Monitoring systems and methods for personal safety

• US 10,249,173 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Braun, Florian, Buentello, Andre Rene, Gingrich, Jess W., Altman, Timothy, Benton, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US16/000,314
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391, 34053911, 34053913
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/523 for presence detection burglar, theft or intruder alarms G08B13/00, e.g. G08B13/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/12 using one transmitter and one receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/004 using portable personal devices hand-held or body-worn self-defence devices using repellent gases or chemicals F41H9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for monitoring a condition of a person includes receiving, at a computerized device, at least one signal from a condition sensor and determining if a condition is an emergency condition of a user based on the at least one signal.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring a condition of a user, said method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, at least one signal from a condition sensor wherein the condition sensor is a sonic device configured to ping surroundings of the user to indicate movement of at least one object relative to the user; and

determining if the received signal deviates from a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of determining if a condition is an emergency condition relative to the user based on if the received signal deviates from the threshold value by a prescribed amount.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one object includes at least one of people, vehicles, or animals.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the condition is determined to be an emergency condition if the location of the at least one object is within a predetermined personal space of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal to a monitoring body if an emergency condition is determined.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the user if an emergency condition is determined.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein notifying the user includes activating a tactile, auditory, or other alarm to indicate an emergency condition to the user for the user to take emergency action.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an emergency signal to one or more non-user electronic devices within a monitoring network to notify the non-user electronic devices of an emergency condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-user electronic devices include at least one of a camera, a mobile device of another person or officer in the vicinity, and/or an automated device configured to locate, follow, or otherwise monitor the user in the emergency condition.

11. A mobile computer device for monitoring a condition of a user, comprising:

a condition sensor configured to ping surroundings of the user with at least one signal to indicate movement of at least one object relative to the user and to receive the at least one signal; and

determining if the received signal deviates from a threshold value.

12. The mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein the condition sensor is a sonic device.

13. The mobile device as recited in claim 11, further configured to determine if a condition is an emergency condition relative to the user based on if the received signal deviates from the threshold value by a prescribed amount.

14. The mobile device as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one object includes at least one of people, vehicles, or animals.

15. The mobile device as recited in claim 13, wherein the condition is determined to be an emergency condition if the location of the at least one object is within a predetermined personal space of the user.

16. The mobile device as recited in claim 11, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

17. The mobile device as recited in claim 11, further configured to transmit a signal to a monitoring body if an emergency condition is determined.

18. The mobile device as recited in claim 17, further configured to notify the user if an emergency condition is determined.

19. The mobile device as recited in claim 18, wherein notifying the user includes activating a tactile, auditory, or other alarm to indicate an emergency condition to the user for the user to take emergency action.

20. The mobile device as recited in claim 11, further configured to transmit an emergency signal to one or more non-user electronic devices within a monitoring network to notify the non-user electronic devices of an emergency condition.