TAMPER-ALERT RESISTANT BANDS FOR HUMAN LIMBS AND ASSOCIATED MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20150235547A1
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dov Ehrman
• Original Assignee: TechIP International Limited
• Inventors: VARDI, Eyal Dov, EHRMAN, Dov
• Granted Patent: US 9,240,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/02 Mechanical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1463 Physical arrangements, e.g. housings devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags A45C13/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0492 Sensor dual technology, i.e. two or more technologies collaborate to extract unsafe condition, e.g. video tracking and RFID tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A tamper alert band is provided that includes a strap with conductive and non-conductive elements or layers. The tamper alert band includes an electronic or RFID device that is configured to communicate with RFID readers and/or exciters. The strap may be a single unitary body that has a conductive layer and a non-conductive layer.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a secured facility that includes at least one door electronically controllable by a control system, the monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of first portable wireless communication devices configured to be individually physically associated with individual members of a first group of persons to be supervised, where at least one of the first portable wireless communication devices is physically associated with a first person that is a member of the first group;

at least one second portable wireless communication device configured for use by and with members of a second group of supervising persons that may accompany members of the first group of persons to be supervised;

a plurality of wireless detectors placed at predetermined locations of the secured facility and configured to wirelessly communicate with in-range portable devices of said first portable wireless communication devices and the at least one second portable wireless communication device; and

a computer system that includes at least one hardware processor, the computer system being configured to;

monitor at least a location the portable devices via the plurality of wireless detectors based on wireless communications with the portable devices;

ascertain, based on monitoring portable device locations, when the first person of the first group is in proximity to the at least one electronically controlled door of the secured facility;

determine whether the first person, who is a member of the first group, is authorized to use the least one electronically controlled door to access another area of the secured facility based, at least in part, on whether or not at least one person from the second group of persons is also co-located with the first person in proximity to the at least one electronically controlled door of the facility; and

responsive to a determination that the first person is authorized, send an electronic instruction via a control system to permit the at least one electronically controlled door to operate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable devices are configured to monitor health-related parameters of the associated first group of persons.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the health-related parameters include heart rate and blood oxygen levels of an associated person.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first portable wireless communication devices comprise bands configured to be worn by members of the first group of persons.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronically controlled door is an elevator door and the sent instruction restricts access to use of the elevator when authorization is denied.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first portable wireless communication devices comprise bands formed of an electrically conductive material that, when closed about an extremity of a person, forms an electrical circuit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the bands are further configured to detect interruption of the electrical circuit and, responsive to the interruption, transmit an electronic data message via wireless communication that includes an indication of the interruption.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

receive the electronic data message; and

responsive to reception of the electronic data message indicating circuit interruption, send an electronic notification message to at least one member of second group of persons.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

receive the electronic data message; and

responsive to reception of the electronic data message indicating circuit interruption, send an instruction to the control system to lock the at least one electronically controlled door.

10. A system for monitoring a secured facility that includes at least one door that is controllable by an electronic door control system, the monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of first wireless portable devices configured to be physically associated with members of a first group of persons to be supervised, where at least one of the first wireless portable devices is physically associated with a first person that is a member of the first group;

a plurality of second wireless portable devices configured for use by a second group of supervising persons that may accompany members of the first group of persons;

a plurality of electronic detectors placed at predetermined locations in the secured facility and configured to wirelessly communicate with in-range ones of the plurality of first and second portable devices, at least one detector being located in proximity to at least one electronically controlled door; and

a computer system including at least one hardware processor, the computer system being configured to;

monitor at least the location of the first portable device while in range of at least one of the plurality of electronic detectors based on wireless communications between the first portable device and at least one of the plurality of electronic detectors;

ascertain, based at least on wireless communication between the first portable device and the at least one electronic detector, that the first portable device associated with the first person of the first group, is in proximity to the at least one electronically controlled door of the secured facility;

determine whether the first person, who is a member of the first group, is authorized to access, by using the least one electronically controlled door, another area of the secured facility based, at least in part, on whether or not at least one person from the second group of persons is detected accompanying the first person via one of the second wireless portable devices; and

based on the determination, send an instruction to a control system to permit the at least one electronically controlled door to operate in accordance with a signal from the control system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

continuously monitor locations of the each of first group of persons based on wireless communications from the plurality of portable devices to corresponding in-range ones of the plurality of electronic detectors.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one electronically controlled door is configured to be locked in place by a magnetic door lock that is controllable by the electronic door control system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of first wireless portable devices comprise a wristband and a monitoring circuit therein.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wristband is tamper-resistantly connected to said monitoring circuit.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said wristband is formed of an electrically conductive material and is galvanically connected to the monitoring circuit, thereby creating an electrical circuit through the wristband and the monitoring circuit.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

receive, via at least one of the plurality of detectors, information that is indicative of a tamper detection event associated with one of the plurality of first wireless portable devices.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

trigger, based on the tamper detection event, a message that is sent to at least one person in the second group of persons.

18. A method of using a computer system to monitor a group of persons to be supervised that are in a secured facility, the method comprising:

storing a data association, in a storage medium of a computer system, between (a) each of a plurality of tamper-resistant monitoring devices and (b) a respectively associated person in a group of persons to be supervised;

communicating, via the computer system, with a multiplicity of device detectors that are configured to communicate with the plurality of tamper-resistant monitoring devices;

receiving information sent to the computer system from at least one of the multiplicity of device detectors indicative of a location of one of the plurality of tamper-resistant monitoring devices;

using the computer system to determine that the detected tamper-resistant device is in proximity to a door of the secured facility;

using a computer system to perform an authorization access determination based on whether or not at least one authorized supervisory person that is not in the group of persons to be supervised is also in proximity to the door of the secured facility; and

causing an instruction to be sent from the computer system to a door controller to control the door based on the performed authorization access determination.