# US 10,319,208 B1 · System and method for locating a patient > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,319,208 B1 - Document ID: US10319208B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/127,169 - Filed: 2018-09-10 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14 - Assignees: Allscripts Software, LLC - Applicants: Allscripts Software, LLC - Inventors: Dean Hiller - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319208B1 ## CPC - G16H 40/63: for local operation - G06K 7/10366: {the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications} - G06K 19/0723: {the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs} - G08B 21/0275: {Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID} - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - G16Z 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - G06F 1/00: Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) - H04L 1/00: Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received {(correcting synchronisation H04L7/00)} - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G16Z: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method for tracking a patient in a medical facility is disclosed. The method includes determining whether a patient is to be moved, indicating the time at which the patient should start to be moved, and interrogating a RFID sensor on the patient at a predetermined time interval to determine when the patient has been moved. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A server computing device comprising: a processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising: receiving, by way of a network, a signal from an RFID reader located within a healthcare facility, wherein the signal comprises data that is indicative of a location of a patient within the healthcare facility; receiving, from a client computing device, an indication that an appointment has been scheduled for the patient at a second location within the healthcare facility at a time; responsive to receiving the indication, calculating an estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient within the healthcare facility to the second location within the healthcare facility; and based upon the time that the appointment is scheduled and the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient to the second location, generating a notification and transmitting the notification to at least one of the client computing device or a second client computing device, the notification identifying when transport of the patient from the location to the second location within the healthcare facility is to begin. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The server computing device of claim 1, wherein the notification further identifies when a healthcare facility employee is to be dispatched to transport the patient from the location to the second location. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The server computing device of claim 2, the acts further comprising: receiving signals from several RFID readers, the signals comprising signal data that is indicative of location of the patient as the patient is transported in the healthcare facility; and updating a map based upon the signal data, the map identifies a current location of the patient in the healthcare facility. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The server computing device of claim 3, the acts further comprising: causing the RFID readers to emit the signals, wherein the server computing device causes the RFID readers to emit the signals once every minute. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The server computing device of claim 3, the acts further comprising transmitting the map to the client computing device for presentment on a display of the client computing device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The server computing device of claim 5, wherein the map comprises an estimated time of arrival of the patient at the second location, wherein the estimated time of arrival is updated based upon the signals received from the several RFID sensors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The server computing device of claim 5, the acts further comprising: based upon the signals received from the several RFID sensors, determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment; and responsive to determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment, transmitting an alert to the client computing device that indicates that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the appointment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The server computing device of claim 1, wherein the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location to the second location is based upon observed travel times between locations in the healthcare facility. ### Claim 9 A method executed by a processor of a server computing device, the method comprising: receiving, by way of a network, a signal from an RFID reader located within a healthcare facility, wherein the signal comprises data that is indicative of a location of a patient within the healthcare facility; receiving, from a client computing device, an indication that an appointment has been scheduled for the patient at a second location within the healthcare facility at a time; responsive to receiving the indication and based upon the location of the patient and the second location, calculating an estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient to the second location within the healthcare facility; and based upon the time that the appointment is scheduled and the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient within the healthcare facility to the second location within the healthcare facility, generating a notification and providing the notification to at least one of the client computing device or a second client computing device, the notification identifies when transport of the patient from the location to the second location within the healthcare facility is to begin to cause the patient to arrive at the second location in time for the appointment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the notification further identifies when a healthcare facility employee is to be dispatched to transport the patient from the location to the second location. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving signals from several RFID readers, the signals comprising signal data that are indicative of location of the patient as the patient is transported in the healthcare facility; and updating a map based upon the signal data, the map identifies a current location of the patient in the healthcare facility. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the map to the client computing device for presentment on a display of the client computing device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the map comprises an estimated time of arrival of the patient at the second location, wherein the estimated time of arrival is updated based upon the signals received from the several RFID sensors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, the method further comprising: based upon the signals received from the several RFID sensors, determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment; and responsive to determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment, transmitting an alert to the client computing device that indicates that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the appointment. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient to the second location within the healthcare facility is based upon observed travel times between locations in the healthcare facility. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server computing device, cause the processor to perform acts comprising: receiving, by way of a network, a signal from an RFID reader located within a healthcare facility, wherein the signal comprises data that is indicative of a location of a patient within the healthcare facility; receiving, from a client computing device, an indication that an appointment has been scheduled for the patient at a second location within the healthcare facility at a time; responsive to receiving the indication and based upon the location of the patient and the second location, calculating an estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient to the second location within the healthcare facility; and based upon the time that the appointment is scheduled and the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient within the healthcare facility to the second location within the healthcare facility, generating a notification and providing the notification to at least one of the client computing device or a second client computing device, the notification identifies when transport of the patient from the location to the second location within the healthcare facility is to begin to cause the patient to arrive at the second location in time for the appointment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the acts further comprising: receiving signals from several RFID readers, the signals comprising signal data that are indicative of location of the patient as the patient is transported in the healthcare facility; and updating a map based upon the signal data, the map identifies a current location of the patient in the healthcare facility. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the acts further comprising transmitting the map to the client computing device for presentment on a display of the client computing device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the acts further comprising: based upon the signals received from the several RFID sensors, determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment; and responsive to determining that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the scheduled appointment, transmitting an alert to the client computing device that indicates that the patient will not reach the second location at the time of the appointment. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the estimated amount of time to transport the patient from the location of the patient within the healthcare facility to the second location within the healthcare facility is based upon observed travel times between locations in the healthcare facility.