Method and system for mobile personal emergency response

• US 20090143047A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: On2locate, Inc.
• Original Assignee: On2locate, Inc.
• Inventors: Hays, William D., Lalor, Owen P.
• Application Number:
  US12/290,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20090143047A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Advanced mobile personal emergency response systems. An activator worn or carried by a user sends a medical or security alert to a portable mobile base station. The mobile base station transmits the alert to trained operators at a call center. An operator conducts one-way or two-way voice communication through the activator with the user during the emergency response. The mobile base station transmits current location coordinates to the operator, including the last known good coordinates when the user enters an area where the external location system does not work. Emergency responders can use a beacon function to locate a lost activator if they find the mobile base station. A voice quality self-test function is useful for increasing the user'"'"'s confidence that the system is working. Users can employ a finder function to find one of the activator or mobile base station when the other device is available.

Claims

1. A mobile personal emergency response system, comprising:

(a) a mobile base station, comprising;

a short-range transceiver, coupled to a wireless, bi-directional short-range communication network, for transmitting a short-range forward path signal and receiving a short-range reverse path signal,

a long-range transceiver, coupled to a bi-directional, long-range communications network, for transmitting a long-range reverse path signal and receiving a long-range forward path signal,

a location system module for obtaining location coordinates associated with a position of the mobile base station from one of an external source and memory, the location system module operative to obtain the location coordinates from memory only if the external source is not accessible or the current location coordinates are determined to be corrupted after a predetermined number of attempts, and

a processor for controlling operations by the short- and long-range transceivers and the location system module;

(b) a user-accessed, portable activator operative to communicate voice and data content with the mobile base station when the activator is operating in range of the short-range communication network, the activator comprising a short-range transceiver, coupled to the short-range wireless communication network, for receiving the short-range forward path signal from the mobile base station and transmitting the short-range reverse path signal to the mobile base station, the transceiver operative to transmit the short-range reverse path signal in response to a user access event,

wherein the voice and data content of the short-range forward path signal comprises at least a portion of the voice and data content obtained from the long-range forward path signal and at least a portion of the voice and data content of the long-range reverse path signal comprises the voice and data content obtained from the short-range reverse path signal and the location coordinates associated with a position of the mobile base station.