Method and system for providing a patient identification beacon for patient worn sensors
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A beacon system comprising:
- a strap of flexible material configured to be attached to an extremity of a patient;
a printable layer attached to the strap;
a flexible power supply attached to the strap; and
,a flexible circuit attached to the strap and the power supply, the flexible circuit including;
a memory configured to store at least beacon or patient identification information,a wireless transmitting unit configured to wirelessly transmit, via body coupled communication, at least the beacon or patient identification information,a receiving unit configured to receive encrypted information, anda processor configured to communicate at least the beacon or patient identification information from the memory to the transmitting unit for transmission on the patient'"'"'s body via body coupled communication;
a transceiver that receives at least the beacon or patient identification information from the transmitting unit via body coupled communication when the transceiver is touching or in close proximity with the patient and forwards at least the beacon or patent identification information to a hospital system including an interface for receiving information from the transceiver wirelessly or by a wired connection and storing it in a medical facility database; and
a body coupled communication device connected with an appliance or a caregiver which, when the caregiver or appliance is touching or in close proximity to the patient, transmits an appliance key to the receiving unit, receives the beacon or patient identification information encrypted with the appliance key from the transmitting unit, and communicates an identification of the appliance or caregiver to the receiving unit, the identification of the appliance or caregiver being encrypted with the appliance key.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bracelet beacon device (10) includes a flexible material strap (16) which encases or is attached to a writable layer (22) carrying human readable patient identification information, a flexible power supply (26), and a flexible circuit layer (24). The flexible circuit layer includes a memory (40) for storing at least patient identification information and a body coupled communication transmitter (42) for transmitting the patient identification information via the patient using a body coupled communication protocol.
20 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A beacon system comprising:
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a strap of flexible material configured to be attached to an extremity of a patient; a printable layer attached to the strap; a flexible power supply attached to the strap; and
,a flexible circuit attached to the strap and the power supply, the flexible circuit including; a memory configured to store at least beacon or patient identification information, a wireless transmitting unit configured to wirelessly transmit, via body coupled communication, at least the beacon or patient identification information, a receiving unit configured to receive encrypted information, and a processor configured to communicate at least the beacon or patient identification information from the memory to the transmitting unit for transmission on the patient'"'"'s body via body coupled communication; a transceiver that receives at least the beacon or patient identification information from the transmitting unit via body coupled communication when the transceiver is touching or in close proximity with the patient and forwards at least the beacon or patent identification information to a hospital system including an interface for receiving information from the transceiver wirelessly or by a wired connection and storing it in a medical facility database; and a body coupled communication device connected with an appliance or a caregiver which, when the caregiver or appliance is touching or in close proximity to the patient, transmits an appliance key to the receiving unit, receives the beacon or patient identification information encrypted with the appliance key from the transmitting unit, and communicates an identification of the appliance or caregiver to the receiving unit, the identification of the appliance or caregiver being encrypted with the appliance key. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A hospital system comprising:
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a plurality of beacon apparatuses for attachment to a plurality of patients;
each beacon apparatus comprising;a strap of flexible material configured to be attached to an extremity of a patient; a printable layer attached to the strap; a flexible power supply attached to the strap; and
,a flexible circuit attached to the strap and the power supply, the flexible circuit including; a wireless transmitting unit which wirelessly transmits at least beacon identification information; a memory that stores at least the beacon identification information and an encryption key; and
,a processor that at least encrypts the beacon identification information with the encryption key and communicates the encrypted beacon identification information from the memory to the transmitting unit for transmission on the patient'"'"'s body via the body coupled communications; a transceiver for receiving the encrypted beacon identification information from the beacon apparatuses and transmitting information to the beacon apparatuses; a medical facility system connected wirelessly or by a wired connection with the transceiver for storing and retrieving patient information, the medical facility system including an interface which decrypts the encrypted beacon identification information and correlates received beacon identification information to a patient associated with the beacon identification information; a diagnostic or testing apparatus for receiving encrypted beacon identification information from the transceiver and providing encrypted diagnostic or test information and the associated encrypted beacon identification information received from the transceiver to the medical facility system; and
,a display and user input device connected with the transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of associating information with a patient, the method comprising:
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printing human readable patient information on a printable layer; attaching together the printable layer, a strap of flexible material, a flexible circuit layer including a body coupled communication transceiver, a memory, and a processor, and a flexible power supply; attaching the flexible strip with the attached printable layer, flexible circuit layer, and flexible power supply to an extremity of the patient; bringing the patient into body coupled communication contact with a transceiver and via the body coupled communications contact loading the memory with a patient identification information, a medical history of the patient, and encryption key via a body coupled communication protocol; bringing the patient into body coupled contact with a transceiver associated with a diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or testing apparatus to at least one of transfer the patient identification information from the flexible circuit layer memory to the diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or testing apparatus or transfer information from the diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or testing apparatus to the flexible circuit layer memory; performing a diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or testing operation with a diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or testing apparatus to generate diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or test results; encrypting the diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or test results with the encryption key and electronically associating the patient identification information with the encrypted diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or test results; and transmitting at least the patient identification information and the encrypted diagnostic, monitoring, therapy, or test results in a wired or wireless communication protocol, on a wired or wireless communication network which carries the patient identifier and the encrypted diagnostic monitoring, therapy, or test results to a medical database. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification