Systematic distillation of status data relating to regimen compliance

• US 20130043975A1
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K.Y., Kare, Jordin T., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,816,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.64
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0538 invasively, e.g. using a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment

Abstract

Configuration technologies for cost-effectively monitoring indicia of regimen compliance or noncompliance in response to one or more indications of symptoms or actions or other data on data-bearing media or in wireless transmissions, such as implementing techniques for providing or preventing access or otherwise acting on or communicating incremental or definitive indicia of compliance or noncompliance.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region; and

circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning an output upon receiving radio-frequency energy, the wireless signal including the radio-frequency energy, the output being an image capture command signal manifesting a decision to obtain the one or more images of the region.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for signaling a passive wireless transponder in a capsule, the device being the capsule.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning an output upon a presence of or an absence of an indication of contraband, the contraband being detectable by the device and within the one or more images of the region.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an inhalation of a bioactive material, the device configured to contain the bioactive material, the wireless signal indicating the inhalation of the bioactive material.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry for obtaining a test result of a sample extracted from an individual, the device being a sample tester, the sample tester being configured to generate the test result by testing the sample extracted from the individual.

17. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a regimen noncompliance determination upon a determination that a wireless signal in a first frequency range below a reference frequency coincided with a presence of a wireless signal in a second frequency range above the reference frequency in a vicinity of a capsule, the device being the capsule, the region being the vicinity of the capsule, the data distillation conditionally indicating a result of the regimen noncompliance determination.

19. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a regimen compliance determination upon a first compliance-positive indication and upon a second compliance-positive indication, the data distillation indicating a result of the regimen compliance determination.

20. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a regimen noncompliance determination upon a first compliance-negative indication and upon a second compliance-negative indication, the data distillation indicating a result of the regimen noncompliance determination.

21. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning whether a message is sent upon whether a temperature exceeds a threshold, the temperature being at the device, the device being supportable by a human being, the threshold being above 37°

C. by at most a few degrees, the message conditionally being sent if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status indicates that the temperature exceeds the threshold.

22. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning whether a message is sent upon whether a temperature exceeds a threshold, the temperature being at the device, the device including a temperature sensor, whether the message is sent being a component of the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status.

23. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for causing a door to become locked or unlocked, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status including an electromechanical control signal configured to control a lock of the door.

24. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for deciding whether a status of an individual has apparently changed, the device configured to be supported by the individual, the status of the individual including the regimen compliance status, the data distillation being signaled responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

25. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for distilling historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in an individual, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from distilling the historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in the individual responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the health status transition apparently relating to the infection in the individual being a health status improvement.

26. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for distilling historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in an individual, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from distilling the historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in the individual responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the health status transition apparently relating to the infection in the individual being a health status deterioration.

28. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for transmitting a regimen compliance determination as an actuation signal, the data distillation including the actuation signal conditionally in response to the regimen compliance determination.

30. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining an indication of whether an individual remains enrolled in a program requiring a therapeutic regimen, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from an application of a distillation protocol specified by the program requiring the therapeutic regimen.

32. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for signaling a regimen compliance data distillation by identifying a data distillation protocol, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status being the regimen compliance data distillation, the data distillation protocol being selected in response to a type of data received in the wireless signal.

37. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining a regimen compliance data distillation by causing an application of one or more auditory data distillation criteria, at least one of the one or more auditory distillation criteria being configured to determine whether auditory data from the region includes a compliance-positive indication, the compliance-positive indication being at least one of a swallowing sound or a vocalized assertion.

38. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining a regimen compliance data distillation by causing an application of one or more auditory data distillation criteria to auditory data from the region.

39. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for determining whether an individual is apparently compliant with a regimen targeting a portion of the individual, the individual being apparently compliant if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status does not include a compliance-negative indication, the region intersecting the portion of the individual.

40. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for determining whether an individual is apparently compliant with a regimen targeting a portion of the individual, the individual being apparently compliant if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status indicates a health status improvement, the region intersecting the portion of the individual.

41. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for determining whether an individual is apparently compliant with a regimen targeting a portion of the individual, the individual being apparently compliant if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status includes a normalcy indication, the region intersecting the portion of the individual.

43. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for determining whether a therapy is apparently having a specific effect, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status being a determination of whether the therapy is apparently having the specific effect, the specific effect being at least one of a health status improvement or a health status deterioration.

47. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for signaling an identifier of a capsule, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status including the identifier of the capsule, the capsule being the device, the wireless signal being received from the region, the wireless signal effectively distinguishing the capsule from another capsule.

188. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning an output upon receiving radio-frequency energy, the wireless signal including the radio-frequency energy, the output being an image capture command signal manifesting a decision to obtain the one or more images of the region;

circuitry for signaling a passive wireless transponder in a capsule, the device being the capsule; and

circuitry for conditioning an output upon a presence of or an absence of an indication of contraband, the contraband being detectable by the device and within the one or more images of the region.

189. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an inhalation of a bioactive material, the device configured to contain the bioactive material, the wireless signal indicating the inhalation of the bioactive material; and

circuitry for obtaining an indication of when at least a portion of a vessel moved, the vessel being the device, the wireless signal indicating when at least a portion of the vessel moved.

190. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for determining whether an individual is apparently compliant with a regimen targeting a portion of the individual, the individual being apparently compliant if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status indicates at least one of a health status improvement or a normalcy indication, the region intersecting the portion of the individual;

circuitry for determining whether a therapy is apparently having a specific effect, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status being a determination of whether the therapy is apparently having the specific effect, the specific effect being at least one of a health status improvement or a health status deterioration, the therapy including the regimen targeting the portion of the individual; and

circuitry for signaling an identifier of a capsule, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status including the identifier of the capsule, the capsule being the device, the device being a component of the regimen;

the wireless signal being received from the region, the wireless signal effectively distinguishing the capsule from another capsule.

191. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a regimen noncompliance determination upon a determination that a wireless signal in a first frequency range below a reference frequency coincided with a presence of a wireless signal in a second frequency range above the reference frequency in a vicinity of a capsule, the device being the capsule, the region being the vicinity of the capsule, the data distillation conditionally indicating a result of the regimen noncompliance determination;

circuitry for conditioning a regimen noncompliance determination upon a first compliance-negative indication and upon a second compliance-negative indication, the data distillation indicating a result of the regimen noncompliance determination; and

circuitry for causing a door to become locked or unlocked, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status including an electromechanical control signal configured to control a lock of the door.

192. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a compliance-positive indication upon a determination that a wireless signal in a first frequency range below a reference frequency coincided with an absence of a wireless signal in a second frequency range above the reference frequency in a vicinity of a capsule, the device being the capsule, the region being the vicinity of the capsule, the data distillation conditionally indicating a result of the compliance-positive indication;

circuitry for conditioning whether a message is sent upon whether a temperature exceeds a threshold, the temperature being at the device, the device being supportable by a human being, the threshold being above 37°

C. by at most a few degrees, the message conditionally being sent if the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status indicates that the temperature exceeds the threshold; and

circuitry for deciding whether a status of an individual has apparently changed, the device configured to be supported by the individual, the status of the individual including the regimen compliance status, the data distillation being signaled responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the individual being the human being.

193. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for conditioning a regimen compliance determination upon a first compliance-positive indication and upon a second compliance-positive indication, the data distillation indicating a result of the regimen compliance determination;

circuitry for conditioning whether a message is sent upon whether a temperature exceeds a threshold, the temperature being at the device, the device including a temperature sensor, whether the message is sent being a component of the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status; and

circuitry for distilling historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in an individual, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from distilling the historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to an infection in the individual responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the health status transition apparently relating to the infection in the individual being a health status improvement or being a health status deterioration.

194. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for distilling historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to cardiovascular disease in an individual, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from distilling the historical data indicative of or contraindicative of a health status transition apparently relating to cardiovascular disease in the individual responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the health status transition apparently relating to cardiovascular disease in the individual being at least one of a health status improvement or a health status deterioration;

circuitry for transmitting a regimen compliance determination as an actuation signal, the data distillation including the actuation signal conditionally in response to the regimen compliance determination;

circuitry for determining whether an event occurred within a normal interval of time; and

circuitry for obtaining an indication of whether the individual remains enrolled in a program requiring a therapeutic regimen, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status resulting from an application of a distillation protocol specified by the program requiring the therapeutic regimen.

195. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for signaling a regimen compliance data distillation by identifying a data distillation protocol and by transmitting the regimen compliance data distillation responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region, the data distillation indicative of the regimen compliance status being the regimen compliance data distillation, the data distillation protocol being a component of a user-specified monitoring regimen, the data distillation protocol being selected in response to a type of data received in the wireless signal;

196. The system of claim 1 in which the circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

circuitry for obtaining a first regimen compliance data distillation by causing an application of one or more first sensor measurement thresholds, at least one of the one or more first sensor measurement thresholds being configured to determine whether any sensor data from the region is apparently useless, the application of the one or more first sensor measurement thresholds causing the first regimen compliance data distillation selectively to exclude a portion of the sensor data from the region if the portion of the sensor data is apparently useless;

circuitry for obtaining a second regimen compliance data distillation by causing an application of one or more second sensor measurement thresholds, at least one of the one or more second sensor measurement thresholds being configured to determine whether any sensor data from the region indicates a health status change, the application of the one or more second sensor measurement thresholds causing the second regimen compliance data distillation selectively to include a portion of the sensor data from the region if the portion of the sensor data indicates a health status change; and

circuitry for obtaining a third regimen compliance data distillation by causing an application of one or more auditory data distillation criteria, at least one of the one or more auditory distillation criteria being configured to determine whether auditory data from the region includes a compliance-positive indication, the compliance-positive indication being at least one of a swallowing sound or a vocalized assertion.

6-14. -14. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

33-36. -36. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

44-46. -46. (canceled)

48. A method comprising:

deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region; and

invoking circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

71. The method of claim 48 in which the invoking circuitry for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region comprises:

invoking circuitry for deciding whether a status of an individual has apparently changed, the device configured to be supported by the individual, the status of the individual including the regimen compliance status, the data distillation being signaled responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

49-70. -70. (canceled)

72-91. -91. (canceled)

92. A system comprising:

means for deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region; and

means for signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

93-123. -123. (canceled)

124. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more physical media configured to bear a device-detectable implementation of a method including at least

deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region; and

signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

135. The article of manufacture of claim 124 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more signal-bearing media configured to transmit one or more instructions for causing wireless signal transmission circuitry in situ to initiate a wireless transmission in response to an indication of ingestion by transmitting an interrogation signal into the region, a digestive tract including the region, the device including the wireless signal transmission circuitry, the device being configured to initiate the wireless transmission in response to the interrogation signal if the device manifests the indication of ingestion and if the device is in the region.

142. The article of manufacture of claim 124 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more signal-bearing media configured to transmit one or more instructions for deciding whether a status of an individual has apparently changed, the device configured to be supported by the individual, the status of the individual including the regimen compliance status, the data distillation being signaled responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

145. The article of manufacture of claim 124 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more signal-bearing media configured to transmit one or more instructions for transmitting a regimen compliance determination as an actuation signal, the data distillation including the actuation signal conditionally in response to the regimen compliance determination.

152. The article of manufacture of claim 124 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more signal-bearing media configured to transmit one or more instructions for determining whether an individual is apparently compliant with a regimen targeting a portion of the individual, the region intersecting the portion of the individual.

125-134. -134. (canceled)

136-141. -141. (canceled)

143-144. -144. (canceled)

146-151. -151. (canceled)

153-155. -155. (canceled)

156. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more physical media bearing a device-detectable output indicating an occurrence of

deciding whether to obtain one or more images of a region responsively to whether a wireless signal has been received from a device in the region; and

signaling a data distillation indicative of a regimen compliance status responsively to whether the wireless signal has been received from the device in the region.

158. The article of manufacture of claim 156 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more physical media bearing a device-detectable output indicating an occurrence of signaling a passive wireless transponder in a capsule, the device being the capsule.

171. The article of manufacture of claim 156 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more physical media bearing a device-detectable output indicating an occurrence of conditioning a regimen noncompliance determination upon a first compliance-negative indication and upon a second compliance-negative indication, the data distillation indicating a result of the regimen noncompliance determination.

157. (canceled)

159-170. -170. (canceled)

172-187. -187. (canceled)