Systems and methods for automated personal emergency responses

• US 8,866,606 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwilli Rmr, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Rockwilli Rmr, LLC.
• Inventors: Will, Travis E., VanDevanter, Russell E., Myhre, Steven M., Myhre, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghayour, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US14/023,457
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A subscriber device for use in an automated personal emergency response system implemented as a conference bridge on a remote computing network. The device, intended to be worn as a pendant, wristband or in another wearable configuration, includes a color high-resolution display for signaling a user of the subscriber device with notifications, arrows for directional guidance, and/or other status messages. The device also includes microphones and speakers for enabling a teleconference between a user of the subscriber device in need of assistance and parties joined to the teleconference via the automated personal emergency response system. The user of the subscriber device may initiate the call for assistance and teleconference via a press of a single button on the device; alternatively, accelerometers in the device may detect a fall and automatically initiate the call. The device can receive medical telemetry and provide it to conference participants and perform home automation tasks.

Claims

1. A subscriber device for alerting an automated personal emergency response system, comprising:

a control module including at least one processing device;

a user interface module operatively coupled to the control module, the user interface module including at least;

an alert button configured to respond to an alert button press by initiating one or more transmissions to the automated personal emergency response system; and

a visual display screen capable of rendering text in at least three colors; and

an audio module operatively coupled to the control module, the audio module including at least;

an audio file server, the audio file server configured to provide one or more audio voice prompts to a user of the subscriber device without the subscriber device being operatively connected to an external network;

one or more speakers; and

one or more microphones,

wherein at least one speaker and at least one microphone are configured to facilitate communications between a user of the subscriber device and at least some parties joined to a teleconference established by the automated personal emergency response system in response to an alert button press, and

wherein the audio module is capable of overriding a user volume setting of the subscriber device in response to a signal received by the subscriber device via an external network.

2. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the audio module operatively coupled to the control module comprises:

the audio module operatively coupled to the control module including at least a voice recognition module, the voice recognition module configured to detect one or more voice commands of a user of the subscriber device and initiate one or more transmissions to the automated personal emergency response system in response to at least one voice command of the user of the subscriber device.

3. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power module operatively coupled to the control module, wherein at least some data associated with the power module is associated with one or more signals to the automated personal emergency response system.

4. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising:

a positional awareness module operatively coupled to the control module, the positional awareness module including at least;

one or more accelerometers; and

one or more location sensors,

wherein at least some data gathered by at least one accelerometer or at least one location sensor is associated with one or more signals to the automated personal emergency response system.

5. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein the positional awareness module operatively coupled to the control module comprises:

the positional awareness module configured to provide at least some directions or navigation to a user of the subscriber device in response to one or more transmissions associated with a teleconference established by the automated personal emergency response system in response to an alert button press.

6. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications module operatively coupled to the control module, the communications module including at least a cellular module, the cellular module configured to facilitate communications between a user of the subscriber device and at least some parties joined to a teleconference established by the automated personal emergency response system in response to an alert button press.

7. The subscriber device of claim 6, wherein the cellular module comprises:

a cellular module configured to dial at least two but no more than three pre-programmed telephone numbers, said configuration established via a hardware limit on the quantity of telephone numbers which may be stored simultaneously by the subscriber device.

8. The subscriber device of claim 6, wherein the communications module operatively coupled to the control module comprises:

the communications module operatively coupled to the control module including at least one transceiver configured to exchange data with at least one medical telematics sensor or at least one home environment sensor.

9. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the control module including at least one processing device comprises:

the control module including at least one non-transitory data store, including at least one of the at least one non-transitory data store configured to receive at least some subscriber device data received from a smart phone application or the control module configured to transmit at least some subscriber device data from the at least one non-transitory data store to a smart phone application.

10. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the control module including at least one processing device comprises:

the control module including at least one non-transitory data store, the at least one non-transitory data store configured to determine an appropriate recipient of an alert based at least in part on an alert type.

11. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one residential-facing connection configured for at least one of transmitting data to or receiving data from at least one home automation device.

12. The subscriber device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one residential-facing connection configured for at least one of transmitting one or more commands operable to unlock a door or transmitting one or more commands operable to turn on a light.

13. The subscriber device of claim 3, wherein the power module operatively coupled to the control module, wherein at least some data associated with the power module is associated with one or more signals to the automated personal emergency response system comprises:

the power module operatively coupled to the control module, wherein at least some data associated with the power module is associated with one or more signals to the automated personal emergency response system, the one or more signals including at least an indication of the power level of the device.

14. The subscriber device of claim 4, wherein the control module including at least one processing device and the positional awareness module operatively coupled to the control module comprise:

the positional awareness module configured to detect, using at least one accelerometer, at least two types of falls by a user of the subscriber device, wherein each of the at least two types of falls is associated with an individual alert event type; and

the control module configured to determine an appropriate recipient of a signal based at least in part on an individual alert event type.

15. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the alert button configured to respond to an alert button press by initiating one or more transmissions to the automated personal emergency response system comprises:

the alert button configured to respond to an alert button press by attempting to establish a teleconference with one or more parties associated with the automated personal emergency response system and, if the teleconference with one or more parties associated with the automated personal emergency response system cannot be established, attempting to establish a teleconference with at least one other party.

16. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the visual display screen capable of rendering text in at least three colors comprises:

a visual display screen capable of rendering at least one of text or graphics.

17. The subscriber device of claim 1, wherein the alert button configured to respond to an alert button press by initiating one or more transmissions to the automated personal emergency response system comprises:

the alert button configured to respond to an alert button press by initiating one or more transmissions to at least one of a conference bridge, a central monitoring center, or a 911 dispatch.

18. A subscriber device for facilitating communications with a central control center, comprising:

circuitry configured for rendering messages capable of being viewed by a user of the subscriber device, the messages capable of being rendered in at least three colors;

circuitry configured for initiating a teleconference for coupling at least the subscriber device and the central control center, the circuitry configured for initiating responsive to a press of an alert button of the subscriber device;

circuitry configured for exchanging audio communications between a user of the subscriber device and a party associated with the central control center during a successfully-established teleconference;

circuitry configured for emitting at least one aural voice prompt, the at least one aural voice prompt capable of being emitted by the subscriber device when the subscriber device is at least out of range of one or more wireless networks; and

circuitry configured for overriding a user volume setting of the subscriber device responsive to a signal received by the subscriber device via one or more wireless networks.

19. The subscriber device of claim 18, wherein the circuitry configured for initiating a teleconference for coupling at least the subscriber device and the central control center, the circuitry configured for initiating responsive to a press of an alert button of the subscriber device comprises:

circuitry configured for initiating a teleconference for coupling at least the subscriber device and a monitoring service.

20. The subscriber device of claim 18, further comprising:

circuitry configured for detecting at least one GPS location associated with the subscriber device; and

circuitry configured for providing at least one detected GPS location to the central control center.

21. A portable computing device, comprising:

a housing;

at least one display, the at least one display at least partially visible through the housing of the portable computing device;

at least one alert button, the at least one alert button at least partially housed by the housing of the portable computing device; and

at least one speaker, the at least one speaker at least partially housed by the housing of the portable computing device, the at least one speaker associated with a user volume setting capable of being overridden responsive to a signal received by the portable computing device via at least one wireless network;

at least one microphone, the at least one microphone at least partially housed by the housing of the portable computing device; and

circuitry configured to at least;

responsive to a press of at least one alert button, attempt to initiate a teleconference between the portable computing device and one or more parties associated with a personal emergency response system, the teleconference facilitated at least in part via at least one speaker and at least one microphone;

render at least text in at least three colors via at least one display; and

provide one or more aural prompts via at least one speaker, the one or more aural prompts capable of being provided at least when the portable computing device is not operatively coupled with at least one wireless network.

22. The portable computing device of claim 21, further comprising:

circuitry configured to receive at least some configuration data; and

circuitry configured to alter a configuration of the portable computing device based at least in part on at least some received configuration data.