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

• US 8,896,443 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US13/943,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• 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:

receiving, by a computer interface connection, a set of environmental data from a central telecommunications server;

deriving, by an analysis module, a set of environmental circumstances based on the set of environmental data and output from different types of environmental sensors, integrated into a communication device, that periodically sample a user environment, wherein the different types of environmental sensors have different respective sampling periods;

comparing, by the analysis module, the set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine whether there is a matching template;

selecting, if more than one of the templates matches the set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template; and

executing, if the best-match template is selected, an action script.

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

3. 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 in response to selection of the best-match template.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising relinquishing control of a component of the communication device to an emergency responding party in response to selection of the best-match template.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the component for 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 response repeater, a user interface display, and a keypad.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of environmental circumstances includes a non-occurrence of an expected event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of environmental data comprises data received from a weather server.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage device having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a set of environmental data from a central telecommunications server;

deriving a set of environmental circumstances based the set of environmental data and on output from different types of environmental sensors, integrated into a communication device, that periodically sample a user environment, wherein the different types of environmental sensors have different respective sampling periods;

comparing the set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine if there is a matching template;

selecting, if more than one of the templates matches the set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template; and

executing, if the best-match template is selected, an action script.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine the best-match template by applying a set of logic rules to the set of templates.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to send a command to an emergency action module to assume control of a component of the communication device in response to selection of the best-match template.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to relinquish control of a component of the communication device to an emergency responding party in response to selection of the best-match template.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 11, 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.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the set of environmental circumstances includes a non-occurrence of an expected event.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 8, wherein the set of environmental data comprises data received from a weather server.

15. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving a set of environmental data from a central telecommunications server;

deriving a set of environmental circumstances based the set of environmental data and on output from different types of environmental sensors, integrated into a communication device, that periodically sample a user environment, wherein the different types of environmental sensors have different respective sampling periods;

comparing the set of environmental circumstances to a set of templates to determine if there is a matching template;

selecting, if more than one of the templates matches the set of environmental circumstances, a best-match template; and

executing, if the best-match template is selected, an action script.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine the best-match template by applying a set of logic rules to the set of templates.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to send a command to an emergency action module to assume control of a component of the communication device in response to selection of the best-match template.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to relinquish control of a component of the communication device to an emergency responding party in response to selection of the best-match template.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the set of environmental circumstances includes a non-occurrence of an expected event.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the set of environmental data comprises data received from a weather server.