Patent Issued for Systems and methods for switching between communication channels using secure healthcare communication system (USPTO 11956276): LifeWIRE Corporation

2024 APR 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Marvici, Chaitanya (Toronto, CA), Rosen, Howard (Toronto, CA), Whitbeck, Donald (Toronto, CA), filed on September 23, 2022, was published online on April 9, 2024.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11956276, is LifeWIRE Corporation (Toronto, Canada).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Care providers, such as healthcare providers, doctors, nurses, physicians, parents, social workers, or other similar providers of care, must often communicate frequently with those receiving theft care (i.e. care receivers such as patients, elderly persons, children, or other users that may receive care or assistance from a care provider). These care providers are often tasked with following up with their care receivers, checking on their status, receiving updates, and providing reminders and/or other messages related to the care receivers’ care. Further, at times care receivers may need reminder messages from their care providers for various reasons, for example, to follow up with the care receivers an how they are reacting to a prescribed medicine, to schedule an annual checkup appointment, or to check a care receivers health, etc.

“Care receivers can often share a communication device among family members or may use a communication device that is accessible by other users. For example, these may include individuals who receive Medicare, Medicaid, and/or are financially challenged and cannot afford communication devices for each individual. Sharing of communication device often results in communications between care receivers and care providers being accessible by other family members, users or other individuals. Unfortunately, this would result in the patient’s privacy being compromised. As a result, care providers have to be careful about disclosing sensitive information and further have to be careful about violating Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws.

“Further, many care receivers use various communication platforms such as, web browser, text messaging applications such as short messaging services (SMS) messaging, video calling applications, audio call applications or social networking applications such as Facebook messenger or Whatsapp, based on their circumstances or preferences. For example, many care receivers residing in rural areas have poor access to cell coverage because of which they prefer texting messaging over email or video communications, many care receivers do not have smart mobile phones or the ability to download separate mobile applications for communication, further some care receivers prefer to communicate via short messaging services (SMS) messaging, while others prefer to communicate via email or social networking applications like Facebook messenger.

“Switching between different communication platforms is difficult to do because many times care receivers would lose access to previous communications on a different communication platform upon switching and many times as the previous communications may be deleted from the communication device resulting in no record of previous communications. By not having access to previous communications care providers and care receivers would not be able to review previous communications that may include vital information, such as a care receivers previous health conditions, medications prescribed to the care receiver, etc which may be utilized by care providers for future treatments. These issues need to be solved in order for care providers to effectively and securely communicate with care receivers and other users.

“Further, care receivers communicate with their care providers (e.g. health care providers) via various communication platforms using various communication devices (e.g., mobile phone, personal computer, laptop, tablet, etc.) to receive their records (e.g., medical records), ask and/or respond to follow up questions. Some care receivers may prefer to keep their communications private communications may be required to be protected under local, state or federal regulations.

“If a care receiver uses a communication device that is shared by his/her family members or uses a communication device that is accessible by other users, then their communications with the health care providers would be accessible by other family members or users. In some instances, the care provider may not be allowed to communicate with an individual other than the care receiver. This again results in the patient’s privacy being compromised.

“Further, each time a care receiver communicates with health care providers, the care receiver does not have access to his/her previous communications. By way of example, when the care receiver utilizes a first communication device to initiate communication with health care providers over a particular platform and then switches to a different communication device for future communications over a another communication platform, the care receiver cannot access previous communications. This results in an inefficient communication method that limits care receivers and care providers alike from accessing vital information seamlessly over multiple communication devices. This causes technical disadvantages of not being able to transition care receiver data over multiple communication platforms.

“Accordingly, there is a need for a system that provides a technical solution for the above-noted problems.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for switching between communication platforms using a secure healthcare communication system, the system comprising: a healthcare provider server device comprising: one or more memory devices storing instructions; and one or n ore processors configured to execute the instructions to: transmit a communication switch request to a first communication platform on a user device associated with a care receiver based on preferences stored in a database. Establish a first communication channel between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate one or more messages to the first communication platform. Communicate the one or more messages over the first communication channel to the first communication platform. Receive a communication switch initiation request from the user device. Transmit an encoded message over the first communication channel to the first communication platform in response to receiving the communication switch initiation request, the encoded message including an identifier associated with a second communication platform. Store the one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel as a first set of messages in the database. Switch to an encrypted second communication channel from the first communication channel in response to receiving an encrypted communication initiation request, wherein the encrypted communication initiation request is generated based on the identifier and wherein the encrypted second communication channel is established between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate with the second communication platform. Retrieve the first set of messages stored in the database. Transmit the retrieved first set of messages for display on the second communication platform over the encrypted second communication channel.

“In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there is also provided a computer implemented method for switching between communication platforms using a secure healthcare communication system comprising a healthcare provider server device, the method comprising: transmitting a communication switch request to a first communication platform on a user device associated with a care receiver based on preferences stored in a database. Establishing a first communication channel between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate one or more messages to the first communication platform.

“Communicating the one or more messages over the first communication channel to the first communication platform. Receiving a communication switch initiation request from the user device. Transmitting an encoded message over the first communication channel to the first communication platform in response to receiving the communication switch initiation request, the encoded message including an identifier associated with a second communication platform. Storing the one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel as a first set of messages in the database. Switching to an encrypted second communication channel from the first communication channel in response to receiving an encrypted communication initiation request, wherein the encrypted communication initiation request is generated based on the identifier and wherein the encrypted second communication channel is established between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate with the second communication platform. Retrieving the first set of messages stored in the database. Transmit the retrieved first set of messages for display on the second communication platform over the encrypted second communication channel.

“In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there is further provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations for switching between communication platforms using a secure healthcare communication system comprising a healthcare provider server device, the operations comprising: transmitting a communication switch request to a first communication platform on a user device associated with a care receiver based on preferences stored in a database. Establishing a first communication channel between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate one or more messages to the first communication platform.

“Communicating the one or more messages over the first communication channel to the first communication platform. Receiving a communication switch initiation request from the user device. Transmitting an encoded message over the first communication channel to the first communication platform in response to receiving the communication switch initiation request, the encoded message including an identifier associated with a second communication platform. Storing the one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel as a first set of messages in the database. Switching to an encrypted second communication channel from the first communication channel in response to receiving an encrypted communication initiation request, wherein the encrypted communication initiation request is generated based on the identifier and wherein the encrypted second communication channel is established between the user device and the healthcare provider server device to communicate with the second communication platform. Retrieving the first set of messages stored in the database. Transmit the retrieved first set of messages for display on the second communication platform over the encrypted second communication channel.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer implemented method for switching between communication platforms, the method being performed by a healthcare provider server device of a secure healthcare communication system, the method comprising: receiving a communication switch initiation request from a user device associated with a care receiver; transmitting an encoded message over a first communication channel to a first communication platform in response to receiving the communication switch initiation request, the encoded message including an identifier associated with a second communication platform; determining whether an encrypted communication initiation request is received; switching to a second communication channel from the first communication channel in response to receiving the encrypted communication initiation request, wherein the encrypted communication initiation request is generated based on the identifier; encrypting the second communication channel; and based on a determination that the encrypted communication request is not received, establishing a third communication channel and transmitting a communication switch request over the third communication channel to a third communication platform on the user device.

“2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel are stored in a database.

“3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: retrieving the one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel from the database; and transmitting the retrieved one or more messages to the second communication platform over the second communication channel.

“4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel and the second communication channel enable communication between the user device and the healthcare provider server.

“5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a smartphone, laptop or notebook computer, a tablet, a multifunctional watch, or a pair of multifunctional glasses.

“6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL), a QR code, a barcode, or an embedded identifier.

“7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication platform comprises a short messaging service (SMS) application, and the second communication platform comprises a web browser application, an audio calling application, or a video calling application.

“8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a first survey message to the second communication platform over the encrypted second communication channel after displaying a first set of messages; and receiving a response to the first survey message from the user device.

“9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining whether the received response to the first survey message includes a numerical character; identifying, when the received response to the first survey message includes the numerical character, a user response to the first survey message based on the numerical character; and updating a database with the identified user response.

“10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining whether the received response includes one or more non-numerical characters; determining, when the received response includes the one or more non-numerical characters, whether the one or more non-numerical characters can be converted into a numerical character; and converting the one or more non-numerical characters into a numerical character based on the determination, wherein the numerical character is associated with a user response to the first survey message.

“11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: identifying the user response to the first survey message based on the numerical character; and updating a database with the identified user response to the first survey message.

“12. A system for switching between communication platforms using a secure healthcare communication system, the system comprising: one or more memory devices storing instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to: receive a communication switch initiation request from a user device associated with a care receiver; transmit an encoded message over a first communication channel to a first communication platform in response to receiving the communication switch initiation request, the encoded message including an identifier associated with a second communication platform; determine whether an encrypted communication initiation request is received, switch to a second communication channel from the first communication channel in response to receiving the encrypted communication initiation request, wherein the encrypted communication initiation request is generated based on the identifier; encrypt the second communication channel; and based on a determination that the encrypted communication request is not received, establish a third communication channel and transmit a communication switch request over the third communication channel to a third communication platform on the user device.

“13. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel are stored in a database.

“14. The system of claim 13, the one or more processors being further configured to: retrieve the one or more messages communicated over the first communication channel from the database; and transmit the retrieved one or more messages to the second communication platform over the second communication channel.

“15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first communication channel and the second communication channel enable communication between the user device and a healthcare provider server.

“16. The system of claim 12, the one or more processors being further configured to: transmit a first survey message to the second communication platform over the encrypted second communication channel after displaying a first set of messages; and receive a response to the first survey message from the user device.

“17. The system of claim 16, the one or more processors being further configured to: determine whether the received response to the first survey message includes a numerical character; identify, when the received response to the first survey message includes the numerical character, a user response to the first survey message based on the numerical character; and update a database with the identified user response.

“18. The system of claim 16 the one or more processors being further configured to: determine whether the received response includes one or more non-numerical characters; determine, when the received response includes the one or more non-numerical characters, whether the one or more non-numerical characters can be converted into a numerical character; and convert the one or more non-numerical characters into a numerical character based on the determination, wherein the numerical character is associated with a user response to the first survey message.

“19. The system of claim 18, the one or more processors being further configured to: identify the user response to the first survey message based on the numerical character; and update a database with the identified user response to the first survey message.”

For more information, see this patent: Marvici, Chaitanya. Systems and methods for switching between communication channels using secure healthcare communication system. U.S. Patent Number 11956276, filed September 23, 2022, and published online on April 9, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11956276)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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