System and method of providing emergency response to a user carrying a user device

• US 7,126,472 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark W. Kraus, Paul G. Toenjes
• Original Assignee: Mark W. Kraus, Paul G. Toenjes
• Inventors: Toenjes, Paul G, Kraus, Mark W
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/896,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20050031102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 349/539.1, 349/539.11, 349/539.12, 349/539.13, 349/539.14, 349/539.16, 349/539.22, 349/286.02, 349/286.06, 349/286.07, 709/206, 705/9, 455/90.2, 455/550.1, 340/500, 340/502, 340/503, 340/504, 340/506, 340/539.18, 340/539.19
• US Class Current: 340/539.18
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• 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 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• 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

The subject invention provides a method of providing emergency response to a user carrying a user device (32). The method establishes a monitoring database (34) including identifications for a plurality of user devices (32) and user information associated with each of the user devices (32). The monitoring database (34) includes a list of contacts to be contacted in an emergency for each user of each user device (32). An internet protocol (IP) address is established for the monitoring database (34) and for each user device (32). One of the user devices (32) is selected in the database and at least one of the selected user device (32) or at least one contact from the list of contacts associated with the selected user device (32) is notified of the emergency. The communication between the monitoring database (34) and the selected user device (32) is established over the Internet (36) using internet protocols to notify the selected user device (32) and/or the contact.

Claims

1. A method of providing emergency response to a user carrying a user device (32), said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a monitoring database (34) including identifications for a plurality of user devices (32) and user information associated with each of the user devices (32) including a list of contacts to be contacted in an emergency and methods of notifying the contacts for each user of each user device (32);

establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring database (34);

establishing an IP address for each user device (32);

selecting one of the user devices (32) in the database;

detecting the presence of either one of a cellular network and a cradle (48) connected to the Internet (36) by the user device (32);

establishing communication over the Internet (36) between the monitoring database (34) and the selected user device (32);

receiving an incident inquiry with the monitoring database (34) from the selected user device (32);

automatically notifying a contact of the incident via a first notification method through the monitoring database (34) in response to receiving the incident inquiry;

receiving a response electronically with the monitoring database (34) from the contact as one of accepted, not accepted, or unresponsive; and

automatically notifying the contact via a second notification method different than the first notification method through the monitoring database (34) as a result of the response by the first notification method being one of not accepted or unresponsive.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of automatically notifying the contact is further defined as utilizing at least one of an internet protocol or a public switched telephone network to notify the contact.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of automatically notifying the contact is further defined as transmitting a prerecorded message stored in the monitoring database (34) to the contact associated with the selected user device (32).

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting a response signal from the monitoring database (34) to the user device (32) as a result of one of the contacts responding.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of transmitting the response is further defined as establishing bidirectional audio communication between the user device (32) and the contact responding through the monitoring database (34) utilizing voice-over internet protocol.

6. A method of providing emergency response to a user carrying a user device (32), said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a monitoring database (34) including identifications for a plurality of user devices (32) and user information associated with each of the user devices (32) including a list of contacts to be contacted in an emergency for each user of each user device (32);

building a call list within the monitoring database (34) based upon the user information prioritizing the contacts and methods of notifying the contacts;

establishing an internet protocol (IP) address for the monitoring database (34);

establishing an IP address for each user device (32);

selecting one of the user devices (32) in the database;

establishing communication over the Internet (36) between the monitoring database (34) and the selected user device (32);

retrieving the call list associated with the selected user device (32);

automatically notifying a contact from the call list of the emergency through the monitoring database (34) using either internet protocols or public-switched telephone networks in response to establishing communication between the monitoring database (34) and the selected user device (32);

receiving a response electronically to the monitoring database (34) from the contact;

identifying the response from the contact as one of accepted, not accepted, or unresponsive with the monitoring database (34); and

automatically continuing to notify additional contacts through the monitoring database (34) until the response is identified as accepted by one of the contacts.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of notifying at least one of the selected user device (32) further comprises the step of transmitting a digital signal over a cellular network and over the Internet (36) using internet protocols to one of the IP addresses associated with the monitoring database (34) and the selected user device (32).

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of selecting one of the user devices (32) further comprises the step of activating the user device (32) and transmitting the digital signal from the user device (32) to the monitoring database (34).

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising the step of establishing an audio connection utilizing voice-over internet protocol between the user device (32) and the accepted contact through the monitoring database (34).

10. A method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising the step of determining a status of the user based upon the digital signal received from the user device (32) at the monitoring database (34).

11. A method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising the step of bypassing the list of contacts and contacting emergency personnel in response to the status of the user being a predetermined condition.

12. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of transmitting the digital signal is further defined as transmitting the digital signal from the monitoring database (34) to the user device (32).

13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting the digital signal further includes the step of packaging audio and data packets for receipt by the user device (32).

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of packaging the data packets is further defined as packaging medication reminders in the data packets to alert the user to take medication.

15. A method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising the step of detecting the presence of biometric equipment (44) having a radio frequency module communicating via radio frequency signals with the user device (32).

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 further comprising the step of transmitting biometric data about the user from the biometric equipment (44) to the user device (32).

17. A method as set forth in claim 16 further comprising the step of packaging the biometric data with the digital signal and transmitting the digital signal from the user device (32) to the monitoring database (34).

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising the step of storing the biometric data in the monitoring database (34) for compiling medical reports about the user.

19. A method as set forth in claim 7 further comprising the step of alerting the user of communication between the user device (32) from the monitoring database (34).

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 further comprising the step of initiating playback of the digital signal from the monitoring database (34) by the user.

21. A method as set forth in claim 6 further comprising the step of establishing bidirectional audio communication through the monitoring database (34) between the user device (32) and the contact that accepted the notification utilizing voice-over internet protocol.

22. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of automatically notifying the contact further comprises:

automatically notifying the contact via a first notification method;

receiving a response electronically with the monitoring database (34) from the contact as one of accepted, not accepted, or unresponsive; and

automatically notifying the contact via a second notification method different than the first notification method through the monitoring database (34) as a result of the response by the first notification method being one of not accepted or unresponsive.

23. A method as set forth in claim 6 further comprising the step of closing the incident in response to the contact accepting the notification.

24. An emergency alert system (30) comprising:

a user device (32) carried by a user having a housing (112), a processor (74) communicating via internet protocols (IP), a memory source (82) storing an IP address for said user device (32) and an IP address for a monitoring database (34), a global positioning system (GPS) receiver (38) in communication with said processor (74), a radio frequency (RF) module (42) in communication with said processor (74) for transmitting and receiving RF signals, a cellular modem (40) in communication with said processor (74) for establishing a cellular connection, a speaker (78), and a microphone (80);

wherein said user device (32) transmits an incident inquiry via either the RF module (42) or the cellular modem (40) via the internet protocols;

a cradle (48) having a RF module (50) for communicating with said user device (32) via radio frequencies and a wireline module (138) being connected to the Internet (36); and

a monitoring database (34) having an internet protocol address and including identifications for a plurality of user devices (32) and user information associated with each of said user devices (32) including a list of contacts to be contacted in an emergency for each user of each user device (32);

wherein said monitoring database (34) automatically notifies a contact of the emergency utilizing internet protocols and receives a response electronically from the contact as one of accepted, not accepted, or unresponsive and automatically continues to notify additional contacts until the response is accepted by one of the contacts.

25. A system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said list of contacts includes a preferred method of contacting each of the contacts.