Method and system for remotely monitoring a user

• US 9,368,013 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Humbard, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US14/618,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.12, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/500, 340/540, 340/10.1, 340/693.5, 340/691.1, 600/300, 600/301, 128/903
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

A system and corresponding method of operation for monitoring indicators of a user'"'"'s physical characteristics is disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving a first indicator, which corresponds to a physical characteristic of the user as monitored by the user monitor device; identifying a threshold value for the first indicator; comparing the first indication and the first threshold; generating a second indication when the comparison indicates that the first indication equals or exceeds the first threshold; and displaying or transmitting the second indication.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a user, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one portable device, a first indicator from a user monitor device, the first indicator corresponding to a physical characteristic of the user as monitored by the user monitor device;

identifying, by the portable device, a first threshold value for the first indicator;

comparing, by the portable device, the first indication and the first threshold;

generating, by the portable device, a second indication when the comparison indicates that the first indication equals or exceeds the first threshold; and

transmitting, by the portable device, the second indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving via Bluetooth wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises transmitting via Bluetooth wireless communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more portable devices comprises a Bluetooth-compatible mobile phone and the receiving further comprises receiving via Bluetooth wireless communication.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the portable device, that the first indicator has not been received by the portable device within a predetermined time period;

requesting, by the portable device, that the first indicator be transmitted by the user monitor device; and

receiving, by the portable device, the first indicator from the user monitor device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indicator corresponds to information describing one of a user temperature, a user pulse, a geographic location, user motion, ambient pressure, a measure of moisture, or a user blood glucose measurement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indicator corresponds to a measure of the user'"'"'s blood glucose level.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying, by the portable device, a baseline glucose level; and

setting, by the portable device, a threshold value corresponding to the first indicator based on the baseline glucose level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indicator corresponds to a measure of the user'"'"'s skin temperature.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the portable device, a baseline skin temperature; and

setting, by the portable device, a threshold value corresponding to the first indicator based on the baseline skin temperature.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the portable device, a geographic location of the user monitor device.

12. An article of manufacture for a method of monitoring physical characteristics of a user, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable, non-transitory medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing the method comprising:

receiving a first indicator from a user monitor device, the first indicator corresponding to a physical characteristic of the user as monitored by the user monitor device;

identifying a first threshold value for the first indicator;

comparing the first indication and the first threshold;

generating a second indication when the comparison indicates that the first indication equals or exceeds the first threshold; and

transmitting the second indication.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving via Bluetooth wireless communication.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, the method further comprising:

detecting tampering of at least a portion of the user monitor device; and

generating a second indication in response to the detection of tampering.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, the method further comprising:

determining that the first indicator has not been received by the portable device within a predetermined time period;

requesting that the first indicator be transmitted by the user monitor device; and

receiving the first indicator from the user monitor device.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first indicator corresponds to information describing one of a user temperature, a user pulse, a geographic location, user motion, ambient pressure, a measure of moisture, or a user blood glucose measurement.

17. A system for monitoring physical characteristics of a user, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first indicator from a user monitor device, the first indicator corresponding to a physical characteristic of the user as monitored by the user monitor device;

a computer processor configured to identify a first threshold value for the first indicator, compare the first indicator to the first threshold value, and generate a second indication if the comparison indicates that the first indicator meets or exceeds the first threshold value; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the second indication.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive via Bluetooth wireless communication.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit via Bluetooth wireless communication.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first indicator corresponds to information describing one of a user temperature, a user pulse, a geographic location, user motion, ambient pressure, a measure of moisture, or a user blood glucose measurement.