Personal Safety and Security Mobile Application Responsive to Changes in Heart Rate

• US 20160140828A1
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: DeForest, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,572,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A software app for a mobile device is disclosed for alerting a custodian of a person to be protected of an emergency situation involving the person to be protected. The app includes software instructions for carrying out a method including: establishing a range of normal heart rates for the person using a heart rate monitor; detecting a heart rate for the person that is outside of the established range; activating at least one of a camera, a microphone, an accelerometer, and a location indicator on the mobile device carried by the person; establishing a wireless data connection between the mobile device and a communication network; and transmitting data to the custodian from the activated camera, microphone, accelerometer, or location indicator via the communication network. The app can notify a custodian of a medical or safety emergency as it is happening, giving that custodian the ability to immediately notify emergency personnel.

Claims

1. A software application for alerting a monitoring person of an abnormal heart beat experienced by a monitored person, the software application including instructions downloadable to a memory of a smart phone of the monitored person and executable by a processor of the smart phone, the instructions carrying out a method comprising:

establishing a range of normal heart rates for the monitored person using a heart rate monitor, wherein the heart rate monitor is included in a wrist worn device that is in wireless communication with the smart phone to transmit data relating to the heart rate of the monitored person to the smart phone;

detecting, using the data transmitted by the heart rate monitor to the smart phone, an abnormal heart rate for the monitored person that is outside the range of normal heart rates for the monitored person; and

automatically transmitting data to a smart device of the monitoring person from the smart phone via a wide area network when the abnormal heart rate is detected, wherein the transmitted data includes data providing an identity and location of the monitored person for display to the monitoring person at the smart device.

2. The software application of claim 1, wherein the data providing the location of the monitored person is obtained from global positioning satellite (GPS) unit of at least one of the smart phone or the wrist worn device.

3. The software application of claim 1, wherein, in response to detecting an abnormal heart rate, activating at least one of a camera, a microphone, or an accelerometer carried by the monitored person, wherein the data transmitted to the smart device includes at least one of video data from the camera, audio data from the microphone, or motion data from the accelerometer.

4. The software application of claim 1, wherein detecting an abnormal heart rate for the monitored person that is outside the range of normal heart rates for the monitored person includes:

reading data from an accelerometer of the smart phone carried by the monitored person.

5. The software application of claim 1, wherein transmitting the data over the wide area network includes streaming data continuously.

6. The software application of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data from a remote device over the wide area network in response to transmitting data.

7. A software application for alerting a monitoring person of an abnormal heart rate involving a monitored person, the software application including instructions downloadable to a memory of a smart device used by the monitoring person, and executable by a processor of the smart device used by the monitoring person, the instructions carrying out a method comprising:

receiving over a wide area network an indication from a smart phone in possession of the monitored person that an abnormal heart rate outside of a range of normal heart rates for the monitored person has been detected, wherein the indication that an abnormal heart rate is outside of the range of normal heart rates is automatically transmitted by the smart phone when the abnormal heart rate is detected; and

receiving, over the wide area network, personal identification data and location data transmitted from the smart phone for display at the smart device.

8. The software application of claim 7, further comprising receiving, by the smart device, data including at least one of video data from a camera carried by the monitored person or audio data from a microphone carried by the monitored person.

9. The software application of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises displaying, to the monitoring person, at least one third party recipient authorized to receive a notification of the abnormal heart rate of the monitored person.

10. The software application of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises allowing the monitoring person to select at least one of the displayed third party recipients to notify the at least one of the displayed third party recipients of the abnormal heart rate involving the monitored person, wherein the notification occurs over the wide area network.

11. The software application of claim 8, wherein the smart device transmits data including control commands for operating the smart phone in possession of the monitored person.

12. The software application of claim 11, wherein the control commands include a command set that operates a camera and/or a microphone on the monitored person.

13. The software application of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the received audio data, received video data, and/or received location data.

14. The software application of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the received audio data, received video data, and/or received location data with comparable stored data, and identifying a match between received data and the comparable stored data.

15. The software application of claim 14, further comprising:

notifying a third party of the identified match between the received audio data, received video data, and/or receive location data and the comparable stored data.

16. The software application of claim 7, further comprising:

activating radio communication between the smart phone in possession of the monitored person, and other devices.

17. A system for alerting a monitoring person of an abnormal heart rate involving a monitored person, the system comprising:

a heart rate monitor, wearable on a wrist of the monitored person, for detecting a heart rate of the monitored person; and

a smart phone, carryable by the monitored person, and in wireless communication with the heart rate monitor to receive data relating to the heart rate of the monitored person, the smart phone including;

a wireless data communicator for communicating between the smart phone and a wide area network;

a processor configured to execute software instructions for carrying out a method including;

establishing a range of normal heart rates for the monitored person using the heart rate monitor;

detecting an abnormal heart rate for the monitored person that is outside the range of normal heart rates for the monitored person;

establishing a wireless data connection between the smart phone and the wide area network; and

automatically transmitting data to a smart device of the monitoring person from the smart phone over the wide area network when the abnormal heart rate is detected, wherein the transmitted data includes data providing an identity and location of the monitored person for display to the monitoring person at the smart device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the heart rate monitor is configured to communicate with the smart phone via BlueTooth™

.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the smart device is a further smart phone.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein detecting an abnormal heart rate for the monitored person that is outside the range of normal heart rates for the monitored person includes:

detecting an erratic heart rate.