Subscription-based priority interactive help services on the internet

• US 7,404,009 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Halasz, Sylvia, Tewani, Kamlesh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong; Oanh
• Application Number:
  US11/471,818
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/245, 701/3, 455/404.1, 455/404, 455/456
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and apparatus for providing an e-help service over a network. The e-help service provides one or more action sequences, i.e., recommended courses of action, for specialized circumstances over a network, such as an Internet Protocol network. Subscribers subscribe to specific application areas, such as one or more application areas related to a subscriber'"'"'s industry. The e-help service provider maintains information pertaining to application areas in one or more databases. When a user activates the e-help service, information corresponding to the present conditions of the user'"'"'s circumstance is transmitted to the e-help service provider. The e-help service provider identifies one or more action sequences based upon a statistical analysis of the information received from the user and information stored in a database corresponding to the application area of the user. The action sequences having a high probability of success are transmitted to the user and provide one or more recommended courses of action.

Claims

1. An emergency help system operated by a service provider for analyzing data received from a user and providing messages to an emergency service provider, comprising:

the service provider including a processor, at least one database and a communications interface, wherein the service provider receives data from a user, and the processor identifies at least one action sequence based upon a statistical analysis of the received data and information stored in the at least one database related to the received data, the service provider

transmitting at least one identified action sequence to the user;

transmitting a request for feedback to the user;

establishing different alert levels that correspond to responses to different states of emergency, including at least a low-level alert and a high-level alert;

increasing an alert level when either the requested feedback is not received within a predetermined time or the requested feedback indicates a need for assistance by emergency service providers;

comparing the alert level to a predetermined criterion; and

transmitting a message to an emergency service provider when the alert level equals the predetermined criterion.

2. The emergency help system of claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to identify the at least one action sequence by:

identifying at least one action sequence having a high probability of success by;

running a statistical model using the received data to identify action sequences having a high probability of success;

selecting a plurality of action sequences having the highest probability of success among the action sequences identified by running the statistical model;

ranking each of the identified action sequences based upon probability of success; and

optimizing each ranked action sequence based upon the received data.

3. The emergency help system of claim 1, wherein the statistical analysis includes calculating descriptive statistics using the stored information and running statistical models based upon the received data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor optimizes each identified action sequence.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider transmits each identified action sequence.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes an Internet Protocol network, and the service provider communications interface connects to the Internet Protocol network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one database includes a plurality of databases, and each of the plurality of databases stores information related to a distinct application area.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network, a user terminal including a controller, a network interface, an input interface, a display and an emergency module, wherein the user terminal is coupled to the network via the network interface and the user terminal transmits the data to the service provider via the network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the service provider transmits the identified at least one action sequence to the user terminal through the network, and the user terminal displays the identified at least one action sequence on the display.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a sensor interface coupling the user terminal with at least one sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data received by the service provider is data transmitted from the user terminal that includes any one of data from the at least one sensor, data input by a user via the user interface and data from both the at least one sensor and input by a user via the user interface.

12. An emergency help method operated by a service provider for analyzing data received from a user and providing messages to an emergency service provider comprising the steps of:

receiving data from a user;

identifying at least one action sequence based upon a statistical analysis of at least the received data;

transmitting the at least one action sequence to the user;

transmitting a request for feedback to the user;

establishing different alert levels that correspond to responses to different states of emergency, including at least a low-level alert and a high-level alert;

increasing an alert level when either the requested feedback is not received within a predetermined time or the requested feedback indicates a need for assistance by emergency service providers;

comparing the alert level to a predetermined criterion; and

transmitting a message to an emergency service provider when the alert level equals the predetermined criterion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of identifying at least one action sequence further comprises a step of:

identifying at least one action sequence based upon statistical analysis of the received data and stored data related to the received data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of identifying at least one action sequence further comprises a step of:

calculating descriptive statistics using the stored data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of identifying at least one action sequence further comprises:

identifying at least one action sequence having a high probability of success by;

running a statistical model using the received data to identify action sequences having a high probability of success;

selecting a plurality of action sequences having the highest probability of success among the action sequences identified by running the statistical model; and

ranking each of the identified action sequences based upon probability of success.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of:

optimizing each ranked action sequence based upon the received data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of optimizing each ranked action sequence further comprises a step of:

optimizing each ranked action sequence using any one of linear programming and stochastic programming.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising a step of:

transmitting each optimized action sequence to a user terminal.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of running a statistical model further comprises a step of:

running a statistical model that includes any one of a logistic regression model and a survival analysis model.