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Apparatus or Business Method?

I’ve seen many patents that make use of RFID tags for various identification purposes. But one of the most intriguing is described in this business method patent application from a company called Linen Technology Tracking, LLC. The invention involves inserting water-proof RFID tags into hotel towels. Each of the RFIDs emit a coded signal when the towel passes through various hotel checkpoints. A tracking log is kept of everywhere the towel was taken. If the towel is stolen (as thousands of hotel towels are each year), then the hotel staff is notified. According to the press release:

In the hospitality industry one of the largest expenses of room occupancy is the growing cost of linen supplies; however, hotels nationwide are operating with limited inventory information, control and knowledge of the true costs of these assets. The linentracker solution powered by Fluensee gives hotels the ability to manage thousands of RFID-enabled towels, sheets, bathrobes and other associated assets throughout hotel properties and laundry service providers. Tagged with Linen Technology Tracking’s patented RFID SMARTtags, each asset is scanned and monitored to and from the laundry, in and out of linen closets, at various check-in/out stations, down laundry chutes and even at pool and beach kiosks. AssetTrack’s comprehensive ability to capture these processes in real time combined with a powerful reporting and analytics engine gives hotel operators the unique ability to efficiently manage their investment in these otherwise difficult-to-manage assets.

In the patent application,  a series of method claims were fashioned to cover tracking towel locations.  For example, claim 1 recites,

1. A method of tracking hotel linen, comprising the steps of:

(a) communicatively linking a plurality of identification tags with a tracking control in a wireless connection manner, wherein each of said identification tags contains a unique code preset by said tracking control;

(b) permanently affixing said identification tags at a plurality of hotel linen products respectively;

(c) setting a plurality of check points at different key locations in a hotel respectively to communicatively link with said tracking control, wherein when each of said hotel linen products is moved to one of said checkpoints, said corresponding identification tag is registered thereat; and

(d) generating a tracking record for said hotel linen products in responsive to each of said checkpoints to monitor and manage said hotel linen products so as to greatly improve linen utilization in said hotel.

The takeaway from this is to think about your invention as more than just a device or apparatus.  How will it be used? Is the way in which it will be used itself novel. If so, consider applying for a business method patent.