Personal safety net

• US 20040203842A1
• Filed: 03/18/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Alto, Harri A., Hanninen, Mika, Veini, Hannu
• Granted Patent: US 7,058,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A personal safety net includes a mobile terminal, a server including a memory to store data, and a communications network to transmit data between the mobile terminal and the server. The mobile terminal may include an image data generator, such as a camera, to generate image data and a voice data generator, such as a microphone, to generate voice data. The mobile terminal further includes an output device to transmit the data to the communications network. The server stores, in its memory, the data transmitted from the output device of the mobile terminal to the network operator server via the communications network. A location data generator, located within either the mobile terminal or the communications network, for example, may be included to generate location data as to the location of the mobile terminal, the location data also being stored in the server.

Claims

1. A personal safety net system comprising:

a mobile terminal;

a server including a memory to store data; and

a communications network to transmit data between the mobile terminal and the server;

wherein the mobile terminal comprises;

at least one image data generator to generate image data;

at least one voice data generator to generate voice data; and

at least one output device to transmit the image data and voice data to the communications network; and

wherein the server stores, in its memory, the image data and voice data transmitted from the output device of the mobile terminal to the server via the communications network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image data generator comprises a camera.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the camera is disposed within the mobile terminal.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the camera is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein image data is wirelessly transmitted from the camera to the mobile terminal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wirelessly transmitted image data is transmitted via Bluetooth.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice data generator comprises a microphone.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the microphone is disposed within the mobile terminal.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the microphone is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein voice data is wirelessly transmitted from the microphone to the mobile terminal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wirelessly transmitted voice data is transmitted via Bluetooth.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning system to generate location data as to the location of the mobile terminal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the output device transmits the location data to the communications network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server stores, in its memory, the location data transmitted from the output device of the mobile terminal to the network operator server via the communications network.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the positioning system is selectively activated by at least one of the mobile terminal and the server.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the positioning system comprises a GPS (Global Positioning System).

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the positioning system comprises a network based positioning system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the network based positioning system utilizes cell ID information and sector ID information.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the positioning system comprises a network assisted positioning system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the network assisted positioning system includes means to allow the mobile terminal to receive location information one of either directly from a satellite or from a network or to generate location information based on information sent to it by the network.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the GPS is disposed within the mobile terminal.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the GPS is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises a mobile network base station.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile network generates location data as to location of the mobile terminal and wherein the server stores the location information in its memory.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein a SMLC (serving mobile location center) generates location data as to location of the mobile terminal and wherein the server stores, in its memory, the location data transmitted from the mobile network.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises a GSM network.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises one of a UMTS network or IP-RAN network or TDMA network or CDMA network or WCDMA network or OFDM network.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device automatically transmits data to the communications network.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the output device automatically transmits data to the communications network at least one of predetermined time intervals or predetermined times a day.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device only transmits data to the communications network upon manual activation by a user.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device is remotely activated to transmit data to the communications network.

32. The system of claim 12, wherein the output device is activated upon entering a predefined area.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a memory to store data prior to the output device transmitting the data to the communications network.

34. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a memory to store data prior to the output device transmitting the data to the communications network.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises an encryption means to encrypt the data prior to transmission by the output device to the communications network.

36. A mobile terminal of a personal safety net system including a server including a memory for storing data;

and a communications network to transmit data between the mobile terminal and the network operator server, the mobile terminal comprising;

at least one image data generator to generate image data;

at least one voice data generator to genera the voice data; and

at least one output device to transmit the image data and voice data to the communications network; and

wherein the server stores, in its memory, the image data and voice data transmitted from the output device of the mobile terminal to the server via the communications network.

37. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein location information is stored in the memory.

38. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the image data generator comprises a camera.

39. The mobile terminal of claim 38, wherein the camera is disposed within the mobile terminal.

40. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the camera is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

41. The mobile terminal of claim 40, wherein image data is wirelessly transmitted from the camera to the mobile terminal.

42. The mobile terminal of claim 41, wherein the wirelessly transmitted image data is transmitted via Bluetooth.

43. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the voice data generator comprises a microphone.

44. The mobile terminal of claim 43, wherein the microphone is disposed within the mobile terminal.

45. The mobile terminal of claim 43, wherein the microphone is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

46. The mobile terminal of claim 45, wherein voice data is wirelessly transmitted from the microphone to the mobile terminal.

47. The mobile terminal of claim 46, wherein the wirelessly transmitted voice data is transmitted via Bluetooth.

48. The mobile terminal of claim 36, further comprising a GPS (Global Positioning System) to generate location data as to the location of the mobile terminal;

and

wherein the output device transmits the location data to the communications network; and

wherein the network operator server stores, in its memory, the location data transmitted from the output device of the mobile terminal to the network operator server via the communications network.

49. The mobile terminal of claim 48, wherein the GPS is disposed within the mobile terminal.

50. The mobile terminal of claim 48, wherein the GPS is disposed external to the mobile terminal.

51. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the output device automatically transmits data to the communications network.

52. The mobile terminal of claim 51, wherein the output device automatically transmits data to the communications network at least one of predetermined time intervals or predetermined times a day.

53. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the output device only transmits data to the communications network upon manual activation by a user.

54. The mobile terminal of claim 36, wherein the output device is remotely activated to transmit data to the communications network.

55. The mobile terminal of claim 36, further comprising a memory to store data prior to the output device transmitting the data to the communications network.

56. The mobile terminal of claim 36, further comprising an encryption means to encrypt the data prior to transmission by the output device to the communications network.

57. A method of operating a mobile terminal of a personal safety net system having a server including a memory to store data and a communications network to transmit data between the mobile terminal and the server, the method comprising:

generating image data;

generating voice data;

transmitting the image data and voice data to the communications network; and

storing the image data and voice data in the memory of the server.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising generating location data and storing it in the memory of the server.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein a user of the mobile terminal selectively commands the generation and storage of image and voice data.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the user of the mobile terminal selectively commands the generation and storage of location data.