MANAGING AND MONITORING EMERGENCY SERVICES SECTOR RESOURCES

• US 20130072144A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Edward A. Payne, Joseph E. Denny, Lamonte Peter Koop
• Inventors: Berger, Thomas R., Denny, Joseph E., Robins, David S., Wallace, Stephen A., Gurgone, Raymond T., Koop, LaMonte Peter, Payne, Edward Allen, Twitchell, Robert W., Hilton, Rodney A., Edwards, Randy
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system includes one or more wireless islands, one or more incident management applications, and one or more message management and routing (MMR) systems. Each MMR systems is configured to act as an intermediary for communication between one of the wireless islands and one or more of the incident management applications. One of the wireless islands includes a radio network. The radio network includes a plurality of remote sensor nodes (RSNs), and a gateway controller. An RSN of the plurality of RSNs is worn by ESS personnel, the gateway controller is mounted to an ESS vehicle, and the RSN is configured to wirelessly communicate with the gateway controller.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and managing emergency services sector resources, comprising

a plurality of wireless nodes wirelessly connected to a wireless network;

a user device configured to display information from a user application;

wherein each wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes

is associated with an emergency services sector resource, and

is configured to communicate information regarding the emergency services sector resource to the user application;

wherein the user device is configured to display information regarding emergency services sector resources from the user application;

wherein each wireless node is configured to hop messages received from other wireless nodes connected to the wireless network;

wherein a message communicated over the wireless network from a wireless node includes hop-path data comprising an identification of every wireless node that hopped the message; and

wherein the user application is configured to utilize hop-path data to determine wireless nodes likely to be physically proximate a wireless node associated with an emergency services sector resource that is in distress.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each wireless node comprises a remote sensor node (RSN).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes is associated with a firefighter.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user application is configured to allow a user to make assignments via the user device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein assignments made via the user device are communicated to RSNs associated with resources to which those assignments pertain.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a pre-assignment application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each wireless node is configured to beacon when wirelessly connected to the wireless network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each wireless node utilizes adaptive beaconing.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each wireless node is configured to indicate its presence in the network via check-in messages, and wherein a wireless node is configured to reset its check-in timer upon hopping a message and receiving an acknowledgement back.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein presence information for each wireless node is maintained.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user application is configured to utilize presence information for each wireless node to which determine emergency services sector resources are present at an incident.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network utilizes class based networking.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each wireless node includes a reduced complexity radio (RCR), and wherein an RCR wake-up message is transmitted before any node to node communication.

14. A system for monitoring and managing emergency services sector resources, comprising

one or more wireless communications devices, each wireless communications device being configured to establish a wireless network corresponding to that wireless communications device;

a plurality of wireless nodes, each wireless node being configured to connect to a wireless network established by a wireless communications device of the one or more wireless communications devices;

one or more user devices, each user device being configured to display information from one or more user applications;

wherein each wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes

is associated with an emergency services sector resource, and

is configured to communicate information regarding the emergency services sector resource to one of the one or more user applications via one of the one or more wireless communications devices; and

wherein the one or more user devices are configured to display information regarding the emergency services sector resources from one of the one or more user applications;

wherein at least some of the wireless communications devices are configured to merge together their respective wireless networks when located in close physical proximity to one another.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the wireless communications devices comprises a mobile gateway system (MGW).

16. A method for monitoring and managing emergency services sector resources, comprising

transmitting, by a wireless node attached to an emergency services sector resource that is connected to a wireless network, a message over the wireless network;

hopping, by other wireless nodes connected to the wireless network, the message to a wireless communications device, such hopping including, for each wireless node that hops the message,

receiving the message,

appending an identification of itself to the message as hop-path data, and

retransmitting the message over the network,

receiving, at the wireless communications device, the message;

determining that an emergency services sector resource is in distress; and

determining, based on the hop-path data comprising identifications of nodes that hopped the message, wireless nodes likely to be physically proximate to the wireless node attached to the emergency services sector resource that is in distress.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each wireless node comprises a remote sensor node (RSN).

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless node is associated with a firefighter.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the other wireless nodes are associated with firefighters.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein each wireless node is configured to beacon when wirelessly connected to the wireless network.