U.S. patent application number 16/416191 was filed with the patent office on 2021-10-07 for decentralized emergency response by friends and family.
The applicant listed for this patent is David Andrew Brooks, David Zhu. Invention is credited to David Andrew Brooks, David Zhu.
Application Number | 20210314756 16/416191 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005697042 |
Filed Date | 2021-10-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210314756 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brooks; David Andrew ; et
al. |
October 7, 2021 |
Decentralized Emergency Response by Friends and Family
Abstract
A Method and System for coordinating help to an individual
experiencing a medical emergency from their designated Emergency
Care Team (ECT). The location of the Person in Distress (PID) and
all of their emergency contacts is determined. A real time audio
video conference is created which enables the PID and all members
of the ECT to communicate. Real time vital signs from the PID's
wearable health monitor is streamed to all participants. The PID's
medical history is temporarily unlocked and provided on demand to
the ECT members. The ECT members participate as available with no
single person or call center coordinating this effort. Additional
participants may be added to the conference at the discretion of
the ECT members including, but not limited to the E911 operator for
the PID's locale, the PID's medical providers, other individuals
from the PID's contact list, or other individuals as may be deemed
important to the response. Additional participants are provided
with a mechanism which connects them into conference with full
access to all the information available to the ECT members with no
prior registration or App install.
Inventors: |
Brooks; David Andrew; (San
Jose, CA) ; Zhu; David; (Fremont, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Brooks; David Andrew
Zhu; David |
San Jose
Fremont |
CA
CA |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005697042 |
Appl. No.: |
16/416191 |
Filed: |
May 18, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/029 20180201;
H04W 4/90 20180201 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/90 20060101
H04W004/90; H04W 4/029 20060101 H04W004/029 |
Claims
1. A method for use in establishing a real time emergency
collaboration team of individuals to assist in a medical emergency
with a Person in Distress (PID) who is known to them comprising:
establishing a collection of Emergency Care Team (ECT) members who
have accepted an invitation to join prior to the emergency event
and who may or may not have medical power of attorney for the PID;
a PID confirming the emergency or failing to indicate a false alarm
within a given time period; sending a notification to all ECT
members that an emergency is in progress; joining the call by ECT
members who are available to help; those ECT members actively
participating in the resolution of the issue by physically going to
the location of the PID, speaking with the PID, or calling
emergency medical technicians to respond to the emergency.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising each member of the ECT
receiving real time vital signs of the PID from that person's
wearable monitor, the real time location of that PID, and a real
time audio and video feed from the PID's endpoint device.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising each member of the ECT
receiving audio from the endpoint device of all other ECT members,
as well as receiving the real time location of the other ECT
members and their call status.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising any member on the
emergency call requesting E911 services with jurisdiction for the
current location of the PID, E911 service dispatching agents to
assist with the emergency, connecting the dispatched agents into
the emergency call, the dispatched agents accessing the same
information and capabilities as the other participants.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting ad hoc
participants into the emergency call by a ECT member on the call,
the new participant sharing access to the same information and
capabilities as the other participants.
6. The method of claim 1 further compromising viewing the
relationship of each emergency call participant to the PID and the
medical power of attorney status of each ECT member.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising viewing the recent
vital signs history and the electronic health records of the
PID.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing the contact
information for the medical care providers of the PID by any
participant in the Emergency Call.
9. A system for use in establishing a real time emergency call
between members of an Emergency Care Team (ECT) during a medical
emergency comprising: a medical monitoring device worn by a Person
in Distress (PID) and the PID's endpoint communications device,
both devices connected to each other through wireless short range
transceivers; a plurality of endpoint communication devices
associated with a plurality of ECT members; a shared computing
resource accessible over an internet with one or more processing
elements, working memory, and nonvolatile memory, the system is
configured to perform; establishing a collection of ECT members who
have accepted an invitation to join prior to the emergency event
and who may or may not have medical power of attorney for the PID;
a PID confirming the emergency or failing to indicate a false alarm
within a given time period; sending a notification to all ECT
members that an emergency is in progress; joining the call by the
ECT members who are available to help; those ECT members actively
participating in the resolution of the issue by physically going to
the location of the PID, speaking with the PID, or calling
emergency medical technicians to respond to the emergency.
10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a geolocation
capability in the endpoint device of the PID and all ECT
members.
11. The system of claim 9 further comprising executable code and
integration protocols for connecting with E911 services for a given
location.
12. The system of claim 9 further comprising executable code and
communications protocols operating in the shared computing resource
to include additional participants into the emergency call with the
same capabilities as the other ECT members.
13. The system of claim 9 further comprising executable code
capable of decrypting Electronic Health Records of the PID.
Description
BACKGROUND ART
[0001] Most of the prior art to date has focused on the method used
for the detection of a fall or an emergency, the architecture of a
system for locating the person with the issue, and the
communication channels used to connect the person to a central
monitoring station. All of these prior filings assume a central
monitoring service as part of the system. The cost of manning this
central monitoring center with qualified personnel is prohibitive
and is passed along to the subscribers.
[0002] One challenge with commercial Medical Alert or Personal
Emergency Response Systems (PERS) is the lack of accuracy of the
Fall Detection technology and Vital Signs interpretation. Current
systems are prone to false positives, declaring an alert when no
emergency exists. Recent implementations have included a Cancel
button with timeout to minimize these, but the central monitoring
system also acts as a buffer to prevent Public Safety Answering
Point personnel from being called for a false alarm. The present
invention eliminates the need for a central monitoring service by
notifying a predetermined collection of friends, neighbors, and
family members that act as the first responders and to make the
determination if Emergency Medical Technicians are required.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 7,212,111 granted to Amy M. Tupler et al May
1, 2007 provides for the notification of an emergency contact list
in case of emergency with verification that at least one emergency
contact received the notification. This solution includes the
notion of a processing center, which is defined as "a wireless
communication provider, a separate and/or independent entity
providing emergency dispatching services or other entity." The
present invention eliminates the need for a processing center and
instead replaces it with a distributed team of friends and family
members which are notified directly by the system when an emergency
is detected.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,694 B2 (Dec. 25, 2001) "Personal
Emergency Response System" and U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,639 (Dec. 26,
2000) "Personal Emergency Response System" explains how the number
of seniors living alone has increased the need for a system to
provide assistance in case of an emergency. This patent builds upon
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,285 "In-home Emergency Assist Device" granted
in 1989 and expired in 2007. The PERS patent improves upon previous
art by providing video communication between the wearer and the
personnel monitoring the wearer. It also provides for a Geofencing
capability to determine when the wearer has moved outside a
predetermined safety area. It further highlights the need to alert
the monitoring personnel when the user is not wearing the
alarm.
[0005] The PERS patents are focused on how to detect the emergency.
Some are based on a wearer being in a predetermined position which
is indicative of an emergency. Some are concerned with G forces. In
the present market, Apple Watch, Fitbit and numerous other wearable
consumer devices are equipped with more sophisticated fall
detection capability than existed at the time of the PERS patent
applications. We expect even further improvements in this
technology in the near future with further commoditization of this
function. The present invention seeks to take advantage of the
increasing number of choices in the market for wearable health and
safety monitors to focus on the coordination of the response team
to validate the need and call for appropriate response.
[0006] In addition, with the commercialization of GPS capabilities
in mobile phones and wearable devices like smart watches, the
distance calculation method cited in these patents is no longer
relevant. In fact, distance from a fixed point is severely
limiting. Seniors often go to Church or to the grocery store as a
part of their normal routine. So movement within their normal
patterns is not alarm worthy. A more sophisticated system is
required to determine abnormal behavior and potential alarm
conditions.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 8,116,724 granted to Steven R. Peabody Feb.
14, 2012 is another example of a system with a central monitoring
station. This patent is also notable for its comprehensive
documentation of prior art for the PERS market.
[0008] Each of the above disclosures and the patents they include
is incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A health and safety monitoring system consisting of a
combination of wearable devices and/or stationary wireless
monitoring devices is used to detect medical emergencies or falls.
Upon detecting a possible emergency, the system checks with the
Person In Distress (PID) through either a Graphical UI or through a
Voice User Interface to determine if an emergency exists. If the
PID indicates a false alarm, the system notes this and learns from
the mistake. If the PID confirms the Emergency condition, they have
a choice of directly notifying E911 services directly or their
Emergency Care Team (ECT). If the PID chooses their ECT, or if they
fail to respond within a predetermined time limit, the system
notifies all members of the ECT in parallel and establishes a real
time emergency collaboration group. E911 service is not notified
unless the PID or one of the ECT members makes the decision to
call.
[0010] The ECT members are potentially geographically dispersed.
Some members may be in proximity to the PID but others may be
relatives located thousands of miles away. As each member of the
ECT accepts the call, they are connected in an audio video
conference which enables them to communicate with one another. The
PID's endpoint device will also open the mic and speaker and
connects that device into the conference. If the PID's wearable
monitor has a mic, it will be enabled and connected into the
conference as well. This enables the ECT members to communicate
with the PID if conscious and able to speak. In some embodiments,
other fixed devices may be present in the PID's home which may be
opened as a communication channel. One example of this is a smart
speaker which is exemplified by but not limited to an Amazon Echo
device.
[0011] The ECT members are not just names and numbers provided by
the PID, but are required to accept an invitation to become a ECT
member and Opt In to share their location using the location
capability of their user endpoint device during the emergency
event. In the most common embodiment, the user endpoint device will
be the ECT members' smartphone and the location capability is the
embedded GPS. In other embodiments, the endpoint device can be a
tablet, laptop, or smart speaker, and the location may be
determined from their WiFi network. In yet other embodiments, the
user endpoint device could be an embedded computer and screen in a
moving vehicle, such as a car or truck.
[0012] The system also provides a mechanism to designate one or
more ECT members as holding Medical Power of Attorney for the PID
such that they can provide permission as needed to Medical Care
Providers.
[0013] Each member of the ECT is required to register as a user and
opt in to participate in the ECT. In one embodiment, the user
installs an app on their smartphone. In another embodiment, the
user participates through a browser on a tablet or laptop. The
system described provides a graphical user interface which displays
the following information during the emergency event: [0014] A map
showing the location of the PID and all other members of the ECT,
[0015] A status for each member of the ECT such as, but not limited
to "on the call", "not responded", "en route" to the site of the
emergency, [0016] A relationship for each ECT member including
their status of Medical Power of Attorney, [0017] A display showing
the vital signs of the PID, [0018] Access to the Medical Record of
the PID including the past 24 hours of vital signs monitoring,
[0019] A graphical button or voice command which enables any member
of the ECT to initiate a call to E911 services for the location of
the PID, even if the PID is not at home. [0020] A user interaction
element which enables an ECT member to invite other participants to
join the emergency call with full access to the same information
and features described above.
[0021] A voice only experience is provided for those users who are
driving, without access to a display, or in the case of the PID,
unable to move.
[0022] In a typical scenario, the ECT members will speak with the
PID and determine if E911 is necessary. At the same time, the
proximal ECT member(s) will travel to the PID location to provide
help. Many accidents that require medical attention are not
critical if attended to in a timely manner. The proximal ECT member
may be able to resolve the situation with no further assistance or
may provide transportation to an urgent care facility to resolve
the situation. Given the high cost of EMT services, seniors on
fixed incomes would prefer to seek care in a cost effective
manner.
[0023] Members of the ECT will typically have installed an App on
their smartphones in order to participate. However, the members
added to the call will not necessarily have installed the App. One
embodiment of this invention includes the ability to add new
members through the use of a web link which is sent to their mobile
via SMS. This link when accepted will connect them in to a virtual
web conference where they will see an HTML version of the same
screen available to the ECT. This web page will also conference
them in to the audio video channel. In this way an EMT or Physician
is able to access real time vitals from the PID, speak with them,
and possibly see the PID while still en route. The proximal ECT
member for example could use their cameras to provide this video
feed once they arrive on scene.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 shows the organization of the participants and their
call status for the emergency call.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows the process for verifying and initiating an
emergency call as well as keeping the call open until the response
is complete.
[0026] FIG. 3 shows the architecture of the backend system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Referring to the drawing FIG. 1, The Person in Distress
(PID) (108) is wearing a health monitor (101) and possesses an
endpoint communication device such as but not limited to a mobile
phone. A backend system (100) provides shared computing resources
for all carees, an invited subset of their friends, family, and
caregivers. The backend system (100) consists of at least one
instance of a cloud hosted processing element, working memory, and
nonvolatile memory with communications over a broadband network
using IP based protocols. The caree has invited a subset of people
from their friends, family, and caregivers to form an Emergency
Care Team (ECT). One or more of these invitees have accepted the
invitation. Each member of the ECT possesses an endpoint
communication device such as but not limited to a mobile phone.
Upon detection of an emergency event by the wearable health monitor
(101), the monitor sends a message (121) across the communications
network (102) to the backend system (100) indicating that an event
appears to have occurred. Once confirmed, the backend system (100)
notifies all members of the ECT (103) by sending a call request
(122) across the communications network (102) to their endpoint
communication devices. The response status of each member is
tracked and relayed to all participants. In this example three ECT
members (104, 106, and 107) have joined the call while one member
(105) has not responded.
[0028] FIG. 2 If an emergency is detected (200) the system will ask
the person monitored if there is an actual emergency either through
a graphical interface or voice (201). The user either responds or
fails to respond in a fixed time period (202). If the user
indicates a false alarm, the system will reset and no emergency
call will be made (203). If the user affirms or if a timeout
occurs, the system will present the option of calling E911 or
initiating an ECT call (204). If the user proactively responds to
call E911 a call will be placed on the PID's behalf (205). If the
user opts for ECT or there is a timeout, the system will notify the
ECT (206) and create a bridge for the conference (207). The system
will unlock the Electronic Health Records (EHR) for the PID and
display into the shared Graphical User Interface (208). The system
will update the status of each ECT member to all (209), then update
the geographic location of each member and the PID (210), and then
update all vital signs the monitor is capable of reading (211). If
the first member has not yet joined or if at least one member is
still connected (212), the system will loop back to update the real
time status information (209). If at least one member joined the
call but subsequently all members disconnected (212) the system
will end the call.
[0029] FIG. 3 shows the architecture of our backend system. At
least one processing element (301) is connected to working memory
(302) and storage or nonvolatile memory (303). The processing
element is also connected to a Network Adaptor (304) which provides
access to an internet for wide area communications.
* * * * *