Method and a system for monitoring an activity or lack of activity of a subject

• US 9,245,255 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Douglas Charles Mckalip, Francis J. Muno
• Original Assignee: Douglas Charles Mckalip, Francis J. Muno
• Inventors: McKalip, Douglas Charles, Muno, Francis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARAMOLA, ISRAEL O
• Application Number:
  US13/462,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/572.1, 340/573.1, 340/531, 340/632, 382/100, 600/301, 600/300, 700/65
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A method and a system comprise monitoring one or more devices associated with a subject to generate one or more activity alerts for the subject. The activity alerts at least indicating the subject is active within their environment. The activity alerts are transmitted to a system unit for processing, in which the system applies a set of rules in determining a triggering event and notifies an interested party of activity of the subject and of inactivity of the subject.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

setting up conditions for at least one web-based activity alert, on a website, based on at least one predetermined activity event of a subject by at least one of an interested party and authorized third parties, wherein said conditions for at least one activity alert comprises a detection of said at least one predetermined activity event of the subject, and a detection of a lack of said at least one predetermined activity event of said subject;

preconfiguring, on said website, at least a predetermined amount of awake time window and sleep time window of said subject;

setting up at least a web-based trigger rule, on said website, in which said trigger rule comprises at least one predetermined trigger setting, wherein said at least one predetermined trigger setting includes an actuation of said activity alert during the respective said preconfigured amount of awake and sleep time windows of said subject, in which said awake time window corresponds to a preconfigured range of time of expected activity, and wherein said sleep time window corresponds to a preconfigured range of time of of expected inactivity;

setting up at least a web-based action rule, on said web site, wherein said action rule comprises a selection of actions for a system unit to perform based upon said conditions for at least one activity alert event and said trigger rule;

monitoring one or more device that communicates with said web site and associated with said subject to generate at least one activity event for determining one or more of said activity alert for said subject, in which said device comprises a mobile communication device for detecting use of email, phone texting or messaging by said subject;

transmitting said at least one activity alert to said system unit for processing, in which said system unit applies said trigger rule to said at least one activity alert and applies said action rule upon activation of said trigger rule, and responsively notifying at least one of said interested party and authorized third parties of at least one of said detection of at least one predetermined activity event of said subject and said detection of lack of at least one predetermined activity event of said subject; and

adjusting said predetermined amount of awake time window upon detection of a non-predetermined activity event in which the detected activity event within said awake time window is not expected.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said predetermined activity event comprises at least one of a use of email by said subject, phone texting or messaging by said subject, activation of a motion detector by said subject, movement to various locations by said subject, and said lack of predetermined activity event by said subject.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, in which said devices comprise at least one of a GPS locator for detecting said movement to various locations by said subject during said preconfigured amount of awake time window, and TCPIP motion detector for detecting said movement by said subject during said preconfigured amount of awake time window.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, in which said devices further comprise of applications in communication with said system unit for detecting said activity event and thereby indicate substantial activity of said subject.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said subject and said interested party at least configure parameters on said web site for said at least one activity alerts, wherein said at least one activity alerts include IP based activity monitors that communicate with said web site, wherein said method further comprises a step of determining an action rule requiring an IP based response.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said subject and said interested party at least configure parameters on said web site for said at least one trigger rules, wherein an absence of at least two or more activity alerts within a preconfigured amount of awake time window activates said at least one trigger rules.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said system unit notifies a third interested party of at least one of said predetermined activity event based on said at least one trigger rules.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said system unit notifies a third interested party of at least one of said at least one predetermined activity event based on said trigger rules.

8. A method comprising:

steps for setting up conditions for web-based activity alerts based on at least one predetermined activity event of a subject on a web site by at least one of an interested party, and authorized third parties, in which said at least one predetermined activity event comprises at least one of use of email by said subject, phone texting or messaging by said subject, activation of a motion detector by said subject, movement to various locations by said subject, and substantially lack of activity event of said subject, wherein activation of said activity alerts comprises a detection of at least one predetermined activity event of said subject;

step for preconfiguring, on said website, at least a predetermined amount of awake time window and sleep time window of said subject;

steps for setting up web-based trigger rules based on predetermined trigger settings and said activity alerts on said web site by at least one of said subject, interested party, and authorized third parties, wherein said sleep time window being configured to correspond substantially within a preconfigured amount of nighttime and said awake time window being configured to correspond substantially within a preconfigured amount of daytime, and wherein said substantially lack of said at least one predetermined activity event of said subject within said preconfigured amount of time within said awake time window activates said trigger rules;

steps for setting up web based action rules based on predetermined actions and said trigger rules on said web site by said subject, interested party, or authorized third parties wherein said action rules are a selection of actions for a system unit to perform upon conditions for at least one activity alert event based on said trigger rules, in which said action rules comprise at least contacting said interested party or authorized third parties when substantially no activity event by said subject is detected within said preconfigured amount of time within said awake time window as indicated by said trigger rules, in which said action rules further comprises sending a low priority notification to said interested party or authorized third parties based on said action rules if said trigger rules indicate substantial activity of said subject based on detection of said at least one predetermined activity event within said sleep time window;

steps for monitoring at least one device that communicates with said web site and associated with said subject to generate said at least one predetermined activity event for determining one or more of said activity alerts for said subject, in which said device comprises a mobile communication device for detecting use of email, phone texting or messaging by said subject as one or more of said at least one predetermined activity event;

steps for transmitting at least one of said activity alerts to said system unit for processing, in which said system unit applies said trigger rules to said at least one activity alert in and applies said action rules, and responsively notifying said interested party or authorized third parties of at least one of said at least one predetermined activity event of said subject and of substantially no activity event of said subject based on said trigger rules; and

step for adjusting said predetermined amount of awake time window upon detection of a non-predetermined activity event in which the detected activity event within said awake time window is not expected.

9. A system comprising of:

means for setting up conditions for web-based activity alerts based on at least one predetermined activity event of a subject on a web site by at least one of an interested party, and authorized third parties, in which said conditions for said activity alerts comprises a detection of at least one of said at least one predetermined activity event of said subject, in which said at least one predetermined activity event comprises at least one of a use of email by said subject, phone texting or messaging by said subject, activation of a motion detector by said subject, movement to various locations by said subject , and substantially no activity event of said subject, wherein activation of said activity alert comprises a detection of at least one of said at least one predetermined activity event;

means for setting up web-based trigger rules based on predetermined trigger settings and said activity alerts on said web site by said interested party, or authorized third parties, in which said trigger setting includes said activity alerts at a preconfigured amount of awake time window and sleep time window of said subject, wherein a detection of said substantially no activity event of said subject within said preconfigured amount of time within said awake time window activates said trigger rules;

means for setting up web based action rules based on predetermined actions and said trigger rules on said web site by said interested party, or authorized third parties wherein said action rules are a selection of actions for a system unit to perform upon conditions for at least one activity alert event based on said trigger rules, in which said action rules comprise at least contacting said interested party or authorized third parties when said trigger rules indicate said detection of substantially no activity event of said subject within said preconfigured amount of time between within said awake time window;

means for monitoring one or more devices that communicates with said web site and associated with said subject to generate at least one activity event for determining one or more activity alerts for said subject;

means for transmitting at least one said activity alert to said system unit for processing, in which said system unit applies said trigger rules to said at least one activity alert and applies said action rules upon activation of said trigger rules and notifies said interested party or authorized third parties of at least one of said predetermined activity event of said subject and said lack of predetermined activity of said subject based on said trigger rules; and

means for adjusting said preconfigured amount of awake time window upon detection of a non-predetermined activity event in which the detected activity event within said awake time window is not expected.

10. A system comprising:

A web site for setting up conditions for at least one web-based activity alert, trigger rules and action rules by at least one of interested party and authorized third parties, in which said conditions for said at least one activity alert comprises a detection of at least one predetermined activity event by a subject and a detection of a substantially lack of activity event of said subject;

wherein said at least one activity alert is based on said at least one predetermined activity event and substantially lack of activity event, and wherein trigger rules are based on predetermined trigger settings and at least one of preconfigured awake and sleep time windows of said subject, in which said awake time window comprises a preconfigured range of time, with said at least one activity alert being configured to correspond within said awake time window, and wherein said substantially lack of activity event of said subject within said preconfigured amount of time within said awake time window activates said trigger rules;

a devices being configured to communicate with said web site and associated with said subject to generate said at least one predetermined activity event for determining one or more of said at least one activity alert for said subject;

wherein said at least one activity alert at least indicating said subject being active or inactive within their environment during at least one of preconfigured amount of awake time and sleep time windows of said subject, in which said device comprises a mobile communication device for detecting use of email, phone texting or messaging by said subject as one or more of said at least one predetermined activity event;

a system unit for processing said at least one activity alert by at least applying a set of said trigger rules to determine an action rule for notifying said interested party of activity of said subject and of inactivity of said subject during said preconfigured amount of time within said awake and sleep time windows of said subject; and

a system unit for adjusting said preconfigured amount of awake time window upon detection of a non-predetermined activity event in which the detected activity event within said awake time window is not expected.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, in which said predetermined activity event comprises at least one of a use of email by said subject, phone texting or messaging by said subject, activation of a motion detector by said subject, movement to various locations by said subject, and said lack of substantial activity of said subject.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, in which said devices comprise at least one of a GPS locator for detecting said movement to various locations by said subject during said preconfigured amount of awake time window, and TCPIP motion detector for detecting said movement by said subject during said preconfigured amount of awake time window.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, in which said devices comprises at least an application in communication with the system unit.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, in which said subject and said interested party at least configure parameters on said web site for said at least one activity alert, wherein said at least one activity alert include IP based activity monitors that communicate with said web site, wherein said method further comprises a step of determining an action rule requiring an IP based response.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, in which said subject and said interested party at least configure parameters on said web site for said trigger rules, wherein an absence of at least two or more activity alerts within a preconfigured amount of awake time window activates said trigger rules.