USPTO awards Awarepoint patent for wireless interaction-based tracking system for hospitals

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May 25 2011Awarepoint Corporation

Awarepoint Corporation, the leading provider of real-time location systems (RTLS) for hospitals, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company Patent No. 7,941,096 for a wireless interaction-based tracking system that helps hospitals enhance their patient safety, improve quality of care, and drive better financial outcomes.

"This patent is a great asset to the company that reflects the advancements we have made in going beyond RTLS to drive enterprise-wide workflow," explained Matt Perkins, CTO of Awarepoint. "By combining our traditional real-time location technology with our new interaction-based devices, hospitals can now accurately identify when and where interactions between patients-and-staff, patients-and-assets, or staff-and-assets have occurred. This context-rich location data enables hospitals to significantly enhance workflow automation and revenue-cycle management."

The patented technology can:

Detect interactions between people and objects (tag-to-tag communication);
Determine the location of the interaction; and
Send that information to a platform to drive compliance and quality reporting.

"This is our fifteenth patent and another example of our continuous commitment to provide innovative, effective solutions for our customers," continued Perkins. "Although the patent covers our standard technology and architecture, it also covers technologies and architectures that prevent other vendors from imitating our successful solution that drives customer value."

The patent was awarded on the heels of a banner first quarter in 2011 in which Awarepoint achieved a record number of activations and acquired Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS). The newly combined organization unites Awarepoint's unmatched ZigBee wireless-based technology platform with PCTS's best-in-class software platform and clinical applications, providing the industry's leading all-inclusive enterprise-wide RTLS solution.

Awarepoint will demonstrate its newly patented interaction-based wireless tracking system at the following trade shows: