System and method for providing alarming notification and real-time, critical emergency information to occupants in a building or emergency designed area and evacuation guidance system to and in the emergency exit route

• US 7,924,149 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gamba Group Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Ehud Mendelson
• Inventors: Mendelson, Ehud
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/069,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.18, 340/572.1, 340/573.1, 340/825.49, 340/10.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.4, 455/457, 705/14.39, 705/22, 707/10, 707/102
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/20 Destination assistance within a business structure or complex
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

The system method described herein could guide people around urban environments indoor and outdoor, provide accurate update and real time emergency notification and information to the building occupants or to the emergency designated area to his cellular phone, We have focused on the task of providing a real time emergency information and navigation along the emergency exit route, The information will be received directly and will display on the existing cellular phone as Bluetooth application.

Claims

1. A method for providing a building or area occupants a critical emergency information and navigation to and the emergency exit route according to the user location indoor and outdoor in or on at least one display device selected from the group consisting of a display devices, a mobile phone, hand held computer system, and a Bluetooth enabled device, the method comprises the steps of:

1. installed RF/Bluetooth tags in an area/building in a known location providing the infrastructure for indoor or emergency navigation,

2. real-time emergency alarming and notification;

push alarming and emergency information to cellular phone in the emergency area via bluetooth, and broadcast in simulate the information via frequency modulation radio and video screens,

3. providing emergency procedure and mapping;

pull/download the emergency procedures including the buildings mapping, say emergency information can be reside on user mobile as standard procedure for current occupants providing digital emergency guidance or download in emergency,

4. emergency guidance and navigation to and in the exit route;

provide information to navigate to the exit route.

2. The RF tags according to claim 1, wherein said RF tag can be installed on any place that designated as a waypoint in a known place along a building or an area for emergency and non emergency beacon.

3. The frequency modulation data according to claim 1 wherein said frequency modulation information will broadcast as Radio Data System (RDS) information containing information about any place that designated as a waypoint.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises displaying the information over a facility map, area map, GPS mapping or floor plan on the user mobile phone device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information pertains to provide waypoints in a current area indoor or outdoor without help of GPS or Cellular identification (id), providing pinpoint accuracy of the way point.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a current position of a user by a triangulation calculation or proximity based on known positions of a plurality of wireless RF or Bluetooth tags implements in a known positions in the facility area or building designated as Infrastructure for indoor navigation or emergency navigation.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises allowing displaying additional information or advertising of a waypoints.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the display device/cellular phone with application software for displaying pre-loaded area maps or facility floor plans.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determine user location directly from the RF/Bluetooth tag according to the user proximity position to the tags and no bandwidth, cellular communication or internet needed.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises receiving directly the information from the RF or Bluetooth tags without sending a request or a query for search in a central database or internet.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing infrastructure for indoor or outdoor navigation in the type of the facility or area selected from the group consisting but not limit of:

navigating a pedestrian in an environment like a mall, department store, specialty store, conference, trade show, amusement park, university, hospital, school, municipal building, museum, subway, train station, airport, hotel and resort, cruise ship, down town center, any type of parking facility or any place when and where GPS cannot be provided or is not accurate or precise enough.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises using the infrastructure to navigate in a special operation mode:

nav4parking, provides navigating to available empty parking spaces and navigation back to the parking spaces as return2parking.

13. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises

navigate in a special operation mode:

nav4store, provides navigation inside a store/department store to a specific department/aisle or specific product, with option for advertising method and special promotion.

14. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in a special operation mode nav4sale, provides navigating to a special sale item in a department store and navigate directly to item location.

15. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in a special operating mode:

nav4museums, nav4show, nav4conference provides indoor navigation in the museum'"'"'s the show or conference exhibition directly to the user navigation and or cellular phone device, utilizing the Bluetooth the user can receive additional information and audio, video eliminate the need to have a rental headset.

16. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in special operating mode:

nav4realty, provides accuracy to pinpoint for the available real estate property for sale/lease/rent and navigation to them according to the user location as add-on to GPS navigation.

17. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in a special operating mode:

amusement park, nav4disney provides exhibit and attractions waypoints outdoor and indoor the amusements facilities and interactive information from amusements park exhibition to the user navigation and or cellular phone device, say navigation on the amusement map, the exhibition as a waypoint information like schedule of show, availability (lines) time to the show, type of the waypoint like restrooms, food area and provide a remote fast pass generation to eliminate lines.

18. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in a special operating mode:

nav4emergency which comprises navigation and alarming and notification to the emergency exit route using the emergency exit floor plan and escape with the knowledge of his exact location in that route, aspects of the scenarios to be included;

identifies and tracks the user and

provides the user with navigation information and directions for safely exiting of the building.

19. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises navigate in a special operating mode:

nav4train, provides the user with ability to know his exact location in the train, bus or subway station on a route directly to his phone, indoor or outdoor which comprises the train/subway/underground map as a navigation and will show to the user his exact location in the train/subway route, and additional information like schedule, restroom, food, emergency.

20. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises generating waypoint of the road sign to be display on the user navigation and or cellular phone as a way for secure driving, the information can interface to the car computer to for example automatically slow down when enter school zone—

nav4sign.

21. A business model method according to claim 1, which further comprises the steps of:

1. the RF or Bluetooth tag installed in the area or building in a known location designate as a waypoint and providing the triggering mechanism and proximity locating engine as infrastructure for indoor navigation or add-on to GPS in outdoor with accuracy below 1 meter,

2. each business designate as a way point will pay fee for displaying his waypoint information pinpoint to his exact location and additional information on the user mobile phone/navigation,

3. payments will be to infrastructure provider,

4. each waypoints/business will have an option to provide more information and or advertising directly to the user navigation and or cellular phone trigger when and where the user reach his location say the information can be deliver by other communication method to the user mobile.