TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to monitors having electronic visual displays and monitor mounts for use with such monitors.

BACKGROUND

Monitors that include electronic visual displays are utilized in a large number of applications within a wide variety of industries including, for example, healthcare, military, and oil and gas. Many of the applications within such industries require such monitors to, at times, be portable, and, at other times, be stationary. When not used in transport of a patient or when a patient is ambulatory, monitors at times can be sometimes connected to a monitor mount. Such monitor mounts can provide a variety of functions including physical support, a power source, and a conduit to one or more computer networks.

One type of a monitor is a patient monitor which is used by health care facilities to monitor and display information about a patient such as vital signs, status of connected devices (e.g., physiological sensors, etc.), and the like. Patient monitors typically are portable devices that travel with the patient in order to provide continuous monitoring during care. When a patient arrives at a hospital room or other treatment location, the patient monitor is often plugged into or otherwise connected to a patient monitor mount. Patient monitor mounts provide a physical interface for the patient monitor and are generally fixed to the treatment location. Patient monitor mounts also provide electrical connection to other devices or infrastructure, such as power to recharge patient monitor batteries, network connectivity to other medical devices or hospital computer systems, and the like.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a system includes a monitor mount and first and second monitors. The monitor mount includes a first coupling, a second coupling, and a first power bus. The first monitor includes a first electronic visual display and has a size and shape configured to be detachably secured to the monitor mount by the first coupling. The first monitor can optionally be powered by the first power bus when secured to the monitor mount. The second monitor includes a second electronic visual display and a third coupling. The second monitor has a size and shape configured to: (i) be detachably secured to the monitor mount by the second coupling, (ii) detachably secure the first monitor by the third coupling, (iii) surround at least a portion of the first electronic visual display when the first monitor is secured to the second monitor.

The second monitor can be powered by the first power bus when the first monitor is secured to the second monitor and both of the first monitor and the second monitor are secured to the monitor mount.

The first monitor can also include a second power bus and the second monitor is powered by the second power bus when the first monitor is secured to the second monitor. The second monitor, in some variations, is operable solely via the second power bus. In other variations, the second monitor is operable via either of the first power bus and the second power bus.

The first monitor can include a self-contained power source that allows the first monitor to be operated independent of the monitor mount.

The first monitor can include a sensor interface configured to receive data generated by at least one physiological sensor monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient. The at least one physiological sensor can include a wired connection to the sensor interface. The at least one physiological sensor can additionally or alternatively include a wireless connection to the sensor interface.

The second monitor can be configured to be first coupled to the second coupling and the first monitor can be configured to be subsequently coupled to the third coupling and the first coupling.

The first monitor can be configured to be coupled to and power the second monitor by the second power bus when neither of the first monitor and the second monitor are secured to the monitor mount.

The first coupling, the second coupling, and the third coupling can take various forms including a mechanical coupling, an electro-mechanical coupling, and/or a magnetic coupling.

The monitor mount can further include a first communications interface coupled to at least one computing network. With this variation, the first monitor can include a second communications interface which transmits and receives data over the computing network via the first communications interface when the first monitor is secured to the monitor mount.

The second monitor can include a third communications interface for receiving data from the second communications interface of the first monitor and for visualizing at least a portion of such received data on the second electronic visual display.

The first monitor can be configured to be detachably secured to and removed from a forward face of the monitor mount. In addition or the alternative, the first monitor can be configured to be transversely inserted into and removed from the monitor mount.

The first monitor can be configured to be transversely inserted into and removed from the second monitor.

In an interrelated aspect, a system for use with a monitor mount having a first coupling, a second coupling, and a first power bus can include a first monitor and a second monitor both as described herein.

In an further interrelated system, a monitor mount can include a first coupling, a second coupling, and a first power bus. Such a monitor mount is configured to detachably secure a first monitor and a second monitor both as described herein.

Non-transitory computer program products (i.e., physically embodied computer program products) are also described that store instructions, which when executed by one or more data processors of one or more computing systems, cause at least one data processor to perform operations herein. Similarly, computer systems are also described that can include one or more data processors and memory coupled to the one or more data processors. The memory can temporarily or permanently store instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein. In addition, methods can be implemented by one or more data processors either within a single computing system or distributed among two or more computing systems. Such computing systems can be connected and can exchange data and/or commands or other instructions or the like via one or more connections, including but not limited to a connection over a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, or the like), via a direct connection (e.g., electrical connection) between one or more of the multiple computing systems, etc.

The subject matter described herein provides many technical advantages. For example, the current subject matter enables the mounting of two monitors having different sizes, shapes, and functionality on a single monitor mount.

The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

