System and method for location based printing for healthcare data

• US 8,467,079 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Carroll, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKER, DENNIS T
• Application Number:
  US12/180,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 358 113- 115, 455/404
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A printing system for printing health care data is provided. The printing system includes a processor operably connected to a user device and to a plurality of printers that is configured to associate a location with the user device, and to select at least one printer from among the plurality of printers to provide a print out requested from the user device based on the location associated with the user device.

Claims

1. A printing system for printing healthcare data, said printing system comprising:

a processor operably connected to a user device and to a plurality of printers, said processor configured to associate a location with said user device, said processor configured to select at least one printer from among said plurality of printers to provide a print out requested from said user device based on said location associated with said user device, wherein at least one of said plurality of printers is tagged as permissible for use with data of a type of sensitive nature and at least one of said plurality of printers is not tagged as permissible, and said at least one printer selected to provide said printout is selected from said at least one of said plurality of printers tagged as permissible when said print out requested includes data of said type of sensitive nature.

2. The printing system of claim 1, wherein said user device comprises a mobile terminal comprising a location module, and said processor utilizes said location module to associate said location with said mobile terminal.

3. The printing system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to select among said plurality of printers to provide a print out requested from said user device based on an organizational rule corresponding to the data to be printed out.

4. The printing system of claim 3, wherein said organizational rule pertains to the privacy of a health condition.

5. The printing system of claim 3, wherein said organizational rule pertains to the privacy of an employment status.

6. The printing system of claim 1, wherein said at least one printer selected from said plurality of printers comprises a plurality of preferred printers, and said processor is configured to provide a user with an option to select from among said plurality of preferred printers.

7. A method for location based printing for healthcare data, said method comprising:

associating first location information with a user device;

associating second location information with at least one of a plurality of printers; and

selecting at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device based on said first location information and said second location information, wherein at least one of said plurality of printers is tagged as permissible for use with data of a type of sensitive nature and at least one of said plurality of printers is not tagged as permissible, and said selecting at least one printer includes selecting at least one printer from said at least one of said plurality of printers tagged as permissible when said print out requested includes data of said type of sensitive nature.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said selecting at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device is based on an organizational rule corresponding to the data to be printed out.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said organizational rule pertains to the privacy of a health condition.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said organizational rule pertains to the privacy of an employment status.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said selecting at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device is based on a status condition of at least one of said plurality of printers.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein said selecting of at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device comprises providing a list of preferred printers from said plurality of printers, and providing a user of said user device with an option to select among said list of preferred printers.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said providing a user of said user device with an option to select among said list of preferred printers comprises providing at least one of location information associated with said list of preferred printers and status information associated with said list of preferred printers.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions for execution on a processing device and associated processing logic, the set of instructions comprising:

an input routine that allows location information of a user device to be input; and

a processing routine configured to select at least one printer from a plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device based on said location information of said user device and on location information of at least one printer of said plurality of printers, wherein at least one of said plurality of printers is tagged as permissible for use with data of a type of sensitive nature and at least one of said plurality of printers is not tagged as permissible, and said at least one printer selected to provide said printout is selected from said at least one of said plurality of printers tagged as permissible when said print out requested includes data of said type of sensitive nature.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said processing routine is configured to select said at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device based on an organizational rule corresponding to the data to be printed out.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said organizational rule pertains to the privacy of a health condition.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said organization rule pertains to the privacy of an employment status.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein said processor is configured to select said at least one printer from said plurality of printers to provide a printout requested from said user device based on a status condition of at least one of said plurality of printers.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 where said processor is configured to provide a list of preferred printers from said plurality of printers, and to provide a user of said user device with an option to select among said list of preferred printers.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 where said processor is configured to provide said user device with at least one of location information associated with said list of preferred printers and status information associated with said list of preferred printers.