Alerthub system

• US 10,643,459 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AlertPoint, LLC
• Original Assignee: AlertPoint, LLC
• Inventors: Allen, David Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Blouin, Mark S
• Application Number:
  US16/204,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20190164413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 340 758
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• 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 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1025 Paging receivers with audible signalling details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• 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

An alert communication device, an alert activation device, and an alert management system are provided. The alert management system may include one or more alert communication devices communicatively coupled to one or more other alert communication devices and configured to provide one or more of a visual alert and an audio alert and one or more alert activation devices communicatively coupled to at least one alert communication device of the one or more alert communication devices.

Claims

1. An alert communication device comprising:

a first transceiver configured to communicatively couple the alert communication device with one or more other alert communication devices via a first communication path;

a second transceiver configured to communicatively couple the alert communication device with the one or more other alert communication devices via a second communication path; and

a visual alert system, wherein the visual alert system includes a plurality of electronically-controlled multi-color lights that are programmed to correspond with a plurality of distinct visual alerts each corresponding to a different alert signal, and

an audio alert system.

2. The alert communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third transceiver configured to communicatively couple the alert communication device with one or more alert activation devices via a third communication path.

3. The alert communication device of claim 2, wherein the alert communication device is configured to:

receive an alert signal from the one or more alert activation devices; and

transmit the alert signal to the one or more other alert communication devices via the first communication path.

4. The alert communication device of claim 3, wherein the alert communication device is configured to:

determine that the first communication path is inaccessible; and

transmit the alert signal to the one or more alert communication devices via the second communication path in response to determining that the first communication path is inaccessible.

5. The alert communication device of claim 1, wherein the alert communication device is configured to establish a communication channel between two or more client devices via one or more of the first communication path and the second communication path.

6. The alert communication device of claim 1, wherein the third transceiver is a Bluetooth Low Energy®

transceiver configured to determine the location of the one or more alert activation devices relative to the alert communication device.

7. An alert activation device comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicatively couple the alert activation device to at least one alert communication device; and

an activation button communicatively coupled to the transceiver, wherein the activation button is configured to represent an entire side of the alert activation device;

wherein the alert activation device is configured to transmit an alert signal via the transceiver in response to a user engaging the activation button.

8. The alert activation device of claim 7, wherein the alert activation device is a wearable alert activation device.

9. The alert activation device of claim 8, wherein the alert activation device is configured to be affixed to an identification badge.

10. The alert activation device of claim 7, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit a location of the alert activation device when transmitting the alert signal.

11. The alert activation device of claim 10, wherein the transceiver is a Bluetooth Low Energy®

transceiver.

12. A alert management system comprising:

one or more alert communication devices communicatively coupled to one or more other alert communication devices and configured to provide one or more of a visual alert and an audio alert;

one or more alert activation devices communicatively coupled to at least one alert communication device of the one or more alert communication devices; and

at least one client device communicatively coupled to the alert management system, wherein the at least one client device comprises a user interface, wherein the alert management system is configured to provide an alert signal and a map to the user interface of the at least one client device.

13. The alert management system of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more alert gateways;

wherein the one or more alert communication devices are communicatively coupled to the one or more alert gateways.

14. The alert management system of claim 12, wherein the one or more alert communication devices include a plurality of alert communication devices and are configured to communicatively couple the alert communication device with one or more other alert communication devices of the plurality of alert communication devices via a first communication path.

15. The alert management system of claim 14, wherein the one or more alert communication devices are configured to communicatively couple the alert communication device with the one or more other alert communication devices of the plurality of alert communication devices via a second communication path.

16. The alert management system of claim 15, wherein the alert management system is configured to:

receive, at the one or more alert communication devices, an alert signal from the one or more alert activation devices; and

transmit the alert signal to the one or more other alert communication devices via a first communication path formed between a plurality of alert communication devices.

17. The alert management system of claim 16, wherein the alert management system is configured to:

determine that the first communication path is inaccessible; and

transmit the alert signal to the one or more alert communication devices via the second communication path in response to determining that the first communication path is inaccessible.

18. The alert management system of claim 15, wherein the alert management system is configured to establish a communication channel between two or more client devices via one or more of the first communication path and the second communication path.

19. The alert management system of claim 12, wherein the map is configured to display a location of an origin of an alert signal and a position of at least one of the one or more alert activation devices.