Apparatus and method for updating partiality vectors based on monitoring of person and his or her home

• US 10,373,464 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2018
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Bruce W., Mattingly, Todd D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/947,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20180233014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0484 Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided herein useful to detecting a deviation in a person'"'"'s activity. In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises one or more sensors, the one or more sensors configured to monitor parameters associated with a person and the person'"'"'s home, and a control circuit, the control circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to generate one or more partiality vectors for the person, receive, from the one or more sensors, values associated with the parameters, create, based on the values associated with the parameters, a spectral profile for the person, determine, based on the spectral profile and a routine base state for the person, that a combination of the values indicates a deviation, and update at least one of the one or more partiality vectors for the person.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring parameters associated with a person and the person'"'"'s home, the apparatus comprising:

one or more sensors, the one or more sensors configured to monitor the parameters associated with the person and the person'"'"'s home; and

a control circuit, the control circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to;

generate one or more partiality vectors for the person, wherein the one or more partiality vectors have at least one of a magnitude and an angle that corresponds to a magnitude of the person'"'"'s belief in an amount of good that comes from an order associated with that partiality;

receive, from the one or more sensors, values associated with the parameters;

create, based on the values associated with the parameters, a spectral profile for the person;

determine, based on the spectral profile and a routine experiential base state for the person, that a combination of the values indicates a deviation from the routine experiential base state for the person; and

update, based on the deviation, at least one of the one or more partiality vectors for the person.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the combination of the values includes two or more of the values.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the two or more of the values is not out of range.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert is based on a magnitude with which the values vary from an expected value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a pedometer, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a heart rate sensor, an image sensor, a noise sensor, a light sensor, a weight sensor, an activity sensor, a usage sensor, door sensors, an accelerometer, and a blood pressure sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

determine, based on the deviation, an alert; and

cause the alert to be transmitted.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein alert is transmitted to one or more of a family member, a friend, the person, an emergency service, and a retailer.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the alert includes one or more of a voice call, a text message, an email, a page, a social media message, an instant message, and a product shipment.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with at least one of food products in the person'"'"'s home, appliance usage in the person'"'"'s home, activity of the person, activity within the person'"'"'s home, health information for the person, and utility usage within the person'"'"'s home.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the one or more sensors are located in the person'"'"'s home.

11. A method for monitoring parameters associated with a person and the person'"'"'s home, the method comprising:

monitoring, via one or more sensors, the parameters associated with the person and the person'"'"'s home;

generating one or more partiality vectors for the person, wherein the one or more partiality vectors have at least one of a magnitude and an angle that corresponds to a magnitude of the person'"'"'s belief in an amount of good that comes from an order associated with that partiality;

receiving, at a control circuit from the one or more sensors, values associated with the parameters;

creating, based on the values associated with the parameters, a spectral profile for the person;

determining, based on the spectral profile and a routine experiential base state for the person, that a combination of the values indicates a deviation from the routine experiential base state for the person; and

update, based on the deviation, at least one of the one or more partiality vectors for the person.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the combination of the values includes two or more of the values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the two or more of the values is not out of range.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the alert is based on a magnitude with which the values vary from an expected value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors includes at least one of a pedometer, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a hear rate sensor, an image sensor, a noise sensor, a light sensor, a weight sensor, an activity sensor, a usage sensor, door sensors, an accelerometer, and a blood pressure sensor.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, based on the deviation, an alert; and

causing transmission of the alert.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the alert is transmitted to one or more of a family member, a friend, the person, an emergency service, and a retailer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the alert includes one or more of a voice call, a text message, and email, a page, a social media message, an instant message, and a product shipment.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with at least one of food products in the person'"'"'s home, appliance usage in the person'"'"'s home, activity of the person, activity within the person'"'"'s home, health information for the person, and utility usage within the person'"'"'s home.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein at least some of the one or more sensors are located in the person'"'"'s home.