System providing medical personnel with immediate critical data for emergency treatments

• US 20070046476A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midamerican Healthcare Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AEGIS 3
• Inventors: Hinkamp, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices

Abstract

An RFID transponder on a person or animal provides the health care or security personnel with the critical information when the personnel employs a reader terminal capable of reading the RFID transponder. The transponder, after being interrogated by the reader, supplies the critical data such as name, blood type, allergies, directives, medicines, and emergency contact numbers. The reader immediately displays such critical information on its screen. The RFID tag can substantiate that it belongs to its owner. This identification process can involve biometric analysis. The reader terminal downloads additional data from a server and the additional data is presented on a reader terminal'"'"'s screen. The server queries the wireless carrier for reader terminal'"'"'s location data, correlates the reader location data with hospital location data, and sends the critical information to the nearby hospitals. Additionally, the server sends alert information to other firms or individuals contained in the transponder wearer'"'"'s data record. The RFID tag is the healthcare record. It relates and integrates into a larger database and network. It proves its owner and through wireless technology identifies location and other data characteristics of its owner.

Claims

1. A critical data retrieval and display system comprising:

a device attached to an animal and containing data describing information required for urgent treatment, where the data is held by the device in a manner to maintain them confidential;

means for assuring the data in the device belongs to the animal; and

a reader for communicating with the device and displaying the data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the means includes a tamper proof mechanical coupling of the device to the animal.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the means includes (1) biometric data associated with the data describing one or more biological conditions and (2) biometric data from a trusted source.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data comprises at least one of an object identifier number, medical data, emergency contact data, and directives data.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the biometric data comprises at least one of an object photograph, fingerprint, dental record, DNA record, iris scan and RNA record.

6. The system of claim 3 including a server in communication with the reader, wherein the server communicates the biometric data to the reader in response to receiving an object identifier number from the reader.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server includes additional data associated with the animal and for identifying one or more treatment centers near the animal, and wherein the server alerts one or more of the treatment centers and sends the additional data to the reader.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the reader communicates with the device via an RFID interface.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the server sends alert information to predetermined entities in response to receiving data from the reader.

10. The system of claim 1 where the reader is also able to write data to the device during the urgent treatment.

11. The system of claim 10 where the data includes information identifying the animal.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the reader includes a transmitter for sending the data written to the device to a network.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the data includes one or more of a picture, voice record, ID number, time, date, and location information.

14. A device associated with an animal for use in urgent treatment, the device comprising:

a tamper resistant housing worn by the animal and containing a transponder;

a memory associated with the transponder and storing the biometric information identifying the animal; and

an interface within the transponder for communicating the biometric information in the memory to a remote location.

15. The device of claim 14 including a tamper proof mechanical coupling of the device to the animal.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the biometric data is for comparing to biometric data from a trusted source in order to confirm the device worn by the animal properly belongs to the animal.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein the wireless interface is an RFID interface.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein the memory includes additional data comprising at least one of an object medical data, emergency contact data, and directives data.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein the wireless interface communicates the biometric data to a server that correlates the biometric data to the biometric data from the trusted source.

20. The device of claim 14 wherein the interface receives write commands for recording data to the transponder during the urgent treatment.

21. The device of claim 20 where the data recorded to the transponder includes information identifying the animal.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein the transponder provides the recorded data to the interface for sending to a network.

23. The device of claim 20 wherein the recorded data includes one or more of a picture, voice record, ID number, time, date, and location information.

24. A method for retrieving and displaying data associated with an animal for use in urgent treatment, the method comprising:

retrieving the data from a device worn by the animal;

comparing the retrieved data with data maintained by a trusted source; and

fetching information for use in the urgent treatment based on results of the comparison.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the retrieved data is associated with additional data comprises at least one of an object identifier, medical data, emergency contact data, and directives data.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein comparing the retrieved data with data maintained by the trusted source includes correlating an object identifier number to biometric verification data and displaying the biometric verification data.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the biometric verification data comprises at least one of an object photograph, fingerprint, dental record, DNA record, iris scan and RNA record.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein comparing the retrieved data and data maintained by the trusted source includes communicating an object identifier number to a server, correlating the object identifier number to biometric verification data located at the server, communicating the biometric verification data from the server to a reader;

and displaying the biometric verification data at the reader.

29. The method of claim 28 including communicating additional data from a source remote from the device to personnel responding to the urgent treatment at a location proximate the animal and alerting one or more treatment centers.

30. The method of claim 24 including verifying the device has not been tampered with.

31. The method of claim 24 including writing data to the device during the urgent treatment.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the writing of the data to the device includes writing information identifying the animal.

33. The method of claim 31 including sending the data written to the device to a network.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein the writing of the data to the device includes writing one or more of a picture, voice record, ID number, time, date, and location information.