Personal information system

• US 7,979,387 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DatCard Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DatCard Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Wright, Kenneth L., Duma, Christopher M., La Guardia, Chet
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/591,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 705 2- 3, 382/128, 379/208.01, 707/1, 707/10, 707/102, 707/104.1, 434/322, 386/46, 386/95
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2104 for one or a few pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3266 of text or character information, e.g. text accompanying an image H04N2201/3226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3267 of motion picture signals, e.g. video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods to realize the potential benefit of portable storage devices by taking advantage of standard PCs including an optical disk drive capable of reading an optical disk, such as a CD or a DVD, cost effective optical disks, and the Internet.

In a preferred embodiment, an individual patient provides personal data to a healthcare service center. The healthcare service center then creates a portable optical disk for the patient to carry, if he/she so desires. The personal data that is written onto the portable optical disk is stored on a database management server database and is readable and updateable by the individual patient using his/her PC with an optical disk drive and connected to the Internet. The individual patient can choose to update his/her personal data on the portable optical disk and can receive a new portable optical disk that includes the update. The new portable optical disk containing the latest update is created and delivered to the patient by the database management server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing personal health data, comprising:

obtaining personal health data related to a user, using a first computer-implemented interface, said first computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

obtaining personal health (four information using a second computer-implemented interface, said second computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

receiving updates to the personal health data, from a sender, using a third computer-implemented interface, said third computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

automatically checking the personal health data access control information to verify whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user;

when the sender has access control to alter the personal health data related to the user, altering the personal health data;

receiving a request for personal health data related to the user, from a requestor, using a fourth computer-implemented interface;

automatically checking the personal health data access control information to determine whether the requestor may access the personal health data related to the user; and

when the requestor may access the personal health data related to the user, retrieving the updated personal health data related to the user and sending the updated personal health data related to the user to the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the personal health data access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the step of automatically checking whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user comprises validating a password provided by the sender with the stored password for the personal health data related to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the personal health data access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the step of automatically checking whether the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user comprises validating a password provided by the requestor with the stored password for the personal health data related to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of checking the personal health data access control information to verify whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user comprises verifying that the type of personal health data that the sender would like to alter is the type of personal health data that is alterable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending the updated personal health data related to the user to the requestor comprises sending advertising data to the requestor, wherein the advertising data is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending the updated personal health data related to the user to the requestor comprises sending health care provider data to the requestor, wherein the health care provider data is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained data is stored in a database;

altering the personal health data comprises the personal health data in the database; and

retrieving updated personal health data comprises retrieving updated personal health data from the database.

8. A computer-implemented method for processing personal health data, comprising:

receiving personal health data related to a user using a first computer-implemented interface, said first computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

receiving access control information related to the personal health data related to the user, using a second computer-implemented interface, said second computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

receiving a request for the personal health data from a requestor via a third computer-implemented interface, said third computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

programmatically checking the access control information related to the personal health data to determine whether the requestor may access the personal health data related to the user;

when the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user, retrieving the personal health data and providing the requestor the personal health data using a fourth computer-implemented interface;

receiving an update to the personal health data related to the user using a fifth computer-implemented interface;

checking the access control information related to the personal health data related to the user to determine whether the requestor may and is designated to receive updates to the personal health data; and

when the requestor may and is designated to receive automatic updates to the personal health data, retrieving the updated personal health data and automatically forwarding the updated personal health data to the requestor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

the access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the step of automatically checking whether the requestor may access the personal health data related to the user comprises validating a password provided by the requestor with the stored password for the personal health data related to the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the received personal health data is stored in a database;

receiving an update to the personal health data is followed by updating the personal health data in the database based on the update;

retrieving the personal health data comprises retrieving the personal health data from the database; and

retrieving updated personal health data comprises retrieving updated personal health data from the database.

11. A computer-implemented method for processing personal health data, comprising:

obtaining personal health data related to a user using a first computer-implemented interface, said first computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

receiving access control information related to the personal health data related to the user, using a second computer-implemented interface;

storing the personal health data on a first computer-readable medium with embedded access control based on the received access control information;

distributing the first computer-readable medium to the user;

receiving an update to the personal health data using a third computer-implemented interface;

storing the updated personal health data on a second computer-readable medium with embedded access control based on the received access control information;

receiving a request for personal health data related to the user, from the user, using a fourth computer-implemented interface; and

distributing the second computer-readable medium to the user associated with the personal health data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the personal health data access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the embedded access control on the first and second computer-readable mediums comprises password protection of the personal health data based on the stored password.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing on each of the first and second computer-readable media, advertising data that is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing on each of the first and second computer-readable media, healthcare provider data that is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

15. A computer-implemented method for processing personal health data, comprising:

receiving personal health data related to a user, using a first computer-implemented personal health data receiver interface, said first computer-implemented personal health data receiver interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

receiving personal health data access control information using a second computer-implemented personal health data access control interface;

receiving updates to the personal health data, from a sender, using a third internet-based personal health data interface;

automatically checking the personal health data access control information to verify whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user;

when the sender has access control to alter the personal health data related to the user, automatically altering the personal health data based on the updates to the personal health data;

receiving a request for personal health data related to the user, from a requestor, using a fourth internet-based personal health data interface;

automatically checking the personal health data access control information to determine whether the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user; and

when the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user, retrieving the altered personal health data related to the user and displaying the altered personal health data related to the user to the requestor using the fourth internet-based personal health data interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

the personal health data access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the step of automatically checking whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user comprises validating a password provided by the sender with the stored password for the personal health data related to the user.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein

the personal health data access control information comprises a stored password for the personal health data related to the user;

and

the step of automatically checking whether the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user comprises validating a password provided by the requestor with the stored password for the personal health data related to the user.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of checking the personal health data access control information to verify whether the sender may alter the personal health data related to the user comprises verifying that the type of personal health data that the sender would like to alter is the type of personal health data that is alterable.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein, when personal health data is displayed to the requestor, also displaying advertising data to the requestor, wherein the advertising data is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying the altered personal health data related to the user to the requestor comprises displaying health care provider data to the requestor, wherein the health care provider data is selected automatically based on the personal health data.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the received personal health data is stored in a database;

altering the personal health data comprises altering the personal health data in the database; and

retrieving altered personal health data comprises retrieving altered personal health data from the database.

22. A computer-implemented method for processing personal health data, comprising:

receiving personal health data related to a user using a first computer-implemented interface, said first computer-implemented interface being implemented on one or more computer processors;

storing the personal health data in a database;

receiving access control information related to the personal health data related to the user, using a second computer-implemented interface;

receiving a request for the personal health data from a requestor via a third computer-implemented interface;

programmatically checking the access control information related to the personal health data to determine whether the requestor may access the personal health data related to the user;

when the requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user, retrieving the personal health data from the database and providing the requestor the personal health data using a fourth computer-implemented interface;

receiving an update to the personal health data related to the user using a fifth computer-implemented interface;

storing the update to the personal health data in the database;

checking the access control information related to the personal health data related to the user to determine whether the requestor may and is designated to receive updates to the personal health data;

when the requestor may and is designated to receive automatic updates to the personal health data, retrieving the updated personal health data from the database and automatically forwarding the updated personal health data to the requestor using the fourth computer-implemented interface;

receiving a request for personal health data related to the user, from a second requestor, using an internet-based personal health data interface;

automatically checking the personal health data access control information to determine whether the second requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user; and

when the second requestor has access to the personal health data related to the user, retrieving the personal health data related to the user from the database and displaying the personal health data related to the user to the second requestor using the internet-based personal health data interface.