System and method for sending medical emergency alerts

• US 10,043,369 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Better Alerts, LLC
• Original Assignee: Better Alerts, LLC
• Inventors: Hopkins, Douglas, Hall, Shareif, McNeill, Robert J
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US14/664,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A system for sending medical emergency alerts including a device body adapted to be attached to a user, an accelerometer connected to the device body, a wireless communications module, a user interface, a processor in communication with the accelerometer, the wireless communications module, and the user interface, a memory in communication with the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive acceleration data from the accelerometer, analyze the acceleration data to determine if a fall condition is present, and when the fall condition is present, communicate, via the wireless communication module, an alert to a caregiver mobile device, wherein the alert is adapted to indicate that the user wearing the device body has fallen.

Claims

1. A system for sending medical emergency alerts comprising:

a device body adapted to be attached to a user, the device body including

an accelerometer,

a first wireless communications module in communication with the accelerometer;

a user interface; and

a user device including a processor and a second wireless communications module, the second wireless communications module controlled by the processor, the second wireless communications module in wireless communication to communicate with the accelerometer and the user interface, wherein the second wireless communications module includes a database storing a plurality of contacts associated with the user, wherein at least one contact is an emergency contact, and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to

receive acceleration data from the accelerometer,

analyze the acceleration data to determine if a fall condition is present, and

when the fall condition is present, communicate, via the second wireless communication module, a fall alert to a caregiver mobile device, wherein the fall alert is adapted to indicate that the user wearing the device body has fallen,

wherein when the fall condition is present, send a communication, via the user device, to at least one emergency contact associated with the user, wherein the communication indicates that the user wearing the device body has fallen;

receive a medication schedule, wherein the medication schedule includes a medicine name and a medication time;

receive a current time from the clock;

when the current time matches the medication time, displaying a medication reminder on the user interface including the medication name, wherein the medication reminder includes a request to the user to confirm that a medication has been taken, wherein the request is satisfied when the user performs a predefined action;

wherein when the user interface has not detected the action after a predetermined period of time after displaying the medication reminder, communicate a medicine alert to the caregiver mobile device, wherein the medicine alert includes a notification of the user'"'"'s failure to confirm that the medication has been taken;

wherein the medicine alert is sent to the emergency contact only after the caregiver has chosen to have the medicine alert sent to the emergency contact.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device body further includes a positioning sensor in communication with the processor, wherein the memory includes further instructions that cause the processor to:

receive a geofence via the second wireless communication module,

receive a current location from the positioning sensor, and

when the current location is outside the geofence, communicate a geofence alert to the caregiver mobile device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the device body includes a vibrating motor, wherein the vibrating motor vibrates when the user leaves the geofence.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further includes instruction to:

when the user interface detects the action, communicate, to the caregiver mobile device, a medicine confirmation alert adapted to notify a caregiver that the medication has been taken.

5. The system of claim 1, further including a mobile telephone unit in communication with the processor, wherein the mobile telephone unit is adapted to provide mobile telephone call functionality, wherein when the fall condition is present, initiating a mobile telephone call with an emergency service line.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a mobile telephone unit in communication with the processor, wherein the mobile telephone unit is adapted to provide mobile telephone call functionality, wherein when the fall condition is present, initiating a mobile telephone call with the caregiver mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a pedometer in communication with the processor.

8. The system of claim 1, further including a heart rate monitor in communication with the processor.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to determining a fall condition, the processor displays, via the user interface a prompt requesting safety verification by pressing a specified control on the user interface,

in response to detecting the user pressed the specified control, refraining from executing the step of communicating an alert to a caregiver mobile device, and

in response to failing to detect the user pressed the specified control, communicating to a caregiver mobile device that the user failed to confirm his or her safety.

9. A system for sending medical emergency alerts comprising:

a device body adapted to be attached to a user, the device body including

an accelerometer;

a first mobile device including a first wireless communications module, a first user interface, a first memory, and a first processor in communication with the first wireless communications module, the first user interface, and the first memory;

a second mobile device including

a second wireless communications module in communication with the first wireless communications module, wherein the second wireless communications module includes a database storing a plurality of contacts associated with the user, wherein at least one contact is an emergency contact,

a second user interface,

a second processor in communication with the accelerometer, the second wireless communications module, and the second user interface,

a second memory in communication with the second processor, the second memory including instructions that, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to

receive acceleration data from the accelerometer,

analyze the acceleration data to determine if a fall condition is present,

when the fall condition is present, communicate, via the second wireless communications module, an alert to the first mobile device, wherein the alert is adapted to indicate that the user wearing the device body has fallen,

wherein when the fall condition is present, send an SMS message to at least one emergency contact associated with the user, wherein the SMS message indicates that the user wearing the device body has fallen;

wherein the first memory includes instructions that, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to

receive the alert from the second mobile device, and

display a notification of the alert via the first user interface;

wherein at least one of the second memory and the first memory include instructions to;

receive a medication schedule, wherein the medication schedule includes a medicine name and a medication time,

wherein the second memory includes instructions to;

receive a current time from the clock,

when the current time matches the medication time, display a medication reminder on the second user interface including the medication name, wherein the reminder includes a request to the user to confirm that the medication has been taken, wherein the request is satisfied when the user performs an action,

when the second user interface has not detected the action after a predetermined period of time after displaying the medication reminder, communicate a medicine alert to the first mobile device, wherein the medicine alert includes a notification of the user'"'"'s failure to confirm that the medication has been taken;

wherein the medicine alert is sent to the emergency contact only after the caregiver has chosen to have the medicine alert sent to the emergency contact.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the device body further includes a positioning sensor in communication with the second processor, wherein the first memory includes further instructions that cause the first processor to:

receive one or more inputs defining a geofence, and

communicate the geofence to the second processor via the first wireless communication module, and

wherein the second memory includes further instructions that cause the second processor to;

receive the geofence via the second wireless communication module,

receive a current location from the positioning sensor, and

when the current location is outside the geofence, communicate a geofence alert to the first processor, wherein the first processor displays a geofence alert notification on the first user interface.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second memory further includes instruction to:

when the second user interface detects the action, communicate a medicine confirmation alert to the first mobile device.

12. The system of claim 9, further including a mobile telephone unit in communication with the second processor, wherein the mobile telephone unit is adapted to provide mobile telephone call functionality, wherein when the fall condition is present, initiating a mobile telephone call with an emergency service line.

13. The system of claim 9, further including a second mobile telephone unit in communication with the second processor, further including a first mobile telephone unit in communication with the first processor, wherein the second mobile telephone unit and the first mobile telephone unit are adapted to provide mobile telephone call functionality, wherein, when the fall condition is present, initiating a mobile telephone call between the second mobile telephone unit and the first mobile telephone unit.

14. The system of claim 9, further including a pedometer in communication with the second processor.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to determining a fall condition, the processor displays, via the user interface a prompt requesting safety verification by pressing a specified control on the user interface,

in response to detecting the user pressed the specified control, refraining from executing the step of communicating an alert to a caregiver mobile device, and

in response to failing to detect the user pressed the specified control, communicating to a caregiver mobile device that the user failed to confirm his or her safety.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein via the second wireless communications module processor, when the second user interface has not detected the action after a predetermined period of time after displaying the medication reminder, communicate a medicine alert to, send an SMS message to at least one emergency contact associated with the user, wherein the SMS message indicates a medicine alert.