Activity level monitoring participant station network

• US 9,171,445 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Catherine Lu, H Keith Nishihara, Julie Raymond, Neil D. Hunt
• Original Assignee: Catherine Lu, H Keith Nishihara, Julie Raymond, Neil D. Hunt
• Inventors: Nishihara, H Keith, Hunt, Neil D., Lu, Catherine, Raymond, Julie
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US14/574,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20150179040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.2, 340/573.1, 379/38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/63 Motion, e.g. physical activity
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A network of interreporting participant stations configured to monitor and analyze station movement such that activity levels of the individual stations can be determined and reported across the network to alert participant stations whenever the activity level of any one of the participant stations has dropped to a pre-determined level.

Claims

1. A network of interreporting participant stations configured to monitor and analyze station movement such that activity levels of each of the individual participant stations can be determined and reported across the network to each of the other individual participant stations in the network such that each individual participant station both transmits its own activity level to each of the other individual participant stations in the network and receives the activity levels of each of the other individual participant stations in the network, comprising:

a plurality of participant stations, each participant station comprising;

(a) a communication system enabling message transmission to each of the other participant stations in the network;

(b) one or both of;

(i) a GPS for determining a location of the participant station, or

(ii) a movement sensor for detecting movement of the participant station;

(c) a movement recording system that activates at periodic intervals of time to record one or both of the location or movement of the participating station at each of the periodic intervals of time;

(d) an activity level measuring system that measures an activity level of the participating station by detecting changes in one or both of the location or movement of the participant station occurring between each of the periodic intervals of time;

(e) a movement threshold level identifier that identifies when the activity level has remained below a pre-determined threshold for a pre-determined period of time, wherein the pre-determined period of time is greater than each of the periodic intervals of time;

(f) an alert system that transmits a message through the communication system to the other participant stations in the network when the movement threshold level identifier has determined that the activity level has remained below the pre-determined threshold for the pre-determined period of time; and

(g) an inquiry system that transmits a status acknowledgement message to an operator of the participant station prior to the alert system transmitting a message to each of the other participant stations in the network; and

(h) a message shut off system that prevents the alert system from transmitting a message to each of the other participant stations in the network if the operator responds to the status acknowledgement message sent by the inquiry system, and

wherein the status acknowledgement message is not sent during periods of low activity level when the periods of low activity level correspond to times when or places where the participant station previously had low activity level.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer in the participant station.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the movement sensor detects changes in an orientation of the participant station.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the activity level measuring system calculates the activity level by determining a distance the participant station has moved in a predetermined interval of time.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the activity level measuring system calculates the activity level by determining how frequently the participant station has changed orientation in a predetermined interval of time.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of participant stations are smart phones.

7. The network of claim 6, wherein the movement recording system and the activity level measuring system and the movement threshold level identifier are all resident in each smart phone in the network.

8. The network of claim 6, wherein the activity level measuring system changes the interval of time at which the activity level is measured when the smart phone is charging or an operator is using voice or data capabilities of the smart phone.

9. The network of claim 6, wherein the activity level measuring system changes the interval of time at which the activity level is measured when the smart phone is placed in an unusual attitude.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a cellular phone line or an internet communication line.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the activity level measuring system activates and determines the activity level only at periodic intervals of time.

12. The network of claim 1, wherein the operator of the participant station responds to the status acknowledgement message by voice command.

13. The network of claim 12, further comprising:

(i) an audio messaging system that adds an operator-recorded message to the message transmitted by the alert system to the other participant stations in the network.

14. The network of claim 1, wherein the alert system transmits messages through the communication system to each of the other participant stations in the network, and wherein the alert system stops transmitting messages to each of the other participant stations in the network after one of the other participant stations has acknowledged receipt of the message.

15. The network of claim 1, wherein the status acknowledgement message is sent at irregular intervals of time.

16. The network of claim 1, wherein the status acknowledgement message encourages the operator to interact with the participant station.

17. A network of interreporting participant stations configured to monitor and analyze station movement such that activity levels of each of the individual participant stations can be determined and reported across the network to each of the other individual participant stations in the network such that each individual participant station both transmits its own activity level to each of the other individual participant stations in the network and receives the activity levels of each of the other individual participant stations in the network, comprising:

a plurality of participant stations, each participant station comprising;

(a) a communication system enabling message transmission to each of the other participant stations in the network;

(b) one or both of;

(i) a GPS for determining a location of the participant station, or

(ii) a movement sensor for detecting movement of the participant station;

(c) a movement recording system that activates at periodic intervals of time to record one or both of the location or movement of the participating station at each of the periodic intervals of time;

(d) an activity level measuring system that measures an activity level of the participating station by detecting changes in one or both of the location or movement of the participant station occurring between each of the periodic intervals of time;

(e) a movement threshold level identifier that identifies when the activity level has remained below a pre-determined threshold for a pre-determined period of time, wherein the pre-determined period of time is greater than each of the periodic intervals of time; and

(f) an alert system that transmits a message through the communication system to the other participant stations in the network when the movement threshold level identifier has determined that the activity level has remained below the pre-determined threshold for the pre-determined period of time;

wherein each of the plurality of participant stations are smart phones

wherein the activity level measuring system changes the interval of time at which the activity level is measured when the smart phone is placed in an unusual attitude, and,

wherein the unusual attitude is the smart phone resting on its top edge leaning against an object.