Mobile and automated emergency service provider contact system

• US 8,633,818 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Anson, Douglas M., Clardy, James W., Shows, Thomas Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/968,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20120154145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.14, 340/539.12, 340/539.15, 340/539.19, 340/539.18, 340/539.22, 340/573.1, 340/425.25, 702/188, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 379/188
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

An emergency service provider contact system includes a portable chassis. A processor is housed in the portable chassis. A storage, a communications module, at least one sensor, and a display are coupled to the processor and housed in the portable chassis. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium is housed in the portable chassis, coupled to the processor, and includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to monitor the at least one sensor and, in response to detecting an alert event through the at least one sensor, search the storage using the alert event to retrieve contact information for at least one emergency service provider that is associated with the alert event, and contact the emergency service provider through the communications module using the contact information.

Claims

1. An emergency service provider contact system, comprising:

a processor;

a storage coupled to the processor;

at least one sensor coupled to the processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

detect an alert event through the at least one sensor, wherein the alert event includes a first reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a first threshold reading;

retrieve at least one secondary event detected by the at least one sensor in response to detecting the alert event that includes the first reading that exceeds the first threshold reading, wherein the at least one secondary event is contemporaneous with the alert event and includes a second reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a second threshold reading;

determine that the at least one secondary event corroborates the alert event without input from a user;

determine that at least one emergency service provider is associated with the alert event in the storage, wherein the at least one emergency service provider includes contact information; and

contact the emergency service provider using the contact information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one threshold reading in the storage associated with each at least one sensor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

prompt for the at least one threshold reading for a sensor;

receive the at least one threshold reading; and

store the at least one threshold reading in the storage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

prompt for the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event; and

receive the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event;

store the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event in the storage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

provide a warning to a user that the emergency service provider is being contacted.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer, and wherein the detecting the alert event includes detecting an acceleration reading from the accelerometer that exceeds the first threshold reading.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a global positioning system (GPS), and wherein the detecting the alert event includes analyzing a plurality of GPS readings.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a temperature sensor, and wherein the detecting the alert event includes detecting a temperature reading from the temperature sensor that deviates from the first threshold reading.

9. An information handling system, comprising:

a portable chassis;

a processor housed in the portable chassis;

a storage housed in the portable chassis and coupled to the processor;

a communications module housed in the portable chassis and coupled to the processor;

at least one sensor housed in the portable chassis and coupled to the processor;

a display housed in the portable chassis and coupled to the processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium housed in the portable chassis and coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

monitor the at least one sensor; and

in response to detecting an alert event through the at least one sensor that includes a first reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a first threshold reading;

retrieve at least one secondary event, which was detected through the at least one sensor, that was contemporaneous with the alert event, and includes a second reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a second threshold reading, corroborates the alert event without input from a user;

search the storage using the alert event to retrieve contact information for at least one emergency service provider that is associated with the alert event; and

contact the emergency service provider through the communications module using the contact information.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one threshold reading in the storage associated with each at least one sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

prompt for the at least one threshold reading for a sensor using the display;

receive the at least one threshold reading; and

store the at least one threshold reading in the storage.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

prompt for the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event using the display;

receive the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event; and

store the at least one emergency services provider and associated alert event in the storage.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

provide a warning to a user that the emergency service provider is being contacted.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer, and wherein the detecting the alert event includes detecting an acceleration reading from the accelerometer that exceeds the first threshold reading.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor includes a global positioning system (GPS), and wherein the detecting the alert event includes analyzing a plurality of GPS readings.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor includes a temperature sensor, and wherein the detecting the alert event includes detecting a temperature reading from the temperature sensor that deviates from the first threshold reading.

17. A method for contacting an emergency service provider, comprising:

monitoring at least one sensor;

detecting an alert event through the at least one sensor that includes a first reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a first threshold reading;

retrieving at least one secondary event detected by the at least one sensor in response to detecting the alert event that includes the first reading that exceeds the first threshold reading, wherein the at least one secondary event is contemporaneous with the alert event and includes a second reading from the at least one sensor that exceeds a second threshold reading;

determining that the at least one secondary event corroborates the alert event without input from a user;

determining that at least one emergency service provider is associated with the alert event in a storage, wherein the at least one emergency service provider includes contact information; and

contacting the emergency service provider using the contact information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one threshold reading associated with each at least one sensor.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

prompting for the at least one threshold reading for a sensor;

receiving the at least one threshold reading; and

storing the at least one threshold reading in the storage.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing a warning that the emergency service provider is being contacted.