Status monitoring method and system

• US 20110294457A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stewart Edward Braznell
• Original Assignee: Stewart Edward Braznell
• Inventors: Braznell, Stewart Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/025 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses absence of reply signal after an elapsed time
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait

Abstract

A method for monitoring the status of a subject, the method including storing, at a monitoring station, information relating to the status of the subject, communicating a request from a first communication means associated with the monitoring station to a second communication means associated with the subject; and either communicating a response from the second communication means to the first communication means before a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or, in the absence of a timely response, updating the stored status to an alert condition.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A method for monitoring the status of a subject, the method including:

storing, at a monitoring station, information relating to the status of the subject,

communicating a request from a first communication means associated with the monitoring station to a second communication means associated with the subject; and

one of

communicating a response from the second communication means to the first communication means before a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and

in the absence of a timely response, updating the stored status to an alert condition.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the steps of

communicating a request from the first communication means to the second communication means, and one of

communicating a response from the second communication means to the first communication means before the predetermined period of time has elapsed, and

updating the stored status to an alert condition,

are repeated after a stored predetermined time interval.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein a predefined communication may be made from the second communication means to the first communication means which terminates the monitoring.

37. The method according to claim 34, further including storing a personal identifier;

and

wherein communicating a response from the second communication means to the first communication means includes communicating a personal identifier, and the

communicated response is invalid if the personal identifier in the communication does not match the stored personal identifier.

38. The method according to claim 36, further including communicating initialising information from the second communication means to the first communication means, the initialising information being stored in memory, the initialising information including at least one of the subject'"'"'s name, personal identifier, location, status, the time interval between response requests, the time limit on response time.

39. The method according to claim 34, wherein a device identification of a communication means sending a communication is recorded in the memory when a communication is received by the first communication means, the device identification including at least one of:

the telephone number, Internet Protocol address, Media Access Control address, other communication source identifier.

40. The method according to claim 39, further including referencing the device identification of a communication received by the first communication means, against a recorded device identification for that device.

41. The method according to claim 34, further including initially storing information, including subject names, personal identifiers, locations, time interval between response requests, time limit on response time, device identification, and alert procedural information, or any combination of these features.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the alert procedural information includes a plurality of instructions for contacting further communication means, which may include a telephone number and/or email address, and a specified time after which to attempt to contact this further communication means.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the status monitoring system further includes at least one further communication means, and further including communicating an alert from the first communication means to one or more of the further communication means, as specified in the alert procedural information stored in the memory.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the alert is communicated to each further communication means after a set period of time has elapsed since the status was set to alert, as recorded in the alert procedural information, and wherein the alert is communicated to each further communication means repeatedly, at an interval recorded in the alert procedural information, until a response is communicated from said further communication means to the first communication means.

45. The method according to claim 44, further including communicating an alert information message from the first communication means to a further communication means when a response has been communicated.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the alert information message includes recorded details of at least one of a name contact details of the second communication means, location thereof, job status, time of last response.

47. The method according to claim 34, wherein a predefined alert message is communicated from the second communication means to the first communication means, upon receipt of which the status is updated to an alert status.

48. The method according to claim 34, further including monitoring a plurality of communication means, each having corresponding information stored in the memory, and a corresponding status, and each being monitored in the same way as the second communication means.

49. The method according to claim 34, wherein communications are established by at least one of voice (live or recorded) communications, text messages, electronic mail, web communications.

50. The method according to claim 34, wherein the or each second communication means is a mobile telephone.

51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the or one of the mobile telephones incorporates motion-detecting means and, if no motion of the respective subject is detected in a predetermined time period, an alert condition is established.

52. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 34, comprising:

means for storing the information relating to the status of the subject,

a first communication means,

at least one second communication means, and

a timer operable to measure the time between a request, from the first communication means to the second communication means, and any response from the second communication means.

53. Apparatus according to claim 52 wherein the timing means is able to determine a predetermined timed interval between the sending of requests from the first communication means to the second communication means.

54. Apparatus according to claim 53 wherein the timing means, a memory for storing information, the first communication means, and a processor operating in accordance with software for determining operation of the first communication means and the timing means are provided at a monitoring station.

55. Apparatus according to claim 52 wherein the or at least one of the second communication means is a mobile telephone.

56. Apparatus according to claim 55 wherein the or at least one of the mobile telephones incorporates motion-detecting means.