Multifunctional personal emergency response system

• US 7,586,418 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Cuddihy, Paul Edward, Weisenberg, Jenny Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SIGMUND N
• Application Number:
  US11/560,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/309.15, 340/604, 340/605, 368/10
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A system, for facilitating independent living of one or more individuals who has a health status and is located in a predetermined living area, that is adapted to communicate with one or more caregivers, that generally comprises: a first subsystem that monitors the activity levels of an individual and determines whether the activity level is indicative of a decline in said individual'"'"'s health status; a second subsystem that can be selectively activated by the individual to alert caregivers that assistance is needed; a third subsystem that automatically alerts caregivers that assistance is needed based at least in part on determination of the first subsystem; and a fourth subsystem that monitors whether the individual is exhibiting wandering activity.

Claims

1. A system, for facilitating independent living of one or more individuals who has a health status and is located in a living area, that is adapted to communicate with one or more caregivers, comprising:

a monitoring device, comprising,

a first subsystem that monitors one or more of activity levels of said individual over an extended period of time; and

a second subsystem that is selectively activated by said individual to alert one or more of said caregivers that assistance is needed;

a base station comprising,

a third subsystem that monitors whether said individual is exhibiting wandering activity away from said individual'"'"'s living area;

a fourth subsystem that automatically alerts one or more of said caregivers that assistance is needed by said individual based at least in part on changes in activity levels as determined by said first subsystem or said third subsystem;

a means for receiving data from said monitoring device; and

a base station transmitter for transmitting data from said base station to a location remote from said living area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said actigraphy device comprises a device transmitter for transmitting a signal, corresponding to said second subsystem alert, directly to one or more of said caregivers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for receiving is wireless.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors in said living area for sensing one or more of said activities of said individual, wherein said sensors comprise a signal transmitter for transmitting a signal to said actigraphy device when said sensor is activated.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors in said living area for sensing one or more of said activities of said individual, wherein said sensors comprise a signal transmitter for transmitting a signal to said base station when said sensor is activated.