US 11,699,525 B2
Patient support apparatus communication systems
Alexander Josef Bodurka, Portage, MI (US); Krishna Sandeep Bhimavarapu, Kalamazoo, MI (US); and Jerald A. Trepanier, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Assigned to Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed by Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed on May 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/740,995.
Application 17/740,995 is a continuation of application No. 16/569,225, filed on Sep. 12, 2019, granted, now 11,355,236.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/730,217, filed on Sep. 12, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0270754 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04L 9/40 (2022.01); G16H 40/67 (2018.01)
CPC G16H 40/67 (2018.01) [H04L 63/061 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A patient support apparatus system comprising a plurality of patient support apparatuses, each of the patient support apparatuses comprising:
a frame;
a patient support surface supported on the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;
a transceiver adapted to communicate over a first mesh network using a first key factory-installed on each of the plurality of patient support apparatuses, the transceiver further adapted to communicate over a second mesh network after receiving a second key input; and
a controller adapted to use a factory-installed algorithm to generate a second key from the second key input, the second key enabling the transceiver to communicate over the second mesh network;
wherein each of the plurality of patient support apparatuses are adapted to receive a software update intended for another one of the plurality of patient support apparatuses and to forward the software update to the intended another one of the plurality of patient support apparatuses using the second mesh network.