Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-30
2003-02-04
Pitts, Harold I. (Department: 2976)
Registers
Records
Conductive
C235S486000, C235S487000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513720
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a compact electronic document storage device which may be carried by people or animals. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic data storage device used for dynamic information storage and retrieval of text and documents.
2. Prior Art
Original medical and veterinary data and images are typically kept on paper or photographic media. While individuals may obtain copies of such records from health care and veterinary providers, these records may not be centrally located.
Even if a bearer can locate all such records and obtain copies of the originals on the same media, they are cumbersome and may be easily damaged. When people or animals travel away from their primary domicile, they may need access to their medical or veterinary records, but carrying all of the records with them wherever they go is impractical. This is especially true for people or animals engaging in rigorous physical activities such as sports, firefighting, police work, and military combat.
Furthermore, there is no widely-accepted standard way of organizing documents so that medical and veterinary professionals know where to quickly place or retrieve needed documents.
In order to provide background information so that the invention may be completely understood and appreciated in its proper context, reference is made to a number of prior art patents, publications, and information as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,690 is a medical information and medication package with folding card and printed instructions in an envelope. While useful, this invention is easily damaged and hard to carry and it is not intended to be worn as a jewelry item.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,763, a biomedical information card and method of making, refers to a kit so that individuals can create their own emergency medical data card which is “slightly smaller than a credit card” and is “attached to a blank rigid plastic card”. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,171,039 and 4,745,268 refer to “wallet-size” cards. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,653 is a portable data carrier for “individual medical and/or banking records” which “looks and feels much like an ordinary credit card.” Again, these are easily damaged and are not intended to be worn as a jewelry item.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,725 is a medical insurance verification and processing system which reads a “medical information card (MEDICARD)” to “determine a patient's background medical and insurance information.” This system is specifically for insurance processing and specific reference is made to transmitting information to a “central brokerage computer”. The card does not necessarily carry complete patient records and images for the bearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,038 is a “universal electronic transaction card” which is capable of serving as a number of different cards including “credit cards, bank cards, identification cards, employee cards, medical cards, and the like.” The user can press graphical images on the card to select the card type. The specific use as a medical card is not elaborated, nor its use in harsh conditions, nor its being worn as jewelry.
Credit-card-size emergency medical cards may be used to store medical data as printed text and images on plastic and paper media and the like, but they are limited in the amount of printed area, are easily damaged, and such cards are not easily distinguishable from other cards carried by the bearer. Credit-card and wallet-size devices are not easily worn as jewelry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,665 is an identification locket with “an information bearing card” in a substantially reduced form” and which has a magnifying lens. While it can be worn as jewelry, magnifying devices are needed and the amount of information stored on the card is still very limited. Further, this invention is not necessarily for harsh environments.
Emergency medical tags and pet tags indicating critical medical conditions and personal data may be worn, typically on a necklace, collar, bracelet, or wristband, but only a small amount of data may be displayed on the surface of such tags.
Images of medical documents may be reduced and stored on microfilm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,391 is an identification card with transparent laminate using microfilm. Microfilm cards may be carried as is or attached to emergency medical cards, but such film is easily damaged. In addition, reading microfilm images generally requires an optical magnifying device.
The aforementioned medical cards, tags, and microfilm cannot be easily reused. When the relevant data changes, a new card, tag, or microfilm image is needed.
Documents containing only text may be manually converted to electronic text format or by using optical character reader (OCR) devices or OCR computer software.
Documents and images may be scanned into electronic image format and stored in electronic files. Typical formats for these image files are BMP (bitmap), JPEG, and GIF, though there are many other formats.
Electronic files may reside in a single electronic directory or organized in multiple directories. Each directory folder may be named to indicate which type of electronic files are stored therein. However, there is no standard or widely recognized format for an electronic directory structure for organizing medical or veterinary files carried by the owner to whom the files pertain.
Once in electronic format, files may be saved on mass data storage devices, such as disk drives and magnetic tape. The files may be transferred to floppy diskettes or magnetic tape reels and cartridges, but these are still generally too large for personal conveyance as they will not fit easily in a wallet or purse, nor can they be easily worn like jewelry on a necklace or bracelet.
In addition, disk drives, diskettes and tapes are generally susceptible to damage. Protective containers and ruggedization schemes only serve to make them more unwieldy.
Medical research efforts often require collecting medical history and data from a large set of human beings. A unique medical identification number, similar to a Social Security Account Number (SSAN) number has been proposed to provide a means for collecting data; however, such an identification system is intrusive to personal privacy and assigns unnecessary control to government bureaucracy. A means of quickly collecting medical history from a large number of subjects without compromising personal privacy is needed.
Research and businesses involving animals often involve tagging animals. Transmitters and numeric tags are attached to the animal with a strap, or by puncturing the skin, or by other suitable means. However, transmitters may quit functioning due to power loss or damage, and tags contain only a small amount of written data. For larger animals, a diskette or tape cartridge, for example, could be placed in a protective container and attached to the animal; however, for smaller animals, such as migratory birds and fish, attaching a diskette or tape cassette would severely impede the animal's normal activities.
Electronic files on diskettes and disk drives may be accidentally erased, overwritten, or intentionally accessed without the permission of the owner. Floppy diskettes sometimes have a “write protect” switch. Some computer operating systems and file systems allow for protections to be set for particular electronic files or directories. These protections can require passwords for accessing protected files and directories.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,294 is a medical privacy system which uses an identification card with a photograph or holographic image and a “visually perceptible” “first identificafion number” which is associated with a “confidential second identification number” on a computer database. This system associates two numbers, but does not use data encryption nor file system password protections. Further it specifies that the actual data is available via a “telephonic readout” implying that the data is not on or in the card itself. Further, there is no tissue sample of the bearer for DNA, blood type, or other p
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Pitts Harold I.
Wahl John R.
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