is far in the future (for example, grey, or the light may be on low power, or off). Other colors may indicate that the scheduled appointment is one month away (for example, blue), one week away (for example, green), one day away (for example, yellow), scheduled for that day (for example, orange), or the scheduled appointment date has passed (for example, red).

[0039] The sensory indicator 16 can take different forms. As shown in FIG. 4, in another possible arrangement, the sensory indicator 16 can be a segmented display 80A-E, where the number of segments illuminated (82A-E) varies based on how far in the future is the scheduled appointment. For example, the segmented display 80A which has fewer illuminated segments 82A, indicates that an appointment is further away than a segmented display 80E which has more illuminated segments 82E. As an example, one illuminated segment 82A can indicate that the scheduled appointment is more than one month away, two illuminated segments 82B can indicate that the schedule appointment is one month away, three illuminated segments 82C can indicate that the scheduled appointment is one week away, four illuminated segments 82D can indicate that the scheduled appointment is one day away, and five illuminated segments 82E can indicate that the scheduled appointment is on that day.

[0040] In another example of a possible arrangement, as shown in FIG. 5, the sensory indicator 16 can be a graphical display 84A-84E where an icon is displayed when the appointment is near. For example, the graphical display can change the image being displayed, or the icon can be illuminated with lights of different brightness, color 84A-84E, and/or which flash at a certain frequency. The color of the light, the brightness of the light, and/or the frequency with which the light flashes can provide information about whether an appointment is scheduled, how near in the future, or, for example, if the appointment date has passed. The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example for a dental appointment reminder; however, it can be appreciated that any number of icons or images can be used for different types of equipment.

[0041] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary sensory indicator which is a speaker 88. The speaker 88 can indicate when an appointment is scheduled by providing varied sound bursts or sounds bursts where the volume, the pitch, or the rate and number of sound bursts vary. The difference in the auditory signal can indicate how far away the scheduled appointment is. The speaker 88 can also play an audio message regarding when the appointment is schedule, for example, “your appointment is tomorrow at 3 pm.” The audio message can provide a variety of information regarding the scheduled appointment. [0042] As another example, as shown in FIG. 7, the sensory indicator 16 can be a graphical display 104A-104C which displays one or more characters 108A-108C. The displayed characters 108 could represent some information regarding the appointment, for example, how far in the future the appointment is (for example,“one month” or“one day”) or could provide direct information regarding the appointment such as the date, time, address, phone number, or provider’s name (for example,“appointment May 1, 2019 at 3 pm with Dr. Smith, 716-421-8757”).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 8, an exemplary sensor indicator 16 may include an optical projection. The optical projection includes a projected first image 96 which is projected from a light source 92 in or on the sensory indicator 16 to a surface 100 in proximity to the personal or medical care device 4.

[0044] One or more examples of sensory indicators, such as those illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 8 may be combined and utilized together, for example, to provide more information or provide a better reminder to a user regarding an appointment. As shown in FIG. 9, the sensory indicators 16 (including those illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 8) are arranged to produce a first indication 112 over a first time interval 120 and second indication 114 over a second time interval 124. The first indication 112 and second indication 114 have characteristics that can include, among others, brightness, color, rate of illumination flash, textual display, display icon, volume, frequency, pitch, audio message, and rate of sound burst. As an example, sensory indicator 16 is arranged to produce a first indication 112 that is yellow in color during the first time interval 120, when it is being operated the day before a scheduled appointment. The sensory indicator 16 is arranged to produce a second indication 116 that is orange in color during the second time interval 124, when it is being operated the on the day of a scheduled appointment. The change in characteristic of the indication from the first time interval to the second time interval conveys appointment information. In another example, the time interval of the first indication and the second indication can vary to convey information about the appointment.

[0045] As another example, system 30 can be utilized in conjunction with scheduling programs utilized by a medical or dental office. For example, a dentist office may use dental practice management software, to schedule patient appointments. The dental practice management software is integrated with a program and/or database which logs information about data, software, or programs, such as, for example, the Sonicare toothbrush software application (the Sonicare App), utilized by the patient on the patient’s personal computing device 60. The dental program management software, via, for example, its own Sonicare App, then uses a database to identify and then communicate with the patient’s personal computing device 60. Information regarding an upcoming appointment can be communicated from the dental office to the patient’s personal care or medical care device 4 when the patient’s Sonicare App relays appointment information to the patient’s personal or medical care device 4. The dental office can send reminders to the patient’s personal care device 4 regarding upcoming appointments, update information regarding the appointment, and seek confirmation from the patient regarding a possible appointment date, among other things.

[0046] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0047] The indefinite articles“a” and“an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean“at least one.”

[0048] The phrase“and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean“either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e.,“one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the“and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0049] As used herein in the specification and in the claims,“or” should be understood to have the same meaning as“and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list,“or” or“and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as“only one of’ or“exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims,“consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term“or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e.“one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as“either,”“one of,”“only one of,” or“exactly one of.”

[0050] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase“at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase“at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0051] It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0052] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases“consisting of’ and“consisting essentially of’ shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0053] While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.