Graphical user interface for emergency apparatus and method for operating same

• US 8,013,739 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company)
• Inventors: Marshall, Julie, Parkulo, Craig Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope; Daryl
• Application Number:
  US12/631,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/825.36, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons

Abstract

A communications system for emergency services personnel can include portable devices to be carried by emergency services personnel while at an emergency site. The portable devices each may have at least a first transceiver configured to communicate over a first network and the portable devices are configured to communicate with one another. The system may also include a portable gateway apparatus. The portable gateway apparatus may have a portable computer having a graphical user interface (GUI) and a PCMCIA or smaller card that itself includes at least a first radio. The first radio is configured to communicate over the first network to obtain status information from the portable devices carried by the emergency services personnel. The GUI is configured to communicate with the PCMCIA card to display a node map indicating communication links between the portable devices carried by the emergency services personnel.

Claims

1. A method for displaying status of a plurality of emergency services personnel carrying portable devices each having at least a first transceiver configured to communicate over a first network, wherein the portable devices communicate with one another, said method comprising:

utilizing a portable gateway apparatus comprising a portable computer and a PCMCIA card having at least a first radio thereon configured to communicate over said first network to obtain status information from said portable devices carried by the emergency services personnel, to display, on a GUI, a node map indicating communication links between said portable devices carried by the emergency services personnel.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising indicating, on the GUI, portable devices of emergency services personnel in an alarm condition.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein, at least when requested by a user of the portable gateway apparatus, said GUI is configured to indicate emergency services personnel who are neighbors in effective communication with an emergency services personnel in an alarm condition.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising, displaying, on the GUI, further a function indicative of a distance between at least one neighbor and the emergency services personnel in the alarm condition.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising displaying an indication of the type of alarm condition on the GUI.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising displaying status information of the emergency services personnel on the GUI.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said displaying status information comprises displaying an indication of at least one of air remaining in a tank or local temperature.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said portable devices to be carried by emergency services personnel have a second transceiver configured to communicate over a second network, wherein the first and second networks are independent of one another, and said method further comprising time stamping event information relating to the portable device, the emergency services personnel carrying the portable device, or both, and storing the time-stamped event information in a log file in the portable device;

and further wherein said PCMCIA card also has a second radio thereon configured to communicate over said second network; and

said method further comprising downloading the log files stored in the portable devices to be carried by emergency services personnel via a radio frequency link using the second radio and storing the log file in the portable computer.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 further comprising completely downloading a log file stored in one of the portable devices without interruption before proceeding to download a log file stored in another of the portable devices, and to select without further user intervention, from the portable devices within radio range, which of the other portable devices is to initiate a download of a log file.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the second radio operates at or above 900 MHz.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the downloading of log files further comprises setting portable devices in a first room into a mode in which log files can be downloaded, and downloading the log files to the portable computer in a different room.

12. A graphical user interface of a communications system for emergency services personnel, the user interface comprising:

a map portion for displaying a node map to a user, the node map visually presenting locations of portable devices carried by emergency services personnel and communication links between the portable devices while the emergency services personnel carry the portable devices at an emergency location, wherein the map portion displays signal strengths of the communication links between combinations of the portable devices.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the map portion includes icons representative of the locations of the portable devices, the icons indicating which of the portable devices are in an alarm condition.

14. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the map portion indicates which of the emergency services personnel that are neighbors in effective communication with an emergency services personnel that is in an alarm condition.

15. The user interface of claim 14, wherein the map portion displays a function indicative of a distance between at least one of the neighbors and the emergency services personnel that is in the alarm condition.

16. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the map portion displays different signal strengths of the communication links in at least one of different colors or different linking lines between locations of the portable devices.

17. The user interface of claim 12, further comprising a selection portion for providing a selection of location drawings to permit a user to select at least one of the location drawings as a selected location drawing, the map portion presenting the selected location drawing with icons representative of locations of the portable devices on the selected location drawing.

18. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the selection portion provides a plurality of building drawings as the location drawings.

19. The user interface of claim 12, further comprising a status portion for displaying status information of the portable devices.

20. The user interface of claim 19, wherein the status information displayed in the status portion represents an amount of air or oxygen remaining in a tank carried by the emergency services personnel, local temperature, a personal biometric or biometrics of the emergency services personnel, or an onboard alarm or alarms.

21. A method for displaying a communications system for emergency services personnel, the method comprising:

receiving status information from a plurality of portable devices carried by emergency services personnel at an emergency location;

displaying a node map that visually presents locations of the portable devices at the emergency location; and

displaying communication links between the portable devices while the emergency services personnel carry the portable devices at the emergency location, wherein the displaying the communication links includes displaying signal strengths of the communication links between combinations of the portable devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the displaying the node map includes displaying icons representative of the locations of the portable devices, the icons indicating which of the portable devices are in an alarm condition.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the displaying the node map includes displaying an indication of a type of the alarm condition for the portable devices in the alarm condition.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving altitude data associated with a vertical location of at least one of the portable devices in a building, wherein the displaying the node map includes displaying an icon representative of the at least one of the portable devices in an image of the building based on the altitude data.

25. The method interface of claim 21, wherein the displaying the communication links comprises displaying which of the emergency services personnel that are neighbors in effective communication with an emergency services personnel that is in an alarm condition.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the displaying the communication links includes displaying lines between nodes representative of the portable devices that are capable of communicating with each other.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the displaying the communication links includes displaying different signal strengths of the communication links in at least one of different colors or different linking lines between locations of the portable devices.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising presenting a selection of location drawings to permit a user to select at least one of the location drawings as a selected location drawing, and displaying the selected location drawing with icons representative of locations of the portable devices on the selected location drawing.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying status information of the portable devices.

30. A computer-operable module of a communication system for emergency services personnel, the module including instructions to:

direct a gateway apparatus of the communication system to receive status information from a plurality of portable devices carried by emergency services personnel at an emergency location; and

direct a display device of the communication system to display a node map that visually presents locations of the portable devices at the emergency location and display communication links between the portable devices while the emergency services personnel carry the portable devices at the emergency location, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display signal strengths of the communication links between combinations of the portable devices.

31. The computer-operable module of claim 30, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display icons representative of the locations of the portable devices, the icons indicating which of the portable devices are in an alarm condition.

32. The computer-operable module of claim 30, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display lines between nodes representative of the portable devices that are capable of communicating with each other.

33. The computer-operable module of claim 30, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display a selection of location drawings to permit a user to select at least one of the location drawings as a selected location drawing, and display the selected location drawing with icons representative of locations of the portable devices on the selected location drawing.

34. The computer-operable module of claim 30, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display status information of the portable devices.

35. The computer-operable module of claim 34, wherein the instructions direct the display device to display icons representative of an amount of air or oxygen remaining in a tank carried by the emergency services personnel, local temperature, a personal biometric or biometrics of the emergency services personnel, or an onboard alarm or alarms.

36. The computer-operable module of claim 30, wherein the instructions direct the gateway apparatus to receive altitude data associated with a location of at least one of the portable devices in a building, and the instructions direct the display device to display an icon representative of the at least one of the portable devices in an image of the building based on the altitude data.