Patent Issued for Automated dynamic content scheduler (USPTO 11120045): Hartford Fire Insurance Company

2021 SEP 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Goede, Elizabeth B. (Scituate, MA, US), Iglesias, Marcos Alfonso (Valley Park, MO, US), filed on May 22, 2020, was published online on September 14, 2021.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11120045 is Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “In applications associated with distributed communication networks, it may be important to help facilitate and/or determine when one or more communication devices transition from a second state back into a first state. Such information can, for example, be used to take remedial steps to hasten the communication device’s return to the first state and/or allow an enterprise to take other steps in anticipation of the communication device not returning to the first state in the near future. Facilitating a return to the first state, however, can be a time consuming and error prone task-especially when there are a substantial number of communication devices. It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods to facilitate a communication device’s ability to transition back to a first state.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “A system is disclosed wherein a selection server is in communication with a potential communication device database and a currently participating device database, the potential communication device database storing information about communication devices associated with a transition from a first state to a second state, including at least one communication address associated with each communication device. The selection server may automatically identify a communication device as meeting a pre-determined criteria and copy information about the identified communication device from the potential communication device database to the currently participating device database. A scheduling server may automatically schedule a series of communication events between a monitoring device and the identified communication device and arrange for a communication link to be established for each of the scheduled series of communication events until a transition from the second state back to the first state is detected for the identified communication device.

“By facilitating a communication device’s ability to transition back to a first state, embodiments may provide improved data exchange over a distributed communication network.

“With these and other advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims, and the drawings attached hereto.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method for improved device selection and data exchange over a distributed communications network, comprising: automatically generating, by a predictive model component, a selection algorithm to indicate that a worker associated with a communication device has been in a second state for at least a threshold period of time and that the worker associated with the communication device exhibits a set of behavioral characteristics; accessing, by a selection server, information in a potential communication database, the potential communication device database storing information about a plurality of communication devices associated with workers, of an employer, who transition from a first state to the second state as a result of a work-related physical injury, including at least one communication address associated with each communication device; automatically identifying, by the selection server, a communication device as meeting the selection algorithm generated by the predictive model component; copying, by the selection server, information about the identified communication device from the potential communication device database to a currently participating device database; measuring, by an activity tracking device, movement data and sleep quality of the worker; transmitting the movement data and sleep quality from the activity tracking device to a software application, executing on the identified communication device, to facilitate a detection that the worker identified with the communication device has transitioned from the second state back to the first state; automatically scheduling, by a scheduling server of an insurer providing workers’ compensation benefits for the employer, a series of communication events between a monitoring device and the identified communication device, using the communication address, via the distributed communication network; arranging, by the scheduling server, for a communication link to be established in accordance with each of the scheduled series of communication events until the transition from the second state back to the first state is detected for the worker associated with the identified communication device; and transmitting information about the identified communication device, the automatically scheduled series of communication events, the movement data and sleep quality measured by the activity tracking device, the work-related physical injury, at least one workers’ compensation insurance claim, and the transition from the from the second state back to the first state to the predictive model component to improve the selection algorithm.

“2. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed communication network is associated with at least one of a public switched telephone network, the Internet, and a web portal.

“3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified communication device is associated with at least one of: a telephone, a personal computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet computer, and a chat interface.

“4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: automatically arranging for a physical item to be delivered to a postal address associated with the communication device in connection with at least some of the scheduled series of communication events.

“5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling server automatically arranges for a physical workbook to be delivered in connection with a first of the scheduled series of communication events.

“6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one physical item is associated with at least one of: an activity tracking device, a water bottle, a wrist band, a stress ball, a sleeping mask, a cap or visor, training media, and a certificate of completion.

“7. The method of claim 3, wherein the identified communication device is associated with an ill or injured worker, the first state is associated with an “at work” or “fully functional” status, and the second state is associated with a “not at work” or “non-fully functional” status.

“8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one intermediate state exists between the “at work” or “fully functional” and “not at work” or “non-fully functional” states, including a “modified work duty” or “partially functional” state.

“9. The method of claim 7, wherein the monitoring device is associated with a recovery coach to encourage at least one of: physical activity, social activity, and cognitive activity.

“10. The method of claim 7, wherein the software application executing at the identified communication device is associated with at least one of: workbook materials, training media, activity tracking features, and goal tracking functionality.

“11. The method of claim 10, wherein information measured by the activity tracking device and information about the ill or injured worker’s activity are accessible by the ill or injured worker and a recovery coach via a web portal.

“12. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection algorithm is further based on at least one of: a geographic location, a type of injury, whether an ill or injured worker’s attorney approval is required, a language spoken, and a risk score.

“13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of behavioral characteristics includes at least one of: an expectation, a belief, catastrophic thinking, fear, perceived injustice, passivity, a lack of coping skills, unfairness, anger, sleep issues, and stress.

“14. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions, that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to perform a method for improved device selection and data exchange over a distributed communications network, the method comprising: automatically generating, by a predictive model component, a selection algorithm to indicate that a worker associated with a communication device has been in a second state for at least a threshold period of time and that the worker associated with the communication device exhibits a set of behavioral characteristics; accessing, by a selection server, information in a potential communication database, the potential communication device database storing information about a plurality of communication devices associated with workers, of an employer, who transition from a first state to the second state as a result of a work-related physical injury, including at least one communication address associated with each communication device; automatically identifying, by the selection server, a communication device as meeting the selection algorithm generated by the predictive model component; copying, by the selection server, information about the identified communication device from the potential communication device database to a currently participating device database; measuring, by an activity tracking device, movement data and sleep quality of the worker; transmitting the movement data and sleep quality from the activity tracking device to a software application, executing on the identified communication device, to facilitate a detection that the worker identified with the communication device has transitioned from the second state back to the first state; automatically scheduling, by a scheduling server of an insurer providing workers’ compensation benefits for the employer, a series of communication events between a monitoring device and the identified communication device, using the communication address, via the distributed communication network; arranging, by the scheduling server, for a communication link to be established in accordance with each of the scheduled series of communication events until the transition from the second state back to the first state is detected for the worker associated with the identified communication device; and transmitting information about the identified communication device, the automatically scheduled series of communication events, the movement data and sleep quality measured by the activity tracking device, the work-related physical injury, at least one workers’ compensation insurance claim, and the transition from the from the second state back to the first state to the predictive model component to improve the selection algorithm.

“15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the distributed communication network is associated with at least one of a public switched telephone network, the Internet, and a web portal.

“16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the identified communication device is associated with at least one of: a telephone, a personal computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet computer, and a chat interface.

“17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: automatically arranging for a physical item to be delivered to a postal address associated with the communication device in connection with at least some of the scheduled series of communication events.

“18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the scheduling server automatically arranges for a physical workbook to be delivered in connection with a first of the scheduled series of communication events.

“19. The medium of claim 17, wherein at least one physical item is associated with at least one of: an activity tracking device, a water bottle, a wrist band, a stress ball, a sleeping mask, a cap or visor, training media, and a certificate of completion.

“20. The medium of claim 16, wherein the identified communication device is associated with an ill or injured worker, the first state is associated with an “at work” or “fully functional” status, and the second state is associated with a “not at work” or “non-fully functional” status.

“21. The medium of claim 20, wherein at least one intermediate state exists between the “at work” or “fully functional” and “not at work” or “non-fully functional” states, including a “modified work duty” or “partially functional” state.”

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

For additional information on this patent, see: Goede, Elizabeth B. Automated dynamic content scheduler. U.S. Patent Number 11120045, filed May 22, 2020, and published online on September 14, 2021. 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=11120045.PN.&OS=PN/11120045RS=PN/11120045

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