Wireless, centralized emergency services system

• US 20090181638A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LogicMark LLC (Nxt-Id, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mgpatents, LLC
• Inventors: Gottlieb, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• 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

Plural voice pendants 100 communicate with a remote monitoring station using a wireless communications protocol and without requiring a connection to a circuit switched telephone network. Such a configuration may be used in any group environment, such as a retirement home or an assisted living facility. The voice pendants can be carried or worn by the residents/patients/members of the home or the facility to assist in calling for help in an emergency situation, e.g., if someone has fallen and cannot get up. By activating an actuator (e.g., a button or switch) on the pendant, the person wearing the pendant is put into voice communication with the monitoring station without the need to dial any phone numbers or hit a “send” style button which indicates the end of a dialed number sequence.

Claims

1. A wireless network-based emergency response system, comprising:

a wireless network-based pendant to be carried by a member of the wireless network-based emergency response system, the wireless pendant including memory for storing an identifier identifying the pendant, a microphone, a speaker, an actuator for indicating that the member is in need of emergency services, and a first wireless network-based transceiver;

a wireless network-based receiver for receiving from the pendant, using a wireless network protocol, (1) a first signal indicative of the identifier stored in the pendant, (2) a second signal indicating that the actuator has been activated and the member is in need of emergency services and (3) third voice signals representing sounds captured from the microphone of the pendant; and

a remote monitoring station connected to the receiver, without the use of a circuit switched telephone network, for receiving fourth, fifth and sixth signals corresponding to the first, second and third signals, for identifying, to emergency services personnel, information about the member associated with the pendant based on the fourth and fifth signals, and for communicating to the emergency services personnel voice signals indicative of the sounds captured from the microphone of the pendant based on the sixth signals.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises at least one of a WiFi-based network, a 802.11-based network, a WiMax-based network and a ZigBee-based network.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information comprises medical information about the member.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information comprises location information representing a current or the last known location of the pendant.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network-based receiver is integrated into the remote monitoring station.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network-based receiver is connected to the remote monitoring station via a wireless network.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network-based receiver is connected to the remote monitoring station via a wired network.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wired network comprises an Ethernet network.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network-based receiver comprises a second wireless transceiver for converting the first, second and third signals conforming to a first protocol into the fourth, fifth and sixth signals conforming to a second protocol, and wherein the remote monitoring system is connected to the second wireless transceiver for receiving the fourth, fifth and sixth signals from the second wireless transceiver.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless network-based receiver comprises a router and a second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver for converting the first, second and third signals conforming to a first protocol into signals conforming to a second protocol, wherein the second wireless transceiver transmits the signals conforming to the second protocol to the router, and wherein the remote monitoring system is connected to the router for receiving the fourth, fifth and sixth signals from the router based on the signals conforming to the second protocol.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring station further comprises a user interface for requesting a voice communication with a pendant selected by the user interface.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring station further comprises a user interface for forwarding the first and second signals to an alternate remote monitoring station.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring station further comprises a bridge and a user interface for controlling the bridge to bridge a voice call between the remote monitoring station and another location.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the another location comprises a 911 emergency services location.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pendant further comprises a timer for indicating when at least one check should be performed.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pendant further comprises a location detection circuit for detecting a location of the pendant.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the location detection circuit comprises a GPS receiver.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the location detection circuit comprises an infra-red receiver.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the location detection circuit comprises at least one of a triangulation circuit and triangulation software.

20. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pendant further comprises a second wireless network-based transceiver for communicating with the remote monitoring station via a protocol that is different than the protocol used by the first wireless network-based transceiver.

21. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring system further comprises a transmitter for transmitting to the wireless network-based pendant a request to perform a process for the remote monitoring system.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request comprises a request to change an internal parameter of the wireless network-based pendant.

23. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request comprises a request to establish voice communication with the remote monitoring station.

24. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request comprises a request to play a message at a specified time.

25. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein a time between transmissions of the location of the pendant is altered based on the movement of the pendant.

26. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein a time between transmissions of the location of the pendant is altered based on a time of day.

27. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring station further comprises a user interface for identifying a current or last known location of the pendant.

28. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring station further comprises a user interface for graphically identifying a current or last known location of the pendant.

29. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the medical information comprises information about drugs being taken by the member.

30. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the medical information comprises information about a doctor responsible for the member.

31. A method of communicating comprising:

transmitting, from a wireless network-based pendant being carried by a member of a wireless network-based emergency response system, (1) a first identification signal identifying the pendant, (2) a second actuation signal indicating that the member is in need of emergency services and has pressed an actuator on the pendant, and (3) third signals representing sounds captured by a microphone of the pendant;

receiving from the pendant at a wireless network-based receiver the first, second and third signals;

transmitting signals indicative of a portion of the first, second and third signals from the receiver to a remote monitoring station connected to the receiver;

receiving the signals indicative of a portion of the first, second and third signals at the remote monitoring station;

identifying to emergency services personnel information about the member associated with the pendant based on signals indicative of a portion of the first and second signals; and

communicating to the emergency services personnel voice signals indicative of the sounds captured from the microphone of the pendant based on signals indicative of a portion of the third signals.