RFID-based personnel tracking

• US 20070176779A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HealthWyse LLC (Casamba LLC)
• Original Assignee: HealthWyse LLC (Casamba LLC)
• Inventors: Braunstein, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,477,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for RFID-based personnel tracking. A method of tracking employees includes, in a first computer system, prompting a user for identification input, validating the identification input, receiving data from a first scan of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag upon initiation of a task, receiving data from a second scan of the RFID tag upon termination of the task, and uploading the identification input and the data of the first and second scans to a second computer system for storage and correlation.

Claims

1. A method of tracking employees comprising:

in a first computer system, prompting a user for identification input;

validating the identification input;

receiving data from a first scan of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag upon initiation of a task;

receiving data from a second scan of the RFID tag upon termination of the task; and

uploading the identification input and the data of the first and second scans to a second computer system for storage and correlation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first computer system is a portable computer having an RFID reader.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the portable computer having an RFID reader is a pocket personal computer (PC) with an RFID reader plug-in.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data from the first and second scans are time stamped by the first computer system, the time stamp comprising a date and time.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the data from the first and second scans comprise a site identification.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a report from a correlation of the uploaded identification input and the data of the first and second scans.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting the report to a report subscriber.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the report subscriber is an employer of the user.

9. A method of tracking comprising:

in a local computer system, inputting a user identification from a field-based user;

receiving data from a first scan of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag upon the field-based user'"'"'s initiation of a task;

receiving data from a second scan of the RFID tag upon the filed-based field-based user'"'"'s termination of the task; and

storing the user identification and the data of the first and second scans.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising periodically sending the stored user identification and the data of the first and second scans to a remote computer system for storage and manipulation.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the local computer system is a portable computer having an RFID reader.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the portable computer having an RFID reader is a pocket personal computer (PC) with an RFID reader plug-in.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the data from the first and second scans are time stamped by the first computer system, the time stamp comprising a date and time.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the data from the first and second scans comprise a site identification.

15. A employee tracking system comprising:

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag;

a first computer system for prompting a user for identification input, validating the identification input, receiving data from a first scan of the RFID tag upon initiation of a task, and receiving data from a second scan of the RFID tag upon termination of the task; and

a second computer system for receiving, storing and correlating an upload the identification input and the data of the first and second scans.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the first computer system is a portable computer having an RFID reader.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the portable computer having an RFID reader is a pocket personal computer (PC) with an RFID reader plug-in.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the data from the first and second scans are time stamped by the first computer system, the time stamp comprising a date and time.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the data from the first and second scans comprise a site identification.