Portable glucose monitor with wireless communications

Abstract

A glucose monitor having only a test strip reader and wireless transmission to a remote hand held calculation processor. All glucose data processing occurs in a remote hand held calculator processor with the glucose monitor providing only sensing and wireless transfer of data. In an embodiment, the glucose monitor includes a button for use in wirelessly pairing the monitor to a smart phone for data communication with a non-proprietary communication protocol, and a light source to communicate the progress of the pairing. In a further embodiment, the glucose monitor includes a switch coupled to the strip reader such that power is applied to the monitor when a test strip is inserted and power is removed with the withdrawal of the test strip. In another embodiment, inserting the test strip and activating the switch also places the glucose monitor into the pairing search mode to communication with a host remote processor.

1 . A portable glucose monitor comprising:
 a glucose sensor that senses a glucose level and provides glucose sensor data representative of the level of glucose sensed;   a glucose monitor processor configured to receive the glucose sensor data and provide processed glucose data for transmission;   a wireless communication component including a transmitter configured to receive the processed glucose data and wirelessly transmit the processed glucose data by a non-proprietary protocol; and   a portable housing in which are located only the glucose sensor, the glucose data processor, and the communication component and including no direct user interface other than the glucose sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the communication component is further configured to wirelessly pair itself with a remote host processor such that the wireless transmission of the processed glucose data is made from the glucose monitor only to a paired remote host processor. 
     
     
         3 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 2 , wherein the glucose sensor includes a switch located so as to be activated by the action of inserting a test strip into the glucose sensor;
 wherein when the switch is activated by inserting a test strip into the glucose sensor, the glucose monitor automatically enters the pairing mode in which it performs pairing functions to pair with a remote processor.   
     
     
         4 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the glucose sensor includes a switch located so as to be activated and de-activated by the action of inserting and withdrawing a test strip to and from the glucose sensor;
 wherein, when the switch is activated by introducing a test strip into the glucose sensor, the glucose monitor becomes powered up for full operation; and   wherein, when the switch is de-activated by withdrawing a test strip from the glucose sensor, the glucose monitor is powered down to less than full operation.   
     
     
         5 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 4 , wherein, when powered down to less than full operation, the communication component remains paired with a remote processor until the remote processor unpairs the two from its end. 
     
     
         6 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the glucose data processor is not configured to determine or display a glucose level from the glucose data. 
     
     
         7 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor located within the housing, the temperature sensor configured to provide temperature data of the temperature at the housing;
 wherein the glucose processor is further configured to receive the temperature data and provide it to the communication component; and   wherein the communication component is further configured to receive the temperature data from the glucose processor and wirelessly transmit the temperature data by a predetermined protocol.   
     
     
         8 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor located within the housing, the temperature sensor configured to provide temperature data of the temperature at the housing; and
 wherein the communication component is further configured to receive the temperature data directly from the temperature sensor and wireles sly transmit the temperature data by a predetermined protocol.   
     
     
         9 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the glucose monitor processor is configured so that it does not provide time and date stamps to the glucose data. 
     
     
         10 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the non-proprietary wireless protocol is Bluetooth. 
     
     
         11 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A portable glucose monitor comprising:
 a glucose sensor that senses a glucose level and provides glucose sensor data representative of the level of glucose sensed;   a glucose monitor processor configured to receive the glucose sensor data, process the received glucose data and provide processed glucose data for transmission;   a temperature sensor providing temperature data representative of the temperature at the glucose sensor;   a pairing switch;   an indicator device;   a wireless communication component including a transmitter configured to receive the processed glucose data and wirelessly transmit the processed glucose data and temperature data by a non-proprietary protocol, the communication component responsive to the pairing switch to initiate a wireless pairing procedure to pair with a host processor, the communication component causing activation of the indicator device to indicate the status of the pairing procedure; and   a portable housing in which are located only the glucose sensor, the temperature sensor, the glucose data processor, and the communication component, the pairing switch, and the indicator device.   
     
     
         21 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 20 , wherein the glucose data processor is not configured to determine or display a glucose level from the glucose data. 
     
     
         22 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 20 , wherein the glucose monitor processor is configured so that it does not provide time and date stamps to the glucose data. 
     
     
         23 . The portable glucose monitor of  claim 20 , wherein the non-proprietary wireless communication protocol is Bluetooth.