Patent Issued for Activity evaluation sensor systems and methods (USPTO 11367143): Hartford Fire Insurance Company

2022 JUL 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States) has been issued patent number 11367143, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Amigo, Andrew J. (Essex, MA, US), Gingrave, Michael (Wethersfield, CT, US).

This patent was filed on June 23, 2020 and was published online on June 21, 2022.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Many insurance companies are considering offering, or do offer, discounts or variable pricing for automobile insurance based on data collected from vehicle telematics. Safety in the workplace includes perils beyond driving, including environmental conditions, physical stress and strain, and dangerous equipment. Sensors on the marketplace and in development can identify dangerous scenarios, including environmental conditions, worker behaviors, use or lack of use of proper safety equipment, and interactions with dangerous machines, substances or areas.

“Workers’ compensation insurance provides compensation for workers that are injured on the job. This compensation may include medical expenses, death benefits, and payments in lieu of lost wages. Workers’ compensation insurance is state-mandated for most employees and is generally provided by private insurance companies, though some states operate a state fund.

“Rates for workers’ compensation insurance are set by state and are based on industry and job classification. Workers’ compensation rating starts with a base rate, derived for each of some 600 classifications. This base rate is not modified for the smallest businesses, but for others, it is. These modifications include a mandatory application of an experience rating credit or debit, depending on a business’s claims history compared to the average in that business class. Also, discretionary pricing modifications can be applied by the carrier depending on its underwriting evaluation of the account. Many large accounts share in the funding of their claims via large deductibles, policyholder dividends and retrospectively rated programs. These kinds of programs are generally referred to as “risk share” plans. For those businesses that are subject to experience rating or a “risk share” plan, their net cost of workers’ compensation insurance is decreased to the extent they can either prevent, or mitigate the value of, claims.

“Most insurance carriers that sell workers’ compensation insurance provide professional services that help businesses prevent or mitigate the values of claims, primarily by reviewing the business’s exposures and current controls, and by assessing the causes of prior claims and subsequently recommending and implementing solutions. Again, to the extent that these solutions reduce the number and dollar amount of claims, overall, the premium paid by the business will also be reduced. Loss control services are generally available to all businesses, but are most cost-effective for larger businesses.

“Typically, loss control services are part of the basic product sold by an insurance carrier. However, loss control services may be made more effective and efficient by appropriately utilizing technology. In particular, sensor technologies that allow insured businesses to quickly identify unsafe situations, thereby providing the businesses with opportunity to correct them, and technologies that give insurance carriers automatic feedback and information on the safety performance of their policyholders, may beneficially contribute to a streamlined workers’ compensation insurance evaluation system and advantageously decrease the risk of accidents in the workplace. In addition to streamlining workers’ compensation insurance evaluation systems, sensor technologies may assist in improving risk evaluation and loss control for other types of insurance, such as group, short or long-term disability insurance, professional or general liability insurance, and/or medical malpractice insurance. These sensor technologies may also be used to monitor and facilitate other aspects of insured entities, such as general employee health, post-injury return-to-work programs for injured employees, and the activity levels of patients in a healthcare facility.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “Accordingly, in one aspect the invention relates to an activity evaluation system for managing an insurance-related process. The system comprises at least one sensor, a data store, an activity evaluation module, a communications module, and a business computer processor. The sensor(s) are configured to monitor the activity of an individual associated with an insured entity. The data store stores demographic information about the individual. In certain embodiments, the demographic information about the individual comprises one or more of height, age, weight, and stride length of the individual. The activity evaluation module is configured to collect data from the sensor(s), analyze the data to determine activity characteristics, and output an activity evaluation based on the activity characteristics and the demographic information. The communications module may communicate the collected data and/or the recovery evaluation to a server operated by an insurance company insuring the entity. The business computer processor is configured to adjust a term of an insurance policy covering the insured entity based on the activity evaluation. The term to be adjusted includes a premium, a deductible, a limit, services associated with the insurance policy, costs of the services, rating plan parameters, and/or dividend plan parameters.

“In some embodiments, the system includes an output device configured to provide an insurance recommendation to the individual and/or the insured entity based at least in part on the activity evaluation. The insurance recommendation may comprise one of a loss-control recommendation, an exposure management recommendation, an insurance risk evaluation recommendation, an underwriting workflow recommendation, and a claims management workflows recommendation. In one aspect, the insurance recommendation comprises a loss-control recommendation, and the loss-control recommendation comprises one or more of a patient intake decision for the individual, an initial diagnosis for the individual, care instructions for the individual, a patient progress determination for the individual, a determination of sufficient activity for the individual, and a determination of activity conformance for the individual. In another aspect the individual is an employee, and the loss-control recommendation comprises the determination of sufficient activity for the individual to determine if the individual is healthy, and adjusting the term of the insurance policy comprises adjusting a workers compensation premium associated with the insured entity. In some embodiments, the individual is an employee recovering from an injury, and the loss-control recommendation comprises the determination of activity conformance for the individual based on the activity evaluation being indicative of the individual’s activity conforming to one of prescribed activity guidelines and personalized threshold guidelines applicable to the individual. In other embodiments, the individual is a patient, and the loss-control recommendation comprises the determination of sufficient activity for the individual based on the activity evaluation being indicative of the individual’s activity conforming to one or more of ulcer prevention movement guidelines, prescribed movement guidelines, activity guidelines, and movement threshold guidelines applicable to the individual.

“In another aspect, the invention relates to a activity evaluation system for use in managing an insurance-related process. The system includes at least one sensor, a data store, an activity evaluation module, a communications module, and a business computer processor. The at least one sensor is configured to monitor activity of a plurality of individuals associated and distinct from an insured entity. The data store stores demographic information about the individuals. The activity evaluation module is configured to collect data from the sensor(s), analyze the data to determine activity characteristics, and output an activity evaluation based on the activity characteristics and the demographic information. The communications module may communicate the collected data and/or the activity evaluation to a server operated by an insurance company insuring the entity. The business computer processor is configured to adjust a workers compensation premium of an insurance policy covering the insured entity based on the activity evaluation, so as to provide an adjustment favorable to the insured entity responsive to the activity evaluation being indicative of healthy activity by the plurality of individuals.

“In other aspects, the invention relates to methods for using and implementing the system described above.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. An activity evaluation system, comprising: a communications device configured to receive sensor data based on at least one sensor proximate to an individual associated with and distinct from a covered entity; a data storage device storing at least one activity guideline associated with the individual; an activity evaluation module configured to: collect the sensor data from the at least one sensor; analyze the collected sensor data to determine activity characteristics of the individual; and output an activity evaluation based on the activity characteristics and the at least one stored activity guideline; a computer hardware server, in communication with the communications device, the data storage device, and the activity evaluation module, and operated by a risk management entity remote from the at least one sensor, configured to: receive one or both of the collected data and the activity evaluation; adjust data corresponding to a parameter of a risk management policy covering the covered entity based on the one or both of the collected sensor data and the activity evaluation, wherein the computer hardware server is configured to adjust the data corresponding to the parameter so as to provide an adjustment favorable to the covered entity responsive to the one or both of collected sensor data and the activity evaluation being indicative of conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline; and responsive to the one or both of collected sensor data and the activity evaluation being indicative of non-conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline, transmit a notification to one of a computing device of the covered entity or a device of the individual.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual associated with and distinct from the covered entity comprises an employee of the covered entity returning from an injury; wherein the at least one activity guideline comprises a recovery plan prescribed for the employee; wherein the sensor data comprises data indicative of one or more of body movement, body orientation, frequency of movement, duration of movement, movement distance, and calories expended, calculated based upon raw sensor data; and wherein the computer hardware server is further configured to determine conformance or non-conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline, the determining comprising determining, based on the sensor data, whether the employee has conformed with the recovery plan prescribed for the employee.

“3. The system of claim 2, wherein the raw sensor data comprises data obtained from one or more three-axis accelerometers worn by the employee; and wherein the computer hardware server is further configured to: calculate a frequency of movement based on a series of the sensor data received from the one or more three-axis accelerometers; and calculate a duration of movement based on a weighted average of movements over time identified in the series of the sensor data; wherein the computer hardware server is configured to adjust the data corresponding to the parameter of the risk management policy based upon the calculated frequency of movement and the calculated duration of movement.

“4. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual associated with and distinct from the covered entity comprises an employee of the covered entity; wherein the sensor data comprises one or more of RFID scanner data, GPS data, and photo recognition data corresponding to the employee; wherein the at least one activity guideline comprises workplace safety guidelines at a workplace of the covered entity; wherein the computer hardware server is further configured to determine conformance or non-conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline, the determining comprising determining whether the employee is wearing personal protective equipment in a hazardous area designated at the workplace.

“5. The system of claim 4, wherein the RFID scanner data comprises data indicative of whether RFID-tagged personal protective equipment was sensed in an area of the workplace accessed by the employee.

“6. The system of claim 4, wherein the notification comprises an alert, and wherein transmitting the alert to the computing device of the covered entity comprises transmitting the alert to one or more of an audio buzzer at the workplace of the covered entity configured to output an audio signal responsive to receipt of the alert, a flashing light at the workplace configured to flash responsive to receipt of the alert, and a vibrating device worn by the employee configured to vibrate responsive to receipt of the alert.

“7. The system of claim 1, wherein the individual associated with and distinct from the covered entity comprises a patient at a health care facility; wherein the at least one activity guideline comprises prescribed motion for the patient; wherein the sensor data comprises data indicative of one or more of horizontal body positions, vertical body positions, turning of a body, twisting of a body, sitting postures, and standing postures calculated based upon raw sensor data; wherein the computer hardware server is further configured to determine conformance or non-conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline, the determining comprising determining whether the prescribed motion for the patient has been performed; and wherein transmitting the notification to the covered entity comprises, responsive to a negative determination that the prescribed motion for the patient has been performed, transmitting the notification to a user terminal at the health care facility.

“8. The system of claim 7, wherein the raw sensor data comprises data obtained from one or more of wearable sensors worn by the patient, and cameras and motion sensors at the health care facility.

“9. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the computing device of the covered entity or the computer hardware server comprises the activity evaluation module.

“10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises one of a sensor worn by the individual, a sensor on a piece of equipment, a gyroscopic sensor, an accelerometer, a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, and a GPS sensor.

“11. A computer-implemented method for activity evaluation, comprising: receiving, by a communications device, sensor data based on at least one sensor proximate to an individual associated with and distinct from a covered entity; collecting, by an activity evaluation module, the sensor data; analyzing, by the activity evaluation module, the collected sensor data to determine activity characteristics of the individual; outputting, by the activity evaluation module, an activity evaluation based on the activity characteristics; receiving, by a computer hardware server in communication with the communications device, a data storage device storing at least one activity guideline associated with the individual, and the activity evaluation module, and operated by a risk management entity remote from the at least one sensor, the collected sensor data and the activity evaluation; responsive to the one or both of collected sensor data and the activity evaluation being indicative of conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline stored in the data storage device, adjusting, by the computer hardware server, data corresponding to a parameter of a risk management policy so as to provide an adjustment favorable to the covered entity; and responsive to the one or both of collected sensor data and the activity evaluation being indicative of conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline being indicative of non-conformance with the at least one activity guideline stored in the data storage device, transmitting, by the computer hardware server, a notification to one of a computing device of the covered entity or a device of the individual.

“12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the individual associated with and distinct from the covered entity comprises an employee of the covered entity returning from an injury; wherein the at least one activity guideline comprises a recovery plan prescribed for the employee; wherein the sensor data comprises data indicative of one or more of body movement, body orientation, frequency of movement, duration of movement, movement distance, and calories expended, calculated based upon raw sensor data; further comprising determining by the computer hardware server conformance or non-conformance by the individual with the at least one activity guideline, the determining comprising determining, based on the sensor data, whether the employee has conformed with the recovery plan prescribed for the employee; and wherein transmitting the notification comprises transmitting the notification to the computing device of the covered entity, responsive to a negative determination that the employee has conformed with the recovery plan.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Amigo, Andrew J. Activity evaluation sensor systems and methods. U.S. Patent Number 11367143, filed June 23, 2020, and published online on June 21, 2022. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11367143.PN.&OS=PN/11367143RS=PN/11367143

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