Smart watch for indicating emergency events

• US 10,573,164 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dauntless Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: Arati P. Singh, Ranjeev K. Singh
• Inventors: Singh, Arati P, Singh, Ranjeev K
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi C
• Application Number:
  US16/130,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20190012901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A portable device including a gesture recognizer module for automatically detecting a specific sequence of gestures is described. The portable device may be used to detect a health, safety, or security related event. The portable device may further include an emergency event module for automatically determining whether the sequence of gestures corresponds to an emergency event. The portable device may further include a proximity detection module for automatically determining whether a mobile device corresponding to a user listed as an emergency contact is in a state of proximity to the portable device. The portable device may further include a notification module for automatically transmitting a message, indicating the emergency event, to the user of the mobile device determined to be in the state of proximity.

Claims

1. A smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to automatically place an emergency call, without any further user interaction, in response to both either a first information received by the at least one processor or a second information received by the at least one processor, (1) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information based on a specific input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the specific input sequence comprising a first input provided by a user of the smart watch followed by a second input provided by the user, wherein the first input comprises an interaction with a user input device associated with the smart watch, different from the touch screen, and the second input comprises a swipe interaction with the touch screen associated with the smart watch, and wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and (2) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the second information in response to automatically detecting by the smart watch that the user has fallen down, and

to, in response to both either the first information received by the at least one processor or the second information received by the at least one processor, without any further user interaction, using a cellular network accessible to the smart watch, automatically obtain a current location of the smart watch and transmit a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

2. The smart watch of claim 1, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

3. The smart watch of claim 2, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of the contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

4. The smart watch of claim 1, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprising instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

5. The smart watch of claim 1 further comprising an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.

6. The smart watch of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprising instructions to automatically obtain an emergency number to dial depending upon a location of the portable device.

7. A smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to automatically obtain an emergency number to dial depending upon a location of the smart watch and automatically place an emergency call to the emergency number, without any further user interaction, in response to both either a first information received by the at least one processor or a second information received by the at least one processor, (1) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information, even when the touch, based on a specific input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, wherein the specific input sequence comprises a first input received by the smart watch via a user input device different from the touch screen and a second input received via the touch screen, and wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and (2) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the second information in response to automatically detecting by the smart watch that the user has fallen down, and

to, in response to both either the first information received by the at least one processor or the second information received by the at least one processor, using a cellular network accessible to the smart watch, and even when the smart watch cannot be served by the cellular network, using a second wireless network accessible to the smart watch, wherein the second wireless network is at least partially different from the cellular network, automatically obtain a current location of the smart watch and transmit a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

8. The smart watch of claim 7, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

9. The smart watch of claim 8, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

10. The smart watch of claim 7, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprising instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

11. The smart watch of claim 7 further comprising an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.

12. The smart watch of claim 7, wherein the user input device comprises a button.

13. A smart watch for use in a cellular network, the smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to automatically place an emergency call, without any further user interaction, in response to both either a first information received by the at least one processor or a second information received by the at least one processor, (1) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information, based on a specific input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the specific input sequence comprising a first input provided by a user of the smart watch followed by a second input provided by the user, wherein the first input comprises an interaction with a button associated with the smart watch and the second input comprises a swipe interaction with the touch screen associated with the smart watch, and wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the first information even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and (2) wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the second information in response to automatically detecting by the smart watch that the user has fallen down, and

to, in response to both either the first information received by the at least one processor or the second information received by the at least one processor, automatically obtain a current location of the smart watch and transmit a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

14. The smart watch of claim 13, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

15. The smart watch of claim 13, wherein the memory further comprising instructions to:

even when the smart watch cannot be served using the cellular network, using a second wireless network, different from the wireless network, automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and automatically transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

16. The smart watch of claim 13, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprises instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

17. The smart watch of claim 13 further comprising an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.

18. A method for using a smart watch in a cellular network, the smart watch comprising at least one processor, and wherein the smart watch having a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state, the method comprising:

in response to information received from the at least one processor based on a specific input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the specific input sequence comprising a first input provided by a user of the smart watch followed by a second input provided by the user, wherein the first input comprises an interaction with a button associated with the smart watch and the second input comprises a swipe interaction with the touch screen associated with the smart watch, without any further user interaction, the smart watch automatically placing an emergency call, and wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the information, even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen; and

in response to the information received by the at least one processor, the smart watch automatically obtaining a current location of the smart watch and transmitting a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor to obtain sensor measurements, the method further comprising the smart watch receiving the sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modifying the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

even when the smart watch cannot be served using the cellular network, using a second wireless network, at least partially different from the cellular network, automatically obtaining the current location of the smart watch and automatically transmitting the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

23. A smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to, automatically place an emergency call, without any further user interaction, in response to information received by the at least one processor based on an input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the input sequence comprising a first input provided by a user of the smart watch followed by a second input provided by the user, wherein the first input comprises an interaction with a user input device associated with the smart watch, different from the touch screen, and the second input comprises a swipe interaction with the touch screen associated with the smart watch, wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the information, even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and

to, in response to the information received by the at least one processor, using a cellular network accessible to the smart watch, and even when the smart watch cannot be served by the cellular network, using a second wireless network accessible to the smart watch, wherein the second wireless network is at least partially different from the cellular network, automatically obtain a current location of the smart watch and transmit a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

24. The smart watch of claim 23, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

25. The smart watch of claim 24, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

26. The smart watch of claim 23, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprising instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

27. The smart watch of claim 23 further comprising an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.

28. A smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or in an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to automatically place an emergency call, in response to information received by the at least one processor based on an input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the input sequence comprising a first input enterable by a user of the smart watch followed by a second input enterable by the user, wherein the first input corresponds to an input enterable via a user input device associated with the smart watch and the second input corresponds to an input enterable via the touch screen associated with the smart watch, wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the information, even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and

to, in response to the information received by the at least one processor, without any further user interaction, automatically obtain, substantially in real-time, a current location of the smart watch, automatically provide a message for transmission to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch, and provide an intermittent location update corresponding to a location of the smart watch.

29. The smart watch of claim 28, wherein the input enterable via the touch screen comprises a swipe.

30. The smart watch of claim 28, wherein the input enterable via the touch screen comprises a tap.

31. The smart watch of claim 28, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

32. The smart watch of claim 31, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

33. The smart watch of claim 28, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprising instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

34. The smart watch of claim 28 further comprises an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.

35. A smart watch comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory;

a touch screen configurable to be in a locked state or in an unlocked state; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to automatically place an emergency call, in response to information received by the at least one processor based on an input sequence, indicative of an emergency event, the input sequence comprising a first input enterable by the user followed by a second input enterable by the user, wherein the first input corresponds to an input enterable via a user input device associated with the smart watch and the second input corresponds to an input enterable via the touch screen associated with the smart watch, wherein the at least one processor is operable to receive the information, even when the touch screen is in the locked state and without the user of the smart watch having to unlock the touch screen, and

in response to the information received by the at least one processor, using a cellular network accessible to the smart watch, and even when the smart watch cannot be served by the cellular network, using a second wireless network accessible to the smart watch, wherein the second wireless network is at least partially different from the cellular network, automatically obtain a current location of the smart watch and transmit a message to any of a plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

36. The smart watch of claim 35, wherein the input enterable via the touch screen comprises a swipe.

37. The smart watch of claim 35, wherein the input enterable via the touch screen comprises a tap.

38. The smart watch of claim 35, wherein the smart watch is configured to operate in a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first power mode comprises supplying power to a predetermined number of modules of the smart watch and the second power mode comprises supplying power to a subset of the predetermined number of modules of the smart watch, wherein the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprises fewer modules than the predetermined number of modules, and wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically place the emergency call and at least a set of modules that are chosen based on a nature of the specific input sequence.

39. The smart watch of claim 38, wherein even when the smart watch is in the second power mode, the smart watch is further configured to supply power to the subset of the predetermined number of modules comprising at least the instructions to automatically obtain the current location of the smart watch and transmit the message to the any of the plurality of contacts of the user for use in case of an emergency, including the current location of the smart watch.

40. The smart watch of claim 35, wherein the smart watch comprises at least one sensor, and wherein the memory further comprising instructions to obtain sensor measurements from the at least one sensor and automatically modify the message to include additional information in the message based on the sensor measurements.

41. The smart watch of claim 35 further comprises an accelerometer for automatically detecting whether the user has fallen down.