System and method for carrying medical and/or personal information

• US 6,419,158 B2
• Filed: 03/26/1999
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter Hooglander
• Original Assignee: Peter Hooglander
• Inventors: Hooglander, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US09/277,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20010045469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/487, 63/11.1, 63/11.4, 63/12, 63/13, 63/18, 63/19, 63/20, 438/121, 206/37, 206/37.7, 206/39.7, 206/486, 206/307, 206/470
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0031 provided with a pocket, e.g. for keys or a card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/005 the record carrier comprising an arrangement to facilitate insertion into a holding device, e.g. an arrangement that makes the record carrier fit into an etui or a casing ticket holders A45C11/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/041 Constructional details G06K19/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier

Abstract

A system and method for carrying personal and/or medical information includes a locket designed to contain a memory electronic device to store information about the user. The locket is design to be opened to provide ready access to a machine readable portion of the memory device by a reader. The locket is combined with a pocket in a shoe to carry the locket unobtrusively. The locket and pocket can include a logo which will alert medical or other emergency personnel as to the existence of the locket during an emergency.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a user comprising the steps of:

a) providing a locket enclosing a memory chip, the memory chip storing information about the user;

b) opening the locket to expose a machine-readable portion of the memory chip;

c) inserting the machine-readable portion of the memory chip into a reader to access the information stored in the memory chip;

wherein the memory chip is attached to a support linked to the locket, the support being extendable from the locket, extending of the support permitting reading of the memory chip by the reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the locket is stored in a pocket of a shoe.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising indicating the presence of the locket in the pocket by placing indicia on the pocket representative of medical information.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising attaching the locket to a portion of the shoe.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory chip, while still being attached to the locket, is extended from the locket for reading.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the support has a first segment supporting the memory chip, and at least a second segment extending between the locket and the first segment, and the inserting step further comprising gripping at least a portion of the second segment to support the first segment for the insertion step.

7. A system for carrying information about a user comprising:

a) a locket having a lid, opening of the lid exposing an inside portion of the locket;

b) a memory chip attached to the inside portion and having storage capacity to store information about the user, the memory chip having a machine-readable portion so that the information can be accessed by a reader;

wherein the memory chip is mounted on a support interconnecting a surface of the locket and the memory chip, the support being extendable from the locket for memory chip reading.

8. The system of claim 7, comprising means for attaching the locket to the user.

9. The system of claim 7, comprising a shoe with a pocket, the pocket sized to store the locket.

10. The system of claim 8, comprising a shoe with a pocket, the pocket sized to store the locket, the means for attaching further comprising a flexible member for attaching the locket to a portion of the shoe.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the locket comprises two halves, a surface of one half containing the memory chip and being aligned in generally the same plane with a surface of the other half when the locket is opened for memory chip reading.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the support is foldable for storing the locket when the locket is closed.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the support has a first segment supporting the memory chip, and at least a second segment extending between the locket and the first segment, at least a portion of the second segment adjacent the first segment supporting the first segment for memory chip reading.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the locket comprises two halves, the memory chip located on one half, each half being generally triangular in cross section so that the locket is generally one of square and rectangular in cross section when the locket is closed.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the locket has a logo on an exterior surface.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein a logo is on one of an exterior surface of the locket and a portion of the shoe.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the information contained by the memory chip is medical information about the user.

18. The system of claim 7, comprising a shoe with a pocket, the pocket sized to store the locket, the means for attaching further comprising a flexible member for attaching the locket to a portion of the shoe, wherein a logo is on one of an exterior portion of the locket or the portion of the shoe, the logo representative of medical information, the memory chip containing medical information about the user.

19. A method of providing information about a user comprising the steps of:

a) providing a locket enclosing a memory chip, the memory chip storing information about a user;

b) opening the locket to expose a machine-readable portion of the memory chip, wherein the memory chip is mounted on one end of a substrate, another end of the substrate fixed to a locket inside portion;

c) extending at least the one end of the substrate from the locket inside portion so that the memory chip is removed from the locket inside portion;

d) inserting the extended substrate end with the machine-readable portion thereon into a reader to access information stored in the machine-readable portion of the memory chip, the substrate having a sufficient thickness to allow for repeated extension from the locket inside portion and insertion of the substrate into the reader for memory chip reading; and

e) placing the extended substrate back into the locket inside portion and closing the locket until the memory chip must be accessed again.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the substrate has at least a middle portion disposed between the one end and the other extended end, and further comprising the step of gripping of the middle portion to support the extended end for the inserting step.

21. A system for carrying information of a user comprising:

a) a locket having a lid, opening of the lid exposing an inside portion of the locket;

b) a substrate, one end fixed to the inside portion of the locket, another end supporting a memory chip having a storage capacity to store information about a user, the other end being extendable from the one end and the inside portion so that the memory chip is spaced from the inside portion of the locket for reading, the other end also being retractable back into the locket inside portion to store the memory chip when not being read, and

c) a reader for reading the information stored on the memory chip, the substrate having a sufficient thickness to allow the substrate to be repeatedly extended from the inside portion, inserted into the reader for reading of the memory chip, and placed back into the locket inside portion until the information needs to be accessed again.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the substrate includes at least a middle portion positioned between the one end and the other end, the middle portion supporting the other end when the other end is spaced from the inside portion and being read by the reader.