Article locating and tracking system
First Claim
1. A system for tracking an activity in a healthcare environment, including:
- a master station having a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a transceiver coupled to the processor;
a plurality of badges adapted for coupling to objects, each badge having a unique ID and including a transmitter for transmitting the badge ID; and
a plurality of sensors disposed throughout the environment, each sensor having a unique ID that relates the sensor to a location within the environment, and including a transceiver for receiving badge IDs from badges located near the sensor and transmitting the badge IDs and the sensor ID to the master station transceiver, the master station processor determining the location of an object from the received badge ID and sensor ID by identifying the badge associated with the object, relating the sensor ID to the location of the sensor, and storing object location information in the memory;
each of the badges further including a displacement sensor that generates signals indicating movement of the object coupled to the badge and a direction of the movement, the badge transceivers transmitting the signals for receipt by the sensor transceivers, the sensor transceivers forwarding displacement information representing the signals to the master station, the master station processor using the displacement information to update the stored object location information.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for tracking an activity in a healthcare environment includes a master station having a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, badges coupled to objects, each transmitting a unique badge ID, and sensors disposed throughout the environment, each including a transceiver for receiving badge IDs and transmitting to the master station transceiver the badge IDs and a unique sensor ID that relates the sensor to a location. The master station processor determines object locations from the badge and sensor IDs by identifying the badge associated with the object, relating the sensor ID to the sensor location, and storing object location information in memory. Each badge also includes a displacement sensor that generates signals indicating object movement and direction for transmission to the sensor transceivers which forward displacement information to the master station. The master station processor uses the information to update the stored object location information.
-
Citations
86 Claims
-
1. A system for tracking an activity in a healthcare environment, including:
-
a master station having a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a transceiver coupled to the processor;
a plurality of badges adapted for coupling to objects, each badge having a unique ID and including a transmitter for transmitting the badge ID; and
a plurality of sensors disposed throughout the environment, each sensor having a unique ID that relates the sensor to a location within the environment, and including a transceiver for receiving badge IDs from badges located near the sensor and transmitting the badge IDs and the sensor ID to the master station transceiver, the master station processor determining the location of an object from the received badge ID and sensor ID by identifying the badge associated with the object, relating the sensor ID to the location of the sensor, and storing object location information in the memory;
each of the badges further including a displacement sensor that generates signals indicating movement of the object coupled to the badge and a direction of the movement, the badge transceivers transmitting the signals for receipt by the sensor transceivers, the sensor transceivers forwarding displacement information representing the signals to the master station, the master station processor using the displacement information to update the stored object location information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
-
-
44. A system for tracking an activity in a healthcare environment, including:
-
a first sensor associated with a person configured to transmit a first signal indicating the location of the person;
a second sensor associated with a piece of equipment configured to transmit a second signal indicating a condition of the equipment;
a plurality of first transceivers for receiving the first and second signals and transmitting information representing the first and second signals; and
a master station including a second transceiver in communication with the plurality of first transceivers for receiving the transmitted information to determine the location of the person and the condition of the equipment, the master station comparing the transmitted information to predetermined criteria and initiating an action when the transmitted information satisfies the predetermined criteria. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85)
-
-
68. A system for tracking activities in a healthcare environment, including:
-
a plurality of transmitters adapted to be coupled to a corresponding plurality of movable objects, each transmitter outputting a transmitter ID signal that identifies the corresponding object;
a plurality of sensors disposed at a corresponding plurality of locations throughout the healthcare environment, each sensor including a transceiver for receiving the transmitter ID signals and transmitting information including the received transmitter ID signals and a sensor ID signal indicating the location of the sensor; and
a master station in communication with the plurality of sensors, the master station including a receiver for receiving the information transmitted by the sensors, a processor for determining from the received information the location of each of the plurality of objects, a timer for monitoring the length of time objects remain in locations, and a memory for storing data indicating movement of the plurality of objects into and out of locations and the time such movement occurred;
wherein the master station automatically accumulates the data from the sensors, associates portions of the data with particular activities, and generates statistical analyses of the data associated with the particular activities to identify characteristics associated with the particular activities.
-
-
86. A system for tracking an activity in a healthcare environment, including:
-
means for collecting activity information including means for processing the information, means for storing the processed information, and means for transmitting and receiving signals;
a plurality of means respectively coupled to a plurality of objects for transmitting unique transmitter IDs respectively associated with the objects;
a plurality of means disposed throughout the environment for sensing transmissions from the plurality of transmitting means, each sensing means having a unique sensor ID that relates the sensing means to a location within the environment, and including means for receiving transmitter IDs from transmitting means located near the sensing means and transmitting the transmitter IDs and the sensor ID to the activity information collection means, the processing means determining the location of an object from the received transmitter ID and sensor ID by identifying the transmitting means associated with the object, relating the sensor ID to the location of the sensing means, and storing object location information in the storing means;
each of the transmitting means further including means for sensing displacement, the displacement sensing means generating signals indicating movement of the object coupled to the transmitting means and a direction of the movement, the transmitting means transmitting the signals for receipt by the sensing means, the sensing means forwarding displacement information representing the signals to the activity information collection means, the activity information collection means using the displacement information to update the stored object location information, and further including means for timing a length of time an object remain in a location, means for associating portions of the stored object location information with particular activities, and means for generating statistical analyses of the portions of stored object location information associated with the particular activities to identify inefficiencies associated with the particular activities.
-
Specification