Power management techniques for increasing battery life in an alert generation system

• US 10,299,103 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invisaware Technologies LLC, invisaWear Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: invisaWear Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Hamilton, Raymond, Abdelaziz, Rajia
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Kiet M
• Application Number:
  US16/032,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20190020991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455522, 4554041, 4554141, 348 1402, 34053912, 600483, 600301, 600 3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems and methods for providing an emergency alert notification. An electronic communication device can receive, from an alert generation device, a low power advertising packet responsive to an action performed on the alert generation device. Before the action is performed, the alert generation device can be in a low power state, such as a sleep state, to conserve battery. The action can cause the alert generation device to transition from the low power state to a second state in which the alert generation device begins transmitting the advertising packet. The electronic communication device can identify at least one emergency contact to receive an alert based on a contact policy and can determine an alert type based on the contact policy. The electronic communication device can generate the alert including a request for assistance and can transmit the alert to the at least one emergency contact.

Claims

1. A system for providing an emergency alert notification, comprising an alert generation device and an electronic communication device, the electronic communication device configured to:

receive, from the alert generation device comprising a triggering element, a low power advertising packet via a short-range wireless communication protocol responsive to an action performed on the triggering element of the alert generation device causing the alert generation device to switch from a first state to a second state, wherein the alert generation device is configured to consume more power in the second state than the first state, the low power advertising packet including at least one field including a value reserved for advertising packets; and

responsive to the electronic communication device receiving the low power advertising packet from the alert generation device, the electronic communication device further configured to;

determine a current location of the electronic communication device using a sensor of the electronic communication device;

select a contact policy from a plurality of contact policies based on at least the current location of the electronic communication device and calendar information of a user stored in a memory element of the electronic communication device, wherein the plurality of contact policies are stored in the memory element of the electronic communication device;

identify at least one emergency contact to receive an alert based on the selected contact policy, wherein the electronic communication device is configured to identify the at least one emergency contact of the user by determining, based on the calendar information, that the user of the electronic device is scheduled to be at an event when the low energy advertising packet is received;

determine an alert type associated with the at least one emergency contact based on the selected contact policy; and

transmit a communication event to a remote communication device of the first emergency contact, the communication event including a request for assistance, the communication event corresponding to the determined alert type and configured to generate the alert on the remote communication device of the first emergency contact.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device identifies the at least one emergency contact by:

determining a respective current location of each of a plurality of contacts; and

identifying the at least one emergency contact from among the plurality of contacts based on a proximity of the current location of each of the plurality of contacts to the current location of the electronic communication device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device further receives a response to the alert from a computing device associated with the at least one emergency contact, the response indicating that the at least one emergency contact received the alert.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is further configured to:

determine that the at least one emergency contact has not provided a response to the alert within a predetermined time period;

identify, responsive to the determination that the at least one emergency contact has not provided the response to the alert within the predetermined time period, at least a second emergency contact to receive a second alert based on the contact policy;

determine an alert type of the second alert based on the contact policy;

generate the second alert including a request for assistance, the second alert corresponding to the alert type; and

transmit the second alert to the second emergency contact.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is further configured to generate, responsive to receiving the low energy advertising packet, an audible alarm.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is further configured to generate a visual indication that the alert was transmitted to the at least one emergency contact.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device transmits the alert to the at least one emergency contact by updating a status of a social media account of a user of the electronic communication device to indicate that the user of the electronic communication device may require emergency assistance.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is further configured to generate the alert to include an indication of the location of the electronic device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication device is further configured to:

track, for a predetermined time period, the location of the electronic communication device; and

update, during the predetermined period of time, a website to include an indication of the location of the electronic device during the predetermined time period, wherein the alert comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) of the website.

10. A method for providing an emergency alert notification, comprising:

receiving, by an electronic communication device from an alert generation device comprising a triggering element, a low power advertising packet via a short-range wireless communication protocol responsive to an action performed on the triggering element of the alert generation device causing the alert generation device to switch from a first state to a second state, wherein the alert generation device is configured to consume more power in the second state than the first state, the low power advertising packet including at least one field including a value reserved for advertising packets; and

responsive to the electronic communication device receiving the low power advertising packet from the alert generation device;

determining, by the electronic communication device, a current location of the electronic communication device using a sensor of the electronic communication device;

selecting, by the electronic communication device, a contact policy from a plurality of contact policies based on at least the current location of the electronic communication device and calendar information of a user stored in a memory element of the electronic communication device, wherein the plurality of contact policies are stored in the memory element of the electronic communication device;

identifying, by the electronic communication device, at least one emergency contact to receive an alert based on the selected contact policy, wherein the electronic communication device is configured to identify the at least one emergency contact of the user by determining, based on the calendar information, that the user of the electronic device is scheduled to be at an event when the low energy advertising packet is received;

determining, by the electronic communication device, an alert type associated with the at least one emergency contact based on the selected contact policy; and

transmitting, by the electronic communication device, a communication event to a remote communication device of the first emergency contact, the communication event including a request for assistance, the communication event corresponding to the determined alert type and configured to generate the alert on the remote communication device of the first emergency contact.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the at least one emergency contact comprises:

determining, by the electronic communication device, a respective current location of each of a plurality of contacts; and

identifying the at least one emergency contact from among the plurality of contacts based on a proximity of the current location of each of the plurality of contacts to the current location of the electronic communication device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, by the electronic communication device, a response to the alert from a computing device associated with the at least one emergency contact, the response indicating that the at least one emergency contact received the alert.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the electronic communication device, that the at least one emergency contact has not provided a response to the alert within a predetermined time period;

identifying, by the electronic communication device responsive to the determination that the at least one emergency contact has not provided the response to the alert within the predetermined time period, at least a second emergency contact to receive a second alert based on the contact policy;

determining, by the electronic communication device, an alert type of the second alert based on the contact policy;

generating, by the electronic communication device, the second alert including a request for assistance, the second alert corresponding to the alert type; and

transmitting, by the electronic communication device, the second alert to the second emergency contact.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating, by the electronic communication device responsive to receiving the low energy advertising packet, an audible alarm.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating, by the electronic communication device, a visual indication that the alert was transmitted to the at least one emergency contact.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the alert to the at least one emergency contact comprises updating a status of a social media account of a user of the electronic communication device to indicate that the user of the electronic communication device may require emergency assistance.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating, by the electronic communication device, the alert to include an indication of the location of the electronic device.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

tracking, by the electronic communication device for a predetermined time period, the location of the electronic communication device; and

updating, by the electronic communication device during the predetermined period of time, a website to include an indication of the location of the electronic device during the predetermined time period, wherein the alert comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) of the website.