Incontinence detection pad validation apparatus and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An incontinence pad comprising:
- an absorbent material;
an electrical sheet adjacent the absorbent material;
the electrical sheet comprising;
a layer of material shaped generally as a rectangle having first and second long sides and first and second short sides,an RFID tag coupled to the layer closer to the first short side than the second short side, andfirst and second electrodes on the layer and electrically coupled to the RFID tag, the first and second electrodes including first, second, third and fourth electrode segments that are generally parallel with the first and second long sides of the layer, the second and third electrode segments being situated between the first and fourth electrode segments, the second and third electrode segments being spaced apart by a first distance that is at least twice a second distance defined between the first and second electrode segments and between the third and fourth electrode segments;
wherein the RFID tag includes a memory location, wherein an authentication code is stored in the memory location and is configured to cause a reading system to alert based on the detection of fluid; and
wherein the RFID tag includes a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicating the presence of fluid, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the authentication code.
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Abstract
An incontinence detection pad has an RFID tag in which an authentication code, such as an electronic product code (EPC), is stored. A reader in wireless communication with the RFID tag of the incontinence detection pad verifies that the incontinence detection pad is an authorized detection pad. Thus, unauthorized incontinence detection pads that do not have the proper authentication code are not able to be used in an incontinence detection system.
231 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An incontinence pad comprising:
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an absorbent material; an electrical sheet adjacent the absorbent material; the electrical sheet comprising; a layer of material shaped generally as a rectangle having first and second long sides and first and second short sides, an RFID tag coupled to the layer closer to the first short side than the second short side, and first and second electrodes on the layer and electrically coupled to the RFID tag, the first and second electrodes including first, second, third and fourth electrode segments that are generally parallel with the first and second long sides of the layer, the second and third electrode segments being situated between the first and fourth electrode segments, the second and third electrode segments being spaced apart by a first distance that is at least twice a second distance defined between the first and second electrode segments and between the third and fourth electrode segments; wherein the RFID tag includes a memory location, wherein an authentication code is stored in the memory location and is configured to cause a reading system to alert based on the detection of fluid; and wherein the RFID tag includes a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicating the presence of fluid, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the authentication code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad including an electrical sheet comprising a layer of material shaped generally as a rectangle having first and second long sides and first and second short sides, an RFID tag coupled to the layer closer to the first short side than the second short side, and first and second electrodes on the layer and electrically coupled to the RFID tag, the first and second electrodes including first, second, third and fourth electrode segments that are generally parallel with the first and second long sides of the layer, the second and third electrode segments being situated between the first and fourth electrode segments, the second and third electrode segments being spaced apart by a first distance that is at least twice a second distance defined between the first and second electrode segments and between the third and fourth electrode segments, the RFID tag storing an authentication code which is common to all incontinence detection pads that are authorized for use in the incontinence detection system, a reader having circuitry in which the authentication code is also stored, and at least one antenna coupled to the reader, wherein the reader is operable to send a request to the RFID tag via the at least one antenna and to read via the at least one antenna data emitted from the RFID tag in response to the request, the reader is configured to confirm that the incontinence detection pad is an authorized incontinence detection pad by determining that the data received from the RFID tag includes the authentication code, wherein the reader is configured to transmit a message indicating that the authorized incontinence detection pad is wet if the data received from the RFID tag indicates that the incontinence detection pad is wet, wherein the reader does not transmit the message if the data does not include the authentication code.
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22. A method of manufacturing a plurality of incontinence detection pads, the method comprising
receiving a plurality of RFID tags each having a chip-specific electronic product code (EPC) code stored in a memory of the respective RFID tag, overwriting the chip-specific EPC with a pad-specific EPC in each of the plurality of RFID tags such that each RFID tag has a common pad-specific EPC stored in its respective memory; - and
coupling each RFID tag to a first layer of a plurality of layers of a corresponding one of the plurality of incontinence detection pads, wherein each incontinence detection pad of the plurality of incontinence detection pads includes an electrical sheet comprising a layer of material shaped generally as a rectangle having first and second long sides and first and second short sides, an RFID tag coupled to the layer closer to the first short side than the second short side, and first and second electrodes on the layer and electrically coupled to the RFID tag, the first and second electrodes including first, second, third and fourth electrode segments that are generally parallel with the first and second long sides of the layer, the second and third electrode segments being situated between the first and fourth electrode segments, the second and third electrode segments being spaced apart by a first distance that is at least twice a second distance defined between the first and second electrode segments and between the third and fourth electrode segments. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification