U.S. patent application number 16/885194 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-18 for health kiosk.
The applicant listed for this patent is Mobile NewMedia Ltd.. Invention is credited to Tejinder S. RANDHAWA, John RICHARDS.
Application Number | 20210050105 16/885194 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005180887 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-18 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210050105 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
RANDHAWA; Tejinder S. ; et
al. |
February 18, 2021 |
HEALTH KIOSK
Abstract
A health kiosk system is provided. A kiosk has a computing unit
and a physiological measurement apparatus connected to the
computing unit. A Web browser of the computing unit transmits
information corresponding to the physiological measurement
apparatus and a request for a resource to a Web server. In response
to receiving the request, the Web server transmits to the kiosk
profile-specific Web content responsive to the request and specific
to the received profile information. The information corresponding
to the physiological measurement apparatus may be transmitted in a
URL or HTTP Cookie of an HTTP request.
Inventors: |
RANDHAWA; Tejinder S.;
(Surrey, CA) ; RICHARDS; John; (Port Coquitlam,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Mobile NewMedia Ltd. |
Surrey |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005180887 |
Appl. No.: |
16/885194 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16231260 |
Dec 21, 2018 |
10692596 |
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16885194 |
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13221828 |
Aug 30, 2011 |
10204210 |
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16231260 |
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61378369 |
Aug 30, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 8/22 20130101; H04L
63/0876 20130101; H04L 67/34 20130101; G16H 40/67 20180101; G16H
10/60 20180101; H04L 67/30 20130101; G16H 30/20 20180101; H04L
41/0253 20130101; G06F 16/95 20190101 |
International
Class: |
G16H 40/67 20060101
G16H040/67; G16H 30/20 20060101 G16H030/20 |
Claims
1.-20. (canceled)
21. A method of providing a user inducement with a health kiosk
comprising a computing unit and at least one physiological
measurement apparatus, the method comprising: transmitting, from a
Web browser at the kiosk to a server, profile information of the
kiosk in the form of an HTTP request comprising an HTTP cookie
stored in a memory of the computing unit, the profile information
comprising a configuration selection from among a plurality of
possible configurations of the at least one physiological
measurement apparatus, the at least one physiological measurement
apparatus operatively connectable to a human user for measuring a
physiological characteristic of the user and the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus configurable to measure and
output one or more physiological measurements of the physiological
characteristic based on the configuration selection; transmitting
from the kiosk to the server a request for a resource; and in
response to receiving the profile information and the request:
generating dynamic, profile-specific, client-side executable Web
content configured to run on the Web browser, responsive to the
request and based at least in part on the profile information, the
dynamic, profile-specific, client-side executable Web content
comprising: a first, a second, and a third display element, the
first display element, when rendered by the Web browser by
executing the dynamic, profile-specific, client-side executable Web
content, provides a user interface based on the configuration
selection for user control, locally at the kiosk via the Web
browser and the user interface, of the at least one physiological
measurement apparatus to measure and output the physiological
characteristic, the second display element, when rendered by the
Web browser, provides a data display element for displaying data
output by the at least one physiological measurement apparatus
locally at the kiosk via the Web browser and the user interface,
and the third display element, when rendered by the Web browser,
displays a user inducement and a condition associated with the
inducement; transmitting from the server to the kiosk the dynamic,
profile-specific, client-side executable Web content; and
rendering, by the Web browser, the dynamic, profile-specific,
client-side executable Web content on a display at the kiosk by
executing the dynamic, profile-specific, client-side executable Web
content.
22. The method of claim 21, comprising: satisfying, by the kiosk,
the condition; and providing, by the kiosk, the inducement.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein: the condition comprises
measuring the physiological characteristic of the user with the at
least one physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk; and
satisfying, by the kiosk, the condition, comprises measuring the
physiological characteristic of the user with the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein: the condition comprises
measuring the physiological characteristic of the user with the at
least one physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk within a
period of time; and satisfying, by the kiosk, the condition,
comprises measuring the physiological characteristic of the user
with the at least one physiological measurement apparatus of the
kiosk within the period of time.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein providing, by the kiosk, the
inducement, comprises providing a monetary reward.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the monetary reward comprises
one of more of: cash, a discount coupon, and a gift
certificate.
27. The method of claim 22, wherein providing, by the kiosk, the
inducement, comprises: adding the user to a list of rewarded users;
selecting a selected user from the list of rewarded users; and
providing a monetary reward to the selected user.
28. The method of claim 21, comprising: providing, by the server,
an administrative interface; and receiving, by the server, the
inducement and the condition associated with the inducement from
the administrative interface.
29. A method of providing a user inducement with a health kiosk
comprising a computing unit, a Web browser, and at least one
physiological measurement apparatus operatively connectable to a
human user for measuring a physiological characteristic of the
user, the method comprising: receiving, by a server, a measurement
of the physiological characteristic of the user; generating, by the
server, dynamic, client-side executable Web content configured to
run on the Web browser, the Web content comprising a user
inducement and a condition associated with the inducement, wherein
the condition comprises measuring the physiological characteristic
of the user with the at least one physiological measurement
apparatus of the kiosk; transmitting from the server to the kiosk
the Web content; rendering, by the Web browser, the Web content on
a display at the kiosk by executing the Web content; satisfying, by
the kiosk, the condition by measuring the physiological
characteristic of the user with the at least one physiological
measurement apparatus of the kiosk; and providing, by the kiosk,
the inducement.
30. The method of claim 29: wherein generating, by the server, the
Web content comprises determining, by the server, that the
measurement of the physiological characteristic is outside of a
target physiological characteristic range; wherein the condition
comprises measuring the physiological characteristic of the user
with the at least one physiological measurement apparatus of the
kiosk within a period of time; and wherein satisfying, by the
kiosk, the condition comprises measuring the physiological
characteristic of the user with the at least one physiological
measurement apparatus of the kiosk within the period of time.
31. The method of claim 29, wherein receiving, by the server, the
measurement of the physiological characteristic of the user
comprises: generating, by the kiosk, the measurement of the
physiological characteristic of the user by measuring the
physiological characteristic of the user with the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk; and transmitting
the measurement of the physiological characteristic from the kiosk
to the server.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the physiological
characteristic comprises one or more of: weight, blood pressure,
blood glucose, temperature, and heart rate.
33. The method of claim 30, wherein the method comprises receiving,
by the server, user information, and wherein generating, by the
server, the Web content comprises generating the Web content at
least in part based on the user information.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the user information comprises
one or more of: a medication taken by the user, an activity
performed by the user, a food ingested by the user, and a drink
ingested by the user.
35. A health kiosk system comprising: a server having a web server;
and a kiosk communicatively coupled to the server, the kiosk
comprising: a computing unit; a display configured to display
content on a Web browser; and at least one physiological
measurement apparatus connected to the computing unit and
operatively connectable to a human user for measuring a
physiological characteristic of the user; wherein the computing
unit is configured to: receive, from the web server, dynamic,
client-side executable Web content configured to run on the Web
browser, the Web content comprising a user inducement and a
condition associated with the inducement, wherein the condition
comprises measuring the physiological characteristic of the user
with the at least one physiological measurement apparatus of the
kiosk; display the Web content on the display by executing the Web
content with the computing unit; satisfy the condition by measuring
the physiological characteristic of the user with the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk; and provide the
inducement.
36. The system of claim 35: wherein the web server is configured to
generate the Web content by determining that a first measurement of
the physiological characteristic of the user is outside of a target
physiological characteristic range; wherein the condition comprises
measuring the physiological characteristic of the user with the at
least one physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk within a
period of time; and wherein the computing unit is configured to
satisfy the condition by measuring the physiological characteristic
of the user with the at least one physiological measurement
apparatus of the kiosk within the period of time.
37. The system of claim 36, wherein the computing unit is
configured to: generate the first measurement by measuring the
physiological characteristic of the user with the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk; and transmit the
first measurement to the Web server.
38. The system of claim 35, wherein the physiological
characteristic comprises one or more of: weight, blood pressure,
blood glucose, temperature, and heart rate.
39. The system of claim 36, wherein the web server is configured to
generate the Web content at least in part based on user
information.
40. The system of claim 39, wherein the user information comprises
one or more of: a medication taken by the user, an activity
performed by the user, a food ingested by the user, and a drink
ingested by the user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
16/231,260 filed 21 Dec. 2018, which is in turn a continuation of
application Ser. No. 13/221,828 filed 30 Aug. 2011 (now U.S. patent
Ser. No. 10/204,210), which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 119 of application No. 61/378,369 filed on 30 Aug. 2010. All
of the applications referred to in this paragraph are hereby
incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
FIELD
[0002] The invention pertains to kiosks which may be used by human
subjects to obtain measurements of physiological parameters.
Particular embodiments provide a client-server kiosk architecture
by which a plurality of diversely configured kiosks may be
centrally administered by a server.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is now common for the elderly to live in managed care
facilities that provide supportive environments to ease the burdens
of aging. There is an increasing interest in monitoring the health
of residents at such care facilities. In addition to the elderly
themselves, loved ones, government authorities and insurers may
each have an interest in the continued health of resident of
managed care facilities.
[0004] Health kiosks installed in such facilities may be used to
measure and monitor indicators of the health of facility residents.
Some kiosks are connected to communication networks, and can
interact with remote computing facilities. Prior art health kiosks
may suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages: [0005]
difficulty in installing the kiosks; [0006] difficulty in adding
additional physiological measurement apparatus to kiosks; [0007]
difficulty in establishing a unique identifier for the kiosk;
[0008] difficulty in managing, storing and transmitting health data
to interested parties; [0009] difficulty in providing health data
that can be authenticated and/or verified; [0010] difficulty in
providing communication connectivity outside the local area network
due to firewalls and the like; [0011] difficulty in administering
differently configured kiosks; [0012] inadequate means for
motivating residents to interact with the kiosks; [0013] inadequate
provisions for preserving resident privacy; and [0014] prohibitive
financial cost.
[0015] Health kiosks may also find application in myriad other
locations, including without limitation, fitness centers, community
centers, physicians offices, long term care facilities, public
health offices, and the like.
[0016] The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations
related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive.
Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those
of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study
of the drawings.
SUMMARY
[0017] One aspect of the invention provides a health kiosk system
comprising a server having a Web server, a kiosk communicatively
coupled to the server, the kiosk comprising a computing unit, at
least one physiological measurement apparatus connected to the
computing unit, and a display. The computing unit has a Web browser
configured to transmit profile information indicative of a profile
of the kiosk to the Web server, the profile comprising information
corresponding to the at least one physiological measurement
apparatus, and to transmit a request for a resource to the Web
server. The Web server is configured to, in response to receiving
the profile information and the request, transmit to the kiosk
profile-specific Web content responsive to the request and based at
least in part on the profile information.
[0018] Another aspect of the invention provides a health kiosk
comprising a computing unit, a display and at least one
physiological measurement apparatus connected to the computing
unit. The computing unit has a Web browser configured to transmit
profile information indicative of a profile of the kiosk to a
particular Web server, the profile comprising information
corresponding to the at least one physiological measurement
apparatus, to transmit a request for a resource to the particular
Web server, and to render Web content received in response to the
request for display on the display. The particular Web server may
be predetermined as part of the configuration of the kiosk.
[0019] A further aspect of the invention provides method in a
health kiosk system including kiosk having at least one
physiological measurement apparatus and a server. The method
comprises transmitting from the kiosk to the server profile
information indicative of a profile of the kiosk, the profile
comprising information corresponding to the at least one
physiological measurement apparatus, transmitting from the kiosk to
the server a request for a resource, and, in response to receiving
the request, transmitting from the server to the kiosk
profile-specific Web content responsive to the request and based at
least in part on the profile information.
[0020] Yet another aspect of the invention provides a
non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer
program product having code that when executed by a computing unit
causes the computing unit of a kiosk to transmit profile
information indicative of a profile of the kiosk to a server, the
profile comprising information corresponding to at least one
physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk, and to transmit a
request for a resource to the server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures
of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures
disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than
restrictive.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a health kiosk system according to an
example embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 1A is a diagram of inter-process communication in a
health kiosk system according to an example embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a communication diagram of a method in a health
kiosk system according to an example embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a health kiosk system according to an
example embodiment.
[0026] FIGS. 4A-5B are diagrams representing renderings of Web
content provided from a server to kiosk in an example
embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a health kiosk system according to an
example embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Throughout the following description specific details are
set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding to
persons skilled in the art. However, well known elements may not
have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily
obscuring the disclosure. Accordingly, the description and drawings
are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive,
sense.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a health kiosk system 10 according to
an example embodiment. A client health kiosk 20 is communicatively
coupled to a server 30. Kiosk 20 may be communicatively coupled to
server 30 by one or more electronic networks, such as a local area
network (e.g., an Ethernet network), a wide area network (e.g., the
Internet), or the like. Kiosk 20 may be directly connected to
server 30. Server 30 may be geographically remote from client
health kiosk 20. Kiosk 20 may be one of a number of client health
kiosks communicatively coupled to server 30.
[0030] Kiosk 20 comprises a computing unit 22 coupled to a display
24. Computing unit 22 may comprise a personal computer, an embedded
computing appliance, or the like. In the illustrated embodiment,
computing unit 22 comprises a network communications interface (not
shown), by which computing unit 22 may connect to a communication
network. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that with an
appropriate network interface, computing unit 22 can connect to any
of a wide variety of communication networks, such as, for example
wired and/or wireless local area networks, wireless wide area
networks, or the like.
[0031] Display 24 may comprise any suitable display, such as, for
example, an liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT)
display, a television, or the like. In the illustrated embodiment,
display 24 comprises a touch screen input interface. Other
embodiments may provide alternative and/or supplementary user
interface input apparatus, such as, for example, a keyboard, a
mouse, a trackball, a microphone, a stylus and touch pad, and the
like. Other embodiments may provide alternative and/or
supplementary user interface output apparatus, such as, for
example, audio speakers, headphones, signaling lamps, and the like.
Some embodiments comprise apparatus for receiving input to identify
users of the kiosk, such as, for example, a magnetic card reader, a
bar code scanner, a microphone for voice recognition, a camera for
face recognition, a thumb/fingerprint scanner, wireless
communication means (e.g., RFID tag readers, Bluetooth transceiver,
WiFi transceivers, etc.), and the like. In some embodiments,
computing unit 22 and display 24 are integrated into a single
enclosure.
[0032] Kiosk 20 also comprises one or more physiological
measurement apparatus. In the illustrated embodiment, kiosk 20
comprises a weight scale 26A, a portable blood pressure monitor
26B, and a heart rate monitor 26C (collectively, physiological
measurement apparatus 26). Physiological measurement apparatus are
operatively coupled to computing unit 22 via suitable interfaces.
Such interfaces may comprise standardized device interfaces, such
as, for example, USB interfaces, serial port interface, Bluetooth
interfaces, WiFi interfaces, and the like. Operative couplings
between computing unit 22 and physiological measurement apparatus
26 may comprise wired and/or wireless links.
[0033] Computing unit 22 is operable to acquire physiological
measurements of a human subject obtained by physiological
measurement apparatus 26. In some embodiments computing unit 22 is
operable to obtain physiological measurement data from two or more
physiological measurement apparatus 26 at the same time. For
example two or more blood pressure monitors may be connected to
computing unit 22, and computing unit 22 may be operable to
simultaneously receive, store and/or display data from each such
blood pressure monitor.
[0034] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 is configurable such that
physiological measurement apparatus 26 may be added, removed and/or
interchanged. Other physiological measurement apparatus 26 that may
be incorporated into various embodiments of kiosk 20 include,
without limitation, blood pressure cuffs, pulseoxymeters, EKGs,
ECGs, blood glucose meters, thermometers, and the like. In some
embodiments, kiosk 20 comprises a plurality of the same type of
physiological measurement apparatus 26. Those skilled in the art
will appreciate that computing unit 22 may be coupled to virtually
any physiological measurement apparatus 26 having a suitable
interface, and it is intended that the illustrated embodiment not
be understood as limited to the illustrated or currently known
physiological measurement apparatus 26. Kiosk 20 may be provided
without physiological measurement apparatus 26 (i.e., kiosk 20 and
physiological measurement apparatus 26 may be provided
separately).
[0035] Server 30 is configured to run a Web server (not shown in
FIG. 1) and applications, including without limitation, a database
server (not shown). The database server may be configured to store
and retrieve data pertaining to users of client health kiosks 20,
such as physiological measurement data, for example. It will be
appreciated that all or part of the data available to the database
server on server 30 may be located in a data store remote from
server 30.
[0036] The Web server of server 30 may be configured to communicate
data using the HTTP protocol. Data communicated by the Web server
of server 30 may comprise Web content including, without
limitation, content that may be rendered by a Web browser (e.g.,
content embodied in HTML, CSS, Javascript and/or other Web
languages), content that may be embedded in Web pages (e.g.,
images, videos, audio, etc.), and client-side executable content
configured to run in a Web browser (e.g., plug-ins, applets,
ActiveX controls, etc.), and the like. Server 30 may be configured
to run other servers capable of communicating data using protocols
other than HTTP. Server 30 may be configured to choose one or more
protocols for communicating data based, at least in part, on the
presence or absence of intermediary network firewalls that block
particular types of network traffic, and/or on the data throughput
supported by one or more of the connections between kiosk 20 and
server 30 (for instance, low-throughput General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS) connections).
[0037] As is understood in the art, Web browsers are operable to
communicate with Web servers using the hypertext transport protocol
(HTTP). HTTP is a request-response protocol standard for
client-server computing. In HTTP, a Web browser, for example, acts
as a client, while a Web server acts as a server. Web browsers
generate and transmit HTTP requests to request information from
resources identified in the HTTP request. Web servers, which store
and/or have access to resources, send HTTP responses back to Web
browsers in response to HTTP requests. These returned messages may
contain the resource requested by the client and/or other kinds of
response indications.
[0038] Resources provided by Web servers may be identified using
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). A URL is a textual descriptor
that typically consists of a hostname (alternatively, an IP
address) that identifies the Web server to which the request is
directed and a path to a resource to be fetched or a program to be
run on that Web server. Optionally, a URL may contain a port number
that specifies a non-standard port on the Web server to which the
request should be directed and/or a query string that contains
arguments for a program to be run. In some HTTP requests, the
hostname (and, optionally, the port number) is specified in a Host
header field and the path (and, optionally, the query string) is
specified in a Request line.
[0039] Computing unit 22 of kiosk 20 may be configured to run a Web
browser capable of requesting, receiving and rendering Web content
from server 30 on display 24. For example, kiosk 20 may be
configured to run the Internet Explorer.TM. Web browser from
Microsoft of Redmond Wash. Other Web browsers may be used. Kiosk 20
may be configured to request and/or receive data other than Web
content. Kiosk 20 may be configured to request and/or receive data
using protocols other than HTTP.
[0040] The Web browser of kiosk 20 is configured to generate an
HTTP request that comprises a hostname or IP address identifying
the Web server of server 30. In some embodiments, the Web browser
of kiosk 20 is configured so that the URL of its default or home
page identifies a resource at the Web server of server 30. In such
embodiments, when the Web browser of kiosk 20 is initially loaded
(e.g., when kiosk 20 is powered on), the Web content initially
presented by kiosk 20 is that provided by server 30. Kiosk 20 may
be configured so that, in typical operation (e.g., without
administrator privileges), users may operate kiosk 20 only through
content (e.g., links) provided in Web content displayed in the Web
browser (i.e., kiosk 20 may be configured so that a user may access
the Web browser, but no other functions of kiosk 20 except those
made available through Web content from server 30 that is displayed
in the Web browser).
[0041] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 is configured to communicate
only with server 30. For example, kiosk 20 may comprise a firewall
configured to allow inbound communication from server 30 only, and
to allow outbound communication to server 30 only. In some
embodiments, kiosk 20 and server 30 are configured for secure
communication. For example, the secure Hypertext Transport Protocol
(HTTP) may be used for communications between kiosk 20 and server
30.
[0042] Web content provided by the Web server of server 30 and
rendered on the Web browser of kiosk 20 may be configured to
provide a user interface for operating kiosk 20 to do one or more
of the following non-limiting example activities: [0043] taking
measurements using physiological measurement apparatus 26 of kiosk
20; [0044] obtaining instructions/tutorials for using physiological
measurement apparatus 26 of kiosk 20, in video, graphic, textual
and/or audible formats; [0045] obtaining health information and
advice in video, graphic, textual and/or audible formats; [0046]
obtaining historical measurements of physiological parameters
(e.g., measurements of physiological parameters obtained using
physiological measurement apparatus 26 of kiosk 20, etc.); [0047]
obtaining information about events, activities and the like
occurring in the user's environment (e.g., calendars of activities
at a care home, etc.); [0048] transmitting health information to
physicians, loved ones, and other interested parties; [0049]
collecting information about users by collecting responses to
questions, including questions related to: [0050] activities
performed prior to kiosk use; [0051] foods and drinks ingested
prior to kiosk use; [0052] medications ingested prior to kiosk use;
[0053] self-assessments of health; [0054] self-assessments of
stress level; and/or [0055] the like; and/or [0056] the like.
[0057] In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to provide Web
content that when rendered by kiosk 20, causes and/or enables kiosk
20 to transmit information collected at kiosk 20 (e.g.,
physiological measurements, responses to questions etc.) to server
30.
[0058] In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to provide
client-side executable elements to kiosk 20, such as, for example
Java applets, ActiveX controls and the like. Client-side executable
elements may be configured to run within the Web browser or run on
computing unit 22 outside of the Web browser. Client-side
executable elements may be configured to interact with
physiological measurement apparatus 26 of kiosk 20, such as to
obtain physiological measurement data from, obtain apparatus status
information about, and control the operation of physiological
measurement apparatus 26, for example.
[0059] In some embodiments, Web content provided by the Web server
of server 30, when rendered by the Web browser, provides controls
for interfacing with apparatus connected to kiosk 20, such as, for
example, user interface apparatus (e.g., display 24), user
identification apparatus (not shown), and physiological measurement
apparatus 26. For example, the Web server of server 30 may provide
Web content that when rendered by the Web browser of kiosk 20
provides Javascript elements (e.g., command buttons, radio buttons,
check boxes, list boxes, sliders, spinners, etc.) that when
operated by a user cause Javascript code to be executed which
invokes methods on ActiveX objects that have been instantiated and
are hosted within the Web browser. The ActiveX objects may
establish inter-process communication with one or more processes
that interface with apparatus connected to kiosk 20. Inter-process
communication may take the form of point-to-point message queues,
window message, local TCP/IP socket connections, and the like.
Through inter-process communications, ActiveX objects may be used
to obtain physiological measurement data from, obtain apparatus
status information about, and/or control the operation of
physiological measurement apparatus 26, for example. Javascript
elements rendered by the Web browser may be configured to display
information regarding the use and/or state of apparatus connected
to kiosk 20.
[0060] FIG. 1A is a diagram of inter-process communication
according to an example embodiment in system 10 among processes
running in the operating system 40 of kiosk 20, a USB endpoint 41
located in one of physiological measurement apparatus 26 (e.g.,
scale 26A), and the Web server 42 running on server 30. In FIG. 1A,
physiological measurement sensor output is communicated from USB
endpoint 41 to a USB driver 51 for scale 26A. USB driver 51 may be
particular to a particular one of physiological measurement
apparatus 26 (e.g., scale 26A in the case of the illustrated
embodiment). USB driver 51 is hosted in the device.exe process 52
running on operating system 40 of computing unit 22. USB driver 51
transmits the physiological measurement sensor output to a sensor
data processing module (DLL) 53.
[0061] Sensor data processing module 53 is loaded at runtime by a
Sensor service (DLL) 54. Sensor service 54 is configured to load
and coordinate various plugin modules (e.g., sensor data processing
module(s) 53) and to manage the transmission of physiological
measurement data to remote network recipient(s). Sensor service 54
may be particular to one or more of physiological measurement
apparatus 26 (e.g., scale 26A in the case of the illustrated
embodiment). Sensor service 54 is hosted within the services.exe
process 55. Sensor data processing module 53 extracts physiological
measurement data from the physiological measurement sensor output
and submits this data to sensor service 54 for transmission to an
ActiveX object 56 hosted within a browser session 57 of the
iesample.exe process 58. Sensor data processing module 53 may be
particular to one or more of physiological measurement apparatus 26
(e.g., scale 26A in the case of the illustrated embodiment). In
some embodiments, ActiveX object 56 solicits physiological
measurement data from sensor data processing modules 53. Such
solicitation may occur directly, or be mediated by sensor service
54. ActiveX object 56 may be particular to one or more of
physiological measurement apparatus 26 (e.g., scale 26A in the case
of the illustrated embodiment).
[0062] ActiveX object 56 renders the physiological measurement data
within the browser session 57 within which it is hosted. Browser
session 57 may also receive physiological measurement data from Web
server 42, and render it alongside a locally generated rendering of
data received from sensor data processing module 53. For instance,
ActiveX object 56 may render values of instantaneous pulse rate in
real-time, while the browser session retrieves and renders
historical pulse rate data from Web server 42. In some embodiments,
system 10 is configured so that computationally expensive
operations involving large data sets and extensive graphics
computations may be performed on server 30, and computationally
inexpensive operations involving small data sets may be performed
in kiosk 20. In some embodiments, local data rendering may be
employed for data requiring responsive operation (e.g., real time
data) whereas remotely generated data may be employed for data
whose display is less likely to be affected by network outages and
delays.
[0063] In the illustrated embodiment, sensor service 54 also
encapsulates the physiological measurement data for transmission to
central Web server 42. Sensor Service 54 may be configured to
encapsulate physiological measurement data in UDP datagram packets,
TCP datagram packets, HTTP payloads, or the like.
[0064] It will be appreciated that in addition to or as an
alternative to ActiveX object 56, controls may be embedded in Web
content provided by Web server of server 30 and rendered by the Web
browser of kiosk 20 using other protocols, such as, for example
Java, Google Native Client, Adobe Flash, Silverlight, HTML5.
[0065] In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to store user
information (e.g., physiological measurements) in encrypted form.
For example, server 30 may be configured to maintain one or more
cryptographic keys for a user, and to use such keys to encrypt user
information. In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to
maintain a record for each user that comprises a personal
identifier (pid), a hash of the user's password (H(pwd)), personal
information about the user (e.g., name, etc.), a public
cryptographic key (Pbuser) for the user and private cryptographic
key (Pruser) for the user. In some embodiments, one or more of the
elements of this record are stored in encrypted form. For example,
server 30 may be configured to maintain a record having the
following form for a user:
<pid, H(pwd), {name, personal information}Kuser, {Pruser}Kuser,
{Pbuser}Kserver> Where the notation "{x}y" denotes information
"x" encrypted using the cryptographic key "y", and where Kuser is a
secret cryptographic user key generated by server 30 from the
user's password (pwd) and Kserver is secret cryptographic server
key. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that when a user
provides a username and password to log in, the input name may be
used to look up a pid, and a hash of the input password checked
against the stored hash of the password on record. Given the
correct password, server 30 may generate Kuser and thereby decrypt
Pruser for use in decrypting measurements signed with Pbuser.
[0066] In some applications, it is desirable that the integrity of
physiological measurements and user information collected at kiosk
20 be verifiable. For example, where physiological measurements of
users are used to monitor the performance of health care providers,
it may be important that the data collected by kiosk 20 not be
falsified, tampered with or manipulated. In some embodiments,
server 30 is configured to use cryptography to digitally sign
physiological measurements and the like provided from kiosk 20.
Server 30 may be configured to generate a digital signature for the
record by calculating a hash of the record and encrypting the hash
value using the user's private key. The encrypted hash value may
then be stored along with the record for subsequent authentication
of the record. Authentication may be performed by computing a hash
value for the stored record and comparing it with the hash value
recovered by decrypting the encrypted hash value using the user's
public key. Advantageously, where the user's private key is only
accessible to the user (e.g., where it is generated from a secret
password known only to the user), the use of private key encryption
may provide assurance that the user was in fact present when a
physiological measurement was taken.
[0067] In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to store
physiological measurements and corroborative information which may
be used to audit the physiological measurements. Corroborative
information may include, for example: [0068] an identifier of the
particular kiosk at which the measurement was obtained; [0069] the
type of equipment that obtained the measurement; [0070] an
identifier of the particular equipment used to obtain the
measurement (e.g., serial number); [0071] a timestamp of when the
measurement was received at the server; [0072] a timestamp of when
the user logged into the kiosk; [0073] a timestamp of when the user
logged out of the kiosk; and [0074] the like.
[0075] Physiological measurements and corroborative information may
be stored as part of the same encrypted and/or digitally signed
record to ensure integrity and permit subsequent
authentication.
[0076] In some embodiments, temporally-specific symmetric session
keys are used to sign records. As compared to RSA private user
keys, signing records using temporally specific session keys may
require less computing overhead. In some embodiments, records are
signed using session keys that are temporally-specific and
user-specific, and the session keys are encrypted with the user's
private key for storage (e.g., keys are stored as part of a record
in the form <pid, timePeriod, {KSESSION(timePeriod)}Pruser>),
where pid is an unique identifier of the user, timePeriod refers to
a defined period of time, KSESSION(timePeriod) is a session key for
the period of time identified by timePeriod and Pruser is the
user's private key.
[0077] In some embodiments, multiple, differently configured kiosks
20 are in communication with server 30. Kiosks 20 may differ among
one another in one or more of the following example aspects of
configuration: [0078] physiological measurement apparatus; [0079]
operational characteristics and/or states of physiological
measurement apparatus (e.g., battery power levels, on/off states,
etc.); [0080] display properties (e.g., colors, resolution, size,
etc.); [0081] user interface apparatus (e.g., voice recognition
apparatus, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, speakers, printers,
etc.); [0082] user identification apparatus (e.g., bar code
scanners, RFID scanners, magnetic card readers, biometric
identification apparatus, etc.); [0083] computing capability (e.g.,
hardware (RAM, storage, processor type and speed, availability of
onboard math coprocessor, etc.) and software (operating system and
version thereof, Web browser and version thereof, installed audio
and video codecs, etc.)); [0084] network connectivity (e.g.,
wireless, wired, LAN, WAN, physical, media access and link layer
properties); and [0085] the like.
[0086] Kiosks 20 may be characterized by one or more logical
affiliations. Kiosks 20 connected to a given server 30 may differ
among one another in one or more of the example logical
affiliations: [0087] geographic location; [0088]
institution/facility; [0089] health care provider; [0090]
governmental health region/supervising regulatory agency; [0091]
health insurer; [0092] target demographic (e.g., by gender, age,
general health condition, language, cognitive ability, etc.);
[0093] local physical surroundings (e.g, cafeteria, exercise
facility, lounge, nursing station); [0094] advertising network;
[0095] associated incentive programs; [0096] globally unique
identifier; and [0097] the like.
[0098] Aspects of configuration and/or logical affiliations that
characterize a kiosk 20 may be combined to form a profile that is
characteristic of the kiosk. As used herein, the term "profile"
denotes a combination of configuration information and/or
affiliation information that is characteristic of a kiosk 20. A
single kiosk 20 may have several different profiles, each profile
corresponding to a different set of configuration aspects and
logical affiliations.
[0099] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 is configured to maintain
profile information about itself in one or more local datastores.
Profile information maintained in a local datastore may be obtained
manually (e.g., programmed by a technician, input by a user, etc.),
automatically (e.g., by a background process that continuously
monitors the configuration of kiosk 20, a global positions system
receiver, etc.) or through a combination thereof. As used herein
the term "profile information" refers to information indicative of
the profile of the kiosk (e.g., indicating and/or specifying one or
more aspects of configuration, logical affiliation or combination
thereof that is characteristic of a kiosk 20). Profile information
may include, without limitation, configuration information (e.g.,
information corresponding to physiological measurement apparatus,
user identification apparatus, etc.), logical affiliation
information (e.g., information corresponding to institution, health
care provider, local physical surroundings, etc.), and other
information that is associated with the profile of a kiosk 20.
[0100] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 is configured to transmit
profile information to server 30 before and/or with an HTTP request
to server 30. In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to
receive the profile information and provide Web content to kiosk 20
that is customized for the particular profile of kiosk 20. Web
content customized for a particular profile may include Web content
that when rendered by the Web browser of kiosk 20 and displayed on
display 24 provides a customized user interface for operating kiosk
20.
[0101] FIG. 2 is a communication diagram of a method 90 according
to an example embodiment. In block 93, a kiosk 20 transmits profile
information to a server 30. In block 94, kiosk 20 transmits an HTTP
request comprising a URL that identifies a resource at server 30.
Based on information conveyed in the block 94 HTTP request, server
30 associates the block 94 HTTP request with the block 93 profile
information. In block 95, server 30 transmits an HTTP response to
kiosk 20, which contains Web content determined by server 30 based
on the URL contained in the block 94 HTTP request and the block 93
profile information of kiosk 20. In some embodiments, block 93 and
block 94 are combined. For example, an HTTP request may comprise
profile information and a URL.
[0102] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 is configured to transmit
profile information in the form of a profile identifier. A profile
identifier comprises a value (e.g., string, number, etc.)
indicative of profile information. A profile identifier may
comprise a global unique identifier (GUID) that is uniquely
associated with a kiosk. A profile identifier may be associated
with profile information by a look-up table, a computable function,
or the like, for example. A profile identifier may be determined
from profile information using a look-up table, a computable
function, or the like, for example. Server 30 and kiosk 20 may be
configured to associate profile information with profile
identifiers according to a common scheme.
[0103] A profile identifier may be determined for kiosk 20 locally
by manual means (e.g., by a technician who inputs a profile
identifier value obtained from a look-up table, a computable
function that takes profile information as input, or the like) or
automatically (e.g., kiosk 20 may be configured to generate a
profile identifier using a computable function that takes profile
information as input, a lookup table, or the like).
[0104] In some embodiments, kiosk 20 may be configured to obtain a
profile identifier indicative of a profile of kiosk 20 from server
30. For example, server 30 may be configured to generate and
transmit a profile identifier to kiosk 20 based on profile
information transmitted from kiosk 20. In some embodiments, server
30 is configured to determine a profile identifier based on profile
information using a computable function, a lookup table or the
like. In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to associate
profile information transmitted by kiosk 20 with an arbitrary
profile identifier, and is configured to maintain the association
of the profile identifier with the profile information in a
database. In some embodiments, server 30 is configured to provide a
facility for submitting profile information (e.g., a Web form,
etc.) that is accessible to kiosk 20. In some such embodiments,
server 30 is configured to return a profile identifier to kiosk 20
in response to submitted profile information. In some embodiments,
kiosk 20 is be configured to automatically gather and submit
profile information to server 30, and server 30 is configured to
return a profile identifier to kiosk 20 in response to submitted
profile information.
[0105] It will be appreciated that kiosks may be configured to
obtain a profile identifier by other means.
[0106] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system 100 according to an example
embodiment. In system 100, a central server 110 is communicatively
coupled with client health kiosks 120 and 140. Client health kiosks
120 and 140 differ in their configurations and logical
affiliations, and have correspondingly different profiles.
[0107] For instance, kiosk 120 and kiosk 140 differ in the
following respects: [0108] Physiological measurement apparatus:
Kiosk 120 comprises a first plurality of physiological measurement
apparatus 130, which consists of a scale 130A and a heart rate
monitor 130B; kiosk 140 comprises a second plurality of
physiological measurement apparatus 150, which consists of a
portable blood pressure monitor 150A and a blood glucose meter
150B; [0109] User interface apparatus: kiosk 120 comprises a
keyboard 134 and mouse 136; kiosk 140 comprises a touch screen
display 156; [0110] User identification apparatus: kiosk 120
comprises a barcode scanner 138, which may be used to scan a user
identifying barcode; kiosk 140 comprises touch screen display 156,
which may be used to key-in user identifying information; [0111]
Institution: Kiosk 120 is located in a first care home (not shown);
kiosk 140 is located in a second care home (not shown); and [0112]
Local physical surrounding: Kiosk 120 is located in an exercise
area (not shown); kiosk 140 is located in a cafeteria (not
shown).
[0113] Server 110 is configured to run a Web server and a database
server. Kiosk 120 and kiosk 140 are configured to run Web browsers.
Kiosk 120 and kiosk 140 are configured to transmit profile
information 124 and 144, respectively, and HTTP requests 126 and
146, respectively, to server 110. Web server 112 is configured to
provide HTTP responses 116 and 118 to kiosk 120 and kiosk 140,
respectively. Responses 116 and 118 each comprise Web content
customized for a profile of each of kiosk 120 and kiosk 140,
respectively, which server 110 obtains using profile information
124 and 144, respectively. Web content in HTTP responses 116 and
118 is rendered by the Web browsers of kiosks 120 and 140,
respectively, to provide user interfaces 128 and 148, respectively,
which comprise different display elements.
[0114] FIG. 4A is a diagram representing a rendering 200 of Web
content provided from server 110 to kiosk 120 by the Web browser of
kiosk 120. FIG. 4B is a diagram representing a rendering 220 of Web
content provided from server 110 to kiosk 140 by the Web browser of
kiosk 140. Renderings 200 and 210 are of Web content for a Web page
presented before a user logs onto the system. Renderings 200 and
220 differ in that rendering 200 provides a display element
corresponding to barcode scanner 138, namely an invitation 210 to
login by swiping an identification card through the bar code
scanner, whereas rendering 220 provides a display element
corresponding to touch screen display 156, namely an invitation 230
to login by entering credential information using the touchscreen
interface. Renderings 200 and 220 also differ in that they provide
different display elements, 215 and 225, respectively,
corresponding to the respective logical affiliations of kiosks 120
and 140. More particularly, display elements 215 and 225 identify
their respective kiosks as belonging to their respective care homes
and being situated in their respective physical surroundings.
[0115] FIG. 5A is a diagram representing a rendering 240 of Web
content provided from server 110 to kiosk 120 by the Web browser of
kiosk 120. FIG. 5B is a diagram representing a rendering 260 of Web
content provided from server 110 to kiosk 140 by the Web browser of
kiosk 140. Renderings 240 and 260 are of Web content for a Web page
presented after a user logs onto the system. Both renderings 240
and 260 display messages, 253 and 273, respectively, that welcome
the user by name. Both renderings 240 and 260 provide the user with
controls, 255 and 275, respectively, to view records of past
measurements. In some embodiments, controls 255 and 275 are
configured to permit users to view records of past measurements
obtained at other kiosks (e.g., records of past measurement
obtained at kiosk 140 may be viewed at kiosk 120 through operation
of control 255).
[0116] Renderings 240 and 260 differ in that rendering 240 provides
a user with a control 245 for operating a scale and a control 250
for operating a heart rate monitor, whereas rendering 260 provides
a user with a control for operating a portable blood pressure
monitor 265 and a control for operating a blood glucose meter 270.
Renderings 240 and 260 also differ in that each presents
information relevant to the particular physical surrounding of
kiosks 120 and 140, respectively. More particularly, rendering 240
presents a control 257 that provides the user with the ability to
view a schedule of and sign up for exercise classes, and rendering
260 presents a control 277 that provides the user with the ability
to view menus for upcoming meals, order food items for upcoming
meals and reserve dining times.
[0117] In some embodiments, kiosks 120 and 140 are configured to
provide profile information 124, 144 to server 110 in HTTP requests
126, 146, and server 110 is configured to provide HTTP responses
116, 118 to kiosks 120 and 140 that contain Web content customized
for the particular profiles of kiosks 120 and 140.
[0118] In some embodiments, server 110 is configured to host
static, profile-specific resources and kiosks 120 and 140 are
configured to generate HTTP requests 126, 146 that contain uniform
resource locators (URLs) having paths and/or query strings that
identify static, profile-specific resources corresponding to the
profiles of the client health kiosks 120 and 140. For example,
server 110 may be configured so that the Web content it hosts is
organized by paths corresponding to different profiles, and kiosks
120 and 140 may be configured to generate HTTP requests 126, 146
that contain URLs having paths corresponding to their respective
profiles. Such paths may comprise, at least implicitly, profile
information. For example, a path may comprise profile identifiers,
configuration information, affiliation information, combinations
thereof, and the like.
[0119] In some embodiments, Web browsers of kiosks 120 and 140 are
configured so that the URL of their default or home pages identify
a profile-specific static resource on server 110. In such
embodiments, when the Web browsers of kiosks 120 and 140 are
initially loaded (e.g., when kiosks 120 and 140 are powered on),
the Web content initially provided by server 110 in HTTP responses
116, 118 is customized to the profiles of the kiosks 120 and 140.
In such embodiments where kiosks 120 and 140 are configured so
that, in typical operation (e.g., without administrator
privileges), users may operate kiosks 120 and 140 only through
content (e.g., links) provided in Web content displayed in the Web
browser, server 110 may be configured so that all Web content
navigable from the home page of the Web browsers of kiosks 120 and
140 is customized for the profiles corresponding to the home
pages.
[0120] In some embodiments, server 110 is configured to generate
dynamic, profile-specific resources based on profile information
124, 144 received along with and/or part of HTTP requests 126, 146
from kiosks 120 and 140. For example, server 110 may comprise
applications configured to generate Web content customized to the
profiles of kiosks 120 and 140 dynamically using a Web application
framework, such as, for example, Perl, PHP, Java, Python, Ruby,
CFML (ColdFusion), ASP.NET, and the like. HTTP requests from kiosks
may comprise URLs that identify such dynamic resources.
[0121] In some embodiments, kiosks 120 and 140 are configured to
generate HTTP requests 126, 146 that contain URLs having paths
and/or query strings corresponding to their respective profiles
that identify dynamic resources on server 110, and server 110 is
configured to interpret the paths and/or query strings to generate
dynamic, profile-specific Web content that it provides to kiosks
120 and 140. Such paths and/or query strings may comprise, at least
implicitly, profile information 124, 144. Query strings may be
formatted according to a scheme that specifies the pattern or
arrangement of data elements that specify profile information 124,
144. Server 110 may be configured to interpret such query strings
to extract profile information 124, 144.
[0122] In some embodiments, kiosks 120 and 140 are configured to
communicate profile information to server 110 using one or more
HTTP cookies that contain profile information. As is understood in
the art, an HTTP cookie is a piece of text stored by a Web browser
that may be transmitted to a Web server as part of an HTTP request
and used by the Web server to, for example, track the browsing
activity of a Web browser, authenticate a user of the Web browser,
store browser-session specific information (e.g., preferences,
shopping cart contents), identify a server-based session, and the
like. A cookie may comprise of one or more name-value pairs
containing bits of information, which may be encrypted for
information privacy and data security purposes. For convenience a
cookie containing profile information 124, 144 may be referred to
herein as a "profile cookie".
[0123] In typical operation, cookies are "set" by Web servers on
Web browsers. In typical operation a Web server that wishes to
store information on at a client Web browser responds to an HTTP
request from the browser with an HTTP response packet that has a
"Set-Cookies" header field containing a name-value pair chosen by
the Web server. The browser, upon receiving the response packet and
reading the cookie header field therein, records the Web server's
URL as well as the assigned cookie in a (local) data store as a
name-value pair (e.g., as a record in a database, as a file in a
folder, as an entry in a system registry, etc.). When the browser
subsequently generates an HTTP request to a URL that corresponds to
the cookie, the browser includes the name-value pair, unchanged, in
the "Cookie" header field of the HTTP request. When the Web server
receives the HTTP request with the cookie, it will recognize the
origin of the request (i.e., the particular Web browser) based on
the cookie. Where the Web browsers of kiosks 120 and 140 have a
profile cookie associated with the URL of server 110, HTTP requests
(such as HTTP requests 126, 146) that the Web browsers of kiosks
120 and 140 send to server 110 will contain a "cookie" header
containing profile information.
[0124] Multiple profile cookies may be used to communicate
different pieces of profile information. In a non-limiting example
embodiment, kiosk 120 is configured to communicate a first profile
cookie that specifies in a first name-value pair a profile
identifier and a second profile cookie that specifies in a
second-name value pair a unique identifier for the kiosk. An HTTP
request 126 sent by kiosk 120 according to this example might
contain the following data:
Cookie: KioskConfiguration=TouchScreenWithMSCR;
KioskID=12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC
[0125] Where KioskConfiguration and KioskID are names of different
values, and TouchScreenwithMSCR and
12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC are the cookies' respective
values.
[0126] In some embodiments, a profile cookie contains a single
name-value pair, and the value comprises several distinct pieces of
profile information. In a non-limiting example embodiment, kiosk
120 is configured to communicate a cookie that specifies, in a
name-value pair, several distinct pieces of profile information
that are concatenated together. An HTTP request 126 sent by kiosk
120 according to this example might contain the following data:
Cookie:
KioskConfiguration="KioskID=12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC&-
KioskScreen=640.times.480&KioskLoginMethod=BarCodeScanner&KioskUserInput=T-
ouchScreen&KioskLocation=9AC&
KioskSensors=tableTopBPCuff,weightScale"
[0127] In some embodiments, the Web server of server 110 is
configured to provide profile information extracted from cookies to
applications running on server 110. For example, the Web server of
server 110 may be configured to decompose a cookie containing
several distinct pieces of profile information for processing by
applications running on the Web server. In an example embodiment in
which the Web server of server 110 operates the Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS) and the ASP.NET Web application framework,
the Web server presents cookie values to the ASP.NET Web
application framework, which decomposes the cookie values and
provides them to ASP.NET Web applications as a collection attribute
of a global Request object, which can be accessed by index or by
name.
[0128] The ASP.NET framework may be configured to decompose cookies
into subitems that it makes available to a receiving Web
application. For instance, in such an embodiment the cookie:
Cookie:
KioskConfiguration="KioskID=12345678-1234-1234-1234-Pcuff,weightS-
calekScreen=640.times.480&KioskLoginMethod=BarCodeScanner&KioskUserInput=T-
ouchScreen&KioskLocation=9AC&KioskSensors=tableTopBPCuftweightScale"
might be decomposed into the following subitems: [0129]
KioskID=12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC [0130]
KioskScreen=640.times.480 [0131] KioskLoginMethod=BarCodeScanner
[0132] KioskUserInput=TouchScreen [0133] KioskLocation=9AC [0134]
KioskSensors=tableTopBPCuff,weightScale and the receiving Web
application may be configured to generate profile-specific content
based at least in part on the profile information received from the
ASP.NET Web application framework. Such profile-specific content
may then be sent to the particular kiosk from which the cookie was
transmitted.
[0135] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a system 300 according to an example
embodiment. In system 300, a server 310 is communicatively coupled
with client health kiosk 320. Server 310 comprises a Web server
312, a profile information extractor 314, and a user database 316.
Kiosk 320 comprises a touchscreen 322, no audio support, and a
singe physiological measurement apparatus 324 (weight scale 324A)
connected as physiological measurement apparatus. Kiosk 320 is
configured to transmit an HTTP request 330 to server 310. HTTP
request 330 includes a profile cookie 332 and a URL 334. Cookie 332
contains the following profile information, which reflects the
configuration aspects and logical affiliations of kiosk 320: [0136]
KioskID=7fc543a9-3cda-8903-4776-1cd76a459bc2 [0137]
KioskUserInput=TouchScreen [0138] KioskAudio=no [0139]
KioskSensors=weightScale
[0140] URL 334 identifies a resource at server 310. Profile
information extractor 314 is configured to extract profile
information from cookie 332. Profile information extractor 314 is
configured to interpret the KioskID value as a profile identifier,
and to associate it with profile information, such as by a lookup
table or the like, for example. In this example embodiment, profile
information extractor 314 associates the KioskID value with the
name of a care facility where kiosk 320 is located.
[0141] Extracted profile information is provided to Web server 312,
which generates HTTP response 340 based at least in part on the
extracted profile information, for example. HTTP response 340 may
comprise Web content that when rendered by the Web browser of kiosk
320 identifies the kiosk as belonging to the care facility where
the kiosk is located (based on the KioskID value) and invites users
to login by entering their credentials using touch screen
keypresses (based the KioskUserInput=TouchScreen profile
information).
[0142] A user enters her username and password using the
touchscreen. Kiosk 320 is configured to send the information
entered by the user as a query string in a URL 354 in an HTTP
request 350 to server 310 upon the user's command (e.g., pressing a
"Login" button). Web server 312 is configured to extract the
username and password from the HTTP request and is configured to
authenticate the user's credentials using information contained in
user database 316. Web server 312 may be configured to limit the
username lookup to only those individuals resident at the
particular care facility with which kiosk 320 is associated.
[0143] After the user's credentials are authenticated, Web server
312 retrieves user information from user database 316, including a
user name, an indication that previous weight measurements for the
user are available, and an email address for the user. Web server
312 then sends an HTTP response 360, which sets a session cookie
362 that identifies the particular user on kiosk 320. HTTP response
360 also includes Web content that when rendered by the Web browser
of kiosk 320 welcomes the user by name (based on the retrieved user
name) and presents the user with the options of viewing previous
weight measurements (based on retrieved user information indicating
the availability of such measurements), emailing previous weight
measurements to the user (based on retrieved user information
indicating the availability of such measurements and an email
address for the user) taking new weight measurements (based on the
KioskSensors=weightScale profile information) and viewing tutorials
for how to use the scale to take weight measurements (based on the
KioskSensors=weightScale profile information). Other aspects of Web
content provided by Web server 312 may be based on user information
contained in user database 316, such as, for example, language,
font size and the like. The user is not presented with options to
take measurements using or view tutorials pertaining to other types
of physiological measurement apparatus, which are not connected to
the kiosk.
[0144] If the user chooses to view tutorials for how to use scale
324A, server 310 is configured to provide tutorials that include
video with embedded text, rather than video with sound, since the
kiosk profile information indicates that there is no sound
available (KioskAudio=no).
[0145] Server 310 may be configured to set one or more profile
cookies on kiosk 320. Server 310 may be configured to set profile
cookies based on profile information contained in a HTTP request by
the Web browser of kiosk 320. For example, kiosk 320 may be
configured to generate an initial HTTP request that contains a path
and/or query string corresponding to profile information, and
server 310 may be configured to, in response to receiving the HTTP
request, transmit to kiosk 320 a HTTP response including a
Set-Cookie field that contains one or more profile cookies
corresponding to profile information corresponding to the path
and/or query string. When it receives the HTTP response, kiosk 320
will set the one or more profile cookies.
[0146] In some embodiments, one or more profile cookies stored on
kiosk 320 are set locally rather than by server 310. Where profile
cookies are set locally on kiosk 320, profile cookies may be sent
in HTTP requests to server 310 from the Web browser of kiosk 320
even where server 310 has not previously corresponded with the Web
browser.
[0147] Kiosk 320 may be configured to set profile cookies locally
using any of a variety of techniques. In some embodiments, kiosk
320 is configured to enable profile cookies to be set locally by a
manual technique. For example, kiosk 320 may be configured to
permit a profile cookie to be set by a technician or locally
executing configuration utility during installation.
[0148] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to set one or
more profile cookies autonomously. For example, kiosk 320 may be
configured to set cookies using a function call, such as a system
API function call, for example. For instance, in an embodiment
where kiosk 320 is configured to run the Windows CE operating
system, kiosk 320 may be configured to set a profile cookie by
calling the InternetSetCookie/InternetSetCookieEx function provided
by the Windows API. In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to
run a background process or service configured to make such a
cookie-setting function call.
[0149] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to set one or
more profile cookies by writing a data structure containing the
cookie(s) as they would be stored if they had been set by the
browser (e.g., in response to receiving an HTTP response). For
instance, in the case of a kiosk 320 configured to run a
combination of the Windows CE operating system and the Internet
Explorer Web browser, a persistent cookie could be set prior to the
launch of the Internet Explorer browser by creating a suitably
formatted cookie file within the \Windows\Cookies directory.
[0150] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to run a local
"dummy" Web server configured to set a profile cookie when a Web
browser running on kiosk 320 makes an HTTP request to the dummy Web
server. For example, kiosk 320 could be configured to run a "dummy"
Webserver on localhost and be configured to temporarily map the URL
of a central server to localhost. A Web browser on kiosk 320 could
be configured to make a request to the URL of the central server
while that URL is mapped to localhost. As a result of the mapping,
the request would be routed to the dummy server running on
localhost. The local dummy server would then send a "Set-Cookie"
header back in its response, causing the cookie value(s) to be
stored in the Web browser's cookie store. Subsequent remapping of
the URL to server 310 (e.g., restoration of the natural mapping)
will cause subsequent HTTP requests, which include the cookie
value(s), to be transmitted to the central server.
[0151] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to maintain
profile information in one or more local data stores, and to apply
this profile information in generating profile cookies (e.g., by
transmitting profile information to a profile cookie-generating
server, by inputting the profile information to a local profile
cookie-generating process, etc.). Profile information may be added
to a local data store manually (e.g., programmed by a technician),
autonomously (e.g., by a program that runs at boot-up, by a
background process configured to continuously monitor the
configuration of kiosk 320, etc.), or through a combination
thereof.
[0152] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to obtain
profile information and locally set one or more profile cookies
containing at least some of the obtained profile information on
boot-up. For example, in some embodiments, a kiosk 320 is
configured to run the Windows CE operating system and an
application is specified in the kiosk's Windows CE system registry
HIVE_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\init registry key to be launched upon the
(re)boot of the kiosk. This application obtains kiosk-specific
profile information using sources including without limitation the
following:
(a) specific keys and values in the kiosk device's system registry;
and (b) operating system API calls, including: [0153] (i)
GlobalMemoryStatus( ) system call, to determine the overall memory
available to the kiosk; [0154] (ii) GetSystemInfo( ) system call,
to determine the processor architecture, level and revision, and to
determine what platform-dependent code can run on the kiosk; [0155]
(iii) QueryInstructionSet( ) system call, to determine the level of
CPU instruction support for a particular processor; [0156] (iv)
IsProcessorFeaturePresent( ) system call, to determine whether or
not floating point operations are emulated; and [0157] (v)
GetVersionEx( ) system call, to determine the major/minor/build
numbers of the operating system.
[0158] After obtaining kiosk-specific profile information, the
application sets one or more profile cookies using the
InternetSetCookie system call. After setting the profile cookie(s),
the application launches the Internet Explorer browser application.
It will be appreciated that in this embodiment, it is ensured that
the current profile of the kiosk is reflected in the cookie store
prior to the first HTTP request to server 310.
[0159] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to continually
monitor one or more sources of profile information for changes, and
to transmit updated profile information to server 310 when profile
information changes. For example, kiosk 320 may be configured to
run a background process, such as, for example, a system service,
daemon or the like, that monitors device interfaces (e.g., Plug and
Play.TM. events) and network interfaces of kiosk 320, and to set
one or more profile cookies (e.g., set a new profile cookie and/or
update the value of a previously set profile cookie) when devices
are added or removed at the device interfaces or network
interfaces. The new and/or updated profile cookie will be
transmitted to server 310 in subsequent HTTP requests directed to
server 310. In some embodiments where kiosk 320 is configured to
run the Windows CE operating system, kiosk 320 is configured to
monitor one or more sources of profile information using a dynamic
link library hosted within the services.exe process, for example.
In addition to monitoring and obtaining profile information, such a
dynamic link library may be configured to set one or more profile
cookies. It will be appreciated that by updating profile cookies in
response to the discovery of devices, different Web content (e.g.,
menu options, tutorials, etc.) may be provided by and/or made
available by server 310 to kiosk 320.
[0160] Non-profile cookies may be used in generating Web content
for kiosk 320. For example, Web server 312 may set session cookies
to maintain state information for a current user session
established between a particular kiosk 320 and server 310. For
example, session cookies may be used to track the identity of a
user of kiosk 320, and to provide content customized to the
particular user (e.g., display preferences, records of past
physiological measurements, etc.).
[0161] Information contained in profile cookies may be used by
server 310 for purposes other than generating Web content for kiosk
320. In some embodiments, server 310 is configured to provide
information contained in profile cookies to administrators through
an administrative interface (e.g., a Web page served by server 310
at a particular URL). In some embodiments, server 310 is configured
to monitor certain profile cookies and/or values thereof, and to
trigger actions based on observed particular profile cookies and/or
values thereof. For example, kiosk 320 may be configured to
periodically perform diagnostic tests on attached physiological
measurement apparatus 324 and to update a profile cookie containing
an indication of the results of the diagnostic tests, and server
310 may be configured monitor the profile cookie and to dispatch an
email message to administrative staff of the facility with which
kiosk 320 is associated when the results of the diagnostic test
indicate that corrective action is required. For instance, kiosk
320 may be configured to periodically check a battery power level
of a physiological measurement apparatus 324 connected to kiosk 320
(which kiosk 320 is configured to obtain from the apparatus), and
to update a profile cookie to indicate the current battery power
level; server 310 may be configured to periodically monitor the
profile cookie and to dispatch an email message to administrative
staff of the facility with which kiosk 320 is associated when the
battery power level is below a threshold.
[0162] It will be appreciated that periodic diagnostic testing and
reporting the results of same to server 310 may be applied to
ensure that faults occurring at kiosk 320 and physiological
measurement apparatus 324 connected thereto may be detected and
remedied expediently. In some embodiments, results of diagnostic
tests are stored for auditing purposes. Server 310 may be
configured to digitally sign results of diagnostic tests. It will
be appreciated that results of periodic diagnostic tests may be
communicated to server 310 by means other than profile cookies
(e.g., uploaded as a text file via FTP, entered as an HTTP POST
submission, etc.)
[0163] Physiological measurement apparatus 324 and other
peripherals connectable to kiosk 320 may require configuration
parameters and/or software components, such as device drivers,
authentication modules, and the like, in order to be used with
kiosk 320. Required configuration parameters and software
components may be device specific and/or kiosk configuration
specific (e.g., enabling a particular physiological apparatus to be
used with a kiosk having a particular operating system may require
a specific software component). Kiosk 320 may be configured to
cooperatively manage connections with attached physiological
measurement apparatus 324 and may be configured to dynamically
configure connections with attached physiological measurement
apparatus 324 for interaction with kiosk 320. In some embodiments,
kiosk 320 may be configured to obtain configuration parameters
and/or software components for configuring connections with
attached physiological measurement apparatus 324 from server
310.
[0164] In an example embodiment, kiosk 320 is configured to
continually monitor device interfaces (e.g., for Plug and Play.TM.
events) and network interfaces of kiosk 320 for physiological
measurement apparatus 324 that have been plugged into (or removed
from) the system or are requesting connection to the system (such
as by wireless link, for example), and to notify server 310 of any
apparatus 324 newly discovered by kiosk 320. Kiosk 320 may be
configured to collect identifying information about physiological
measurement apparatus 324 connected to, or seeking connection with,
kiosk 320, and to communicate such identifying information to
server 310. Identifying information may comprise an identification
of the manufacturer of the device, the device type and model,
firmware revision, device serial numbers, and the like. For
example, in the case of a USB device, kiosk 320 may be configured
to collect information such as the device's manufacturer ID, its
product ID, its version number, and its supported data/control
channels and their class, subclass and protocol types. For another
example, in the case of a Bluetooth device, kiosk 320 may be
configured to collect information such as the device's Bluetooth
address, its device name, its Class Of Device (COD), and its
protocol form. Other identifying information may be collected for
the aforementioned device types and for other device types.
[0165] Kiosk 320 may be configured to notify server 310 of newly
discovered physiological measurement apparatus 324 by sending an
HTTP request to server 310, by locally modifying one or more
existing profile cookies, and/or by locally setting one or more new
profile cookies, for example.
[0166] In some embodiments, server 310 is configured to provide
configuration parameters and/or software components to kiosk 320
for configuring connections with attached physiological measurement
apparatus 324 from server 310 in response to receiving notification
of devices newly discovered by kiosk 320 (e.g., notifications in
the form of an HTTP request containing a particular URL, an HTTP
request containing modified profile cookie value(s), an HTTP
request containing a new profile cookie, etc.). Server 310 may be
configured to determine configuration parameter(s) and/or software
component(s) to be provided to kiosk 320 based on identifying
information about the device and/or configuration information
pertaining to kiosk 320, using a lookup table or the like, for
example. Software components provided by server 310 may include,
for example, software components for authenticating the device,
drivers for interfacing with the device, dynamic link libraries
(DLLs) for facilitating the filtering, translating and transcoding
of the measurement data from physiological measurement apparatus
324, and the like. Server 310 may be configured to provide
configuration parameters and/or software components to kiosk 320 in
the form of an HTTP response. Server 310 may be configured to
obtain configuration parameters and/or software components from a
local store or from a remote store (e.g., a server maintained by a
device manufacturer, etc.).
[0167] In some embodiments, kiosk 320 is configured to install
software components received from server 310 and to apply
configuration parameters received from server 310 to configure
connections with the relevant physiological measurement apparatus.
Received software components may be installed in persistent storage
accessible to kiosk 320.
[0168] In embodiments where customized Web content is provided to
kiosks from a server, content provided to kiosks may be determined
by the configuration of the server. In such embodiments, the
content provided to a group of kiosks having a common profile may
be determined by a common configuration that is centrally
administered at the server. In some embodiments, a server is
configured to provide an interface at which an administrator (e.g.,
an employee of a health care facility) can manage the configuration
of the server. For example, a server may be configured to provide
an interface at which an administrator can specify aspects of the
Web content that is to be provided to kiosks having particular
profiles. Such an interface may enable an administrator to
efficiently customize the "look and feel" of a number of kiosks
having common profiles. A server may provide an interface for
specifying aspects of Web content including without limitation:
[0169] advertisements; [0170] affiliation information (e.g., a logo
identifying the facility where the [0171] kiosk is located); [0172]
announcements (e.g., of events of interest to users resident in the
facility where the kiosk is located); and [0173] the like.
[0174] In some embodiments, a server is configured to provide an
interface at which an administrator can ascertain the operational
status of kiosks administered by the server (e.g., presence of
and/or types of physiological measurement apparatus connected
thereto, etc.).
[0175] In some embodiments, a server is configured to provide
access to a configuration interface via a Web page. Access to the
Web page may restricted by user name and password, and/or other
security measures. A server may be configured to provide
administrative access to a particular administrator only in respect
of a subset of kiosks served by the server (e.g., an administrator
might only be able to configure the server in respect of its
interaction with kiosks that belong to facilities with which the
administrator is associated).
[0176] Centralized administration of kiosks by a server may be used
to provide a facility for obtaining, centralizing and tracking user
information. In some embodiments, a server is configured to access
and/or maintain a repository of user information. User information
maintained by a server may comprise, for example: [0177]
physiological measurements collected at kiosks; [0178] kiosk use
information (e.g., times of instances of use, durations of user
activities undertaken at kiosks, etc.); [0179] personal information
(e.g., age, gender, address and contact information); [0180] health
information (e.g., prescribed medications, health conditions,
treatment histories, physiological measurements, etc.); [0181]
dietary restrictions; [0182] health provider information (e.g.,
names and contact information for physicians, care aides,
case-managers, insurer, etc.); [0183] friend and relative
information (e.g., names and contact information for physicians,
care aides, case-managers, insurer, etc.); [0184] user interface
preferences (e.g., language, font size, etc.) membership
information (e.g., in clubs, support groups, etc.); and [0185]
preferences for food, entertainment etc; and [0186] the like.
[0187] In some embodiments, a server is configured to store
physiological measurement data according to standard formats, such
as HL7-compliant electronic medical records (EMRs) or some other
suitable standard. A server may be configured to store such records
locally in an Open Database Connectivit (ODBC)-compliant 3rd party
database for future transfer and/or to transmit such records to an
external EMR management system (e.g. hospital or health
authority).
[0188] In some embodiments, a server is configured to generate Web
content for a kiosk actively being used by a user based on the
user's user information. For example, a server may be configured to
set a session cookie on a kiosk that identifies the current user of
the kiosk, and to use the session cookie to obtain user information
for use in generating Web content customized to the current user's
preferences. In some embodiments, a server is configured to store
user information in session cookies to obviate the need for
continually accessing user information from the datastore when
generating Web content.
[0189] In some embodiments, a server is configured to diagnose
health conditions, recognize symptoms of health conditions, and the
like based on user information. For example, a server may be
configured to diagnose health conditions by testing physiological
measurements and other health information against one or more
rules. A server may be configured to generate alerts (e.g., email
or SMS message to health care providers, etc.) upon diagnosing a
health condition or the like. A server may be configured to
digitally sign diagnoses of health conditions for accountability
purposes.
[0190] In some embodiments, a kiosk may be configured to analyze
physiological measurements (e.g., for purposes of diagnosing
conditions, identifying patterns in physiological measurements,
etc.). For example, a kiosk may comprise analysis apparatus (e.g.,
connected via a device interface of the kiosk's computing unit) or
analysis software installed on the kiosk's computing unit, or the
like. The kiosk may be configured to analyze physiological
measurements obtained from connected physiological measurement
apparatus and/or obtained from a server to the analysis apparatus
(e.g., by providing such measurements to analysis apparatus,
analysis software, or the like).
[0191] In some embodiments, a server is configured to make user
information available to physicians and/or other medical
professionals for use by the physician and/or other medical
professionals in diagnosing health conditions etc. A server may be
configured to provide user information on an anonymous basis (i.e.,
without personally identifying information). A server may be
configured to receive diagnoses from physicians and/or other
medical professionals, and to present these diagnoses to kiosk
users. A server may be configured to digitally sign diagnoses with
private keys of the person making the diagnosis for accountability
purposes.
[0192] In some embodiments, a server is configured to provide Web
content that motivates users to undergo physiological measurements
using kiosks. In some embodiments, a server is configured to
provide Web content that when rendered by a kiosk offers users
inducements to motivate them to undergo physiological measurements.
In some such embodiments, the nature of inducements and the
conditions of their offer may be based on user information. For
instance, in an example embodiment, a user known to have high blood
pressure may be motivated to take frequent blood pressure
measurements by being offered a discount coupon for the co-payment
on his blood pressure medication (as opposed to bags of potato
chips, for example) on the condition that he uses a kiosk to take
his blood pressure measurement at least twice per day, every day
for one week. Other non-limiting example inducements that a server
may be configured to offer via a kiosk include: [0193] encouraging
messages; [0194] prizes (e.g., cash, discount coupons, gift
certificates, valuable articles, etc.); [0195] privileges (e.g.,
privilege of access to certain resources (TV, books, [0196]
magazines etc.), privilege of reserving spaces at meal-times, on
field trips, in activities, etc., privilege of selecting menu
choices, television programs, magazine subscriptions, etc., and the
like); [0197] entry into raffles/lotteries for prizes, privileges
etc.; [0198] peer recognition; and [0199] the like.
[0200] Non-limiting example conditions that a server may be
configured to place on offers of inducements made via a kiosk
include: [0201] undergoing particular physiological measurements;
[0202] undergoing particular physiological measurements with
particular frequency; [0203] undergoing particular physiological
measurements at certain times (e.g., for meals, after meals, before
certain meals (e.g., breakfast)); [0204] undergoing physiological
measurements at particular kiosks; and [0205] the like.
[0206] In some embodiments, a server is configured to provide an
administrative interface at which the nature of inducements and the
conditions of their offer may be set manually.
[0207] In some embodiments, a server is configured to provide an
interface at which third parties (e.g., parties not responsible for
the administration of a care facility) may provide inducements
and/or conditions on the offer thereof. For example, a server may
be configured to provide an interface configured to permit
merchants to enter inducements in the form coupons, gift
certificates and the like, and specify conditions for their offer
(such as characteristics of a particular target audience of kiosk
users, expiry date, etc.). In some embodiments, an interface at
which third parties may provide inducements and/or conditions on
the offer thereof permits third parties to define target audiences
for inducements in terms of aspects of user information (e.g.,
gender, age, inducement preferences, etc.) and/or kiosk profile
information (e.g., geographic location, local surroundings,
particular facility). Inducements and associated conditions entered
by third parties may be subject to approval by an administrator
before being presented to kiosk users. Conditions on the offer of
inducements entered by third parties may be supplemented by
additional conditions entered by an administrator and/or determined
by the server.
[0208] In some embodiments, a server is configured to determine the
nature of inducements and the conditions of their offer based on
user information and a set of available inducements, such as
according to an algorithm, a lookup table, or the like. In some
embodiments, a server is configured to maximize participation in a
health monitoring program by optimally motivating a population of
users to use kiosks given a limited set of inducements. Conditions
on the offer of inducements in a health monitoring program may be
set by a server automatically, or with assistance from the
administrator of the facility, based on user information.
Non-limiting examples of particular conditions on the offer of
inducements that may be included in health monitoring programs
include the following: [0209] a user taking a blood pressure
reading and body weight for the first time; [0210] a user taking
blood pressure reading twice a day (e.g., once in the morning and
once in the afternoon) and a body weight reading at least once a
day for five consecutive days for the first time; [0211] a user
taking blood pressure reading twice a day and a weight reading at
least once a day for five consecutive days; [0212] a user
exhibiting consistent high blood pressure (through readings taken
regularly over several days) managing to bring blood pressure
within a normal range (observed through readings taken regularly
over several days); and [0213] a user who was overweight managing
to reduce his weight by 10 pounds (again observed through regular
use of the system).
[0214] In some embodiments, a server is be configured to ration
inducements among users who meet conditions on the offer of
inducements based on the supply of inducements. In some
embodiments, a server is configured to determine which inducements
are relatively more attractive to specific users. In one example
embodiment, a server is configured to distribute inducements
equally (in terms of discrete numbers or value) to users on the
basis of participation in a health monitoring program over time,
but to distribute relatively more inducements to new users when
they initially begin participating in the health monitoring
program. This example embodiment may encourage new users to join
the program while ensuring that over long term, the users who use
the system regularly obtain more inducements than users who use the
system intermittently.
[0215] Some embodiments described herein may be configured to
implement one or more of the following example incentive
programs.
[0216] HEALTH CLUB--Within a provider network (e.g., one or more
facilities managed by a common entity) one or more health clubs are
established, with each health club consisting of two or more
individuals who have created accounts with the system. Individuals
within a particular health club are able to view the physiological
measurements of fellow health club members, and able to track each
other's progress over time. Individuals who do not belong to a
health club are not able to view the physiological measurements of
health club members. Health clubs may establish rewards for their
members and determine how those rewards would be earned and
redeemed. For instance, a group of elderly women in a facility may
get together to establish a health club. These women agree to track
their blood pressure by taking readings twice a week. Those
individuals who fail to measure their blood pressure twice in a
week would be ineligible to earn a reward. For the remaining
individuals, they may decide to set up the health club so that the
system randomly rewards one of the eligible participants with a
coupon to a neighbourhood coffee shop once a week. Alternatively,
they may decide to set up individualized blood pressure targets,
which a participant must meet in order to qualify for the
rewards.
[0217] LOTTERY--Within a provider network an inducement pool is
established, advertised via kiosks and distributed based on use. An
example operation of a lottery comprises the following steps:
[0218] The staff member of the provider network logs into the
server 30 and enters details of the lottery (e.g., inducement
information, eligibility criteria, duration, participating kiosks)
into a database. [0219] When a kiosk requests its default Web page,
its profile cookie is sent to a server. [0220] The server consults
the database to determine the lottery details pertaining to the
kiosk. Based upon this information, the server generates Web
content that when rendered by the kiosk presents a login screen
that announces the current lottery details and invites users to
participate in the lottery. The announcement may communicate the
current odds of winning based on the number of participants to
motivate others to join in. [0221] A user logs into the kiosk and
takes a blood pressure reading, then logs out. The server records
the fact that the user has performed an action that counts towards
prize eligibility. The server determines whether the user has met
the lottery eligibility criteria (e.g., taking blood pressure twice
each day for a week). If the user has met the lottery eligibility
criteria, the server enters the user in the lottery. In some
embodiments, the server is configured to issue (e.g., causes a
printer attached to the kiosk to print, emails to the user, etc.) a
ticket to the user. The user may be asked if he/she wishes to
participate in the draw before he/she is entered into the lottery
and/or issued a ticket. [0222] The server may be configured to
randomly select an entry at a pre-determined draw time, and to
announce the winner (e.g., generates Web content that when rendered
by the kiosk presents a login screen that announces the
winner).
[0223] VOTING--Within a community (e.g., a single facility) users
are allocated votes on a choice based on kiosk use. Potential
subjects for voting include: media played on communal AV equipment
(music, movies), selection of field trips, facility programming
(classes etc.), food choice (e.g., dessert selection), books to be
purchased for library, magazines/newspapers to subscribe to, and
the like. Votes may be allocated based on a lottery system, such as
the one described above (e.g., a vote may be an inducement--where a
limited numbers of votes are distributed among kiosk users this may
make it more important to an individual that he increase his odds
of getting a vote). An example operation of a voting incentive
program comprises the following steps: [0224] The staff member of
the community logs into a server and enters the details for the
vote (e.g., vote subject, eligibility criteria, duration,
participating kiosks, etc.) [0225] When a kiosk requests its
default Web page, its profile cookie is sent to the server. [0226]
The server consults the database to determine the voting details
pertaining to the kiosk. Based upon this information, the server
generates Web content that when rendered by the kiosk presents a
login screen that announces the current voting details and invites
users to participate in voting. The announcement may communicate
the current vote totals to motivate participation. [0227] A user
logs into the kiosk and takes a blood pressure reading. The server
recognizes that the user is eligible to vote on the vote subject.
The server generates Web content that when rendered by the kiosk
presents a voting screen to the user. The user makes his/her vote
at the kiosk, and the vote is transmitted to the server, which
records the vote. [0228] The server may be configured to close
voting at a particular time, count the votes and to announce the
winning choice.
[0229] RESERVATIONS--Within a facility, users may be privileged
with access to scarce resources on the basis of kiosk use.
Potential resources subject to reservation include: time slots for
services/activities (bath times, massages, dining), spaces in
limited capacity activities (field trips, classes, etc.), choices
of food (e.g., pie or pudding for dessert), temporary custody of
physical objects (books, magazines, etc.), and the like. Resources
may be made artificially scarce (e.g., 10 servings of pie versus
190 servings of pudding).
[0230] REWARDS--Rewards include coupons and gift certificates,
which can be coordinated with the facility's advertising strategy.
Rewards may be transferable (e.g., sent to non-resident
acquaintances). [0231] A third party vendor logs into a server,
uploads an image file of a coupon and specifies the details of the
coupon offer (e.g., maximum number of coupons to be issued, time
period in which to issue coupons, offer target audience (in terms
of kiosk profile information and/or user profile information, such
as geographic region, facility, local surrounding, age, gender, and
the like)). [0232] The server generates unique coupon identifiers
(e.g., barcodes) and adds the ids to the list of coupons issued by
the vendor. [0233] The server searches the user database for users
belonging to the offer target audience (e.g., those users of a
certain gender who have used kiosks in a particular geographic
region) and emails coupons to those users.
[0234] It will be appreciated that features of two or more of the
above incentive programs may be combined.
[0235] It will be appreciated that embodiments disclosed herein may
be modified and/or supplemented in many ways, such as, for example:
[0236] A server may be configured to access a datastore comprising
scheduling information associated with users, and to provide Web
content that when rendered by a kiosk presents a user with a
reminder of an event or task in the user's schedule (e.g., a
reminder to take a particular medicine, a reminder of an upcoming
appointment, etc.) [0237] A server may be configured to provide Web
content that when rendered by a kiosk presents a user with an
advertisement. Advertisements may be selected based on kiosk
profile information, user information or a combination thereof, for
example. Advertisements may be selected using an algorithm, a
lookup table, or the like. [0238] A server may be configured to
provide user information and/or kiosk profile information to a
third-party content provider (e.g., advertising network), and to
provide Web content comprising content provided by the third-party
content provider (e.g., advertisements targeted to a particular
kiosk and/or user). [0239] A kiosk may comprise a plurality of
displays, and the computing unit of the kiosk may be configured to
run a corresponding plurality of different web browser sessions.
User input apparatus corresponding to each display/browser session
may be provided. Physiological measurement apparatus of the kiosk
may be shared among the browser sessions.
[0240] Where a component (e.g. a kiosk, server, computing unit,
physiological measurement apparatus, display, user identification
apparatus, user interface apparatus, web browser, web server, etc.)
is referred to above, unless otherwise indicated, reference to that
component (including a reference to a "means") should be
interpreted as including as equivalents of that component any
component which performs the function of the described component
(i.e., that is functionally equivalent), including components which
are not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which
performs the function in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of
the invention.
[0241] It will be appreciated that where aspects of configuration
and/or functionality are ascribed to components, such aspects of
configuration and/or functionality may be embodied or implemented
in the configuration and/or functionality of one or more
sub-components or combinations therefor. Accordingly, descriptions
of configuration and/or functionality of components herein should
be construed as describing corresponding configuration and/or
functionality of sub-components as applicable. For example, a
description of a kiosk as being configured to perform particular
actions or having particular characteristics, should be understood
as also describing the configuration and characteristics of the
computing unit of the kiosk and of the web browser of the kiosk and
computing unit.
[0242] Aspects of the invention may be provided in the form of a
program product. The program product may comprise any
non-transitory medium which carries a set of computer-readable
information comprising instructions which, when executed by a data
processor, cause the data processor to execute a method of the
invention. Program products according to the invention may be in
any of a wide variety of forms. The program product may comprise,
for example, physical media such as magnetic data storage media
including floppy diskettes, hard disk drives, optical data storage
media including CD ROMs, DVDs, electronic data storage media
including ROMs, flash RAM, or the like. The computer-readable
information on the program product may optionally be compressed or
encrypted.
[0243] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments
described herein may be practised or implemented without all of the
features ascribed to them herein, and that certain features of
embodiments described herein may be used in combination with
features of other embodiments described herein. Method embodiments
may include features that correspond to features of apparatus
embodiments described herein, and vice versa. Such variations on
described embodiments that would be apparent to the skilled
addressee, including variations comprising mixing and matching of
features from different embodiments, are within the scope of this
invention.
[0244] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light
of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations, modifications,
additions and permutations are possible in the practice of this
invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. The
embodiments described herein are only examples. Other example
embodiments may be obtained, without limitation, by combining
features of the disclosed embodiments, by re-arranging the
components of disclosed embodiments, and/or by re-ordering the
operations of disclosed embodiments.
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