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US 8,903,416 B1Granted
Wireless tracking system and method utilizing near-field communication devices
AssigneeAwarepoint Corporation
InventorsMatthew R. Perkins, Anthony Truscott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a solution to determining a near-field communication interaction in a wireless tracking mesh network. The present invention utilizes near-field communication devices in conjunction with tracking tags to transmit signals for reception by sensors stationed throughout a facility which form a mesh network and forward the signals to an information engine for analysis.
Claims8
A system utilizing near-field communications for monitoring hand sterilization, the system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors located in a facility;
- a plurality of near-field communication devices, each of the plurality of near-field communication devices transmitting a beacon signal using a short range communication format receivable by another near-field communication device when the near-field communication devices are within a predetermined distance of each other, and each of the plurality of near-field communication devices transmitting interaction data using a medium range communication format to at least one of the plurality of sensors;
- a hand sterilization station comprising a hand washing facet activated by an infrared sensor and in communication with a near-field communication device using the short range communication format;
- and
- an information engine in communication with the plurality of sensors, the information engine processing the interaction data;
- wherein a near-field communication interaction is recorded at the near-field communication device when a bearer of a near field communication device of the plurality of near-field communication devices activates the infrared sensor of the hand washing facet during a hand washing event, the recordation of the near-field communication interaction is transmitted to at least one of the plurality of sensors utilizing the medium range communication format and then transmitted to the information engine for storage.
3 more elements
A method for monitoring hand sterilization utilizing near-field communications, the method comprising:
- sensing for a near-field communication interaction at a hand washing station;
- verifying activation of a infrared sensor for activation of a hand washing facet of the hand washing station;
- verifying a near-field communication interaction with a bearer of a near-field communication device and an activator of the infrared sensor, wherein the near-field communication device and the activator communicate utilizing a short-range communication format;
- recording data concerning the near-field communication interaction at at least one of an interacting near-field communication device;
- and
- transmitting the data concerning the near-field communication interaction to at least one sensor of a plurality of sensors using a medium range communication format for transmission to a processing engine.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.