Usb-enabled audio-video switch

Abstract

A telemedicine system ( 8 ) includes an audio-video switch ( 10 ) that receives at least two different signals and conveys at least one of the at least two different signals to an output device ( 18 ) that presents it to a user. A control device ( 16 2 ) monitors a position of the audio-video switch ( 10 ) and automatically controls the position to select which of the at least two different signals is passed through the audio-video switch ( 10 ) to the output device ( 18 ) in response to a signal from a remote source ( 34 ). Signals received from the remote source ( 34 ) include medically related audio video message signals, which are input to the audio-video switch ( 10 ), and a control signal that causes the audio-video switch ( 10 ) to select between passing the medically related audio-video message signals and other received signals to the output device ( 18 ).

1 . A telemedicine system, comprising:
 an audio-video switch that receives a plurality of different audio-video signals and conveys at least two of the different audio-video signals to an output device that concurrently displays a video portion of the at least two audio-video signals, each within a different display region of the output device, the audio-video switch including at least one of a wireless communications port for controlling the audio-video switch with a remote wireless device and control panel for manual control of the audio-video switch; and   a control device including one or more processors programmed to:
 monitor a position of the audio-video switch, 
 power the audio-video switch through a bus connection with the audio-video switch, 
 monitor and control the audio-video switch through signals conveyed via the bus, 
 obtain at least one of a unique identification, a serial number, a software versions, and a firmware version of the audio-video switch via a universal serial port, 
 automatically control the position of the audio-video switch to select which of the at least two different audio-video signals passed through the audio-video switch to the output device has its video portion displayed in each of the displays regions in response to a signal from a remote source, and 
 wherein the recorded audio/video signals include lessons tailored to address a user's medical condition and are received over a low bandwidth connection and converted into high quality outputs. 
   
     
     
         2 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the audio-video switch includes a processing component that combines at least two of the plurality of input audio-video signals, the two signals being combined by one of overlaying one of the signals over the other signal, the overlaid signals being passed to the output device to display both signals concurrently. 
     
     
         3 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the control device automatically switches the audio-video switch in order to present a message to a user via the output device and records programming on an input selected by the user and the audio-video switch automatically plays back the recorded programming after the user views/listens to the message. 
     
     
         4 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of different audio-video signals is associated with a tag that indicates a priority of the at least one signal relative to other audio-video signals and the priority is used to determine at least one of when and how to present the audio-video signal to the user. 
     
     
         5 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 1 , further including:
 a recording device connected with the audio-video switch, the control device causing the recording device to record audio/video signals and causing the recorded audio/video signals to be passed through the audio-video switch to the output device in accordance with instruction signals received from the remote source.   
     
     
         6 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein the recorded audio/video signals are restored to full size prior to one of storing and playing the audio/video signal. 
     
     
         7 . A telemedicine system including:
 an audio-video switch which (a) has a plurality of audio-video inputs including a first audio-video input configured for receiving entertainment audio-video signals and a second video input configured for receiving medical audio-video signals, (b) has at least one audio-video output configured for connection to an audio/visual display device, and (c) has a router which selectively passes audio-video signals from the audio-video inputs to the audio-video output for display on the audio-video display device, the medical audio-video signals being received from a remote source and including:
 at least one of instructional programming directed to a patient corresponding to the audio visual switch and relating to a disease or physiological condition of the patient, reminders to take medicines, reminders of medical appointments, requests for the patient to monitor physiological conditions, motivational programming, requests for the patient to call a doctor's office, instructions for the patient associated with a scheduled medical procedure, test results, and real-time communications to the patient from medical personnel, and 
 one of a plurality of control signals, the plurality including an override control signal that indicates that the router is to override a user selection and supply the medical audio-visual signals to the audio-visual display and a record control signal that indicates that the received medical audio-video signal should be recorded; and further including: 
   a control processor programmed to control the audio-video switch based on the received control signal, the control processor being connected with the router to control which of the entertainment and medical audio-video signals are supplied to the at least one audio-video output, the control processor being further programmed to respond in accordance with the received control signal from the remote source to:
 control the router to override a user selection and supply the medical audio-visual signals to the audio-video display device, record the medical audio-video signal for later playback. 
   
     
     
         8 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the control processor and the audio-video switch validates parties attempting to communicate therewith and only authorized parties are allowed to communicate with the at least one of the control processor and the audio-video switch. 
     
     
         9 . A telemedicine method comprising:
 receiving a plurality of different audio-video signals with an audio-video switch, the audio-video signals including:
 entertainment audio-video signals and medical audio-video signals from a remote healthcare provider which convey at least one of instructional programming relating to a disease or physiological condition, reminders to take medicines, reminders of medical appointments, requests to monitor physiological conditions, motivational programming, requests to call a doctor's office, instructions associated with a scheduled medical procedure, test results, and real-time communications from medical personnel, and 
 control commands which control the audio-video switch; 
   conveying a user-selected one of the received entertainment audio-video signals from the audio-video switch to a display device for display to the user;   with the audio-video switch, concurrently stopping the displaying of the user selected entertainment audio-video signals, and recording the user-selected entertainment audio-video signals, and conveying the medical audio-video signals to the display device for displaying; and   after the medical audio-video signal has been displayed and acknowledged by the user, automatically playing back the recorded user-selected entertainment audio-video signal, wherein the control processor is programmed to validate the audio-video switch via at least one of a unique identification number, a serial number, a software version, and a firmware version of the audio-video switch.   
     
     
         10 . The method as set forth in  claim 9 , further including:
 conveying the control commands and electrical power to the audio-video switch over a common bus.   
     
     
         11 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the control processor is further programmed to, when controlling the router to supply the medical audio-video signal to the audio-video output, record the entertainment audio-video signal and after supplying the medical audio-video signal to the audio-video output, automatically supplying the recorded entertainment audio-video signal to the audio-video output. 
     
     
         12 . The telemedicine system as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein the control processor is further programmed to:
 when controlling the router to supply the medical audio-video signal to the audio-video output, to record the entertainment audio-video signal and after supplying the medical audio-video signal to the audio-video output, automatically supplying the recorded entertainment audio-video signal to the audio-video output;   validate the audio-video switch via at least one of a unique identification number, a serial number, a software version, and a firmware version of the audio-video switch;   validate that the user is an authorized user;   in response to an unauthorized user trying to access the control device, send information about the unauthorized user to a security or administrative authority;   reconfigure a low bandwidth signal into a high quality display; and   wherein the control processor and the switch are connected by a common bus by which the control processor at least controls and powers the switch.   
     
     
         13 . The method as set forth in  claim 12 , further including controlling the audio-video switch in accordance with the received control command to:
 allow the user to select between the medical and entertainment audio-video signals for display on the display device,   override the user selection and supply the medical audio-video signals to the display device at a time indicated by a tag in the audio-video signal,   record the medical audio-video signal for later playback by user selection.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , further including:
 with a control processor, validating the audio-video switch via at least one of a unique identification number, a serial number, a software version, and a firmware version of the audio-video switch.   
     
     
         15 . The method as set forth in  claim 14 , further including:
 with the control processor, validating whether the user is an authorized user and only permitting the audio-video switch to convey the medical audio-video signals to the display device for the authorized user.   
     
     
         16 . The method as set forth in  claim 15 , further including:
 in response to an unauthorized user trying to access the control device, sending information about the unauthorized user to a security or administrative authority.