U.S. patent application number 15/384992 was filed with the patent office on 2018-06-21 for system and method for location-based sharing of information and location-based response to the shared information.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hashington GCV. Invention is credited to Christophe LAURENT.
Application Number | 20180176271 15/384992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62562162 |
Filed Date | 2018-06-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180176271 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LAURENT; Christophe |
June 21, 2018 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATION-BASED SHARING OF INFORMATION AND
LOCATION-BASED RESPONSE TO THE SHARED INFORMATION
Abstract
The disclosure is directed to a system and method for sharing,
broadcasting, or publishing information by a user from a location
in real-time and allowing one or more users near that location to
directly respond to and directly communicate with the sharing,
broadcasting, or publishing user. A computing device, for example,
may receive a request for assistance from a first user computing
device and determine a geographical location corresponding to the
first user computing device. The computing device may publish the
geographical location. The computing device may also receive a
response to the request for assistance from a second user computing
device and may determine whether the response indicates a request
to establish communication with the first user computing device.
Based on the determination, the computing device may establish
direction communication between the first user computing device and
the second user computing device.
Inventors: |
LAURENT; Christophe;
(Wilrijk, BE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hashington GCV |
Wilrijk |
|
BE |
|
|
Family ID: |
62562162 |
Appl. No.: |
15/384992 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 51/20 20130101;
H04W 76/14 20180201; H04L 67/18 20130101; G06Q 50/26 20130101; H04L
12/1845 20130101; H04L 51/046 20130101; H04W 64/00 20130101; G06Q
50/01 20130101; G06Q 90/205 20130101; G06Q 10/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06; H04L 12/58 20060101 H04L012/58 |
Claims
1. A method for location-based sharing of information and
location-based response to the shared information, the method
comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a first message from
a first user computing device, the first message including a
request for assistance; determining, by the computing device, a
first geographical location corresponding to the first user
computing device; publishing, by the computing device, the first
geographical location corresponding to the first user computing
device on a map interface; receiving, by the computing device, a
second message from a second user computing device, the second
message including a response to the request for assistance;
determining, by the computing device, whether the response
indicates a request to establish direct communication with the
first user computing device, wherein the response is input by the
second user via the map interface; and based on the determination,
establishing, by the computing device, the direct communication
between the first user computing device and the second user
computing device, and wherein the map interface is readily
available to both the first and second users via the respective
first and second user computing devices without requiring the first
and second users to: (i) sign-in, subscribe, or login and/or (ii)
share a predefined relationship or be part of a social network.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the
computing device, information associated with the request for
assistance from the first user computing device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information includes one or
more of: (i) an incident related to the request for assistance,
(ii) people involved in the incident, (iii) indication that the
request for assistance is an emergency, and (iv) indication that
the request for assistance is not an emergency.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the
computing device, on the map interface a time of the publication of
the first location corresponding to the first user computing device
on a map interface.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the
computing device, a second geographical location corresponding to
the second user computing device; and determining, by the computing
device, a distance between the first geographical location and the
second geographical location.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing, by the
computing device, on the map interface the distance between the
first geographical location and the second geographical
location.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the
computing device, whether the request for assistance is an
emergency.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing, by the
computing device, on the map interface a special indicator
indicating the emergency at the first geographical location
corresponding to the first user computing device, wherein the
special indicator is different from an indicator associated with a
non-urgent request for assistance.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the
computing device, a second geographical location corresponding to
the second user computing device; and providing, by the computing
device, to the second user computing device turn-by-turn directions
from the second geographical location to the first geographical
location.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising providing,
by the computing device, to the first user computing device an
estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the second user computing device
to the first geographical location.
11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising providing,
by the computing device, the information associated with the
request for assistance to the second user computing device.
12. The method according to claim 3, further comprising receiving,
by the computing device, one or more of: (i) a first image and (ii)
a first video associated with the incident from the first user
computing device.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising receiving,
by the computing device, one or more of: (i) a second image and
(ii) a second video associated with the incident from a third user
computing device.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:
associating, by the computing device, the one or more of the first
image and the first video from the first user computing device and
the one or more of the second image and the second video from the
third user computing device with the incident as a set of visual
information of the incident; and providing, by the computing
device, the set of the visual information of the incident to the
second user computing device.
15. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, by the
computing device, a priority of the emergency relative to other
previously received assistance requests, wherein one or more of:
(i) a shape, (ii) a size, and (iii) a color of the special
indicator is based on the determined priority of the emergency.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the direct communication between
the first computing device and the second computing device is
performed via a messaging interface.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the map interface graphically
depicts a predefined geographical area, the first user computing
device and the user second computing device being located within
the predefined geographical area.
18. A system for location-based sharing of information and
location-based response to the shared information, the system
comprising: memory; and at least one processor for executing stored
instructions to: receive a first message from a first user
computing device, the first message including a request for
assistance, determine a first geographical location corresponding
to the first user computing device, publish the first geographical
location corresponding to the first user computing device on a map
interface, receive a second message from a second user computing
device, the second message including a response to the request for
assistance, determine whether the response indicates a request to
establish communication with the first user computing device,
wherein the response is input by the second user via the map
interface, and based on the determination, establish direct
communication between the first user computing device and the
second user computing device, and wherein the map interface is
readily available to both the first and second users via the
respective first and second user computing devices without
requiring the first and second users to: (i) sign-in, subscribe, or
login and/or (ii) share a predefined relationship or be part of a
social network.
19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions,
the stored instructions when executed by at least one processor
performs a method for location-based sharing of information and
location-based response to the shared information, the method
comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a first message from
a first user computing device, the first message including a
request for assistance; determining a first geographical location
corresponding to the first user computing device; publishing the
first geographical location corresponding to the first user
computing device on a map interface; receiving a second message
from a second user computing device, the second message including a
response to the request for assistance; determining whether the
response indicates a request to establish communication with the
first user computing device, wherein the response is input by the
second user via the map interface; and based on the determination,
establishing direct communication between the first user computing
device and the second user computing device, and wherein the map
interface is readily available to both the first and second users
via the respective first and second user computing devices without
requiring the first and second users to: (i) sign-in, subscribe, or
login and/or (ii) share a predefined relationship or be part of a
social network.
Description
BACKGROUND ART
[0001] The invention relates to a system and method for sharing,
broadcasting, and/or publishing information by a user from a
location in real-time and allowing one or more users near that
location to directly respond to and directly communicate with the
sharing, broadcasting, and/or publishing user.
[0002] Crisis mapping is the real-time gathering, display, and
analysis of data during a crisis, such as a natural disaster and
social or political conflict, e.g., violence, protests, etc.
Projects involving crisis mapping allow a large number of people,
including crisis responders and the general public, to contribute
information either remotely or from the site of the crisis. In that
regard, crisis mapping encourages the public to engage and report
information related to the crises, which can improve data
management. Crisis mappers may work with data derived from various
sources and can be analyzed for different purposes. Tools for
crisis mapping include mobile and web-based applications,
participatory maps and crowdsourced event data, aerial and
satellite imagery, geospatial platforms, advanced visualizations,
live simulations, and computational and statistical models.
[0003] "Ushahidi," for example, is open-source software that
gathers data from crowdsourcing tools, such as SMS, e-mail, and
social media platforms, and allows users to manage, survey, and
respond to a situation. Another example is the "Sahana Free and
Open Source Disaster Management System," which is an emergency
management and disaster preparedness software that aims to provide
web-based disaster management applications, such as an online
bulletin board of missing and found people, a tracking tool to
capture information about the places where each organization is
active and the ranges of services being provided, a shelter
registry to keep track of location and basic data of shelters in
the region, inventory management, and a situation awareness tool to
allow people to add information and collaboratively capture the
current disaster situation. Moreover, "PulsePoint" is a mobile
phone application that uses the current location of a user and
alerts the user if someone nearby is suffering from a heart attack
and is in need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
[0004] The above-described crisis mapping tools, however, are
limited and disadvantageous in numerous ways. First, the primary
source of information originates from the people that merely
witness the crisis or incident (typically via social media
platforms) and not from the people who are directly affected by the
crisis or incident. It is also difficult to organize the numerous
amounts of data and information received from the social media
platforms, determine where the victims are located, and determine
how to specifically help those victims. Second, the benefit of
crisis mapping tools is limited by the people subscribed to the
crisis mapping services and/or the limited number of people
certified and approved by the services to render assistance.
Similarly, requesting assistance through social media platforms is
not only limited to the user's network of friends and its size, but
helpful only if those friends are near the location of the user.
Third, users are required to download applications or sign-up for
the crisis mapping services before use, which is a severe
limitation for users who have not downloaded the applications or
have signed up when a crisis or incident actually occurs. Moreover,
crisis mapping tools are typically used only for urgent
situations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure,
the invention is directed to a system and method for sharing,
broadcasting, and/or publishing information by a user from a
location in real-time and allowing one or more users near that
location to directly respond to and directly communicate with the
sharing, broadcasting, and/or publishing user via a platform. The
information may include a request for assistance. The request for
assistance may be an emergency prompted by a particular incident,
such as vehicular accident, or may be non-urgent, such as a request
for pizza delivery.
[0006] The use of the platform may be as ubiquitous as calling 911,
112, or shouting for help. The platform is more expansive than a
predefined network of friends, and thus, the sharing, broadcasting,
and/or publishing user may be able to share, broadcast, and/or
publish information to any user of the platform, such as to people
that the sharing, broadcasting, and/or publishing user may not know
or not have connected with on social media. In at least that
regard, the platform may empower a community of users to help and
provide assistance to each other. Moreover, the platform may allow
bystanders and/or witnesses to assist users in need by posting
relevant information to the platform for other users to see.
[0007] Unlike the crisis mapping tools described above, the
platform of the present disclosure allows the information to
originate directly from a victim needing assistance and also allows
a responder to directly communicate with the victim without the
victim and the responder having to have a predefined
relationship.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system in accordance with one
or more aspects of the disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates a communication diagram in accordance
with one or more aspects of the disclosure.
[0010] FIGS. 3 to 6 illustrate example user interfaces in
accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates an example map interface in accordance
with one or more aspects of the disclosure.
[0012] FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate example user interfaces in
accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The invention relates to a system and method for sharing,
broadcasting, and/or publishing information by a user from a
location in real-time and allowing one or more users in near that
location to directly respond to and directly communicate with the
sharing, broadcasting, and/or publishing user. The information may
be a request for assistance related to an emergency or a non-urgent
matter.
[0014] In one example, a driver may have inadvertently crashed his
or her vehicle into a stationary object, such as a tree. Although
the driver is conscious, the driver is trapped in the vehicle and
has suffered numerous injuries. Moreover, the driver may not know
the exact geographical location of the accident, nor does the
driver know nearby cross streets due to the driver's unfamiliarity
with the area.
[0015] To request help, the driver may use his or her mobile device
to connect to a platform (hereinafter referred to as the "HLPR"
platform) by opening a web browser (for retrieving, presenting,
and/or traversing information resources on the World Wide Web) and
typing a URL (such as "HLPR.global," "HLPR.be," "HLPR.network," or
"HLP.rs"), or alternatively, opening a corresponding mobile
application, in order share, broadcast and/or publish on the HLPR
platform information about the accident. The information may
include, among other things, the severity of the accident, the time
at which the accident occurred, the status of the driver, the
various injuries sustained by the user, and images and/or videos of
the injuries and the accident. The HLPR platform may then publish
or broadcast the information on a HLPR map interface, and make
known to the other users of the platform at least the exact
geographical location of the driver and the time that the accident
occurred.
[0016] Subsequently, one or more users of the HLPR platform near
the location of the driver may respond to the driver's request for
emergency assistance and establish direct communication with the
driver to ascertain more information about the accident and
injuries, if necessary, in order to render the requisite
assistance. In at least that regard, the information about the
accident and the status of the driver is directly provided by the
driver to the responder-user, and not from social media platforms.
Moreover, the HLPR platform is readily available to the driver via
the web browser in the event the driver did not have the HLPR
platform downloaded onto the mobile device beforehand.
[0017] In another example, a driver may puncture a tire while
driving his or her vehicle and may require assistance in changing
the deflated tire. In yet a further example, a person who may
request one or more nearby users to order and pick-up carryout,
such as pizza. In these examples, the requests are not urgent,
which the user can specify on the HLPR platform. The HLPR map
interface can graphically represent the various requests in
different ways depending on the urgency of those requests. For
instance, an emergency can displayed in a certain color, or in
larger font, so that users are able to quickly decipher the
emergency from non-urgent requests.
[0018] In other instances, the users of the HLPR platform--as
bystanders or witnesses of the various incidents--may post
information, e.g., descriptions, photographs, videos, etc., of the
incidents. The HLPR platform may automatically associate the posted
information to the respective incidents so that other users who are
willing to respond may have access to information, which may not
have been otherwise provided by those directly affected by the
incidents. The posted information may be monitored and regulated by
the community of users so that objectionable, or even irrelevant,
information are removed from the HLPR platform. In other
embodiments, the images, videos, or other suitable types of
information may be pixilated or redacted if they are relevant.
Relevancy, for example, may be determined by votes from the
community of users.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 in accordance with
one or more aspects of the disclosure. The system 100 may include
one or more computing devices, e.g., mobile computer 110, tablet
computer 120, smartphone 130, server computer 140, and storage
device 150 connected to a network 160. For example, the mobile
computer 110 may be a laptop (or any type of computer that is
portable or mobile, such as an Ultrabook, smartphone, PDA, tablet
computer, a wearable computing device, etc.) and includes a
processor 112, memory 113, e.g., permanent or flash memory (which
includes instructions 114 and data 115), a display 116, and an
interface 117. Similar to the mobile computer 110, the tablet
computer 120, smartphone 130, and server computer 140 may also
include at least one processor, memory including instructions and
data, one or more interfaces, and/or a display. The mobile computer
110 may be configured to communicate with the tablet computer 120,
the smartphone 130, server computer 140, and/or the storage device
150 via the network 160. As shown in FIG. 1, the cascaded blocks
associated with a particular component illustrate that more than
one of those components may exist, and it may be understood that
different components can be cascaded and that there may be numerous
variations thereof.
[0020] The processor 112 of the mobile computer 110 instructs the
various components of the mobile computer 110 to perform various
tasks based on the processing of certain information, such as
instruction 114 and/or data 115, stored in memory 113. For example,
the processor 112 may be hardware that can be configured to perform
one or more operations, e.g., adding, subtracting, multiplying,
comparing, jumping from one program to another program, operating
input and output, etc., and may be any standard processor, such as
a central processing unit (CPU), or may be a dedicated processor,
such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a
field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an industrial process
controller. Moreover, the processor 112 may have any suitable
configuration or configuration of circuitry that processes
information and/or instructs the components of the mobile computer
110, or performs distributed processing. While one processor block
is shown in FIG. 1, it may be understood that the mobile computer
110 may also include multiple processors to individually or
collectively perform tasks, as described above.
[0021] Memory 113, whether permanent or flash, may be any suitable
type of hardware configured to store information accessible by the
processor 112, such as instructions 114 and data 115, which can be
executed, retrieved, manipulated, and/or stored by the processor
112. It may be physically contained in or coupled to the mobile
computer 110. For example, memory 113 may be ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, hard
drive, write-capable, read-only, etc. Moreover, the instructions
114 stored in memory 113 may include any set of executable
instructions, code, or one or more algorithms, e.g., "steps"
associated with software, that can be executed directly or
indirectly by the processor 112. The instructions 114 may be also
transferred onto memory 113 in various ways, e.g., from server
computer 140 and/or storage device 150 via network 160. In
addition, the data 115 stored in memory 113 may be retrieved,
stored or modified by the processor 112, for example, in accordance
with the instructions 114. In one aspect, the data 115 may be
stored as a collection of data. For instance, although the
invention is not limited by any particular data structure, the data
115 may be stored in registers, in a database as a table having
multiple fields and records, such as an XML. Similar to the
instructions 114, the data 115 may also be transferred onto memory
113 from various components via network 160.
[0022] The display 116 may be any suitable type of device capable
of communicating data and various types of information to a user,
such as visual representations of the software that can be executed
by the mobile computer 110. For example, the display 116 may be a
liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen, a light emitting diode (LED)
screen, a plasma screen, etc. Interface 108 may be a graphical user
interface (GUI) that is displayed to the user on the display 116, a
keyboard, a mouse, a touch sensitive screen, a camera, a
microphone, a connection or port that allows the reception of
information and data, such as interactions from a user or
information/data from various components via network 160. For
instance, FIGS. 3 to 6 and FIGS. 8 to 10 are examples of GUIs,
which will be further described below with respect to the
discussion of the HLPR platform functionalities of the present
invention.
[0023] The tablet computer 120 may include one or more processors
(configured to execute computer instructions and/or applications),
memory, one or more interfaces, a touchscreen display, sensors,
microphone, camera, speakers, networking hardware (configured to
connect to a network, such as network 190, via a wired or wireless
connection), etc.
[0024] The smartphone 130 may be a mobile cellular phone with
computing capability and network connectivity. For example, the
smartphone 150 may include one or more processors, memory, one or
more user interfaces, such as a QWERTY keypad, a camera, image
sensors, a global positioning system (GPS), accelerator,
temperature sensors, etc. Similar to the mobile computer 110 and
the server computer 140, the smartphone 130 may be configured to
execute computer instructions, applications, programs, and any set
of instructions and data.
[0025] The server computer 140 may be rack mounted on a network
equipment rack and/or located in a data center. In some examples,
via the network 160, the server computer 140 may serve various
requests associated with the programs executed on the mobile
computer 110, the tablet computer 120, the smartphone 130, and/or
the storage device 150. In further examples, the server computer
130 may be part of a plurality of server computers that support a
back-end system (which may be "invisible" to users).
[0026] The storage device 150 may be configured to store a large
quantity of data and may also be configured to transfer such data
when requested or accessed by other components of network 160. For
example, the storage device 150 may be a collection of storage
components, such as ROM, RAM, hard-drives, solid-state drives,
removable drives, network storage, virtual memory, multi-leveled
cache, registers, CD, DVD, etc. In addition, the storage device 150
may be configured so other components of network 160, such as the
mobile computer 110 and/or server computer 140, can access and
provide data to other components connected to the network 160.
[0027] The network 160 may be any suitable type of network, wired
or wireless, configured to facilitate the transmission of data,
instructions, etc. between one or more components of the network.
For example, the network 160 may be a local area network (LAN)
(e.g., Ethernet or other IEEE 802.03 LAN technologies), Wi-Fi
(e.g., IEEE 802.11 standards), wide area network (WAN), virtual
private network (VPN), global area network (GAN), mesh network,
distributed network, or any combinations thereof. In this regard,
the mobile computer 110, the tablet computer 120, the smartphone
130, the server computer 140, and/or the storage device 150 may
connect to and communicate with one another via the network
160.
[0028] While the mobile computer 110 may be a portable computer in
the above-described examples, mobile computer 110 is not limited to
just portable computers, but may be any device capable of
processing data and/or instructions and transmitting and/or
receiving data. Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that those components may actually include multiple
processors, memories, instructions, data or displays that may or
may not be stored within the same physical housing. And although
the various components of FIG. 1 are connected to the network 160,
it may be understood that the components may also be connected to
each other, in any suitable combination.
[0029] In one embodiment, direct communication may be established
between a user seeking assistance and a user that will provide the
assistance. FIG. 2 illustrates a communication diagram 200 in which
the HLPR platform 202 establishes and facilitates the direct
communication between user A (the user seeking assistance) and user
D (the user providing the assistance).
[0030] As illustrated, user A via a computing device sends message
204 to the HLPR platform 202 requesting assistance from other users
of the platform. The requested assistance, for instance, may be an
urgent request involving a vehicular accident in which one of the
involved drivers needs medical assistance. If more information
about the request is required, such as the specifics of the injury,
the platform 202 may send user A message 206 requesting for more
information. For example, the platform 202 may request user A to
specify the kind of medical assistance is needed, whether EMS,
police, or rescue are needed, etc. In response, user A sends
message 208 to platform 202 indicating that the requested
assistance is a medical emergency involving a broken arm. The
message 208 (or subsequent messages) may contain other suitable
types of information, such as the geographical location (e.g.,
coordinates) of the user A, the time that the accident occurred,
additional details about the accident, the people involved in the
accident and their status, and photographs and/or videos of the
accident. The information contained in message 208 (and the
subsequent messages) may be stored by the platform 202 in memory,
such as the memory in server computer 140.
[0031] Upon receiving the requisite information about the accident
and other suitable types of information, a publication or broadcast
210 is made by the HLPR platform 202 to other users of the
platform. As will be further discussed below, the publication or
broadcast 210 may be a graphical representation or icon on a map
interface. The appearance (e.g., color, size, pattern, etc.) of the
graphical representation may correspond to the severity of the
incident being published or broadcasted. In the above example,
because the incident involved a car crash and further involved a
victim requiring immediate medical attention, the graphical
representation of the incident may be larger relative to other
nearby incidents and may also be depicted in a bright color, such
as red. In that regard, other users of the HLPR platform 202 near
the accident site may be able to easily and conveniently
distinguish the urgent request from the non-urgent requests.
[0032] Once the request from user A has been published, nearby user
D may respond to the publication or broadcast 210 using the map
interface. For example, user D may send a response message 212 to
the platform 202 responding to the request for assistance from user
A. When the HLPR platform 202 receives message 212, the platform
sends user D available information about the accident. As described
above, the information may be the information provided by user A in
message 208 and other types of information associated with the
accident, such as photographs, videos, and/or descriptions of the
accident posted to the platform 202 by nearby bystanders or
witnesses. In order to gain more knowledge about the accident and
the injuries, user D may initiate using the platform 202 direct
communication 216 with user A. If, for instance, user D was a
certified physician and learned more about user A's injuries based
on the direct communication 216, user D may be able to bring the
appropriate medical equipment to properly treat those injuries.
[0033] Although FIG. 2 illustrates messages 204, 206, 208, 212, and
214, it may be understood by those skilled in the art that more or
less messages with differing content, or in different order, may be
required by the platform 202 to establish and facilitate the direct
communication 216 between user A and user D.
[0034] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure,
easy-to-use interfaces may be displayed and presented to a user of
the HLPR platform. FIG. 3 illustrates a home screen interface 300
displaying at least five different icons. The home screen interface
300 may be the first interface that the user sees when the HLPR
platform is opened. As shown, for example, the home screen
interface 300 may include a "request assistance" icon 302, a "map"
icon 304, a "post information" icon 306, a "more" icon 308, and a
"what's happening now" icon 310.
[0035] As will be further described below, the user may select
(e.g., press) the "request assistance" icon 302 to request
assistance from other users within, for instance, a predefined
vicinity to the requesting user. When the user presses the "map"
icon 304, a map interface may be displayed that graphically shows
all users. The user may also post information about an incident to
the HLPR platform that the user may witness using the "post
information" icon 306.
[0036] The "more" icon 308 may be selected to access different
features of the HLPR platform, such as access to a virtual bulletin
board where information relating to various incidents may be
posted, access to the user's social media accounts and information
from social media feeds of others, access to news sources and
outlets, etc. For instance, the user may select the "more" icon 308
to share the user's location and the request for assistance on
social media so as to reach out to more people. In another
instance, if the user is or is associated with an official agency,
organization, or relief party, the user can select the "more" icon
308 to access and post information, such as location information
and progress of assistance, on private virtual bulletin boards or
chats, which are accessible only to official agencies, certain
organizations, or relief parties. Using the "more" icon 308, a user
may also be able to connect with certified professionals, such as
paramedics, doctors, nurses, etc., who may not be able to be
physically on site, in order to ask questions or seek additional
information about particular injuries.
[0037] The "what's happening now" icon 310 may automatically and/or
selectively display concise summaries of nearby requests or
incidents without the user having to open the map interface. As
shown in FIG. 3, for example, the "what's happening now" icon 310
may display two different incidents and/or requests: the first
incident involving user A having been in a car accident that
occurred at a certain time (e.g., 2:45 p.m. local time) at a
particular distance away from the user's current location (e.g.,
0.3 miles) and the second request involving a request for pizza
delivery posted at a particular time (e.g., 2:36 p.m. local time)
0.7 miles away from the user with additional information that user
G will pay fifteen dollars in tip upon delivery. Each of these
incidents and/or requests that are displayed on the "what's
happening now" icon 310 may be selectable by the user. The user
will then be able to either respond to these requests, obtain more
information using the map interface. If other users fulfill these
requests, they may be removed from the "what's happening now" icon
310 in real-time and replaced with new ones.
[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates an assistance screen interface 400 in
accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure. As described
above with respect to FIG. 3, when the user selects or presses the
"request assistance" icon 302, the assistance screen interface 400
may be displayed to the user. The user will be able to select or
press either the "emergency" icon 402 or the "not urgent" icon 404.
When the user presses the "emergency" icon 402, the HLPR platform
may confirm with the user whether the request is actually an
emergency by prompting an "are you sure this is an emergency?"
confirmation box (not shown) with "yes" and "no" icons, so as to
prevent false reports of emergencies or general misuse.
[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates an emergency screen interface 500 in
accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure. When the
user selects the "emergency" icon 402 via the assistance screen
interface 400 of FIG. 4, the emergency screen interface 500 may be
displayed to the user. As shown, a menu of icons may be presented,
each icon specifying a different type of emergency. For example,
the emergency screen interface 500 may include at least an
"accident" icon, a "medical" icon, an "incident" icon, a "fire"
icon, a "need EMS" icon, an "SOS" icon, a "need rescue" icon, and a
"need police" icon. The user may be able to select one or more of
the icons in the same submission. If the user has been involved in
a vehicular accident and is trapped inside his or her vehicle, then
the user may be able to select at least the "accident" icon, the
"medical" icon if the user has sustained any injuries, and the
"need rescue" icon. Moreover, the user may optionally provide
additional information about the nature of the emergency by
describing the situation in the "describe situation" box and
"describe the people involved" box, as shown in FIG. 5. Although
not shown, the user may be able to attach photographs, videos, or
any other suitable digital depiction of the incident and provide
them to the HLPR platform.
[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates a non-emergency screen interface 600 in
accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure. When the
user selects the "not urgent" icon 404 via the assistance screen
interface 400 of FIG. 4, the non-emergency screen interface 600 may
be displayed to the user. Similar to the emergency interface 500, a
menu of icons may be presented to the user, again each icon
indicating a different type of non-urgent request including a
"food" icon, a "service" icon, a "vehicle breakdown" icon, and an
"other" icon. One or more of the aforementioned icons can be
selected by the user. For instance, if the user's vehicle breaks
down on a road, the user may select the "vehicle breakdown" icon as
well as the "service" icon to request a tow truck to transport the
vehicle to a service facility. In addition, the user may optionally
provide additional information pertaining to the request via the
"describe needed assistance" and "describe people involved" icons,
as shown. If the user is requesting a pizza delivery, the user may
select the "food" icon and describe the type of pizza desired,
e.g., large pepperoni pizza from a particular establishment,
etc.
[0041] FIG. 7 illustrates a map interface 700 in accordance with
one or more aspects of the disclosure. When the user selects the
"map" icon 304 in FIG. 3, for example, the map interface 700 may be
displayed. As shown, the map interface 700 may display a
birds-eye-view of a geographical area in relation to the location
of the user. The location may be determined using the global
positioning system of the user's computing device. In one
embodiment, the displayed geographical area includes major highways
and streets, including City Street, Town Avenue, Corner Avenue,
District Street, North Way, and Metro Way. The map interface 700
also displays various buildings dispersed across the geographical
area, such as apartment building 702 and commercial complex 704.
Moreover, the various users of the HLPR platform and their
respective locations may be depicted by solid dots. User A, for
instance, is located on 1st Street, user B is located on M Street,
user C is located on Town Avenue, user D is located on North Way,
user E is located on Corner Avenue, and user G is located in the
commercial complex 704.
[0042] In one example scenario, user A may be involved in a car
accident. User A opens the HLPR platform on smartphone 130 (either
via an installed application or a web browser) and requests
emergency assistance using the emergency screen interface 500 and
specifies that user A was involved in a car accident and requires
EMS assistance. User A may also input additional information via
the emergency screen interface 500, such as the number of passenger
involved (e.g., two passengers including user A) in the
accident.
[0043] The HLPR platform, using at least the map interface 700, may
then graphically share, broadcast, and/or publish the information
submitted by user A. In at least that regard, other users of the
HLPR platform, such as user D (who may be a certified physician for
instance), may be able to open the map interface 700 and know that
user A requires emergency assistance. For example, as shown in FIG.
7, the solid dot 706 corresponding to the location of user A may be
displayed larger relative to the other dots, which signifies that
user A is involved in an emergency situation. Moreover, a bubble
icon 708 may display at least some of the information submitted by
user A. In FIG. 7, the bubble icon 708 may display that user A has
been involved in a medical emergency--specifically a car
accident--concerning two passengers (including user A) at 2:45 p.m.
local time, requires EMS assistance, and that user A is 0.3 miles
away. The HLPR platform may automatically and/or dynamically
determine the size of the dots associated with the emergencies or
non-emergencies of the users in the geographical area and also
time-stamp one or more of the publications and/or broadcasts, if
necessary.
[0044] Simultaneously, user D may also see on map interface 700
that user B has requested assistance with respect to a punctured
tire that occurred on M Street 0.4 miles away. However, user D may
observe that user B's request is not urgent and no medical
assistance is required. Accordingly, the solid dot corresponding to
the location of user B may be smaller than dot 706.
[0045] For a particular geographical area, such as the one being
displayed on map interface 700, the HLPR platform can determine
which of the requests are emergencies and graphically distinguish
those requests over the non-emergency requests. In addition to the
dots corresponding to the location of the user requiring emergency
assistance being larger, the color of the dots may also be
different (e.g., bright red), or the shape of the dot itself may be
different (instead of a circular dot, it may be a triangular dot).
Moreover, the location of an official agency, an organization, or a
relief party may be displayed on the map interface 700 and the dot
representing that location may also be distinct to show the user
that the dot is associated with the agency, organization, or relief
party, e.g., the dot may be a different color, size, shape, etc.
The user can select the dot and the map interface 700 can
subsequently display the name, location, and other helpful
information associated with the agency, organization, or relief
party. In at least that regard, other users, such as user D, who
are able to provide assistance, can easily, conveniently, and
quickly determine which of the users in the geographical area user
D should tend to first. The HLPR platform may constantly analyze
and determine the status of all the users in the geographical area
and prioritize their needs.
[0046] While the map interface 700 shows bubble icon 708 and 710 as
being a certain size, it may be understood that the size of the
bubble may increase or decrease with the amount of information
being displayed in the bubble icon. Moreover, similar to the
above-described dots indicating the locations of the users on map
interface 700, the color of the bubble icons may change depending
on the subject of the information being provided (e.g., red for
health related information, blue for friend related information,
etc.). In addition, it may also be understood that when there are
more than one event or incident in a particular geographical area,
similar information or posts may be grouped together into one
bubble icon.
[0047] In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, user D may choose to
first render aid to user A. User D may touch, select, or press the
bubble icon 708 to see if user A has provided more information
about the car accident, and when user D determines that he or she
is capable of providing the requisite assistance, user D may be
able to establish direct communication with user A. Additionally, a
different user of the HLPR platform may be able to view the same
map interface 700 and observe, track, and/or monitor the assistance
being provided by User D to user A in real-time. The map interface
700 may also have a search function that can allow users of the
HLPR platform to search for various requests in real-time or
requests that have already been addressed and the users who were
involved in responding to those requests. FIG. 8 is an example of
the interface that is displayed to user D when user D touches,
selects, or presses the bubble icon 708.
[0048] FIG. 8 illustrates a "user A" information screen interface
800 in accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure. As
described above, when user D touches or selects the bubble icon
708, the "user A" information screen interface 800 may be displayed
to user D. As shown in FIG. 8, a "details" box 802 may include
various details and descriptions about the incident that user A has
been involved in. The details provided to the HLPR platform may be
provided directly by user A, or other users of the HLPR platform
who may have been witnesses or bystanders of the incident. For
example, the "details" box 802 describes the incident as a
multi-vehicle collision, where the two passengers involved is a
mother (user A) and a child. The child has not suffered any
injuries, but user A has broken her arm. The details further
specify that the passengers in the other vehicles have not
sustained any injuries.
[0049] The "user A" information screen interface 800 may also
display photos, images, etc. that are related to the accident in a
"photos" box 804. Photo 1, for example, may be an image of the
damaged vehicles. Photo 2 may show user A's broken arm so that user
D, who is a certified physician, may know what kinds of medical
equipment to bring in order to treat user A. Photo 3 may be an
image of a particular landmark near the location of the accident in
order to allow other users to easily find the location of the
incident. Similar to the details in the "details" box 802, the
photos may be provided to the HLPR platform directly from user A,
or from other others who are witnesses or bystanders to the
accident. While FIG. 8 shows photos 1, 2, and 3 in "photos" box
804, it may be understood that moving images or videos may also be
captured, uploaded, and displayed.
[0050] Moreover, the "user A" information screen interface 800 may
include a "communicate with user A" icon 806 that allows user D to
establish direct communication with user A, if necessary. As will
be further discussed with respect to FIG. 9, if user D, for
example, requires more information from user A in order to better
treat her broken arm or other injuries, then user D may want to
directly communicate with user A to ask her for more information.
Alternatively, user D may want to message user A message to simply
reassure her that user D is on the way to render assistance.
Moreover, to expedite the assistance process, user D can also press
a "navigate to site now" icon 808 to obtain turn-by-turn directions
to the actual geographical location of the incident and/or the
actual location of user A.
[0051] FIG. 9 illustrates a "from user D" screen interface 900 in
accordance with one more aspects of the disclosure. When user D
establishes communication with user A, or notifies the HLPR
platform that user D will render assistance to user A, the "from
user D" screen interface 900 is displayed to user A. A chat-box 902
may be displayed with a chat message from user D to user A that
reads "I am a doctor and I am very close to where you are. I will
be there shortly to help." Using the chat-box 902, user A may reply
to user D's message with a "thank you." As described above, user D
may be able to inquire more about the status of user A's injury and
other pertinent information using the chat-box 902. Moreover, the
"from user D" screen interface 900 may display via an "ETA" box 904
the current location of user D by way of a map interface 906 and
user D's estimated time of arrival. In at least this regard, user A
can be reassured that user D is on the way to render
assistance.
[0052] FIG. 10 illustrates a "post information" screen interface
1000 in accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure. When
a user presses or selects the "post information" icon 306 shown in
FIG. 3, for instance, the "post information" screen interface 1000
may be displayed. Using at least this feature, bystanders or
witnesses of an incident may be able to provide information to the
HLPR platform. The "post information" screen interface 1000 may
prompt the user to describe the what, who, when, and where of the
incident, and also provide the option of uploading photographs or
images related to the incident. Once the information has been
received, the HLPR platform may be able to automatically associate
the posted information with (1) information related to an already
existing request for assistance or a particular incident or (2)
create a new request for assistance, or event, or incident on the
map interface, for example, if the posted information cannot be
associated with something that is already existing.
[0053] A new event or incident may be created by the HLPR platform
based on posted information from a bystander or witness when the
user(s) actually involved cannot do so. In the above-examples, if
user A was unconscious and was not physically able to use the HLPR
platform, a bystander would be able to post details about the
accident and the condition of user A onto the HLPR platform, where
user D would then be able to directly communicate with the
bystander using the HLPR platform if user D requires more
information about the incident or the status of user A.
[0054] It may be understood that the various screen interfaces and
icons illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 10 may be operated using an
application and/or a web browser. In other words, the HLPR platform
does not have to be downloaded by the user prior to use. Moreover,
it may be understood that the various icons associated with the
screen interfaces shown in FIGS. 3 to 10 may be arranged in many
different ways and in any suitable manner.
[0055] Moreover, in order to prevent inappropriate posts or
requests, the users of the HLPR platform, as a community, may
self-regulate. For example, users may object certain requests or
posts. The regulation may also be based on a raking or rating
system. With respect to graphic images or photos, users may be able
to warn others of graphic content or be able to pixilate or blur
portions of the images. In addition to preventing inappropriate
posts or requests, a community of users may be able to verify the
accuracy of the photographs or videos. For instance, users may be
able to vote "up" or "down" whether a photograph or a video
accurately depicts an incident, or alternatively assign the
photograph or video a score to indicate its accuracy. To that end,
if there are a total of 25 pictures related to a house fire, only
the photographs that were voted "up" by people who were physically
near the fire can be posted to the HLPR platform. This can provide,
for instance, one way to ensure that the information posted to the
platform is accurate. Moreover, in order for users to identify
themselves as certified professionals, those users may be required
to submit documentation proving certification. The platform can
designate the certified users with special symbols or any other
suitable graphical representation.
[0056] It may also be understood that the platform can be used in
conjunction with conventional ways of requesting assistance or
help. In the above-described examples, for instance, user A may be
able to request assistance on the platform before or after she has
called 911 or 112. In at least that regard, it is possible for
operators of 911 or 112 to also use the HLPR platform and acquire
accurate location information of the user requesting assistance.
If, for example, the operator cannot locate the user using
conventional 911 or 112 mapping tools, then the operator may ask
the user to locate him or herself on the HLPR platform.
[0057] Additionally, while the examples in FIGS. 3 to 10 described
an individual user responding to a request, it may be understood
that users responding to requests via the platform may include not
only individual users, but also commercial entities, e.g., pizza
restaurants that are able to satisfy user G's request, as shown in
FIG. 3 and FIG. 7.
[0058] The present invention is advantageous in various ways. As
described above, a user is not required to download the platform
beforehand in order to use it. Users are also not required to
subscribe to the platform. Moreover, the use of the platform may be
as ubiquitous as calling 911, 112, or shouting for help. The
platform also does not limit the user to a predefined network of
friends and the user is able to share information about an incident
and the corresponding location of the incident with any nearby
user. To at least that end, the platform facilitates communication
between users who do not know each other or not previously
connected to each other via social media. Moreover, the platform
allows a requesting user and a responding user to directly
communicate with each other and also allows the requesting user to
know the ETA status of the responding user. The platform may
empower the community of users to help each other and even allows
bystanders and witnesses to contribute by posting information to
the platform, thus employing the "collective intelligence" of a
particular community.
[0059] In addition to the above-described examples, embodiments,
and aspects of the HLPR platform, the present disclosure may have
other numerous applications, such as alert systems for child
abduction, missing children, and lost pets, review of businesses,
integration into GPS systems and other map interface platforms,
incorporation of news feeds, etc.
[0060] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to
illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since
modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit
and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the
art, the invention should be construed to include everything within
the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof Although
the disclosure use terminology and acronyms that may not be
familiar to the layperson, those skilled in the art will be
familiar with the terminology and acronyms used herein.
* * * * *