METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SENDING MESSAGES REGARDING AN EMERGENCY THAT OCCURRED AT A FACILITY

• US 20120025979A1
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Technology, Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Cellnet Innovations, Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Inventors: Shudark, Jeffrey B., Monnerie, Emmanuel, Chasko, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,710,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0484 Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• 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

Systems and methods are disclosed for sending messages regarding an emergency at a facility. The messages can be sent to an emergency response service or directly to another facility through a wireless mesh network. The wireless mesh network can comprise one or more nodes that route measurement data, such as utility meter reading data. The emergency messages can be assigned a higher priority so that they travel through the wireless mesh network more quickly. A device receiving an emergency message may identify the address of the associated facility, for example, by identifying an address associated with utility service also provided at the same facility. The address can be forwarded to an emergency response service and a confirmation or other message may be sent back to the facility. A device at a facility may receive various messages from a control center, such as a weather center, over the wireless mesh network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a device, at a facility, receiving an indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition at the facility; and

a transmission component, at the facility, sending a message to a node of a mesh network, the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition; and

wherein the mesh network comprises one or more nodes that receive and route measurement messages from facilities, wherein the measurement messages comprise information about measurements from sensors at the facilities.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a sensor measuring consumption of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility;

wherein the transmission component further sends messages with information about measurements from the sensor, wherein the messages are routed through the one or more nodes of the mesh network.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a control device that, in response to the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition, determines the location of the facility based on address information for an account associated with provision of the natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition has a higher routing priority within the mesh network than the messages with information about measurements from the sensors.

5. The system of claim 2 the system further comprising a monitoring device receiving the messages with information about measurements from the sensors and receiving the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition, wherein the monitoring device provides the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition to a control device for responding.

6. The system of claim 1 the system further comprising a control device processing the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency, wherein, in response, the control device determines an address of the facility having the emergency condition, alerts an emergency response service, and provides the address of the facility to the emergency response service.

7. The system of claim 1 the system further comprising a control device processing the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency, wherein, in response, the control device sends a response message to the device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein, in response to receiving the response message from the control device, the device:

displays or announces a notification indicating that the emergency service has been alerted;

or

causes the physical environment at the facility to be monitored, recorded, or changed.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein receiving the indication comprises receiving user input at the device indicating that a fire, a medical emergency, or criminal activity has occurred or is occurring.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the indication is received based upon automated recognition that fire, a medical emergency, or criminal activity has occurred or is occurring at the facility.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a thermostat comprising a plurality of buttons, one of the buttons, when selected, providing the indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition at the facility.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the device further receives user input indicating a request for assistance to be sent to one or more of the facilities, wherein the transmission component sends the request for assistance directly to one or more facilities for a response.

13. A method comprising:

receiving into a device, at a facility, an indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition; and

sending the indication of the occurrence of the emergency condition to a node in a wireless mesh network, wherein the wireless mesh network comprises one or more nodes that receive and route measurement messages from facilities, wherein the measurement messages comprise information about measurements from sensors at the facilities.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving the indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition and the measurement messages at a monitoring device; and

sending the indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition and the measurement messages from the monitoring device to a transmission component, wherein the transmission component sends the indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition and the measurement messages to the one or more nodes of the mesh network.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the sensors receive measurements of consumption of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the device further receives a user input message, the message being sent directly to another device at one or more facilities.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving the indication of the occurrence of the emergency condition by pressing at least one or more buttons on the device.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising the device recognizing automatically that a fire, a medical emergency, or criminal activity has occurred or is occurring at the facility.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving a response to the indication of the emergency condition in the device at the facility for displaying and announcing.

20. A method comprising:

receiving an emergency message regarding an occurrence of an emergency condition at a facility, the emergency message received after being sent from the facility through a mesh network;

receiving a measurement message, wherein the measurement message comprises information about a measurement from a utility consumption sensor at the facility, wherein the measurement message is received after being sent from the facility through the mesh network; and

in response to receiving the emergency message, alerting an emergency response service.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the measurement message is consumption of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the location of the facility based on address information for an account associated with provision of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising prioritizing the emergency message above the measurement message.

24. A method comprising:

receiving into a control device a message from a control center;

determining to which one or more facilities to send the message;

sending the message to the one or more facilities, wherein the message travels through one or more nodes of a mesh network that also route utility measurement data collected from sensors at a facility; and

receiving the message into a device at the one or more facilities.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the control device determines the one or more facilities by accessing a database that stores information for an account associated with provision of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the message is related to an emergency condition.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising prioritizing the message related to the emergency condition above other messages.

28. A system comprising:

a device, at a facility, receiving an indication of an occurrence of an emergency condition at the facility;

a sensor, at the facility, measuring consumption of natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility;

a transmission component, at the facility, sending a message through a network, the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition, wherein the transmission component also sends messages with information about measurements from the sensor through the network; and

a control device that, in response to receiving the message indicating the occurrence of the emergency condition, determines the location of the facility based on address information for an account associated with provision of the natural gas, water, or electricity at the facility.