Devices and methods for detecting environmental circumstances and responding with designated communication actions

• US 8,493,208 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US13/463,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20120212342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication device and a communication device control method that include a set of templates corresponding to a plurality of potential environmental circumstances. The templates may be stored in a database in the computer readable memory of the communication device. At predetermined intervals, a suite of environmental sensors integral to the communication device may periodically sample the user'"'"'s environment. The user'"'"'s environmental circumstances may be derived or inferred by an analysis module based on the output of the suite of environmental sensors and then may be compared to the templates to determine a matching template. An action script is then executed based at least partially on the matching template which may include the contacting of a responding party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

periodically sampling a user environment via a set of environmental sensors integrated into a communication device;

deriving a set of environmental circumstances based at least partially on an output of the set of environmental sensors by an analysis module in communication with the set of environmental sensors; and

comparing, by the analysis module, the derived set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine whether there is a matching template, wherein if more than one of the templates matches the derived set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template is determined, and wherein if there is a matching template, an action script is executed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically sampling includes taking an elapsed time sample.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the best-match template is determined by applying a set of logic rules to the set of templates.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a command from the analysis module to an emergency action module to assume control of a component of the communication device at least partially based on the matching template.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising relinquishing control of a component of the communication device to an emergency responding party at least partially based on the matching template.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the component for which control is relinquished to the emergency responding party belongs to a group of features comprising a camera, a microphone, a transceiver, an alternative transceiver, a speaker, an on/off switch, a smoke element, a global positioning response repeater, a user interface display and a keypad.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information from a central telecommunications server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information received from the central telecommunications server is used in deriving the set of environmental circumstances.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental circumstances include a non-occurrence of an expected event.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

periodically sampling a user environment via a set of environmental sensors integrated into a communication device;

deriving a set of environmental circumstances based at least partially on an output of the set of environmental sensors; and

comparing the derived set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine if there is a matching template, wherein if more than one of the templates matches the derived set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template is determined, and wherein if there is a matching template, an action script is executed.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein periodically sampling includes taking elapsed time samples.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine the best-match template by applying a set of logic rules to the set of templates.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to send a command to an emergency action module to assume control of a component of the communication device at least partially based on the matching template.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to relinquish control of a component of the communication device to an emergency responding party at least partially based on the matching template.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the component to which control is relinquished to the emergency responding party belongs to a group of components comprising a camera, a microphone, a transceiver, an alternative transceiver, a speaker, an on/off switch, a smoke element, a global positioning repeater, a user interface display and a keypad.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive information from a central telecommunications server, and the processor uses the information from the central telecommunications server for deriving the set of environmental circumstances.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the environmental circumstances include a non-occurrence of an expected event.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

periodically sampling a user environment via a set of environmental sensors integrated into a communication device;

deriving a set of environmental circumstances based at least partially on an output of the set of environmental sensors; and

comparing the derived set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine if there is a matching template, wherein if more than one of the templates matches the derived set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template is determined, and wherein if there is a matching template, an action script is executed.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine the best-match template by applying a set of logic rules to the set of templates.