Method of providing visitation services between remotely located parties

• US 7,197,467 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Iris Labadie
• Original Assignee: Iris Labadie
• Inventors: Labadie, Iris
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANIELS MENDEZ, PHYLLIS A
• Application Number:
  US09/947,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 379/106.02, 705/2, 705/3, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

With the development of a business that will supply a bonded visitation specialist to visit a patient or confined individual and supply personal caring contact that can make a person feel the much needed connection with family and friends, life can be made more enjoyable and healthy. In addition, with the advent of Internet technology and the latest video and audio recording and conferencing capabilities, these visitations can be made more personal, even if the caring family member is a great distance away. The professional visitation provider is a formal, dependable, unbiased, intermediary service that has been created to give family, friends and confined individual the sense of comfort that communication with a familiar person provides.

Claims

1. A method of providing personalized visitation services to a confined individual through the use of an independent third party professional visitation provider, comprising the steps of:

establishing a business relationship between one or more concerned party(s) and the professional visitation provider;

obtaining pre-approval for a visitation from the confined individual or a legal representative;

assigning a visitation specialist to conduct a visitation[s] to the confined individual;

providing an interaction unit for communication between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual;

conducting the visitation between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual by the visitation specialist;

creating a recording of the visitation between the visitation specialist and the confined individual;

storing the recording of the visitation on a secured server for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access through an Internet connection; and

providing a unique security code for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access the recording of the visitation on the secured server.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction unit is a laptop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), cellular phone or other easily transportable information processing device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Internet connection is e-mail, chat-room, web site address, other connection on the World Wide Web or any protocol on the Internet that can transfer information.

4. A Method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a patient care evaluation of the confined individual by the visitation specialist.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the patient care evaluation is stored on the secured server accessible by the concerned party(s) through the Internet connection.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises arranging for the delivery of gift items between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the concerned party(s) orders from professional visitation provider gifts, mail or flowers through the Internet connection to be delivered to confined individual by visitation specialist.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the confined individual orders from the professional visitation provider gifts, mail or flowers through the Internet connection to be delivered to the concerned party(s) by the visitation specialist.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a business relationship between the professional visitation provider and one or more concerned party(s) includes a payment from the concerned party(s) to the professional visitation provider in a pro-rated amount based upon the number of the concerned party(s).

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction unit has input and output means for communicating between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the input means receives information and is a touch screen, keyboard, video camera;

digital camera, cellular phone or microphone.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the output means is a speaker, monitor, projection unit or other visual display device.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the interaction unit is a one-way communication device that stores the information that is received from the concerned party(s) and the confined individual.

14. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the interaction unit is a two-way or more communication device that simultaneously transfers, transmits and displays the information that is received from the concerned party(s) and the confined individual.

15. A method of providing personalized visitation services to a confined individual located at a care facility through the use of a professional visitor, comprising the steps of:

establishing a business relationship between one or more concerned party(s) and the professional visitor for the purposes of communicating with and monitoring the care of the confined individual;

providing a portable computer having a camera and projection system for use by the professional visitor in communicating with the confined individual;

providing a personal computer for use by the concerned party(s) in the transmission of messages to the confined individual by connecting the personal computer with the portable computer through a secure communications network;

conducting a visitation between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual by the professional visitor;

creating a recording of the visitation between the professional visitor and the confined individual;

storing the recording of the visitation on a secured server for the concerned party(s) or the confined individual to access through the secure communications network; and

providing a unique security code for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access the recording.

16. A method of providing personalized visitation services to a confined individual through the use of an independent third party professional visitation provider, comprising the steps of:

establishing a business relationship between the confined individual and the professional visitation provider;

assigning a visitation specialist to conduct a visitation to the confined individual;

providing an interaction unit for communication between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual;

conducting the visitation between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual by the visitation specialist;

creating a recording of the visitation between the visitation specialist and the confined individual;

storing the recording of the-visitation on a secured server for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access through an Internet connection; and

providing a unique security code for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access the recording of-the visitation on the secured server.

17. A method of providing personalized visitation services to a confined individual located at a care facility through the use of a professional visitor, comprising the steps of:

establishing a business relationship between the confined individual and the professional visitor for the purposes of communicating with and monitoring the care of the confined individual;

providing a portable computer having a camera and projection system for use by the professional visitor in communicating with the confined individual;

providing a personal computer for use by the concerned party(s) in the transmission of messages to the confined individual by connecting the personal computer with the portable computer through a secure communications network;

conducting a visitation between the concerned party(s) and the confined individual by the professional visitor;

creating a recording-of the visitation between the professional visitor and the confined individual;

storing the recording of the visitation on a secured sewer for the concerned party(s) or the confined individual to access through the secure communications network; and

providing a unique security code for the concerned party(s) and the confined individual to access the recording.