Safety monitoring method and system

• US 9,378,532 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Three H, LLC
• Original Assignee: Three H, LLC
• Inventors: Herickhoff, Lisa A., Herickhoff, James A., Herickhoff, Ruth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMSON, SARA B
• Application Number:
  US14/017,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention may include systems and methods for monitoring a person'"'"'s activities. A system may receive an input and may contact a designated party to ensure they are safe or perhaps even confirm they are at a specified location at a specified time. A system may also provide an escalation response in those circumstances where a primary contact is not reached or perhaps where it is directed by a primary contact. Further, a system may provide communications to a primary contact or a user including a plausible excuse for the primary contact to leave an agenda location.

Claims

1. A server for tracking and providing emergency notifications for a plurality of mobile devices, the server comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions defining a server application executable by the processor of the server, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the server, causing the server to perform steps comprising:

defining virtual boundaries of a geographic area to be monitored;

receiving a communication from one of said plurality of mobile devices indicating a user of that mobile device is involved in an emergency situation, the communication including GPS coordinates indicating a geographic location of the mobile device;

determining from the GPS coordinates and the defined boundaries of the geographic area to be monitored that the mobile device from which the communication was received is located in that geographic area;

displaying the location of the mobile device on an image of the geographic area being monitored, based on the received GPS coordinates.

2. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to associate a unique code with specific monitoring personnel who are to be notified in the event of an emergency within the defined boundaries of the geographic area.

3. The server recited in claim 2, wherein the communication received from the mobile device includes the unique code associated with the specific monitoring personnel, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to, in response to receiving the communication from the mobile device:

extract the unique code from the communication;

determine the specific monitoring personnel associated with the unique code; and

notify the determined specific monitoring personnel of the emergency situation indicated by the received communication.

4. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the server stores in a memory of the server, for each of the plurality of mobile devices, a profile containing information about a user of that mobile device, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to, in response to receiving the communication from the mobile device, retrieve the profile stored for that mobile device and display information contained in the profile, wherein the displayed information comprises one or more of the name, a picture, health records, and class schedule of the user.

5. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the server to, in response to receiving the communication from the mobile device, automatically send a communication to other mobile devices within the defined boundaries of the geographic area indicating that an emergency situation is occurring and providing instructions to keep away from the location of the mobile device from which the communication was received.

6. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to broadcast alerts to all of the plurality of mobile devices within the defined boundaries of the geographic area.

7. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to:

receive successive communications from the mobile device over time with updated GPS coordinates in each communication;

calculate from the received GPS coordinates a heading and speed of the mobile device; and

report the heading and speed of the mobile device to an emergency responder.

8. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the defined virtual boundaries of the geographic area comprise a set of boundaries that define the physical boundaries of the geographic area.

9. The server recited in claim 1, wherein the defined virtual boundaries of the geographic area comprise a defined radius around a central location within the geographic area.

10. A server for tracking and providing emergency notifications for a plurality of mobile devices, the server comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions defining a server application executable by the processor of the server, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the server, causing the server to perform steps comprising:

defining different virtual boundaries for each of a plurality of different geographic areas to be monitored;

for each of the different geographic areas to be monitored, establishing a unique code for that geographic area and associating the unique code with specific monitoring personnel who are to be notified in the event of an emergency within the defined boundaries of that geographic area, each unique code being associated with different specific monitoring personnel;

receiving a first communication from one of said plurality of mobile devices indicating a user of that mobile device is involved in an emergency situation, the first communication including at least (i) GPS coordinates indicating a geographic location of the mobile device, and (ii) one of said unique codes;

extracting the unique code from the first communication;

determining the specific monitoring personnel associated with the extracted unique code; and

notifying the determined specific monitoring personnel of the emergency situation indicated by the received first communication.

11. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the server stores in a memory of the server, for each of the plurality of mobile devices, a profile containing information about a user of that mobile device, and wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to, in response to receiving the communication from the mobile device, retrieve the profile stored for the user of that mobile device and display information contained in the profile, wherein the displayed information comprises one or more of the name, a picture, health records, and class schedule of the user.

12. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the server to, in response to receiving the first communication from the mobile device, automatically send a second communication to other mobile devices within the defined boundaries of the geographic area in which the mobile devices is located indicating that an emergency situation is occurring and providing instructions to keep away from the location of the mobile device from which the first communication was received.

13. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to broadcast alerts to all of the plurality of mobile devices within the defined boundaries of one of the geographic areas.

14. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the server to:

receive successive communications from the mobile device over time with updated GPS coordinates in each communication;

calculate from the received GPS coordinates a heading and speed of the mobile device; and

report the heading and speed of the mobile device to an emergency responder.

15. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the defined virtual boundaries of each geographic area comprises a set of boundaries that define the physical boundaries of the geographic area.

16. The server recited in claim 10, wherein the defined virtual boundaries of each geographic area comprises a defined radius around a central location within the geographic area.