ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,385,590, issued on Aug. 12, was assigned to STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY (Bloomington, Ill.).
"Flushable pill sensor" was invented by Nathan L. Tofte (Downs, Ill.), Brian N. Harvey (Bloomington, Ill.), Vicki King (Bloomington, Ill.) and Joseph P. Harr (Bloomington, Ill.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A system and method for detecting blockages or leaks in a piping system. A water-resistant pill sensor is tracked while it travels through the piping system. The pill sensor's travel speed, travel time, movement, images, audio, and/or other data determines if a leak or blockage exists, and if so, an electronic notification ...