Patent ID: 8417215

Claim:
A tracking method for tracking a mobile local wireless device in a medical facility having a medical facility network, the tracking method comprising: detecting the mobile local wireless device, which is not connected with the medical facility network, based on local wireless communication between the mobile local wireless device and at least one nearby mobile wireless network device that is wirelessly connected with the medical facility network; determining locations of a plurality of mobile wireless network devices that are wirelessly connected with the medical facility network based on wireless network connections between the mobile wireless network devices and the medical facility network, the plurality of mobile wireless network devices including the at least one nearby mobile wireless network device; estimating a location of the mobile local wireless device within the medical facility based on the local wireless communication and the determined location of the at least one nearby mobile wireless network device; repeating the detecting; during a subsequent detecting, identifying a change in the local wireless communication between the mobile local wireless device and the at least one nearby mobile wireless network device, the change including at least one of (i) loss of local wireless communication between the mobile local wireless device and at least one nearby mobile wireless network device during the subsequent detecting and (ii) pickup of a new local wireless communication between the mobile local wireless device and a mobile wireless network device other than the at least one nearby mobile wireless network device of the initial detecting; and updating the location of the mobile local wireless device within the medical facility based on the change.