System and method for non intrusive monitoring of “at-risk” individuals

• US 7,522,057 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Willner, Barry E., Stern, Edith
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US11/507,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/522, 340/540, 340/541, 340/568.1, 340/666, 600/300, 600/301, 701/213, 701/216
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for monitoring one or more humans while maintaining the privacy of those individuals. The system includes one or more activity pickups that create one or more respective information outputs. A computer system monitors one or more of the information outputs and processes the information outputs to determine when one or more types of inactivity of the human in an area exceeds one or more thresholds of inactivity. Alarms and/or indications activate when one or more of the thresholds of inactivity is exceeded. Various types of thresholds of inactivity are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of doing business providing a service of monitoring one or more humans comprising the steps of:

receiving information outputs from one or more activity pickups;

monitoring the information outputs;

processing the information outputs to be indicative of activity depicted in video scenes, without providing information which violates privacy of the one or more humans, by passing no video scenes; and

determining when one or more types of inactivity of the human in an area exceeds one or more thresholds of inactivity and causes one or more alerts when one or more of the thresholds of inactivity is exceeded.

2. A method, as in claim 1, that is performed as a part of a contract for a human residence.

3. A method, as in claim 2, where the residence includes any one or more of the following:

a house, an apartment, an assisted living facility, a condominium, a nursing home, and a retirement community.

4. A method, as in claim 2, further comprising the step of marketing the service to at risk individuals.

5. A method, as in claim 4, where the at risk individuals include any one or more of the following:

the aged, the infirm, and the young.

6. A method, as in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

providing assistance to the human when one or more of the thresholds of inactivity are exceeded.

7. A method, as in claim 6, wherein the assistance includes:

medical assistance, nursing assistance, and ambulance assistance.

8. A method, as in claim 1, further comprising:

updating an activity database with entries indicative of a start time of a monitoring interval, elapsed time from said start time, a number of scene changes detected in the monitoring interval, a low water mark of activity, a representative count based on an historical record on a monitored individual of scene changes detected during the interval, a number of audio volume changes detected in the interval, a high water mark or a representative count based on an historical record on the monitored individual of scene changes detected during the interval, a duration of the highest audio level detected during the interval, a highest audio level detected during the interval, an indicator as to whether a face has been detected during the interval, a duration of a period within the interval during which a face has been identified, a notation of speakers who have been identified via speaker identification techniques, a target number of scene changes, identifications of said activity pickups, an identification of an individual being monitored, a target facial expression, and indicators of facial expressions detected; and

using said database to modify said one or more thresholds of inactivity.

9. A method of doing business providing a service of monitoring one or more humans comprising the steps of:

receiving information outputs from one or more activity pickups;

monitoring the information outputs;

determining when one or more types of inactivity of the human in an area exceeds one or more thresholds of inactivity and causes one or more alerts when one or more of the thresholds of inactivity is exceeded;

updating an activity database with entries indicative of a start time of a monitoring interval, elapsed time from said start time, a number of scene changes detected in the monitoring interval, a low water mark of activity, a representative count based on an historical record on a monitored individual of scene changes detected during the interval, a number of audio volume changes detected in the interval, a high water mark or a representative count based on an historical record on the monitored individual of scene changes detected during the interval, a duration of the highest audio level detected during the interval, a highest audio level detected during the interval, an indicator as to whether a face has been detected during the interval, a duration of a period within the interval during which a face has been identified, a notation of speakers who have been identified via speaker identification techniques, a target number of scene changes, identifications of said activity pickups, an identification of an individual being monitored, a target facial expression, and indicators of facial expressions detected; and

using said database to modify said one or more thresholds of inactivity.