Context dependent application/event activation for people with various cognitive ability levels

• US 8,803,690 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Junqua, Jean-Claude, Sasaki, Gary David, Teixeira, Ricardo, Morin, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US13/730,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/309.4, 340/539.12, 340/457, 340/522, 340/691.3
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0263 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the direction in which child or item is located
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

The system includes a computer-readable memory having a data structure configured to store information about a time-based event for a patient having reduced cognitive abilities, and optionally also electronic data reflecting the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability. A networked computer system coupled to the computer-readable memory provides an information communicating interface to the patient. The computer system is programmed to monitor context information relevant to the patient and to dynamically adjust the presentation of the stored information based on the context, and optionally also based upon the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for assisting persons of reduced cognitive ability to manage upcoming events, comprising:

a computer-implemented data store configured to store information about a context-based event for a patient having reduced cognitive abilities;

a networked computer system coupled to said data store that provides an information communicating interface to the patient;

said computer system being programmed to monitor context information relevant to the patient, wherein the context information includes a time relative to the context-based event and wherein the context information includes information relating to at least one of;

the patient'"'"'s medical condition, weight, vital signs, activity level, habitual behaviors and lifestyle;

said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust a presentation of said stored information to the patient based on said context information.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one sensor for measuring at least one of:

the patient'"'"'s medical condition, weight, vital signs, activity level, habitual behaviors and lifestyle.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the context information includes information relating to at least one of:

location of patient, mobility of patient and ambient temperature and weather conditions in proximity of patient.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one sensor for measuring at least one of:

location of patient, mobility of patient and ambient temperature and weather conditions in proximity of patient.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said context information is a patient-related context.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said context information is a situational context external to the patient.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said context information is a technology context associated with the networked computer system.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust the presentation of said stored information by automatically launching an application running on the computer system.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust the presentation of said stored information by automatically launching an application running on a device in proximity to the patient.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust the presentation of said stored information by adapting the modality of a multi-modal device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust the complexity of information presented.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system being further programmed to dynamically adjust the content of information presented.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system includes a caregiver interface through which a caregiver furnishes information to said data store about time-based events for the patient.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system is further programmed to automatically transfer the presentation from a first device to a second device based on said context information.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer system is programmed to present said stored information on a first device and a second device and further programmed to separately and dynamically adjust the presentation on said first and second devices based on said context information.

16. A computer-implemented system for assisting persons of reduced cognitive ability to manage upcoming events, comprising:

a computer-implemented data store configured to store plural items of information about a context-based event for a patient having reduced cognitive abilities;

a networked computer system coupled to said data store that provides;

a first information communicating interface to the patient and

a second information communicating interface to a caregiver associated with the patient;

the data store having a data structure in which to store electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability;

the networked computer system being programmed to receive through said second interface plural items of information about a specific context-based event and being programmed to store said received plural items of information as a record in said data store associated with said specific context-based event;

the networked computer system being programmed to dynamically render said stored information to the patient through the first interface in a manner such that the rendering changes as the context changes; and

the networked computer system being further programmed to access said data structure storing said electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability and to control the manner in which the dynamic presentation is delivered to the patient based on the accessed electronic data.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the context-based event is a time-based event.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system is further programmed to collect interaction data from the patient through the first interface and to supply the collected interaction data to the caregiver through the second interface.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system is further programmed to collect information indicative of cognitive ability through the first interface and to store the collected information in the data structure storing electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system is further programmed to collect information indicative of cognitive ability and wherein the networked computer system is programmed to deliver a memory exercising game through the first interface and to extract from said game said information indicative of cognitive ability.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the first interface is a display interface supported by at least one of a portable device and a wearable device used by the patient.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the first interface includes a display screen and the electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability is used to adjust the amount of information presented concurrently on the display screen.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the first interface includes an aural interface producing speech messages and the electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability is used to adjust at least one of speaking speed, vocabulary, and grammatical complexity of the speech messages.

24. The system of claim 16 further comprising a sensor measuring at least one of the patient'"'"'s medical condition, weight, vital signs, activity level, habitual behaviors and lifestyle, location, mobility, ambient temperature and weather conditions in proximity of patient;

and

wherein the networked computer system is programmed to adjust the dynamic presentation based on said sensor-measured condition.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein the plural items of information each provide successively greater amounts of information about the time-based event.

26. The system of claim 16 wherein said caregiver is a member of the patient'"'"'s family and the second interface is supported by a browser running on a device operated by the caregiver and communicating with said networked computer system.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein said caregiver is a member of a professional nursing home or healthcare organization and the second interface is supported by a browser running on a device operated by the caregiver and communicating with said networked computer system.

28. The system of claim 16 wherein said caregiver is a member of a professional nursing home or healthcare organization and the second interface is supported by a client application running on a device operated by the caregiver and communicating with said networked computer system.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein the first interface employs a computer device operated by or in proximity to the patient, said computer device running an autonomous program that delivers said dynamic presentation even when communication with the networked computer system is interrupted.

30. The system of claim 16 wherein said first interface includes speech input responsive to speech of the patient and wherein said networked computer system is programmed to receive said speech input and use it to assess the cognitive ability or emotional state of the patient.

31. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system provides a third information communicating interface to another caregiver who inputs information about the condition of the patient.

32. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system provides a third information communicating interface to another caregiver who inputs information about the condition of the patient wherein the information input by the another caregiver is used to update the electronic data indicative of the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability.

33. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system provides a third information communicating interface to another caregiver who inputs information about the condition of the patient wherein the information input by the another caregiver is used to supply status information about the patient through the second interface.

34. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system provides a software interface adapted to allow other software systems to interact with the data store.

35. The system of claim 16 wherein the networked computer system provides a software interface adapted to allow a sensor measuring at least one of the patient'"'"'s medical condition, weight, activity level, habitual behaviors, lifestyle, location, mobility, ambient temperature and weather conditions in proximity of patient to interact with the data store.

36. The system of claim 16 wherein the data structure is configured to represent cognitive ability as a model corresponding to a set of dimensions including at least one of anxiety level, vision impairment, vision skills, short-term memory skills, long-term memory skills, recognizing and remembering names/familiar faces, reading comprehension skills, attention skills, time and space sensing, speech skills, hearing and comprehension skills, ability to solve simple logical problems, and inference skill including ability to understand normal implied consequences of actions and facts.

37. The system of claim 16 wherein said networked computer system is programmed to automatically adjust the message as the patient'"'"'s cognitive ability changes, as reflected by said accessed electronic data.