Wide area multipurpose tracking system

• US 20020109597A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chi Development Mgmt Ltd XX LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Medical Tracking Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Lugtu, Carlos M., Nelson, Bernard C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,653,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1083 Pager locating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method of electronically tracking and locating a very large number of objects such as, but not limited to, personal case files in health care, law, or human services systems is described. Each object to be tracked has an attached miniature radio transmitter called a tag which sends a coded signal to a network of receiver base stations with limited but overlapping reception ranges. Each receiver base station places in its own memory the time at which a record enters its range, remains in range, and the time at which it leaves. The various receiver base stations are interconnected to a host computer. By polling the memories of each receiver base station, the computer is able to determine the current location of any record.

Claims

1. In a radio frequency tracking system comprising a plurality of transmitters and a receiver, the receiver having an antenna with a reception pattern which defines a reception region, a method for controlling the reception region, comprising the steps of:

adjusting sensitivity of the receiver by attenuating signals received by the antenna;

if the reception range is less than a desired reception range, decreasing attenuation; and

if the reception range exceeds the desired reception range, increasing attenuation.

2. In a radio frequency tracking system comprising a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers, each receiver of the plurality of receivers having an antenna with a reception pattern which defines a reception region, a method for controlling overlap in the reception regions, comprising the step of, for each receiver of the plurality of receivers, adjusting sensitivity of the receiver by attenuating signals received by the antenna, wherein the reception regions for the plurality of receivers are adjusted to overlap without leaving gaps in reception region coverage.

3. In a radio frequency tracking system comprising a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers, each receiver of the plurality of receivers having an antenna with a reception pattern which defines a reception region, an apparatus for controlling reception regions, comprising an attenuator, inserted between a receiver of the plurality of receivers and its associated antenna for adjusting the reception region which the antenna receives, wherein the reception region of each of the plurality of receivers is adjustable for controlling overlap of reception regions.