Method for managing disaster and electronic device thereof

• US 9,788,150 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Kang-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DINH
• Application Number:
  US14/695,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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 of operating an electronic device when a disaster occurs and disaster information is received. The disaster information may be relayed by an external electronic device, a server, or could be detected by one or more sensors within the electronic device that detect a possible emergency such as the user has fallen, or there has been impact sensed consistent with an accident, etc. The method includes receiving disaster information, determining whether a rescue request will be made by analyzing the disaster information, and transmitting rescue request information based on the determination result. An electronic device is configured to perform the method.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

obtaining disaster information through at least one disaster information service while the electronic device is in a normal mode;

comparing a second location information corresponding to the disaster information with a first location information of the electronic device;

determining whether the first location information of the electronic device is associated with the second location information;

converting to an accident detection mode for detecting a user state from the normal mode when the first location information corresponds to the second location information;

monitoring a specific movement of the electronic device during a first time period in the accident detection mode;

outputting notification information during a second time period upon the specific movement is detected by the monitoring;

after outputting the notification information, determining whether a user input associated with the notification information is detected;

transmitting rescue request information upon the user input is not detected during a third time period; and

converting to the normal mode from the accident detection mode, upon the specific movement is not detected or the user input is detected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disaster information is received from at least one of a sensor of the electronic device, an external electronic device and a server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting the rescue request information comprises prompting a user for confirmation.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the rescue request information is automatically transmitted upon no response to prompting the user is received within a predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the disaster information comprises at least one of a disaster type information, a disaster occurrence time information, a disaster occurrence location information, a disaster scale information, and a disaster continuance time information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first location information and the second location information comprises comparing disaster occurrence location information according to the disaster information with location information of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising enabling an accident detection mode for detecting the specific movement of the electronic device according to the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specific movement comprises at least one of a fall from a specific height, a movement for a specific time period, or an external impact.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising disabling the accident detection mode when the electronic device ceases receiving the disaster information, or a specific time elapses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescue request information comprises at least some disaster information, and at least one of a location information, a contact site information, and a user identification information of the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescue request information is transmitted with the rescue request through at least one of an emergency message, an emergency call, and an emergency email.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescue request information is transmitted to a rescue center periodically or continuously in which the rescue center is situated within a predetermined distance of the electronic device or to a designated phone number.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user that the transmitting of the rescue request is made, asking the user about whether to make the rescue request prior to transmitting the rescue request, or automatically transmitting the rescue request when an input is not received for a predetermined period of time after asking the user whether to make the rescue request.

14. An electronic device comprising;

a communication interface configured to receive disaster information; and

a processor configured to;

obtain the disaster information through at least one disaster information service while the electronic device is in a normal mode,

compare a second location information corresponding to the disaster information with a first location information of the electronic device,

determine whether the first location information of the electronic device is associated with the second location information,

convert to an accident detection mode for detecting a user state from the normal mode when the first location information corresponds to the second location information,

monitor a specific movement of the electronic device during a first time period in the accident detection mode,

output notification information during a second time period upon the specific movement is detected by the monitoring,

after outputting the notification information, determine whether a user input associated with the notification information is detected,

transmit rescue request information upon the user input is not detected during a third time period, and

convert to the normal mode from the accident detection mode, upon the specific movement is not detected or the user input is detected.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to determine based on a comparison of disaster occurrence location information according to the disaster information to a location information of the electronic device.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to enable an accident detection mode that detects the specific movement based on the comparison result of the disaster occurrence location information with the location information of the electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the detected specific movement comprises at least one of a fall of the electronic device from a specific height, a movement of the electronic device for a specific time period, and an external impact.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to disable the accident detection mode when the electronic device ceases receiving the disaster information, or a specific time elapses.