Personalized accessibility identification receiver/transmitter and method for providing assistance

• US 20020063632A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pendragon Networks LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bowman, James Patrick, Spinac, Clifford Jay, Smith, Newton James Jr., Rodriquez, Herman
• Granted Patent: US 6,828,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

An impaired person is provided with a personalized accessibility device, which communicates an identification of a disability or impairment to an assistance device, which provides assistance. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for providing feedback to a person with impairment. The feedback may be configured based on the type and extent of impairment, as well as personal preferences, such as a preferred language. The assistance device may also request a response from the disabled or impaired person, thus solving the person'"'"'s Special Needs in a conversational manner without calling attention to the impairment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending special needs information to an assistance device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

receiving feedback information from the assistance device; and

presenting the feedback information to the person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the special needs information includes impairment extent information indicating the extent of the impairment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the special needs information includes personal preference information indicating preferences of the person for dealing with the impairment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the preference information includes a language and the step of presenting the feedback information comprises presenting the feedback information in the language.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback information is audio information and the step of presenting the feedback information comprises playing the feedback information using an audio output device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the feedback information comprises displaying the feedback information using a display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback information includes a request for a response from the person.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a response from the person; and

sending the response to the assistance device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an assistance data packet indicating assistance offered by the assistance device;

wherein the special needs information is sent in response to the assistance data packet.

10. A method comprising:

receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person; and

providing assistance based on the special needs information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the special needs information includes impairment extent information indicating an extent of the impairment.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a request for a response from the person.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a response from the personalized accessibility device; and

processing the response.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of processing the response comprises determining whether further assistance is needed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of processing the response comprises dispatching emergency personnel if a predetermined number of requests for a response have sent without an appropriate response.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

broadcasting an assistance data packet indicating assistance offered by the assistance device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the special needs information includes personal preference information indicating preferences of the person for dealing with the impairment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the preference information includes a language and the step of configuring feedback information comprises configuring the feedback information in the language.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of configuring feedback information comprises configuring audio information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the feedback information includes a request for a response from the person.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a response from the personalized accessibility device; and

processing the response.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of processing the response comprises determining whether further assistance is needed.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of processing the response comprises determining whether further feedback is needed.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of processing the response comprises dispatching emergency personnel if a predetermined number of acknowledgment response signals have received without an appropriate response.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

broadcasting an assistance data packet indicating assistance offered by the assistance device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the special needs information includes impairment extent information indicating the extent of the impairment.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the special needs information includes personal preference information indicating preferences of the person for dealing with the impairment.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the preference information includes a language and the presentation means comprises means for presenting the feedback information in the language.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the feedback information includes a request for a response from the person.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for receiving a response from the person; and

means for sending the response to the assistance device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

configuring feedback information based on the special needs information; and

sending the feedback information to the personalized accessibility device.

27. An apparatus comprising:

sending means for sending special needs information to an assistance device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

receipt means for receiving feedback information from the assistance device; and

presentation means for presenting the feedback information to the person.

33. An apparatus comprising:

receipt means for receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person; and

assistance means for providing assistance based on the special needs information.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the special needs information includes impairment extent information indicating an extent of the impairment.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the special needs information includes personal preference information indicating preferences of the person for dealing with the impairment.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

means for receiving a response from the personalized accessibility device; and

processing means for processing the response.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing means comprises means for determining whether further assistance is needed.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the special needs information includes personal preference information indicating preferences of the person.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the preference information includes a language and the configuration means comprises means for configuring the feedback information in the language.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the feedback information includes a request for a response from the person.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising:

means for receiving a response from the personalized accessibility device; and

processing means for processing the response.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the processing means comprises means for determining whether further assistance is needed.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the processing means comprises means for determining whether further feedback is needed.

38. An apparatus comprising:

receipt means for receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

configuration means for configuring feedback information based on the special needs information; and

sending means for sending the feedback information to the personalized accessibility device.

45. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions for sending special needs information to an assistance device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

instructions for receiving feedback information from the assistance device; and

instructions for presenting the feedback information to the person.

46. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions for receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person; and

instructions for providing assistance based on the special needs information.

47. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions for receiving special needs information from a personalized accessibility device, wherein the special needs information includes impairment data indicating an impairment category of a person;

instructions for configuring feedback information based on the special needs information; and

instructions for sending the feedback information to the personalized accessibility device.