System and Method for Monitoring Potential Spread of an Infectious Agent in an Environment

• US 20140333744A1
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Baym, Michael H., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US13/890,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed herein for monitoring potential spread of an infectious agent in an environment. A method is disclosed that includes providing a detectable marker/tracer for emplacement on one or more body regions of a subject at a time when the subject is entering the environment; identifying a unique tag/identifier associating the detectable marker/tracer with the subject; observing with a camera the marker/tracer in the environment; and detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more surfaces of the environment.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring potential spread of an infectious agent in an environment comprising:

providing a detectable marker/tracer for emplacement on one or more body regions of a subject at a time when the subject is entering the environment;

identifying a unique tag/identifier associating the detectable marker/tracer with the subject;

observing with a camera the marker/tracer in the environment; and

detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more surfaces of the environment.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting a tune of a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions of the subject.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting a time of a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on the one or more surfaces of the environment, and associating the change with an interaction event by the subject.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting a change in distribution of the unique tag/identifier on the one or more surfaces of the environment.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

tracking a position of the one or more body regions of the subject in the environment.

20. The method of claim 1, comprising:

alerting a third party of the detected transfer of the marker/tracer to the one or more surfaces of the environment.

22. The method of claim 1, comprising:

coordinating a history of the detected transfer of the marker/tracer with a contamination status of the surface of the environment or with an infective status of the subject.

24. The method of claim 1, comprising:

observing with the camera the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions of the subject;

alerting the subject to a status of the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more surfaces of the hospital environment comprises, detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more second subjects in the hospital environment.

2-8. -8. (canceled)

10-11. -11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

16-19. -19. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

27-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A method for monitoring potential spread of an infectious agent in a hospital environment comprising:

providing a detectable marker/tracer for emplacement on one or more body regions of a subject at a time when the subject is in the hospital environment;

identifying a unique tag/identifier associating the detectable marker/tracer with the subject;

observing with a camera the marker/tracer in the hospital environment; and

detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more surfaces of the hospital environment.

33. The method of claim 32, comprising observing the unique tag/identifier with the camera.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the unique tag/identifier is identified by a spectral signature.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the unique tag/identifier is identified by a fluorescence signature.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the unique tag/identifier is identified by a fluorescence time signature.

37. The method of claim 32, comprising providing the subject with a different unique tag/identifier than one currently detected in the environment by the camera.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more body regions include one or more of hands, arms, legs, feet, head, or torso of the subject.

39. The method of claim 32, comprising:

detecting a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions of the subject.

40. The method of claim 39, comprising detecting a time of the change in the distribution of the marker/tracer.

41. The method of claim 32, comprising:

detecting a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on the one or more surfaces of the environment.

42. The method of claim 41, comprising detecting a time of the change in the distribution of the marker/tracer.

43. The method of claim 42, comprising associating the change with an interaction event by the subject.

44. The method of claim 32, comprising detecting a change in distribution of the unique tag/identifier on the one or more surfaces of the environment.

45. The method of claim 44, comprising detecting the time of the change.

46. The method of claim 32, comprising:

tracking a position of the one or more body regions of the subject in the environment.

47. The method of claim 32, comprising:

identifying a unique tag/identifier with a location in the environment.

48. The method of claim 32, comprising:

alerting a third party of the detected transfer of the marker/tracer to the one or more surfaces of the environment.

49. The method of claim 32, comprising:

coordinating a history of the detected transfer of the marker/tracer with a contamination status of the surface of the environment or with an infective status of the subject.

50. The method of claim 32, comprising:

observing with the camera the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions of the subject;

alerting the subject to a status of the marker/tracer on the one or more body regions.

51. The method of claim 32, comprising:

detecting a degree of removal of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject.

52. The method of claim 32, wherein detecting the transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more surfaces of the hospital environment comprises:

detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more subjects in the hospital environment.

53. The method of claim 52, comprising changing an infection status of the second subject.

54. The method of claim 32, comprising detecting a transfer of the marker/tracer from a surface of the environment to the second subject.

55. The method of claim 54, comprising changing an infection status of the second subject.

56. The method of claim 32, comprising detecting removal of the marker/tracer from the hands or arms of the subject via a washing activity.

57. The method of claim 56, comprising changing an infection status of the subject.

58. A system comprising:

one or more recognition devices configured to identify a subject in an environment;

one or more dispensers configured to dispense a detectable marker/tracer compound to one or more body regions of the subject, wherein the detectable marker/tracer compound is unique to the subject;

one or more cameras configured to detect the marker/tracer in the environment; and

a computing system configured to record and to correlate the location of the marker/tracer in the environment and the unique tag/identifier associated with the subject.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system is configured to identify a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on a surface of the environment with an emplacement event of the detectable marker/tracer on the subject.

60. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system utilizing data from the one or more cameras is configured to detect a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on one or more body regions of the subject.

61. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system utilizing data from the one or more cameras is configured to detect a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on the one or more surfaces of the environment.

62. The system of claim 61, wherein the data from the one or more cameras are configured to identify a change in distribution of the marker/tracer on a surface of the environment with an emplacement event of the detectable marker/tracer on the subject.

63. The system of claim 58, wherein the marker/tracer is detectable in infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light.

64. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system utilizing data from the one or more cameras is configured to detect the marker/tracer on the one or more hands of the subject, and configured to alert the subject to a status of the marker/tracer on the one or more hands.

65. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system utilizing data from the one or more cameras is configured to alert a third party of a detected transfer of the marker/tracer to the one or more surfaces of the environment.

66. The system of claim 58, wherein the one or more recognition devices include one or more RFID readers.

67. The system of claim 58, wherein the one or more recognition devices comprises a facial recognition system.

68. The system of claim 58, wherein the environment includes a hospital environment.

69. The system of claim 58, wherein the computing system is configured to coordinate a history of a detected transfer of the marker/tracer to the one or more surfaces of the environment or to the subject with a contamination status of the surface of the environment or with an infective status of the subject.

70. The system of claim 58, wherein the one or more cameras is configured to detect a transfer of the marker/tracer from the one or more body regions of the subject to one or more second subjects in the hospital environment.

71. The system of claim 70, wherein the computing system is configured to record a change in an infection status of the second subject.

72. (canceled)

73. A system comprising:

at least one computer program included on a computer-readable medium for use with at least one computer system wherein the computer program includes a plurality of instructions including,

one or more instructions for monitoring potential spread of an infectious agent in an environment including receiving data from one or more recognition devices configured to identify a subject in an environment;

one or more instructions for receiving data from one or more dispensers configured to dispense a marker/tracer compound to one or more body regions of the subject, wherein the detectable marker/tracer compound is unique to the subject;

one or more instructions for receiving data from one or more cameras configured to detect the marker/tracer in the environment; and

one or more instructions for receiving data from and sending data to a computing system configured to record and to correlate the location of the marker/tracer in the environment and the unique tag/identifier associated with the subject.

74. (canceled)