Installation of a personal emergency response system
First Claim
1. A method of installing a personal emergency response system that includes a communicator operative in response to activation of a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said method comprising the steps of:
- detecting a first power switch having on and off positions being switched to the on position;
in response to the detection of said first switch being switched to said on position, in a first determining step, determining whether said communicator has previously successfully completed an installation sequence;
in the event said first determining step indicates that said communicator has not previously successfully completed said installation sequence, performing said installation sequence prior to entering a monitoring mode in which said communicator is operative in response to detection of a transmission from said wireless transmitter to initiate a call to said call center, said performing step including the step of prompting a user to perform a plurality of actions and detecting when as least some of said plurality of actions have been successfully performed;
in the event said first determining step indicates that said communicator has previously successfully completed said installation sequence, bypassing said installation sequence and entering said monitoring mode; and
performing a range test sequence, said range test sequence including the steps of;
commencing a range test timer;
prompting the user to activate said wireless transmitter to generate a wireless signal;
detecting whether said wireless signal has been received at said communicator;
in the event said wireless signal has been received;
determining whether a range test timer has decremented such that a time remaining is less than a predetermined value;
in the event said range test timer has decremented such that the time remaining in said range test timer is less than the predetermined value, setting said range test timer to said predetermined value; and
in the event said range test timer expires, prompting said user to activate said wireless transmitter to initiate a call from said communicator to said call center.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communicator for a personal emergency response system determines, when a power switch is switched on, whether the communicator has previously successfully performed at least one predetermined installation sequence. If the communicator has previously completed the installation sequence, it bypasses the installation sequence. If the communicator has not previously completed the installation sequence, it prompts the user through the installation sequence using a series of audible or text prompts. During the installation sequence, the user is prompted to perform range testing to verify the operation of a transmitter in conjunction with the communicator in the personal emergency alarm system in one or more locations.
14 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of installing a personal emergency response system that includes a communicator operative in response to activation of a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said method comprising the steps of:
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detecting a first power switch having on and off positions being switched to the on position; in response to the detection of said first switch being switched to said on position, in a first determining step, determining whether said communicator has previously successfully completed an installation sequence; in the event said first determining step indicates that said communicator has not previously successfully completed said installation sequence, performing said installation sequence prior to entering a monitoring mode in which said communicator is operative in response to detection of a transmission from said wireless transmitter to initiate a call to said call center, said performing step including the step of prompting a user to perform a plurality of actions and detecting when as least some of said plurality of actions have been successfully performed; in the event said first determining step indicates that said communicator has previously successfully completed said installation sequence, bypassing said installation sequence and entering said monitoring mode; and performing a range test sequence, said range test sequence including the steps of; commencing a range test timer; prompting the user to activate said wireless transmitter to generate a wireless signal; detecting whether said wireless signal has been received at said communicator; in the event said wireless signal has been received; determining whether a range test timer has decremented such that a time remaining is less than a predetermined value; in the event said range test timer has decremented such that the time remaining in said range test timer is less than the predetermined value, setting said range test timer to said predetermined value; and in the event said range test timer expires, prompting said user to activate said wireless transmitter to initiate a call from said communicator to said call center. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of installing a personal emergency response system that includes a communicator operative in response to activation of a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said method comprising:
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storing an indicator in a non-volatile memory, said indicator having a first state in the event an installation sequence has not been previously successfully completed and having a second state in the event said installation sequence has been successfully completed; determining whether a first button is activated at the time a first power switch is switched to an on position; in the event said first button is activated at the time said first switch is switched to said on position and said indicator is in said second state, setting said indicator to said first state and performing said installation sequence, performing the installation sequence including; (a) prompting said user to perform range testing of said wireless transmitter, said range test sequence including the steps of; commencing a range test timer, prompting the user to activate said wireless transmitter to generate a wireless signal, and detecting whether said wireless signal has been received at said communicator; and (b) generating a plurality of audible prompts with a speech synthesizer under the control of a processor; in the event said first button is activated at the time said first switch is switched to said on position and said indicator is in said first state, bypassing said installation sequence and entering said monitoring mode in which said communicator is operative in response to detection of a transmission from said wireless transmitter to initiate a call to said call center. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A communicator to use in a personal emergency response system, said communicator operative in response to receipt of a wireless signal from a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said communicator comprising:
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a first switch on at least some power to said communicator, said first switch having an off position and an on position; a processor operative to execute a software program, said software program operative to; a. determine whether a predetermined installation sequence has been previously successfully completed in response to switching said first switch from said off position to said on position, b. bypass said predetermined installation sequence in the event said processor finds as a result of said determination that said installation sequence has been successfully completed, c. perform said predetermined installation sequence in the event said processor determines that said installation sequence has not been successfully completed, d. provide an indication that said installation sequence has been successfully completed in response to the successful completion of said sequence, and e. repeat steps a through d at least some of the times when said first switch is switched to said on position from said off position; a prompting apparatus which prompts a user to perform at least one specified action during an installation sequence in response to at least one control signal issued by said processor; circuitry in communication with said processor for detecting when said at least one specified action has been performed by said user; said processor being operative to perform a predetermined range test sequence including; starting a range test timer; prompting said user to activate said wireless transmitter to generate a wireless signal; detecting whether said wireless signal has been received at said communicator; and in the event said wireless signal has been detected; determining whether said range test timer has decremented to a value less than a predetermined value corresponding to a time less than a predetermined time; in the event said range test timer has decremented to said value less than said predetermined value, setting said range test timer to said predetermined value; and in the event said range test timer expires, controlling said prompting apparatus to prompt said user to activate said wireless transmitter to initiate a call from said communicator to said call center. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A communicator to use in a personal emergency response system, said communicator operative in response to receipt of a wireless signal from a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said communicator comprising:
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a first switch for switching on at least some power to said communicator, said first switch having an off position and an on position; a processor operative to execute a predetermined installation sequence; a non-volatile memory containing a state indicator, said state indicator being of a first state when a predetermined installation sequence has not been previously successfully completed and being of a second state when said predetermined installation sequence has been successfully completed; a first button having an activated state and a non-activated state, said processor being operative to determine whether said first button is in said activated state at a time when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position, and at least one of; in response to determining that said first button is in said activated state at a time when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position when said state indicator is in said first state, to bypass said predetermined installation sequence and enter a monitoring mode in which said processor is operative to initiate a call to said call center in response to detection of an alarm condition, or in response to determining that said first button is in said activated state at a time when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position when said state indicator is in said second state, to reset said state indicator to said first state and to perform said predetermined installation sequence. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A communicator to use in a personal emergency response system, said communicator operative in response to receipt of a wireless signal from a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said communicator comprising:
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a first switch switching on at least some power to said communicator, said first switch having an off position and an on position; a first button having an activated state and a non-activated state; a processor operative to determine whether said first button is in said activated state or said non-activated state when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position, said processor being operative; in response to determining that said first button is in said activated state when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position and that a predetermined installation sequence has not been completed, to perform said predetermined installation sequence, and in response determining that said first button is in said activated state when said first switch is switched from said off position to said on position when said predetermined installation sequence has been completed, to bypass said predetermined installation sequence and enter a monitoring mode in which said processor is operative to initiate a call to said call center in response to detection of an alarm condition. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A communicator to use in a personal emergency response system, said communicator operative in response to receipt of a wireless signal from a wireless transmitter to initiate a telephone call to a call center, said communicator comprising:
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a first switch switching on at least some power to said communicator, said first switch having an off position and an on position; a non-volatile memory containing a state indicator, said state indicator indicating; a first state when a predetermined installation sequence has not been previously successfully completed, and a second state when said predetermined installation sequence has been successfully completed; whether said predetermined installation sequence has been previously successfully completed being determinable by testing the state of said state indicator; a processor operative to; a. in response to the first switch being switched from the off position to the on position, determining whether the state indicator is in the first state or the second state; b. in response to determining that the state indicator is in the first state, performing the predetermined installation sequence; c. in response to completing the predetermined installation sequence, switching the state indicator to the second state; and d. in response to determining that the state indicator is in the second state, bypass the installation sequence and enter a monitoring mode in which said processor is operative to initiate a call to the call center in response to detection of an alarm condition e. repeat steps a through d at least some of the times when said first switch is switched to said on position from said off position. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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Specification