Automated system and method for determining drug testing

• US 20060281978A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Streetime Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Streetime Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Crucilla, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 7,473,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices

Abstract

An automated system and method for determining drug testing. The system enters a participant or subject into the system who is to be monitored during a probationary or other program for alcohol or drug abuse offenders. The system provides a watch for the participant to wear and record sleep pattern information of the participants through their movements and intensity of those movements. The system uploads the sleep pattern information into the computer system and conducts various tests to analyze the sleep pattern information for determining if the participant or subject has been using alcohol or other drugs and should be subjected to a confirming urinalysis exam.

Claims

1. A computer based method for determining if a participant should be tested for drugs, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a monitoring device on the participant to record data of the participant;

(b) creating a predetermined set of sleep pattern criteria for the participant, each sleep pattern criteria having assigned to it a criteria value;

(c) defining a plurality of benchmarks to apply to the data;

(d) calculating a set of measurements from the benchmarks, each measurement having a measurement value as determined from the data;

(e) defining a plurality of tests, each of the plurality of tests using at least one of the measurement values from the set of measurements;

(f) applying each of the plurality of tests by comparing the measurement values from each of the plurality of tests to the sleep pattern criteria values for the participant for determining a plurality of test results corresponding to each of the plurality of tests;

(g) analyzing each of the plurality of test results for making a final determination of the results; and

(h) providing notification of the final determination of the results and whether the participant should be tested for drugs.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of entering unique information about the participant in a computer for initializing the monitoring device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring device is a watch.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data is created from the physical movements of the participant.

5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of transferring the data from the monitoring device to the computer.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the step of providing a reader, with the monitoring device communicating with the reader for transferring the data from the monitoring device through the reader and into the computer.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of transferring the data from the monitoring device to the computer is performed automatically.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of transferring the data from the monitoring device to the computer is performed manually.

9. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of saving the data transferred from the monitoring device to the computer, the data being saved in a datafile residing in the computer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tests comprises a preprocessing analysis test, a daily analysis test, and a combined daily analysis test.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of test results corresponding to each of the plurality of tests is selected from the group consisting of pass and fail.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein if each of the plurality of test results is a pass, the final determination of the results is a pass.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein if any one of the plurality of test results is a fail, the final determination of the results is a fail.

14. A computer based method for determining if a participant should be tested for drugs, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a monitoring device on the participant to record data of the participant;

(b) determining a plurality of sleep pattern information for the participant from the data; and

(c) analyzing the sleep pattern information for making a final determination as to whether the participant should be tested for drugs.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the step of providing a reader, with the monitoring device communicating with the reader for transferring the data from the monitoring device through the reader and into the computer.

16. The method of claim 15 and further comprising the step of creating a predetermined set of sleep pattern criteria for the participant, each sleep pattern criteria having assigned to it a sleep pattern criteria value.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of sleep pattern information for the participant comprises a set of testing values.

18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising the step of defining a plurality of tests, each of the plurality of tests using at least one of the testing values.

19. The method of claim 18 and further comprising the step of applying each of the plurality of tests by comparing the testing values from each of the plurality of tests to the sleep pattern criteria values for the participant for determining a plurality of test results corresponding to each of the plurality of tests.

20. The method of claim 19 and further comprising the step of analyzing each of the plurality of test results for making a final determination of the results.

21. The method of claim 20 and further comprising the step of providing notification of the final determination of the results and whether the participant should be tested for drugs.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the plurality of test results corresponding to each of the plurality of tests is selected from the group consisting of pass and fail.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein if each of the plurality of test results is a pass, the final determination of the results is a pass.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein if any one of the plurality of test results is a fail, the final determination of the results is a fail.

25. A computer based method for determining if a participant should be tested for drugs, comprising the steps of:

if the participant is to be entered, then performing the following step (a);

(a) entering the participant in a computer for initializing a monitoring device;

if the participant is entered into the computer and the monitoring device is initialized, then performing the following step (b);

(b) wearing the monitoring device to record data of the participant;

starting the recording of the data of the participant;

if the data is to be transferred to the computer, then performing the following steps (d)-(g);

(d) connecting a reader to the computer;

(e) mating the monitoring device to the reader;

(f) confirming the successful mating of the monitoring device to the reader;

(g) transferring the data from the monitoring device through the reader and into the computer;

if the data is to be analyzed, then performing the following steps (h)-(k);

(h) creating a predetermined set of sleep pattern criteria to apply to the participant, each sleep pattern criteria having assigned to it a sleep pattern criteria value;

(i) determining a plurality of sleep pattern information for the participant from the data, each of the plurality of sleep pattern information defining a sleep pattern value;

(j) defining a plurality of tests, each of the plurality of tests using at least one of the sleep pattern values;

(k) applying each of the plurality of tests by comparing the sleep pattern values from each of the plurality of tests to the sleep pattern criteria values of the participant for determining a plurality of test results corresponding to each of the plurality of tests;

If the analysis is not stopped during any of the plurality of tests, then performing the following steps (l)-(m);

(l) analyzing each of the plurality of test results for making a final determination of the results; and

(m) providing notification of the final determination of the results and whether the participant should be tested for drugs.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer storage medium having a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for use with a monitoring device for recording data from a participant, the computer program code mechanism comprising:

a first computer code device configured to receive the data from the monitoring device into the computer;

a second computer code device configured to provide a predetermined set of sleep pattern criteria for the participant;

a third computer code device configured to assign a criteria value to each of the sleep pattern criteria;

a fourth computer code device configured to calculate a plurality of sleep pattern values from the data, the sleep pattern values corresponding to the set of sleep pattern criteria;

a fifth computer code device configured to analyze the data by comparing the plurality of sleep pattern values to the criteria values for making a final determination of the results and whether the participant should be tested for drugs.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 and further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to enter the participant in the computer.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 and further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to initialize the monitoring device.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 and further comprising an eighth computer code device configured to provide notification of the final determination of the results.