(12) United States Patent ao) Patent No.: us 6,370,433 Bi
Hartlaub et al. (45) Date of Patent: Apr. 9,2002
(21) Appl. No.: 09/491,205
(22) Filed: Jan. 25, 2000
Related U.S. Application Data
(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 09/282,594, filed on Mar. 31, 1999, now Pat. No. 6,067,473, which is a continuation of application No. 09/069,284, filed on Apr. 29, 1998, now Pat. No. 5,891,180.
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(52) U.S. C I 607/32
(58) Field of Search 607/30, 31, 32
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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Primary Examiner—Scott M. Getzow
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Girma Wolde-Michael
(57) ABSTRACT
Methods and apparatus for communication of implantable medical device (IMD) information, including interrogation of programmed parameter values, operating modes and conditions of operation, confirmation of programmed changes thereof, interrogation of data stored in the IMD, and patient warnings or other messages by RF transmission of audible sounds generated by the IMD are disclosed. The IMD includes an RF transmitter that broadcasts or transmits audible sounds including voiced statements or musical tones stored in analog memory correlated to a programming or interrogation operating algorithm or to a warning trigger event. The broadcast radio signal is received, and the audible sounds are demodulated and reproduced by a radio receiver as voiced statements or musical is tones that convey human understandable messages comprising IMD information generated during programming and interrogation sessions and warnings or status messages to the patient at other times.
31 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets
