Traveler safety notification system

• US 7,312,712 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Douglas Bevan Worrall
• Original Assignee: Douglas Bevan Worrall
• Inventors: Worrall, Douglas Bevan
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US11/733,787
• Time in Patent Office: 258 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 340/539.17, 340/309.16, 340/309.7, 379/37, 379/38, 379/45, 379/48, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.2, 455/90.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457, 709204-207, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

An Internet-based system which enhances the safety of travelers, operated via website or mobile messaging text messages. The user provides identity and contact details for himself/herself and a contact person. The user then provides travel plan information and an alert time, thus arming a monitoring process which monitors for alert time expiry. If the user disarms the system no alert notification will occur. Should the user fail to disarm before the alert time, or if an emergency activation message is received from the user, the contact person is alerted by email and/or text message and notification information is made available on a secure notification website. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A traveler safety notification system, being an internet-based computer and data storage arrangement of known type configured to perform processes so as to provide a service to a plurality of users, accessible to said users by way of an internet website incorporating known user identification techniques, comprising:

a) a means of user registration, in which personal information including an email address is received from a user of said system and said personal information is stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

b) a means for receiving from said user contact details for a contact person in which said contact details, including an email address for said contact person, are received and stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

c) a means to receive from said user travel plan information to be held by said system, in which said travel plan information is received and stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

d) an arming process, being a means for a user to initiate a monitoring process, in which an alert time or interval is received and stored associated with said user, and said monitoring process is initiated;

e) a disarming process, being a means for a user to terminate said monitoring process, in which a disarm request is received from said user and said monitoring process is terminated for said user;

f) said monitoring process, being a means for monitoring said alert time or interval, in which if said alert time or interval expires then a notification process is activated;

g) said notification process, being a means for notification of said contact person, in which said travel plan information is made available to said contact person on a secure notification website and said contact person is alerted by email;

whereby the safety of said user is enhanced by the storage of said travel plan information, monitoring of said alert time or interval, and the provision of said travel plan information to said contact person if said user fails to disarm said monitoring process before expiry of said alert time or interval.

2. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising a means of mobile messaging address registration, in which a mobile messaging address is received from said user and stored associated with said user for later retrieval.

3. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising a means of travel plan data entry by text message, in which a text message indicating the process of travel plan data entry is received from said user sent by way of mobile messaging, and travel plan information within such text message is stored associated with said user for later retrieval.

4. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising:

a) a means of setting said alert time or interval and arming said system by text message, in which a text message specifying the arming process is received from said user sent by way of mobile messaging, alert time or interval information is extracted from said text message and stored associated with said user for later retrieval, and said monitoring process is activated for said user, thereby arming said system;

b) a means of disarming said system by text message, in which a text message specific to the disarming process is received from said user sent by way of mobile messaging and said monitoring process is terminated or suspended for said user.

5. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising a means of reminding said user to disarm the system, in which the system may send a reminder message to said user at a time approaching the expiry of said user'"'"'s alert time or interval, by email and/or mobile messaging text message.

6. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 wherein said notification process includes a means of alerting said contact person by mobile messaging text message.

7. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising a means of user safety confirmation, in which confirmation of said user'"'"'s safety is received by way of a website or mobile messaging text message from said user, and safety confirmation information is sent to said contact person by email and/or mobile messaging text message.

8. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 further comprising a means of providing an emergency activation facility in which said user can activate said notification process immediately by sending a mobile messaging text message to said system.

9. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 wherein said notification website includes a means of graphically displaying geographical position information regarding said user'"'"'s current, recent, planned or predicted position overlaid on or included in one or more images selected from the group consisting of map or composite thereof, satellite photograph or composite thereof, aerial photograph or composite thereof, geographic model, drawing, sketch, diagram and artwork.

10. The traveler safety notification system of claim 1 wherein said notification website also includes a means of presenting information, wholly or in part, entirely within said notification website or which may include a link or reference to an external website or information source, based on and relevant to said user'"'"'s approximate geographical location, selected from the group consisting of weather reports, weather forecasts, cellphone coverage, sunrise/sunset data, tidal information, ocean current information, travel warnings, natural or civil disaster reports or predictions, vehicle accident reports, civil unrest reports or warnings, criminal activity reports or warnings, terrorist activity reports or warnings, military activity reports or warnings, space weather reports and forecasts, radio propagation reports or predictions, GPS outage reports or warnings, news reports, hospital contact details, accommodation details, transport company details, security services details, search and rescue services details and medical evacuation services details.

11. A method of using an internet-based computer and data storage arrangement of known type configured to perform processes so as to provide a service to a plurality of users, accessible to said users via an internet website and by the transmission and reception of mobile messaging text messages, incorporating known user identification techniques, comprising:

a) receiving personal details about a user, including an email address, and storing said personal details for later retrieval;

b) receiving from said user contact information, including an email address, for a contact person or entity who will be contacted by said system if the safety of said user is in doubt, and storing said contact information for later retrieval;

c) receiving from said user travel plan information, and storing said travel plan information for later retrieval;

d) receiving from said user an alert time or interval, storing said alert time or interval for later retrieval and initiating monitoring of said alert time or interval for said user for determining whether said alert time or interval has passed without said user terminating said monitoring;

e) receiving from said user a request to terminate monitoring of said alert time or interval, and terminating monitoring of said alert time or interval for said user;

f) if alert time or interval has passed without said user requesting termination of alert time or interval monitoring then making said user'"'"'s said travel plan information available to said contact person on a secure notification website and alerting said contact person by email;

whereby said user'"'"'s safety is enhanced by the provision to said contact person of information which may be of assistance in locating said user if said user'"'"'s safety is in doubt.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving from said user a mobile messaging address and storing said mobile messaging address for later retrieval.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said notification process may also alert said contact person by mobile messaging text message.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a safety confirmation indication from said user received by way of said system website or mobile messaging text message from said user, and then sending safety confirmation information to said contact person by email and/or by mobile messaging text message.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising sending a reminder message by email and/or by mobile messaging text message, to said user at a time approaching the expiry of said alert time or interval.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving an emergency activation request from said user sent as a mobile messaging text message thereby causing an alert to be sent to said contact person by email and/or mobile messaging text message and making said user'"'"'s travel plan information available to said contact person on said notification website.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein said notification website includes graphically displaying geographical position information regarding said user'"'"'s current, recent, planned or predicted position overlaid on or included in one or more images selected from the group consisting of map or composite thereof, satellite photograph or composite thereof, aerial photograph or composite thereof, geographic model, drawing, sketch, diagram and artwork.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein said notification website includes the presentation of information, wholly or in part, which may include a link or reference to an external website or information source, based on and relevant to said user'"'"'s approximate geographical location, selected from the group consisting of weather reports, weather forecasts, cellphone coverage, sunrise/sunset data, tidal information, ocean current information, travel warnings, natural or civil disaster reports or predictions, vehicle accident reports, civil unrest reports or warnings, criminal activity reports or warnings, terrorist activity reports or warnings, military activity reports or warnings, space weather reports and forecasts, radio propagation reports or predictions, GPS outage reports or warnings, news reports, hospital contact details, accommodation details, transport company details, security services details, search and rescue services details and medical evacuation services details.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein said notification website and/or messages sent to said contact person includes a user reliability indication, being a numeric or graphical rating determined, at least in part, on said user'"'"'s past failure or failures to request termination of alert time or interval monitoring.

20. A traveler safety notification system, being an internet-based computer and data storage arrangement of known type configured to perform processes so as to provide a service to a plurality of users, accessible to said users by way of an internet website incorporating known user identification techniques, able to be accessed by said users using an internet website access device, comprising:

a) a means of user registration, in which personal details including an email address are received from a user of said system and said personal details are stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

b) a means of mobile messaging device registration, in which a mobile messaging address for said user is received from said user and said mobile messaging address is stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

c) a means for receiving from said user contact details for a contact person in which said contact details, including an email address and, optionally, a mobile messaging address, for said contact person are received and stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

d) a means to receive from said user travel plan information to be held by said system, in which said travel plan is received from said user via said website or mobile messaging text message, and stored associated with said user for later retrieval;

e) an arming process, being a means for a user to initiate a monitoring process, in which an alert time or interval is received from said user via said website or mobile messaging text message, and stored associated with said user for later retrieval, and said monitoring process is initiated for said user;

f) a disarming process, being a means for a user to terminate said monitoring process, in which a disarm request is received from said user via said website or mobile messaging text message and said monitoring process is terminated for said user;

g) said monitoring process, being a means for monitoring for expiry of said alert time or interval, in which if said alert time or interval passes then a notification process is activated;

h) said notification process, being a means for notification of said contact person, in which information associated with said user is made available to said contact person on a website and said contact person is alerted by email and/or mobile messaging text message;

i) a means of user safety confirmation, in which confirmation of said user'"'"'s safety is received by way of a website or mobile messaging text message from said user, and said contact person is notified of said user'"'"'s safety by email and/or mobile messaging text message;

whereby the safety of said user is enhanced by the maintenance of said travel plan information, monitoring of said alert time or interval, and the provision of said travel plan information to said contact person if said user fails to disarm said system before said alert time or interval.