RFID reporting personal health card and related systems

• US 8,066,192 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orangehook, Inc.
• Original Assignee: LifeNexus, Inc. (Orangehook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maus, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEDEKEL, TABITHA F
• Application Number:
  US11/925,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20080099566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/487, 235/493, 235/375, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 705/2, 705/3, 705/4, 705/40, 705/44
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10

Abstract

A personal health card that includes a smartcard with an RFID device that automatically reports certain RFID response information when illuminated by an interrogation signal from an RFID reader, such as an authorized first responder interrogation device issued to police, fire, lifeguard, or EMT personnel. The RFID response information may be as minimal as a visible or audible “ping” response displayed or played on the RFID interrogator indicating that a personal health card has been interrogated. If multiple cards respond to the interrogator, the RFID interrogator can be used to select among the responding cards so that the operator can investigate one card at a time. A characteristic of the response from a selected card may change in response to the strength of the signal received from the card to help the operator locate and recover a desired card. For example, the volume of an audible “ping” at the interrogator may become louder or more frequent as the interrogation response from the card becomes stronger to provide a “homing device” for physically locating a particular card. This feature is very helpful when emergency responses are attempting to locate personal health cards at the scene of an accident or other incident.

Claims

1. A personal health information instrument assigned to an associated instrument holder, comprising:

a portable substrate carrying a communication interface, a CPU, an electronic memory, and an RFID circuit, the memory storing first sector information and second sector information;

the CPU configured to implement hierarchical security access to the first and second sector information causing the RFID circuit to report the first sector information but not the second sector information wirelessly in response to an RFID interrogation from an RFID reader having a first level of interrogation authority;

the CPU further configured to cause the personal health information instrument to report the second sector information through a physical communication interface in response to a second type of interrogation other than RFID having a second level of interrogation authority;

wherein the first sector information reported in response to the RFID interrogation includes photo identification of the instrument holder; and

the second sector information includes medical information pertaining to the instrument holder.

2. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the first or second sector information further comprises medical insurance information pertaining to the instrument holder.

3. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the first sector information further comprises a name, address, phone number, age, or language spoken by the instrument holder.

4. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the first or second sector information comprises emergency medical treatment information associated with the instrument holder.

5. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the RFID circuit is configured to report the first and second sector information in response to a second type of RFID interrogation having the second level of interrogation authority.

6. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein:

the first type of RFID interrogation comprises interrogation from a handheld first responder interrogator assigned to emergency response personnel; and

the second type of interrogation comprises interrogation from an interrogator carried onboard an emergency transport vehicle.

7. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic memory electronically stores third sector information;

the hierarchical security access implemented by the CPU causes the health information instrument to report the third sector information in response to interrogation from a third type of interrogation having a third level of interrogation authority; and

the third sector information comprising secure medical records or information for accessing secure medical records for the instrument holder.

8. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the second sector information comprises medical records for the instrument holder or a data key that can be used to access the instrument holder secure medical records stored within a secure medical records maintenance system.

9. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the second sector information comprises the instrument holder'"'"'s preexisting medical conditions, blood type, and medication prescriptions.

10. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores the medical insurance identification, coverage, qualification, adjudication, and fulfillment information associated with the instrument holder.

11. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, wherein the health information instrument further stores and financial account information configuring the health information instrument to function as a financial payment instrument.

12. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, further configured to receive and store information obtained from one or more medical diagnostic devices.

13. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, further comprising a GPS circuit.

14. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, further comprising a mobile telephone circuit.

15. The personal health information instrument of claim 1, further configured to be accessed, tracked, activated, deactivated, programmed, updated or controlled remotely.

16. A personal health information instrument system, comprising:

a plurality of portable substrates, each assigned to an associated instrument holder and carrying a communication interface, a CPU, an electronic memory, and an RFID circuit, wherein the memory stores first sector information and second sector information, the CPU is configured to implement hierarchical security access to the first and second sector information causing the RFID circuit to report the first sector information but not the second sector information wirelessly in response to an RFID interrogation from an RFID reader having a first level of interrogation authority, the CPU is further configured to cause the personal health information instrument to report the second sector information through a physical communication interface in response to a second type of interrogation other than RFID having a second level of interrogation authority, and wherein the first sector information reported in response to the RFID interrogation includes photo identification of the associated instrument holder associated with the health information instrument and the second sector information includes medical information pertaining to the instrument holder;

a plurality of portable RFID interrogation units, each configured with the first level of interrogation authority and operable to read the first sector information stored in the portable health information instruments; and

a plurality of second level interrogation units, each configured with the second level of interrogation authority and operable to read the second sector information stored in the portable health information instruments.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first or second sector information further comprises medical insurance information pertaining to the instrument holder or emergency medical treatment information associated with the instrument holder.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the second level interrogation units are each located on an associated emergency transport vehicle.

19. A method for implementing personal health information system, comprising:

providing a plurality of portable substrates, each assigned to an associated instrument holder and carrying a communication interface, a CPU, an electronic memory, and an RFID circuit, wherein the memory stores first sector information and second sector information, the CPU is configured to implement hierarchical security access to the first and second sector information causing the RFID circuit to report the first sector information but not the second sector information wirelessly in response to an RFID interrogation from an RFID reader having a first level of interrogation authority, the CPU is further configured to cause the personal health information instrument to report the second sector information through a physical communication interface in response to a second type of interrogation other than RFID having a second level of interrogation authority, and wherein the first sector information reported in response to the RFID interrogation includes photo identification of the associated instrument holder associated with the health information instrument and the second sector information includes medical information pertaining to the instrument holder;

providing a plurality of portable RFID interrogation units, each configured with the first level of interrogation authority and operable to read the first sector information stored in the portable health information instruments; and

providing a plurality of second level interrogation units, each configured with the second level of interrogation authority and operable to read the second sector information stored in the portable health information instruments.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first or second sector information further comprises medical insurance information pertaining to the instrument holder or emergency medical treatment information associated with the instrument holder.