RFID REPORTING PERSONAL HEALTH CARD AND RELATED SYSTEMS

• US 20080099566A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orangehook, Inc.
• Original Assignee: LifeNexus, Inc. (Orangehook, Inc.)
• Inventors: MAUS, Christopher T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,066,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10

Abstract

A personal health card that includes a smartcard with an RFID device that automatically reports certain RFID response information when illuminated by an interrogation signal from an RFID reader, such as an authorized first responder interrogation device issued to police, fire, lifeguard, or EMT personnel. The RFID response information may be as minimal as a visible or audible “ping” response displayed or played on the RFID interrogator indicating that a personal health card has been interrogated. If multiple cards respond to the interrogator, the RFID interrogator can be used to select among the responding cards so that the operator can investigate one card at a time. A characteristic of the response from a selected card may change in response to the strength of the signal received from the card to help the operator locate and recover a desired card. For example, the volume of an audible “ping” at the interrogator may become louder or more frequent as the interrogation response from the card becomes stronger to provide a “homing device” for physically locating a particular card. This feature is very helpful when emergency responses are attempting to locate personal health cards at the scene of an accident or other incident.

Claims

1. A personal health card, comprising

a portable, wallet-sized substrate carrying communication interface, a CPU, and an RFID circuit;

the substrate further carrying photo identification of a holder associated with the health card and identifying medical insurance information associated with the holder; and

the personal health configured to report a periodic ping response to an RFID interrogation to assist in locating and recovering the personal health card.

2. The personal health card of claim 1, further comprising

a memory electronically storing personal identification information pertaining to a holder associated with the personal health;

wherein the personal health card is configured to report the personal identification information in response to an RFID interrogation.

3. The personal health card of claim 3, wherein the personal identification information reported by the personal health card in response to the RFID interrogation comprises photo identification of the holder.

4. The personal health card of claim 3, wherein;

the memory stores first and second sector information; and

the CPU implements hierarchical security access to the first and second sector information causing the RFID circuit to report first sector information but not the second sector information in response to a first type of RFID interrogation having a first level of interrogation authority, and further causing the RFID circuit to report the second sector information in response to second type of RFID interrogation having a second level of interrogation authority.

5. The personal health card of claim 3, wherein the RFID circuit is configured to report the first and sector information in response to the second type of RFID interrogation having the second level of interrogation authority.

6. The personal health card of claims 4, wherein:

the first sector information comprises identification information for the holder including photo identification of the holder;

the first type of RFID interrogation comprises interrogation from a first responder interrogator assigned to emergency response personnel;

the second sector information comprises insurance information and emergency medical treatment information for the holder; and

the second type of RFID interrogation comprises interrogation from an interrogator associated with an emergency transport vehicle.

7. The personal health card of claims 5, wherein:

the electronic memory electronically stores third sector information;

the hierarchical security access implemented by the CPU causes the RFID circuit to report the third sector information in response to interrogation from an authorized healthcare provider interrogator; and

the third sector information comprising secure medical records or information for accessing secure medical recorded for the holder.