referring now to fig1 is an illustrative infant warming center that can include the inventive concept to be described in this disclosure . the center includes an infant bed 80 that underlies an infant positioned thereon . the infant bed has a surrounding sidewall 70 and rides upon a patient support mechanism 140 . the patient bed and surrounding sidewalls may enclose a heated mattress . a vertical column structure mounted on the infant warming center supports a radiant heater head 10 , containing a radiant heater 170 ( fig3 ). the radiant heater assembly is designed to optimize the heat focused on the infant . the vertical column structure may have a user interface 30 and a resuscitation module 50 . the infant warming device &# 39 ; s main computer controller may reside in the vertical column structure or may reside in the patient support mechanism . handles 60 , 90 , are used to move the infant warming device around as it can be moved on flat surfaces via legs 110 with attached wheels and controlled with footswitches 130 . on the rear side of the column is a location for carrying a remote gas supply tank 100 . under the patient support mechanism 140 is a cantilever cover 160 and turret cover 180 for shrouding the rotation mechanisms , with a cantilever arm 190 that supports the patient support , vertical column , and supports a storage enclosure 150 . fig2 , shown generally by the numeral 200 , illustrates a total system comprising a patient care system ( medical device 220 ) with an integral alarm processing circuit 230 and embedded software that includes an audible alarm 240 and a visual alarm 260 . a sensor interface / event detection system 250 can monitor both the condition of the patient and key parameters of the infant care apparatus and inputs that information to alarm processing 230 . the system receives feedback from the user ( via , hand , foot , etc .) and signals the alarm circuit to change the standard alarm to a new alarm with a predefined tone and volume level for a pre - set time . transducer input 210 represents a variety of possible non - contact technologies ( proximity , optical , thermal , ultrasonic , capacitance etc . ), all of which are possible and are all anticipated in this disclosure . in one embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by optical sensing to detect an object in proximity to patient care apparatus . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by temperature sensing to detect an object in close proximity to patient care apparatus . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by an air motion sensor adapted to a change in air pressure . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by a sound recognition system responsive to the voice of a person . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by contact with foot of a caregiver . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by an ultrasonic sensor . in another embodiment the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus could be activated by a capacitance sensor . in another aspect the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus is programmable and adjustable by the user . in another aspect the non - contact alarm volume reduction system used in a patient care apparatus the level , tone or frequency of the reduced alarm volume system can be programmed . in another aspect the non - contact volume reduction system can be pre - programmed by the user to pre - set the reduced volume and the alternate tone of the audible alarm , as well as the time interval for the alarm . the advantage of the proposed system is that it is a non - contact method for addressing alarm noises in the clinical workspace but unlike other systems does not completely silence the alarm . this allows the user to not be distracted by a high alarm volume but the alarm would continue to signal at a reduce level or a different tone . this concept does not have the risk of completely turning off the alarm . although certain embodiments and their advantages have been described herein in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations could be made without departing from the coverage as defined by the appended claims . moreover , the potential applications of the disclosed techniques is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the processes , machines , manufactures , means , methods and steps described herein . as a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from this disclosure , other processes , machines , manufactures , means , methods , or steps , presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized . accordingly , the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes , machines , manufactures , means , methods or steps .
a method and apparatus for providing a caregiver the capability of modifying the tone and volume of an audible alarm for a medical device based on non - contact methods .