Method and apparatus for emergency alert in networks

• US 10,681,521 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mbit Wireless Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mbit Wireless Inc.
• Inventors: Govindassamy, Sivakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Nam T
• Application Number:
  US15/968,925
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• 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: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Emergency notification systems, such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) and AMBER alerts, as well as emergency help request systems, such as E911, are generally centralized systems. Often the first responders for emergencies may not be near the people who need assistance which may sometimes cause unacceptable delays in responding to emergencies. A method and apparatus are disclosed that offer a distributed and decentralized emergency notification and response system that informs and engages the people in the immediate vicinity of the person requiring assistance and enables dissemination of more detailed information beyond what may be provided by conventional emergency services systems.

Claims

1. A method for emergency alerting at an Emergency Alert Destination (EAD) as a network element of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

controlling, by a processing device at the EAD,

receiving, from a Victim Client Device (VCD) of the wireless communication system, an Emergency Alert (EA) Request message including predetermined emergency information transmitted based upon initiation of an EA procedure at the VCD; and

based on receipt of the EA Request message, generating a Neighbor Emergency Alert (EA) Broadcast (NEAB) message including at least one of location or identification information of the VCD, and transmitting the NEAB message to at least one second client device in geographic proximity to the VCD, wherein the at least one second client device to which the NEAB message is transmitted is determined according to whether the EA procedure is triggered autonomously or by a user of the VCD.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, receiving, from the VCD, at least one of at least one image or at least one audio data associated with the EA procedure being performed at the VCD.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one image includes a plurality of images captured using a front and rear facing camera at the client device, or at least one second image from a memory of the VCD.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined emergency information includes at least one of a measurement at the VCD from at least one available vitals monitor, a predetermined second prior taken vitals measurement or predetermined health information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, determining the geographic proximity based on at least one of location of the VCD, location of a base station on which the VCD is camped or other predetermined criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting the NEAB message to each base station having a same Tracking Area Identity (TAI) as a TAI of a given base station on which the VCD is camped.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, requesting the each base station having the same TAI to broadcast the NEAB message in a respective coverage area.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, determining a periodicity for the transmitting of the NEAB message and transmitting periodicity information indicating the periodicity with the NEAB message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, when the EAD is a base station,

receiving, from a second EAD of the wireless communication system, a second NEAB message with periodicity information indicating periodicity of transmission of the second NEAB message, in which the second NEAB message includes at least one of location, identification information or predetermined other information of a second VCD indicated by the second NEAB message as transmitting a second EA Request message including predetermined emergency information received by the second EAD; and

based on the second NEAB message with the periodicity information, updating system information (SI) to indicate presence and periodicity of given second NEAB messages.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, providing an option for a third client device to register with the EAD for receiving a given NEAB message therefrom.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting a multicast paging message only to a given third client device registered with EAD to receive a given NEAB message from the EAD, to notify of broadcast of the given NEAB message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the NEAB message includes at least one of an image from the VCD or vitals information for a user of the VCD.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the NEAB message has a predetermined format adapted for inclusion therein of additional different types of information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting the NEAB message to a predetermined nearby emergency service resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined nearby emergency service resource is registered with the EAD to receive a given NEAB message.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, receiving a response message from the at least one second client device as a helping client device (HCD) or a nearby client device (NCD) indicating the at least one second client device volunteered to assist a user of the VCD.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting an EA response message to the VCD notifying that the at least one second client device as a helping client device (HCD) or a nearby client device (NCD) volunteered to assist a user of the VCD.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, prioritizing providing an updated location of the VCD, when the location of the VCD is changed, to a helping client device (HCD) or a nearby client device (NCD) of the VCD which volunteered to assist a user of the VCD.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting a periodic update of a location and at least other emergency related information of the VCD to at least one of a helping client device (HCD) or a nearby client device (NCD) of the VCD which volunteered to assist a user of the VCD.

20. The method of claim 19,

wherein the periodic update is transmitted to the at least one of the HCD or the NCD when the at least one of the HCD or the NCD has not responded to a given EA Request message from the VCD.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a Preferred Group helping client device (PGHCD) of given client devices each being a helping client device (HCD) for the VCD is registered with the EAD by the VCD, controlling, by the processing device, based on a second EA Request message transmitted from the VCD, transmitting an alert notification to the PGHCD.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the second EA Request is other than the EA Request message, wherein the EA Request message is transmitted to a given nearby client device (NCD) of the VCD using broadcast or multicast and over a Short Range Wireless Link (SRWL).

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, receiving a given EA request message from the VCD specifying at least one notification preference including (i) notification only to a Preferred Group HCD (PGHCD) formed by the VCD and registered to the EAD, in which each given client device in the PGHCD is a given Helping Client Device (HCD) for the VCD, ii) notification to the PGHCD by general broadcast or multicast, iii) notification by general broadcast or multicast only, iv) notification only to at least one nearby client device (NCD) via a Short Range Wireless Link (SRWL) with which the at least one NCD is connected with the VCD, and v) notification by i), ii), iii) and iv).

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, until the VCD user gets assistance or is out of danger or emergency, periodically transmitting the EA Request message of the VCD to at least one of a nearby client device (NCD), a helping client device (HCD) or a potential HCD for the VCD.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the EAD is a wireless network control element, controlling, by the processing device, treating the EA Request message as a predetermined emergency call for priority in the wireless communication system for granting network access to the VCD.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, when a condition of out of danger or emergency exists at the VCD, receiving an EA Stop message from the VCD or from a given nearby client device (NCD) or a given helping client device (HCD) who provided assistance to a user of the VCD, to notify the EAD of the condition.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

when the EA Stop message is received, controlling, by the processing device, notifying each given NCD and given HCD that the VCD is out of danger or emergency by transmitting the EA Stop message thereto.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

when the EA Stop message is received and the EA Stop message is from the given HCD, controlling, by the processing device, checking authenticity of the given HCD.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

when the EA Stop message is received, controlling, by the processing device, transmitting an EA closure notification to the VCD requesting confirmation of the EA Stop message.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the EA request message is transmitted by at least one of broadcasting, multicasting or peer-to-peer.

31. An apparatus for emergency alerting at an Emergency Alert Destination (EAD) as a network element of a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to control,

receiving, from a Victim Client Device (VCD) of the wireless communication system, an Emergency Alert (EA) Request message including predetermined emergency information transmitted based upon initiation of an EA procedure at the VCD; and

based on receipt of the EA Request message, generating a Neighbor Emergency Alert (EA) Broadcast (NEAB) message including at least one of location or identification information of the VCD, and transmitting the NEAB message to at least one second client device in geographic proximity to the VCD, wherein the at least one second client device to which the NEAB message is transmitted is determined according to whether the EA procedure is triggered autonomously or by a user of the VCD.

32. A wireless communication device comprising:

a receiver to receive a wireless communication; and

a processing device configured for emergency alerting at the wireless communication device as an Emergency Alert Destination (EAD) and which is a network element of a wireless communication system,

wherein the processing device is configured to control at the EAD;

receiving, from a Victim Client Device (VCD) of the wireless communication system, an Emergency Alert (EA) Request message including predetermined emergency information transmitted based upon initiation of an EA procedure at the VCD; and

based on receipt of the EA Request message, generating a Neighbor Emergency Alert (EA) Broadcast (NEAB) message including at least one of location or identification information of the VCD, and transmitting the NEAB message to at least one second client device in geographic proximity to the VCD, wherein the at least one second client device to which the NEAB message is transmitted is determined according to whether the EA procedure is triggered autonomously or by a user of the VCD.