Methods and apparatus for analyzing user information to identify conditions indicating a need for assistance for the user

• US 8,458,015 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Joseph, Kurt M., Belz, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US12/349,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705/9, 379/201
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Systems and techniques for analyzing information relating to a user to determine whether the user requires assistance. Information for a user is received from sources selected to provide information relating to the user'"'"'s activities and analyzed to determine whether conditions exist indicating a possible need for assistance for the user. User location, motion, and activity information is received and analyzed against expected information stored in the user profile and analyzed to determine if assistance is needed. If a determination is made that the user'"'"'s behavior indicates that assistance may be needed, communication is initiated to summon appropriate assistance.

Claims

1. A method of user monitoring, comprising:

receiving, by a data processing device, behavior information relating to a user'"'"'s behavior through wireless communication with one or more devices providing information relating to the user, the behavior information including;

scheduled activities retrieved from an electronic calendar feature, and

participation information relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in the scheduled activities;

analyzing, at the data processing device, the behavior information to compare the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in the scheduled activities with expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in scheduled activities and to analyze deviations from the expectations to determine whether such deviations indicate a need for assistance for the user;

refining, by the data processing device, the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in scheduled activities by monitoring additional participation information over time, to produce refined expectations;

analyzing, by the data processing device, subsequent behavior information to compare the user'"'"'s subsequent participation or nonparticipation in subsequent scheduled activities with the refined expectations and to analyze deviations from the refined expectations to determine whether such deviations indicate a need for assistance for the user;

upon an indication of a need for assistance for the user, initiating, by the data processing device, transmission of a signal to the user; and

based on a failure of the user to respond to the signal, initiating, by the data processing device, communications to summon assistance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein refining the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or non-participation in the scheduled activities includes monitoring user behavior with respect to adherence to schedules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving behavior information relating to the user'"'"'s behavior includes receiving information relating to the user'"'"'s pattern of movements and analyzing the user'"'"'s behavior includes analyzing the user'"'"'s pattern of movements taking historical patterns of accidents in the user'"'"'s current environment into account to determine whether the pattern of movements indicates a need for assistance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in scheduled activities are stored in a user profile.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising summoning assistance upon determination that assistance may be needed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein summoning assistance comprises analyzing the deviations from the expectations to identify a condition indicating a need for assistance and following procedures stored in a user profile for the identified condition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein deviations are determined to indicate a need for assistance for the user when the behavior information indicates that the user arrived at a predetermined location but failed to participate in scheduled activities at the location.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving behavior information additionally includes receiving historical accident information indicating historical patterns of accidents experienced by the user at the current location of the user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving behavior information additionally includes receiving historical accident information indicating historical patterns of accidents experienced by the user on terrain similar to a terrain of the current location of the user.

8. A tangible computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method of user monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving behavior information relating to a user'"'"'s behavior through wireless communication with one or more devices providing information relating to the user, the behavior information including;

scheduled activities retrieved from an electronic calendar feature, and

participation information relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in the scheduled activities;

analyzing the behavior information to compare the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in the scheduled activities with expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in scheduled activities and to analyze deviations from the expectations to determine whether such deviations indicate a need for assistance for the user;

refining the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or nonparticipation in scheduled activities by monitoring additional participation information over time, to produce refined expectations;

analyzing subsequent behavior information to compare the user'"'"'s subsequent participation or nonparticipation in subsequent scheduled activities with the refined expectations and to analyze deviations from the refined expectations to determine whether such deviations indicate a need for assistance for the user;

upon an indication of a need for assistance for the user, initiating transmission of a signal to the user; and

based on a failure of the user to respond to the signal, initiating communications to summon assistance.

9. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein refining the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or non-participation in the scheduled activities includes monitoring user behavior with respect to adherence to schedules.

10. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein receiving behavior information relating to the user'"'"'s behavior includes receiving information relating to the user'"'"'s pattern of movements and analyzing the user'"'"'s behavior includes analyzing the user'"'"'s pattern of movements taking historical patterns of accidents in the user'"'"'s current environment into account to determine whether the pattern of movements indicates a need for assistance.

11. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein the expectations relating to the user'"'"'s participation or non-participation in the scheduled activities are stored in a user profile.

12. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, further comprising summoning assistance upon determination that assistance may be needed.

13. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 12, wherein summoning assistance comprises analyzing the deviations from the expectations to identify a condition indicating a need for assistance and following procedures stored in a user profile for the identified condition.

14. The tangible computer-usable medium of claim 8, wherein deviations are determined to indicate a need for assistance for the user when the behavior information indicates that the user arrived at a predetermined location but failed to participate in scheduled activities at the location.

15. A method of user monitoring, comprising:

receiving, a data processing device, behavior information relating to a user'"'"'s behavior through wireless communication with one or more devices providing information relating to the user, the behavior information including;

location information indicating a current location of the user, and

historical accident information indicating historical patterns of accidents experienced by persons other than the user at the current location of the user;

analyzing, by the data processing device, the behavior information to determine whether there is an indication of a need for assistance for the user, based on the location information and the historical accident information;

upon the indication of a need for assistance for the user, initiating, by the data processing device, transmission of a signal to the user; and

based on a failure of the user to respond to the signal, initiating, by the data processing device, communications to summon assistance.