Earpiece Life Monitor with Capability of Automatic Notification System and Method

• US 20170273622A1
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 10,052,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• 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 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• 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 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

An earpiece includes an earpiece housing, at least one biometric sensor disposed within the earpiece, a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece for voice communications, an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless transceiver, a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, and at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control. The earpiece is configured to monitor biometrics of a user using the at least one biometric sensor, communicate biometric data to the user, detect a crisis level event, and communicate occurrence of the crisis level event using the wireless transceiver.

Claims

1. An earpiece comprising;

an earpiece housing;

at least one biometric sensor disposed within the earpiece;

a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece for voice communications;

an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless transceiver;

a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control;

at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control;

wherein the earpiece is configured to monitor biometrics of a user using the at least one biometric sensor, communicate biometric data to the user, detect a crisis level event, and communicate occurrence of the crisis event to a remote location using the wireless transceiver.

2. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is further configured to upload the biometric data to a database associated with a remote server.

3. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to communicate the biometric data to the riser through voice feedback.

4. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to communicate the biometric data to the user by interacting with a mobile device in operative communication with the earpiece, the mobile device having a display so as to display the biometric data on the display of the mobile device.

5. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event by initiating a voice call to a third party.

6. The earpiece of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level event by sending an indicator of the crisis level event to a remote server.

7. A method for monitoring an individual suffering from at least partial incapacitation, the method comprising steps of:

providing an earpiece comprising an earpiece housing, at least one biometric sensor disposed within the earpiece, a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece for voice communications, an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless transceiver, a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, and at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control;

monitoring biometrics of a user of the earpiece using the at least one biometric sensor;

detecting a crisis level event using the biometrics;

wirelessly communicating an alert associated with the crisis level event from the earpiece to a remote location using the wireless transceiver.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising communicating the biometrics of the user of the earpiece to the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the communicating the biometrics of the user of the earpiece to the user comprises generating speech describing the biometrics of the user of earpiece at a speaker of the earpiece.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the communicating the biometrics of the user of the earpiece to the user comprises communicating the biometric data to the user by interacting with a mobile device in operative communication with the earpiece, the mobile device having a display so as to display the biometric data on the display of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10 therein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the wirelessly communicating the alert associated with the crisis level event from the earpiece to the remote location using the wireless transceiver comprises accessing a mobile device in operative communication with the earpiece and initiating a voice call using the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of providing the earpiece occurs when the user is admitted to a health care facility.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the earpiece further comprises a gestural interface operatively connected to the intelligent control.

15. A system comprising:

an earpiece comprising (a) an earpiece housing, (b) at least one biometric sensor disposed within the earpiece, (c) a wireless transceiver disposed within the earpiece for voice communications, (d) an intelligent control operatively connected to the at least one biometric sensor and the wireless transceiver, (e) a speaker operatively connected to the intelligent control, and (f) at least one microphone operatively connected to the intelligent control;

is a software application executing on a mobile device in operative communication with the earpiece;

wherein the earpiece is configured to monitor biometrics of a user using the at least one biometric sensor, communicate biometric data to the software application executing on the mobile device;

wherein the earpiece is configured to detect a crisis level event by analyzing the biometric data;

wherein the earpiece is further configured to communicate occurrence of the crisis level to the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device is a phone.