System, method, and apparatus for providing help

• US 10,492,054 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2019
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PGG Investments LLC
• Original Assignee: Ways Investments, LLC
• Inventors: Gray, Mark Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US16/292,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20190289450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 providing help includes at least one digital assistant and a wireless data interface for connecting the digital assistants to a server. A plurality of agent computers is connected to the server by a data network. Each of the at least one digital assistants is preprogrammed and centrally managed with at least one skill for recognizing a preprogrammed specific utterance and each of the at least one digital assistants is pre-configured to connect with the wireless data interface. After the preprogrammed specific utterance is detected by one of the digital assistants, that digital assistant initiates a request for help to the server and upon receiving the request for the help, the server assigns one of the agent computers and forwards the request for help to the one of the agent computers.

Claims

1. A system for providing help, the system comprising:

at least one digital assistant;

a wireless data interface for connecting the digital assistants to a server;

a plurality of agent computers, each of the plurality of agent computers connected to the server by a data network;

whereas each of the at least one digital assistants is preprogrammed with at least one skill, the at least one skill including the skill for recognizing a preprogrammed specific utterance and each of the at least one digital assistants is pre-configured to connect with the wireless data interface;

whereas after the preprogrammed specific utterance is detected by one of the digital assistants, the one of the digital assistants initiates a request for help to the server;

whereas after receiving the request for the help, the server assigns one of the agent computers and forwards the request for the help to the one of the agent computers;

wherein each of the at least one digital assistant automatically connects to the server through the wireless data interface; and

wherein the server periodically confirms that the at least one digital assistant remains connected to the server and if the at least one digital assistant is found not to be connected to the server, the server initiates an escalation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless data interface is a mobile hotspot.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one digital assistant is pre-configured to automatically connect to the mobile hotspot.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a generated, unique user email address identifies a user account associated with the at least one digital assistant for protecting privacy.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user account is created with a provider of the at least one digital assistant using the unique user email address.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein if the at least one digital assistant is found to be connected to the server, the server initiates a vocal request to at least one of the digital assistants and if the at least one of the digital assistants does not receive a verbal answer to the vocal request within a predetermined time period, the server initiates the escalation.

7. A method of providing help, the method comprising:

creating a user account and a unique user email;

allocating at least one digital assistants to the user account;

creating a provider account with a provider of the at least one digital assistants using the unique user email;

preprogramming a skill into the at least one digital assistant, the skill recognizing a preprogrammed specific utterance;

providing a connectivity between each of the at least one digital assistants and a server;

listening for the preprogrammed specific utterance by each of the at least one digital assistants and, upon recognizing the preprogrammed specific utterance by one of the at least one digital assistants, the one of the at least one digital assistants sending a request for help to the server;

upon receiving the request for the help, the server forwarding the request for help to an agent computer;

upon initialization, each of the at least one digital assistants connects to the server; and

periodically determining if each of the at least one digital assistants is connected to the server and if any of the at least one digital assistants is disconnected from the server, initiating an escalation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the connectivity between each of the at least one digital assistants and the server includes a mobile hotspot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile hotspot and each of the at least one digital assistants are preprogrammed to connect to each other.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

if all of the at least one digital assistants is connected to the server, sending a vocal request to at least one of digital assistants and waiting for a predetermined time period for a vocal answer;

if the vocal answer is not detected within the predetermined time period, initiating the escalation.

11. A system for providing help, the system comprising:

at least one digital assistant;

each of the at least one digital assistants is preprogrammed with at least one skill, the at least one skill including recognizing a preprogrammed specific utterance and each of the at least one digital assistants is pre-configured to connect with a mobile hotspot;

the mobile hotspot is preprogrammed for connecting to a server;

a unique user phone number is created to protect privacy of a user of the system for providing help;

a provider account created using the unique user phone number to protect the privacy of the user;

an account in the system for providing help for the user, the account having information for the user and the account having the unique user phone number;

whereas after the preprogrammed specific utterance is detected by one of the digital assistants, the one of the digital assistants initiates a request for help and a call is made to the server having a caller-id of the unique user phone number; and

upon reception of the request for help, the server recognizes the unique user phone number and assigns an agent computer and forwards the request for help to the agent computer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one digital assistant automatically connects to the server through the mobile hotspot.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server periodically confirms that the at least one digital assistant remains connected to the server and if the at least one digital assistant is found not to be connected to the server, the server initiates an escalation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein if the at least one digital assistant is found to be connected to the server, the server initiates a vocal request to at least one of the digital assistants and if the at least one of the digital assistants does not receive a verbal answer to the vocal request within a predetermined time period, the server initiates the escalation.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the account in the turn-key system for providing help for the user is indexed by the unique user phone number and the account includes an address of the user, health of the user, medications prescribed for the user, and contacts for local help related to the user.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the contacts for local help related to the user comprise a one or more contacts selected from the group consisting of a contact for a relative, a contact for local emergency medical services, a contact for local police, a contact of a relative, a contact of a clergy, a contact of a local fire department, and a contact of staff assigned to the user.