Providing status of user devices during an adverse event

• US 9,549,304 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safety Network Partnership
• Original Assignee: Gary W. Grube
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/944,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method begins by an application server establishing information regarding a potentially adverse event and determining group constraints for a group regarding the potentially adverse event. The method continues with the application server selecting one or more user devices of a plurality of user devices affiliated with the group to produce selected user devices. The method continues with the application server obtaining, for each selected user device, a status associated with the selected user device and issuing a status response message to at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, where the status response message includes the status associated with each selected user device.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a processing module of an application server, the method comprises:

establishing, by the application server, information regarding a potentially adverse event, wherein the information includes one or more of;

geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event, an identifier of the potentially adverse event, and a relevant time period of the potentially adverse event;

determining, by the application server, group constraints for a group regarding the potentially adverse event, wherein the group constraints includes one or more of;

family member devices, neighbor devices, friend devices, first responders, co-workers, and devices of other persons having an affiliating commonality;

selecting, by the application server, one or more user devices of a plurality of user devices affiliated with the group to produce selected user devices, wherein each of the selected user devices is associated with a set of geographic location coordinates that is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event;

obtaining, by the application server, for each selected user device, a status associated with the selected user device; and

issuing, by the application server, a status response message to at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, wherein the status response message includes the status associated with each selected user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the potentially adverse event further comprises one or more of:

one or more sets of geographic location coordinates;

current weather conditions;

forecasted weather conditions;

a sensor input;

date information;

time information;

a current activity;

a scheduled activity;

a current event; and

a scheduled event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the information regarding the potentially adverse event comprises at least one of:

querying another application server;

receiving a message;

performing a local memory lookup;

receiving an input device output;

receiving a user device sensor output; and

receiving decoded wireless location signals to produce location coordinates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the group constraints comprises at least one of:

receiving at least some of the group constraints from a user input;

identifying a group constraint associated with the at least one of the information regarding the potentially adverse event and the plurality of user devices; and

retrieving the group constraints.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the one or more user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group to produce the selected user devices comprises:

estimating, for each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, an associated set of geographic location coordinates; and

selecting the user device when the associated set of geographic location coordinates is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the status associated with the selected user device comprises:

sending a status request message to the selected user device; and

receiving a status response message from the selected user device, where the status response message includes one or more of;

a set of geographic location coordinates associated with the user device;

an okay status;

a not okay status;

an I'"'"'m safe status;

an I'"'"'m not safe status;

a getting help status; and

a need help status.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing the status response message comprises:

generating the status response message based on the status associated with each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group;

choosing the at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group; and

sending the status response message to the chosen at least some of the user devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating the status response message based on the status associated with each selected user device comprises at least one of:

generating the status response message to include a list of entries, wherein each entry identifies a particular user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, and wherein each entry includes an associated status of the identified particular user device;

ranking the list of entries by relative distance from at least one user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group; and

generating the status response message to include a map, wherein the map includes, for each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with group, an icon to indicate geographic location coordinates associated with the user device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the choosing the at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group comprises one or more of:

choosing a requesting user device when receiving a list request from the requesting user device; and

for each selected user device;

determining an associated set of geographic location coordinates based on the received status response message associated with the selected user device; and

choosing the selected user device when the associated set of geographic location coordinates is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event.

10. A computing device comprises:

an interface;

a memory; and

a processing module operably coupled to the interface and the memory, wherein the processing module functions to;

establish information regarding a potentially adverse event, wherein the information includes one or more of;

geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event, an identifier of the potentially adverse event, and a relevant time period of the potentially adverse event;

determine group constraints for a group regarding the potentially adverse event, wherein the group constraints includes one or more of;

family member devices, neighbor devices, friend devices, first responders, co-workers, and devices of other persons having an affiliating commonality;

select one or more user devices of a plurality of user devices affiliated with the group to produce selected user devices, wherein each of the selected user devices is associated with a set of geographic location coordinates that is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event;

obtain for each selected user device, a status associated with the selected user device; and

issue a status response message to at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, wherein the status response message includes the status associated with each selected user device.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the information regarding the potentially adverse event further comprises one or more of:

one or more sets of geographic location coordinates;

current weather conditions;

forecasted weather conditions;

a sensor input;

date information;

time information;

a current activity;

a scheduled activity;

a current event; and

a scheduled event.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to establish the information regarding the potentially adverse event by at least one of:

querying another application server;

receiving a message;

performing a local memory lookup;

receiving an input device output;

receiving a user device sensor output; and

receiving decoded wireless location signals to produce location coordinates.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to determine the group constraints by at least one of:

receiving at least some of the group constraints from a user input;

identifying a group constraint associated with the at least one of the information regarding the potentially adverse event and the plurality of user devices; and

retrieving the group constraints.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to select the one or more user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group to produce the selected user devices by:

estimating, for each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, an associated set of geographic location coordinates; and

selecting the user device when the associated set of geographic location coordinates is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to obtain the status associated with the selected user device by:

sending a status request message to the selected user device; and

receiving a status response message from the selected user device, where the status response message includes one or more of;

a set of geographic location coordinates associated with the user device;

an okay status;

a not okay status;

an I'"'"'m safe status;

an I'"'"'m not safe status;

a getting help status; and

a need help status.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the processing module functions to issue the status response message by:

generating the status response message based on the status associated with each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group;

choosing the at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group; and

sending the status response message to the chosen at least some of the user devices.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processing module functions to generate the status response message based on the status associated with each selected user device by at least one of:

generating the status response message to include a list of entries, wherein each entry identifies a particular user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group, and wherein each entry includes an associated status of the identified particular user device;

ranking the list of entries by relative distance from at least one user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group; and

generating the status response message to include a map, wherein the map includes, for each user device of the plurality of user devices affiliated with group, an icon to indicate geographic location coordinates associated with the user device.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processing module functions to choose the at least some of the user devices of the plurality of user devices affiliated with the group by one or more of:

choosing a requesting user device when receiving a list request from the requesting user device; and

for each selected user device;

determining an associated set of geographic location coordinates based on the received status response message associated with the selected user device; and

choosing the selected user device when the associated set of geographic location coordinates is within the geographic location coordinates of the potentially adverse event.