Personal safety monitoring

• US 9,848,312 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sundel, Ariel P, Dowdy, Heather G, Jayavelan, Sambhavi, Kimoto, Yukiko, Patchigolla, Prameela Rani, Patel, Ketal, Peddibhotla, Harini V, Putcha, Padmaja
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US14/920,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 455521, 4554042, 4554562, 4554141, 4554563, 4555561, 455411, 455418, 340901, 34053911, 34053926, 345 8, 345173, 702188, 705 2, 705 719
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 includes identifying a personal safety risk situation in a device. A safety alert notification is issued responsive to identifying the safety risk situation. A personal safety application including a user interface is launched on a display of the device responsive to identifying the safety risk situation. A device includes a display, at least one module to determine a location of the device, and a processor coupled to the at least one module to identify a personal safety risk situation based on the location, issue a safety alert notification responsive to identifying the safety risk situation, and launch a personal safety application including a user interface displayed on the display responsive to identifying the safety risk situation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

automatically identifying a personal safety risk situation in a device based on at least a location of the device;

issuing a safety alert notification to a user of the device responsive to identifying the safety risk situation;

automatically launching a personal safety application including a user interface on a display of the device responsive to identifying the safety risk situation;

displaying a proximity control on the user interface;

detecting a nearby person using a thermal proximity sensor on the device; and

indicating the detection of the nearby person on the proximity control displayed on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the personal safety risk situation based on a crime metric in the location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location using global positioning system data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location based on data provided by a communications network communicating with the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the personal safety risk situation comprises identifying the personal safety risk situation responsive to terminating a connection with the communications network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the personal safety risk situation comprises identifying the personal safety risk situation based on the location of the device and a time parameter.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one personal safety control on the user interface of the personal safety application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one personal safety control comprises a call control, a light control, an alarm control, an unlock control, or a camera control.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing feedback to the user on the display regarding a positioning of the device by the user relative to an efficacy of the thermal proximity sensor.

10. A device, comprising:

a display;

at least one module to determine a location of the device; and

a processor coupled to the at least one module to automatically identify a personal safety risk situation based on at least the location, issue a safety alert notification to a user of the device responsive to identifying the safety risk situation, automatically launch a personal safety application including a user interface displayed on the display responsive to identifying the safety risk situation, display a proximity control on the user interface, detect a nearby person using a thermal proximity sensor on the device, and indicate the detection of the nearby person on the proximity control displayed on the user interface.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is to identify the personal safety risk situation based on a crime metric in the location.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one module comprises a global positioning system module.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module includes a transceiver to establish a connection to a communications network, and the processor is to determine the location based on data provided by the communications network.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is to identify the personal safety risk situation responsive to terminating a connection with the communications network.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is to identify the personal safety risk situation responsive to the terminating of the connection and a time parameter.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is to identify the personal safety risk situation based on the location of the device and a time parameter.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the user interface comprises at least one personal safety control.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one personal safety control comprises a call control, a light control, an alarm control, an unlock control, or a camera control.

19. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is to provide feedback to the user on the display regarding a positioning of the device by the user relative to an efficacy of the thermal proximity sensor.