Occupant management method, system, and program product

• US 7,366,674 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diegane Dione
• Original Assignee: Diegane Dione
• Inventors: Dione, Diegane
• Primary Examiner(s): PLUCINSKI, JAMISUE A
• Application Number:
  US10/764,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/20 Destination assistance within a business structure or complex
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/205 Building evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back

Abstract

An occupant management method, system, and program product that associate occupant information with information about a physical area. For example, the invention can generate a hierarchical representation of a physical area such as a building or the like. The hierarchical representation is used to manage occupants of the physical area. For example, contact information for occupants can be maintained and associated with a physical location, and/or directions can be provided from a starting point to a designated destination point. The hierarchical representation can be used to facilitate two-way communication between an occupant and an emergency responder during an emergency event.

Claims

1. A method of managing a plurality of occupants including visitors of a multi-floored building with each floor having a plurality of areas during an emergency event, the method comprising:

(a) generating a data structure having a hierarchical representation of the multi-floored building, with each floor being represented by a floor node and each of the plurality of areas of each floor being represented by an area node that is relationally associated to the floor node;

(b) generating in the data structure an occupant node for each occupant in the multi-floored building and relationally associating the occupant node with one or more area nodes of a floor of the multi-floored building;

(c) generating in the data structure one or more device nodes for each occupant in the multi-floored building and relationally associating the device nodes to the occupant node for that occupant, each of the device nodes including device information for a device correlated to an area of a floor at which to contact the occupant;

(d) retrieving device information from one or more device nodes of the data structure in an emergency event that affects at least one area of at least one floor;

(e) contacting each occupant via a device associated with the retrieved device information to determine the status of that occupant at an area of a floor associated with that occupant;

(f) determining the area of the floor at which each occupant is located based on the device via which the occupant is contacted or occupant'"'"'s entry using the device;

(g) receiving evacuation information from a contacted occupant relating to the determined area of the floor at which the occupant is located; and

(h) using received evacuation information relating to the determined area of the floor in contacting other occupants.

2. A program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to manage a plurality of occupants of a multi-floored building with each floor having a plurality of areas during an emergency event, the instructions comprising:

(a) generating a data structure having a hierarchical representation of the multi-floored building, with each floor being represented by a floor node and each of the plurality of areas of each floor being represented by an area node that is relationally associated to the floor node;

(b) generating in the data structure an occupant node for each occupant in the multi-floored building and relationally associating the occupant node with one or more area nodes of a floor of the multi-floored building;

(c) generating in the data structure one or more device nodes for each occupant in the multi-floored building and relationally associating the device nodes to the occupant node for that occupant, each of the device nodes including device information for a device correlated to an area of a floor at which to contact the occupant;

(d) retrieving device information from one or more device nodes of the data structure in an emergency event that affects at least one area of at least one floor;

(e) contacting each occupant via a device associated with the retrieved device information to determine the status of that occupant at an area of a floor associated with that occupant;

(f) determining the area of the floor at which each occupant is located based on the device via which the occupant is contacted or occupant'"'"'s entry using the device;

(g) receiving evacuation information from a contacted occupant relating to the determined area of the floor at which the occupant is located; and

(h) using received evacuation information relating to the determined area of the floor in contacting other occupants.