Automatic notification of potential emergency condition during travel

• US 9,386,141 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Osann Jr
• Original Assignee: Robert Osann Jr
• Inventors: Osann, Robert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, TED M
• Application Number:
  US14/791,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20160006855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 367 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for tracking the progress of a trip where a person or persons wish to have a third party automatically informed of a delayed return. For long duration trips and/or trips to distant destinations, people typically make provision for having their pets and/or children watched over. However for short trips, they typically do not, especially with respect to their pets. The disclosed methods provide monitoring of a trip'"'"'s progress such that if a traveler doesn'"'"'t return home by a certain time, a third party is notified, thus avoiding a prolonged period of time wherein the pets and/or children are unattended, especially in the event of a catastrophic accident. The third party may be notified if an arrival time is predicted to be delayed, and when an actual arrival occurs. Provision is also included for adjusting the trip duration to delay or advance a designated arrival time.

Claims

1. A computerized process for determining a potential emergency condition and alerting designated users thereto via at least one of a plurality of communication networks, whereby the process is performed utilizing a system comprising at least,

one or more processors residing on a server or in the Cloud;

a cellular communications network,

an internet;

a source of information regarding applicable route conditions; and

one or more cellular phones each comprising a processor and a GPS receiver, wherein the one or more cellular phones are associated with one or more designated travelers;

wherein to alert one or more emergency contact persons of a potential emergency condition, the process further comprises;

receiving from a first user;

cellular phone numbers for the one or more designated travelers;

a GPS-locatable arrival location;

a designated date and time for an expected arrival (hereinafter;

the designated arrival time) at the arrival location;

one or more emergency contact persons to be notified of a potential emergency condition; and

contact information for the one or more designated travelers and the one or more emergency contact persons;

automatically retrieving via the cellular communications network and the Internet, GPS position data generated by the one or more GPS receivers within the one or more cellular phones;

automatically tracking, using at least the GPS position data received through the cellular communications network at the Internet, current locations of the one or more designated travelers;

automatically determining a proximity of the one or more designated travelers with respect to the arrival location by comparing the current locations of the one or more designated travelers with the position of the arrival location;

automatically determining at the designated arrival time, that a potential emergency condition exists because the one or more travelers have not reached the arrival location by the designated arrival time; and

automatically altering the one or more emergency contact persons to inform them of the potential emergency condition.

2. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

upon automatic determination that a potential emergency condition exists, before automatically contacting the one or more emergency contact persons to alert them, automatically attempting to contact the one or more travelers to determine if the potential emergency condition is, or is not, an actual emergency condition.

3. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

additionally receiving from the first user, a prioritized sequence for contacting the one or more emergency contact persons, when the one or more emergency contact persons comprise a plurality of persons; and

upon automatic determination that a potential emergency condition exits, automatically alerting the one or more emergency contact persons in the prioritized sequence.

4. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the designated arrival time during the trip to create a new designated arrival time, the adjusting performed by the first user or any of the designated travelers.

5. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically sending a warning message to the one or more of the travelers at a specified point in time in advance of the designated arrival time under one or more of the following conditions;

a) regardless of the one or more traveler'"'"'s current location;

b) if the one or more traveler'"'"'s current location is not within a specified distance from the arrival location;

or

c) if an observed rate of travel of the one or more travelers and/or an analysis of applicable route conditions isn'"'"'t consistent with an arrival at the arrival location by the designated arrival time.

6. The computerized process of claim 5, further comprising:

if the one or more travelers don'"'"'t respond to the warning message within a specified amount of time, then;

a) automatically determining, using at least the GPS position data received through the cellular communications network and the Internet, a last known location of the one or more designated travelers; and

b) automatically informing the one or more emergency contact persons of the last known location of the one or more travelers.

7. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically determining, using at least the GPS position data received through the cellular communications network and the Internet, a last known location of the one or more designated travelers;

receiving information from the cellular communications network via the Internet with respect to cellular coverage in the last know location of the one or more travelers, and

if the last known location of the one or more travelers was in or near areas known to have little or no cellular coverage, allowing additional time before informing the one or more emergency contact persons that the one or more travelers didn'"'"'t respond to the warning message.

8. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically retrieving, via the Internet, information regarding applicable route conditions between the current location of the one or more travelers and the arrival location, and

automatically sending a warning message to the one or more of the travelers when a rate of travel of the one or more travelers in view of applicable route conditions isn'"'"'t consistent with an arrival at the arrival location by the designated arrival time.

9. The computerized process of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically retrieving, via the Internet, information regarding applicable route conditions between the current location of the one or more travelers and the arrival location, and

automatically predicting a rate of travel of the one or more travelers based on the applicable route conditions and automatically estimating a revised arrival time based on the predicted rate of travel.

10. A computerized process for determining a potential emergency condition and alerting designates users thereto via at least one of a plurality of communications networks, whereby the process is performed utilizing a system, comprising at least:

one or more processors residing on a server or in the Cloud;

a cellular communications network;

an internet;

a source of information regarding applicable route conditions; and

one ore more cellular pones each comprising a processor and a GPS receiver, wherein the one or more cellular phones are associated with one or more designated travelers;

wherein to alert one or more emergency contact persons of a potential emergency condition, the process further comprises;

receiving from a first user;

cellular phone numbers for the one or more designated travelers;

a GPS-locatable arrival location;

a designated date and time for an expected arrival (hereinafter;

the designated arrival time) at the arrival location;

one or more emergency contact persons to be notified of a potential emergency condition;

contact information for the one or more designated travelers and the one or more emergency contact persons; and

automatically retrieving via the cellular communications network and the Internet, GPS position data generated by the one or more GPS receivers within the one or more cellular phones;

automatically tracking using at least the GPS position data, locations of the one or more designated travelers to determine a proximity of the one or more designated travelers with respect to the arrival location;

automatically retrieving from the source of information regarding applicable route conditions, information regarding route conditions between a current location of the one or more designated travelers and the arrival location,

automatically predicting an arrival time for the one or more designated travelers to reach the arrival location, based at least in part on the current location for the one or more designated travelers and the applicable route conditions;

if the predicted arrival time is later than the designated arrival time, automatically determining that a potential emergency condition exists; and

automatically alerting the one or more emergency contact persons to inform them of the potential emergency condition.

11. The computerized process of claim 10, further comprising:

upon automatic determination that a potential emergency condition exists, before contacting the one or more emergency contact persons, attempting to contact the one or more travelers to determine if the potential emergency condition is, or is not, an actual emergency condition.

12. The computerized process of claim 10, further comprising:

additionally receiving from the first user, a prioritized sequence for contacting the one or more emergency contact persons, when the one or more emergency contact persons comprise a plurality of persons; and

upon automatic determination that a potential emergency condition exists, automatically alerting the one or more emergency contact persons in the prioritized sequence.

13. The computerized process of claim 10, further comprising:

adjusting the designated arrival time during the trip to create a new designated arrival time, the adjusting performed by the first user or any of the designated travelers.

14. The computerized process of claim 10, further comprising:

automatically sending a warning message to one or more of the travelers at a specified point in time in advance of the designated arrival time under one or more of the following conditions;

a) regardless of the one or more traveler'"'"'s current location;

b) if the one or more traveler'"'"'s current location is not within a specified distance from the arrival location;

or

c) if an observed rate of travel of the one or more travelers and/or an analysis of applicable route conditions isn'"'"'t consistent with an arrival at the arrival location by the designated arrival time.

15. The computerized process of claim 14, further comprising:

if the one or more travelers don'"'"'t respond to the warning message within a specified amount of time, then;

a) automatically determining, using at least the GPS position data received through the cellular communication network and the Internet, at last know location of the one or more designated travelers; and

b) automatically informing the one or more emergency contact persons of the last known location of the one or more travelers.

16. The computerized process of claim 14, further comprising:

automatically determining, using at least the GPS position data received through the cellular communication network and the Internet, a last know location of the one or more designated travelers;

receiving information from the cellular communications network via the Internet with respect to cellular coverage in the last know location of the one or more travelers; and

if the last known location of the one or more travelers was in or near areas known to have little or no cellular coverage, allowing additional time before informing the one or more emergency contact persons that the one or more travelers didn'"'"'t respond to the warning message.

17. A computerized process for determining a potential emergency condition and alerting designated users thereto via at least one of a plurality of communications networks, whereby the process is performed utilizing a system comprising at least:

one or more processors residing on a server or in the Cloud;

a cellular communications network;

an internet;

a source of information regarding applicable route conditions; and

one or more cellular phones each comprising a processor, a GPS receiver, and a software app, the one or more cellular phones being associated with one or more designated travelers;

wherein to alert one or more emergency contact persons of a potential emergency condition, the process further comprises;

receiving from a first user;

cellular phone numbers for the one or more designated travelers;

a GPS-locatable arrival location;

a designated date and time for an expected arrival (hereinafter;

the designated arrival time) at the arrival location;

one or more emergency contact persons to be notified of a potential emergency condition;

contact information for the one or more designated travelers and the one or more emergency contact persons; and

automatically retrieving via the cellular communications network and the Internet, GPS position data generated by the one or more GPS receivers within the one or more cellular phones;

automatically tracking using at least the GPS position data, locations of the one or more designated travelers to determine;

a) a proximity of the one or more designated travelers with respect to the arrival location;

b) an observed rate of travel that includes any of stops for;

gas;

food; and

bathroom breaks;

automatically retrieving from the source of information regarding applicable route conditions, information regarding route conditions between a current location of the one or more designated travelers and the arrival location;

automatically predicting an arrival time for the one or more designated travelers to reach the arrival location, based at least in part on;

i) the current location for the one or more designated travelers;

ii) the observed rate of travel;

iii) the applicable route conditions;

if the predicted arrival time is later than the designated arrival time, automatically determining that a potential emergency condition exists; and

automatically alerting the one or more travelers and/or the one or more emergency contact persons to inform them of the potential emergency condition.