Personal checkup service and equipment

A method and apparatus for utilizing a public switched telephone network which includes a voice messaging system (VMS) for providing to subscribers a checkup call service to initiate at times determined by the subscriber checkup calls to a premise designated by the subscriber. If a particular person at the premise does not respond appropriately to the personal checkup call or the telephone goes unanswered or is off-hook for a specified period of time a list of persons designated by the subscriber is notified of such failure to respond. The service is based upon utilization of the existing VMS equipment. The subscriber has the option to specify an activation schedule which specifies the days of the week on which the service is to be active. An activation schedule disable and enable control is provided. In a second mode the checkup is effected via a customer premise equipment (CPE) device which may be wall-mountable or stand alone and connected to the telephone network. The person under surveillance is instructed to press a response button on the CPE device during a predesignated response period. Upon the button not being depressed during the response period the CPE device automatically out-dials to the VMS and the VMS initiates the notification process.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to safety and security communications and, in 
particular, to such systems integrated with and supplementary to public 
switched telephone networks providing enhanced telecommunications 
services. 
BACKGROUND ART 
There is a recognized need for promptly providing appropriate notification 
to cognizant entities in the event of the occurrence of emergency or 
precautionary situations. The now familiar 911 telephone service has 
evolved in response to the emergency aspect of that need. Other alarm 
systems utilizing the public switched telephone network have been 
proposed. In general these provide a resident with a means for initiating 
an alarm signal which is delivered to designated telephone numbers. A 
notification to the 911 service may also be provided. Several such 
arrangements are described in detail in the assignee's co-pending U.S. 
patent application Ser. No. 07/697,380, filed May 9, 1991, in the name of 
Brian L. Carrier et al. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention addresses a further need of a class of persons 
requiring a greater or lesser degree of surveillance without necessitating 
personal initiation of an alarm signal. In essence the invention provides 
a personal checkup service which will furnish to involved individuals 
safety, security and peace of mind for their family, friends and home. The 
service insures that several people will be notified in the event of an 
immediate care need at a subscriber or customer's home. The notification 
is triggered when a particular person at the residence does not respond 
appropriately to the personal checkup service (PCS) system, or the 
telephone goes unanswered or is off-hook for a specified period of time. 
The service is particularly adapted to two primary groups, namely, 
families with children (particularly "latch key" children), and those who 
are care givers for seniors or handicapped relatives or friends. The 
invention provides a simple, inexpensive, high quality, feature-rich 
service which offers peace of mind, allows customers to "show they care", 
and to "know someone is always there". 
According to the invention the customer or subscriber is provided with full 
control over the identity of the persons to be notified and the 
flexibility of changing the specific functioning of the system. This 
includes the establishment and/or modification at any time of such 
parameters as the content of the Notification Message, the identity and 
number of persons in the Notification List, the content of the Checkup 
Message, the Checkup Time, and the like. The subscriber has the 
flexibility to forward the Notification Message to, for example, up to 
five directory numbers. A subscriber may desire calls to be placed to 
relatives or friends at home or at work, a next door neighbor, or others. 
The subscriber may forward the notification call to a toll number, as 
where parents are away on business or vacation. 
An important feature of the invention is that the service is based upon 
utilization of the existing Voice Message System (VMS) equipment which is 
now used to provide Telco supplied services such as Answer Call, Voice 
Mail and Emerg-Alert. The notification process may be activated in any of 
a number of ways including the following: 
As a first mode activation may be via a checkup telephone call. A Personal 
Checkup Service (PCS) telephone call is placed via the local Telco VMS to 
the subscriber's home at a predesignated time (Checkup Time) to check on 
family members, friends, or the residence itself. If someone is at home 
they will answer the telephone and the telephone will play their Checkup 
Message and prompt them to enter their PCS Call Password to indicate that 
everything is satisfactory. Alternatively the subscriber may choose not to 
have a password. If the telephone is busy, the VMS will continue to redial 
the subscriber's residence at designated intervals (e.g., every five 
minutes) until a connection is made. If the telephone goes unanswered 
after several redial attempts, or goes unanswered for a predesignated 
period of time; or the password is not correctly entered, the VMS will 
either sequentially or simultaneously call numbers on the subscriber's 
Notification List (e.g., parents at work, neighbors) and deliver the 
Notification Message. 
Although the Notification Message will not identify the nature of the 
situation, it will notify others that an immediate care situation exists. 
This message will be repeated several times to insure that the called 
party can record the pertinent information. If the first called party on 
the Notification List does not answer or the line is busy, the VMS calls 
the second party; if the second party does not answer or the line is busy, 
the VMS calls the third party; and so on. When at least two members of the 
Notification List have confirmed receipt of the Notification Message, the 
VMS discontinues calling. 
The subscriber has the option to specify an Activation Schedule which 
specifies those days of the week on which they desire the PCS to be 
active. For example, the Activation Schedule may designate Monday through 
Friday only. 
As a second mode activation may be effected via a Customer Premise 
Equipment (CPE) device. Such a CPE device may be wall mountable or stand 
alone and may be connected between the telephone and a standard RJ11 
telephone jack in the subscriber's home. Alternatively the CPE device is 
connected to any telephone line termination node in the subscriber's home. 
According to this mode the person under surveillance is instructed to 
press a Response Button on the CPE during a predesignated PCS Response 
Period, such as between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Upon the button being depressed 
the CPE device automatically out-dials to the VMS; the VMS responds; the 
CPE device provides a DTMF or other signaling format tone to the VMS; the 
VMS provides a confirmation DTMF or other signaling format tone back to 
the CPE device if the SMDI information (i.e., calling number 
identification) is received by the VMS; and the CPE device disconnects. If 
the VMS does not provide a confirmation tone within a specified time 
period such as ten seconds, the CPE device disconnects and continues to 
redial the VMS until a confirmation tone is received. 
If the person at the residence does not press the Response Button within 
the PCS Response Period, the VMS sequentially calls the parties on the 
Notification List as described in the first sequence above. 
Again the subscriber will have the option to specify an Activation Schedule 
which specifies which days of the week they wish the PCS to be active, 
such as Monday through Friday only. 
The CPE device is also provided with a Disable Button which disables the 
PCS service while leaving intact the subscriber's Activation Schedule in 
the VMS. For example, the subscriber may desire to leave for the day or go 
on vacation for the weekend. By depressing the Disable Button the 
subscriber disables temporarily the Activation Schedule. The CPE device is 
also provided with an Enable Button which effects reinstatement and 
activation of the Activation Schedule. The depression of each button calls 
upon the VMS to either disable or reinstate the PCS service as the case 
may be. The subscriber can also call the VMS to disable or reinstate their 
PCS service via the PCS User Menu on the VMS. 
Activation via an off-hook condition. If the subscriber's telephone is left 
off-hook (with no voice) for a predesignated period of time such as ten 
minutes, the network will notify the VMS. The VMS will call the customer's 
home to verify the off-hook/no voice condition. Upon confirmation of the 
condition, the VMS calls the Notification List as described in the first 
sequence above. 
Activation via a no answer condition. If the subscriber's telephone goes 
unanswered for a pre-designated number of rings the network will notify 
the VMS. Alternatively, Call Forwarding service may be utilized to notify 
the VMS of the no answer condition. The VMS then calls the subscriber's 
home to verify the no answer condition. Upon confirmation of the no answer 
condition, the VMS calls the Notification List as described in the first 
sequence above. 
In addition to the foregoing the service of the invention may also include 
medical or security monitoring by trained personnel at a monitoring 
center. If the Notification Process is activated and the VMS cannot reach 
anyone on the Notification List, the VMS will contact the monitoring 
center. The center will then call the customer to determine what 911 
emergency assistance or other assistance is needed, if any. If the 
customer does not answer the call from the monitoring center, the center 
will summon 911 services. Alternatively, upon activation of the 
Notification Process the VMS may immediately contact the monitoring center 
instead of calling the Notification List first. 
According to the invention the subscriber may specify any of the various 
PCS options from any touch tone telephone. These options are programmed by 
the subscriber at the time of service initiation and may be changed at any 
time by the subscriber. To establish or change the PCS options, the 
subscriber is required to access the PCS User Menu on the VMS and input 
their Access Password. The following options then may be programmed: 
a) Access password. This is the password which the subscriber utilizes to 
access their PCS mailbox and change their PCS options. 
b) Notification List. This constitutes the list of called parties 
designated to receive the Notification Message. 
c) Notification Message. This is the message which is delivered to the 
called parties on the Notification List. The subscriber has the option to 
create their own personalized message or choose the standard System 
Notification Message which specifies the subscriber's name, address, 
telephone number, and time of PCS activation. 
d) Activation Schedule. This constitutes a pre-designation of the days of 
the week the PCS service is active. 
e) Checkup Message. This constitutes the message played when the person at 
the subscriber's residence answers the PCS call from the VMS. 
f) Checkup Time. This constitutes the time at which the VMS begins calling 
the subscriber's residence. PCS calls are repeated for a specific period 
of time before the Notification Process is activated. 
g) PCS Call Password. This constitutes the password which must be inputted 
when the PCS call is answered at the residence. Alternatively the 
subscriber may chose not to have a password. 
h) PCS Response Period. This constitutes the time period in which the 
person must push the Response Button on their CPE device. 
When each person or directory number on the Notification List goes off-hook 
they hear the Notification Message repeated several times. They are asked 
to press a DTMF key to confirm receipt of the message. This feature 
provides a record of when and to which telephone numbers a message was 
delivered. If they do not have a DTMF telephone to confirm receipt of the 
message, the VMS will call back to insure the message was received. 
It is an important feature of the present invention that the PCS service is 
superimposed on the same equipment utilized by existing VMS services such 
as Answer Call, Voice Mail, and the like. Since the PCS service of the 
invention leverages existing investment in VMS equipment it requires 
relatively moderate capital investment. At the same time the service of 
the invention requires minimal equipment usage since traffic and storage 
requirements are low. Current VMS technology is capable of providing most 
of the functions. 
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
Personal Checkup Service which furnishes to residential customers safety, 
security and peace of mind for their family, friends and home. 
It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved Personal 
Checkup Service where the subscriber has control over the identity of 
persons and directory numbers to be notified and the flexibility of 
changing various options as to the content of the Notification Message, 
the identity of persons or numbers in the Notification List, the content 
of the checkup Message, the Checkup Time and other parameters at any time. 
It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved Personal 
Checkup Service which is capable of implementation with existing public 
switched telephone network equipment and thus is susceptible of relatively 
rapid installation and operation at reasonable cost and with a high degree 
of reliability. 
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily 
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed 
description wherein a limited number of preferred embodiments of the 
invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the 
best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. 
As will be realized the invention is capable of other and different 
embodiments, and its details are capable of modification in various 
obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly 
the drawing and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature 
and not as restrictive.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1 there is shoe at 10 a PCS subscriber or customer 
station which represents a subscriber to the new Personal Checkup Service. 
The station 10 may be connected to a multi-line hunt group 12 in an end 
office (EO) containing a switch 14. The MLHG 12 in the switch 14 is 
connected by a local loop 15 to the subscriber station 10 and by a trunk 
16 to a program controlled switch 18 at a Voice Message System (VMS) hub 
site 20. 
Located at the VMS hub site 20 is a VMS platform indicated generally at 22. 
The VMS platform includes a master control unit (MCU) 24, digital 
switching system (DSS) 26, and voice processing unit (VPU) 28. The VMS 
platform is connected from the DSS via a T1 link 30 to a multi-line (MLHG) 
32 associated with the program controlled switch 18 to communicate with 
the subscriber station 10. The VMS is also connected to the MLHG 32 
through a T1 link 33 to communicate with the destination stations. The 
switch 18 and MLHG are connected through a suitable link 34 to the 
destination telephone stations (DTS) 36, 38 and 40 of parties designated 
to be notified of the safety/security situation. The link 34 may 
constitute a single line connected to a single switch port or may consist 
of plural lines connected to multiple ports. The system of the invention 
may utilize sequential or simultaneous notification of the designated 
parties. Plural lines and ports are necessary for simultaneous 
notification. 
The VPU 28 in the VMS 22 conventionally contains mailbox storage capacity 
for multiple voice messaging applications. According to the invention the 
PCS storage is provided in the same VMS platform but is distinct from and 
in addition to the storage utilized in existing VMS services. The mailbox 
storage for the PCS service is provided in the VPU 28 at 42 as illustrated 
in FIG. 1A. This usage of the same VMS platform permits common and 
efficient usage of existing equipment and minimizes the investment 
required to initiate the new service of the invention. 
Also connected to the link 34 is a monitoring center 44 presently to be 
described. 
The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 is basically designed 
for activation via a PCS checkup call. According to this embodiment the 
VMS 22 initiates a call to the PCS subscriber 10 at a predesignated time 
that the subscriber has entered into the VMS program. The subscriber has 
control over the time entered and the number of times per day that the 
call is to be initiated. At the checkup time the telephone in the 
subscriber home will ring and if someone is present the telephone will be 
answered. At this point the VMS plays the Checkup Message and prompts the 
answering person to enter the PCS Call Password to indicate that 
everything is satisfactory. 
The subscriber is given the option to use or not use a password. An 
alternative to password usage is the provision of voice recognition which 
may be provided according to another embodiment of the invention. An 
example of a Checkup Message may be: "Hello. This is the Bell Atlantic 
Personal Checkup System with a Checkup Message for (the person's name)." 
The message may also include a subscriber entered reminder of which 
medicines are to be taken that day, such as "Have you taken medicine A at 
9 o'clock and medicine B at 10 o'clock?" For children the same 
introductory type message may be utilized but the questioning may be 
directed to whether or not the house is locked or dinner has been started. 
If the telephone is busy the VMS continues to redial the residence at 
designated intervals that may or may not be at the subscriber's 
discretion. By way of example, the number may be redialed every five 
minutes or half hour. In the five minute mode if the line is busy for half 
an hour then the VMS may activate the PCS Notification Process. 
If the telephone of the PCS subscriber station is unanswered after several 
redial attempts the Notification Process may be actuated. Alternatively 
the Notification Process may be actuated if the telephone goes unanswered 
for a predesignated period of time, if the password is not correctly 
entered, or alternatively, if the voice recognition does not match. As 
previously stated, the notification sequence may be either sequential or 
simultaneous. 
Once the Notification Message is sent the called parties cannot identify 
the precise nature of the situation but is on notice that a potential 
problem situation exists. When the called party answers the message is 
repeated several times to make certain that the answering party hears the 
message and has an opportunity to make notes. In the sequential embodiment 
if the first person on the Notification List does not answer or if the 
telephone is busy the VMS will go on to the second party, and if the 
second party does not answer or is busy to the third, and so on. The VMS 
may be programmed to continue the sequential notification until at least a 
predesignated number of persons have been notified, such as two persons 
listed on the Notification List have confirmed receipt of the message. The 
confirmation is preferably in the form of touching a DTMF key. When the 
pre-established number of persons have confirmed notification the VMS 
discontinues calling. 
The subscriber will input an activation schedule which will basically 
specify the days of the week that they desire the service to be performed. 
For example, Monday through Friday might be applicable for messages 
intended for children returning home from school. 
The operation of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 is 
now described in conjunction with the flow chart of FIG. 5. 
Prior to operation the VMS/PCS platform must be initialized. Such 
initialization involves entry of the following: 
a) Access Password 
b) Notification List 
c) Notification Message 
d) Activation Schedule 
e) Checkup Message 
f) Checkup Time 
g) PCS Call Password 
h) PCS Response Period 
The entry of such options may be in the manner described in detail in 
assignee's co-pending Carrier et al patent application Ser. No. 07/697,380 
referenced hereinabove. 
Referring to FIG. 5, operation of the system commences with the PCS call at 
46. The call comes in to the residence and at 48 the decision is made as 
to whether the line is busy, as indicated at 50; there is no answer, as 
indicated at 52; or the call is answered, as indicated at 53. If the line 
is busy the call is repeated at a predetermined time interval for a 
predetermined time period. The determination as to whether or not the call 
has been repeated at "x" intervals for a "y" time period is made at 54. 
When the predetermined "x" and "y" intervals and time period variables 
have been equaled or exceeded the system proceeds as indicated at 58 to 
activation of the Notification Process at 60. 
The no answer condition indicated at 52 proceeds in a similar manner at 
predetermined intervals "a" for a predetermined "b" time period as 
indicated at 62. The calls are repeated so long as these limiting 
parameters have not been equaled or exceeded as shown at 64. When the 
calls have been made "a" times for a time interval of "b" the Notification 
Procedure 60 is activated as indicated at 66. 
Assuming that the PCS call was answered as indicated at 53, the Checkup 
Message is played and the password is requested at 68 if such is in use. 
Alternatively the voice response may be tested against an appropriate 
voice recognition templet. Assuming a password request as indicated at 70 
the customer or subscriber inputs the requested password or speaks in the 
voice recognition tested voice as indicated at 72. Validity is tested at 
74. A repeat request may be programmed as indicated by the broken lines at 
76 and 78. 
If the validity test at 74 indicates an affirmative answer, as shown at 80, 
the program is stopped and disconnected at 82. If the validity test at 74 
results in an invalidity determination this initiates the Notification 
Process as shown at 83 and 60. 
Referring to FIG. 2 there is shown a second embodiment of the invention. 
The system diagram is in general similar to that in FIG. 1 and like 
reference numerals are utilized where applicable. In this embodiment of 
the invention a customer premise equipment (CPE) device 86 at subscriber 
station 10 is utilized to initiate a call which may also be called a 
response. A typical device of this type is illustrated at 86 in FIG. 8. 
The device 86 comprises a small self-contained housing 88 having a 
Response Button 90, Enable Button 92 and Disable Button 94. The unit 86 is 
also provided with a pair of connector jacks 96 and 98 which may comprise 
RJ11 jacks for effecting connection to the customer premise equipment and 
telephone network. Two alternative types of connections are illustrated in 
FIG. 6 and 7. 
Referring to FIG. 6 the CPE unit 86 has its "IN" jack 96 connected by 
connector 100 to an RJ11 jack 102 connected to the telephone network node 
in the premise. The "OUT" jack 98 of the CPE unit 86 is connected via 
connector 104 to the subscriber's telephone station 106. The connection of 
the CPE unit 86 to the telephone network is a bridging type connection and 
does not necessarily require "IN" and "OUT" connections. Thus referring to 
FIG. 7 there is shown an embodiment wherein the telephone station 106 is 
directly connected to the termination node RJ11 jack 102 by its 
conventional connector 108. The CPE unit 86 is connected by a single 
connector 110 to an RJ11 jack 112 which is also connected to the local 
loop or other connection to the central office indicated at 114. The jack 
112 may also be regarded as the termination node. Thus there is no 
necessity that requires the CPE unit 86 to be inserted in the existing 
connection between the telephone 106 and premise RJ11 jack 102. A 
connection of the FIG. 6 type is frequently convenient in that it is 
unnecessary to locate any premise mounted RJ11 connection. The device can 
be connected completely at the telephone instrument by removing the 
existing RJ11 plug and inserting the same into the "IN" jack 96 in the CPE 
unit 86. An extra connector 104 may then be inserted between the "OUT" 
jack 98 of the CPE unit 86 and the telephone 106. This eliminates the 
necessity of searching behind furniture for the RJ11 jack into which the 
telephone is connected. 
The operation of the CPE unit 86 is as follows: According to a pre-arranged 
schedule the person at the subscriber's residence will push the Response 
Button 90 on the CPE device 86 during a predesignated PCS Response Period, 
such as between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., to indicate that all conditions are 
satisfactory. The Response Button 90 on CPE unit 86 is arranged so that 
when depressed the CPE device 86 actuates an auto-dialer adjunct 99 to 
initiate a call to the VMS. The VMS answers or goes off-hook. The CPE 
device 86 then provides a DTMF tone (DTMF or other signaling format) to 
the VMS; the VMS then provides a DTMF confirmation tone or other signaling 
format back to the CPE unit if the SMDI (Simplified Message Desk 
Interface) information (i.e., calling number of the customer's residence) 
has been received by the VMS; and the CPE device disconnects. 
Alternatively, the VMS may utilize Caller ID or Automatic Number 
Identification (ANI) to obtain the calling number information. If the VMS 
does not provide a confirmation tone within a specified time period such 
as, for example, 10 seconds, the CPE device disconnects and continues to 
redial the VMS until a confirmation tone is received. 
If the person at the residence does not press the Response Button within 
the PCS Response Period, the VMS calls the residence first to insure that 
the person did not forget to press their Response Button. If there is no 
answer or if the telephone is busy, the VMS will sequentially call the 
parties on the Notification List as described in connection with FIG. 1. 
As in the embodiment of FIG. 1 the subscriber has the option to specify an 
Activation Schedule which specifies which days of the week they desire to 
have the PCS active, such as Monday through Friday only. 
The Disable Button 94 in the CPE unit 86 disables the PCS while leaving the 
customer's Activation Schedule intact in the VMS. For example, the 
subscriber may desire to leave for the day or go on vacation for the 
weekend. The Enable Button 92 permits the customer to reinstate the PCS 
function upon return. For both buttons the CPE unit calls the VMS to 
either disable or reinstate the PCS. The customer may also call the VMS to 
disable or reinstate their PCS via the PCS user menu on the VMS. 
According to one feature of the invention the subscriber may be provided 
with a reminder to remind the subscriber when they have disabled their 
PCS. Thus after the PCS has been disabled for a specified period of time, 
the VMS may call the subscriber to remind them to enable their PCS. 
According to an alternate reminder method, when the subscriber accesses 
their PCS User Menu a voice prompt will remind them that the PCS has been 
disabled. 
The disabling may be effected either by sounding a predetermined tone, as 
described, or may be effected by which 7 digit number within a multi-line 
hunt group the disable signal arrives on. For one 7 digit number the 
signal may cause disablement and for another 7 digit number the signal may 
cause re-enablement. The incoming call includes the SMDI calling number or 
Caller ID or ANI calling number and when that calling number is delivered 
to the mailbox on a specific 7 digit line the function is carried out. The 
CPE device 86 auto-dialer adjunct unit may be used for this purpose. 
While the CPE unit 86 is wired to the telephone or telephone network 
termination node in the customer premise it is also within the purview of 
the invention to utilize a totally portable remote unit which may be 
carried by the person who is the identified subscriber. According to this 
embodiment of the invention there is provided a remote module 87 
illustrated in FIG. 10. The module contains a battery powered radio or 
infrared transmitter 89 which may be actuated by an Actuate Button 91. The 
portable module 87 may be provided in any convenient form such as a 
belt-mounted unit, wristwatch, pendant, necklace or the like. The 
transmitter cooperates with a receiver 93 within a CPE unit 86 shown in 
FIG. 9. On depression of the Actuate Button 91 the transmitter 89 emits a 
radiated signal which is detected by the receiver 93. The receiver 
thereupon generates a signal which is effective to close the response 
switch 90. With this arrangement it is unnecessary for the involved person 
to actually travel to the telephone or module 86 in order to provide the 
scheduled call or response. 
According to another feature of the invention there is provided a means for 
detecting an off-hook condition with no voice for a period of time 
exceeding a predetermined period, for example 10 minutes. In such a 
situation the invention provides for a call to the VMS. The VMS then 
attempts to call the subscriber's home to verify the existence of the 
off-hook/no voice condition. Upon verifying such a condition the VMS 
thereupon initiates the Notification Process as described in connection 
with the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
This feature of the invention may be carried out either by the use of a CPE 
device adjunct or by the use of equipment in the telephone network. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 8, the CPE device 86 may have mounted therein a 
line monitor adjunct programmed to detect an off-hook/no voice condition 
that extends beyond a predetermined time limit, such as 10 minutes. This 
may be done by detection of the haller tone for a preset period. The 
off-hook adjunct is indicated in FIG. 8 by the broken lines at 116. When 
the off-hook adjunct 116 detects the pre-established off-hook/no voice 
condition it generates a signal to actuate the CPE auto-dialer 99 to 
notify the VMS. This may be accomplished by the adjunct on detecting the 
condition, disconnecting from the subscriber's telephone, going on-hook, 
off-hook, and then effecting auto-dialing and DTMF signaling (or other 
signaling format), returning to off-hook, and reconnecting to the 
subscriber's telephone. The VMS thereupon attempts to call the 
subscriber's home to verify the off-hook/no voice condition. Upon 
confirmation of such condition the VMS calls the Notification List as 
described. 
FIG. 3 also shows an alternate mechanism for effecting this sequence. In 
this embodiment the end office switch 14 to which the PCS subscriber 10 is 
connected has on the line side of that connection a monitor 118 for 
detecting the continuing off-hook/no voice condition. The monitor may 
include an auto-dialer adjunct to serve the same function as described in 
connection with the CPE embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 3 
and 8 above. The auto-dialer notifies the VMS; the VMS confirms the 
condition; and upon detecting the condition the VMS calls the Notification 
List as described. 
Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown yet another embodiment for carrying out 
the off-hook/no voice alarm function. According to this embodiment of the 
invention the end office switch 14 is provided with a monitor/auto-dialer 
adjunct indicated at 120. The monitor adjunct 120 carries out the same 
function as the monitor 118 in FIG. 3 so that upon detection of the 
off-hook/no voice condition the VMS is notified; the VMS attempts to call 
the subscriber the verify the condition; and if the condition exists 
initiates the Notification Process. While the monitor adjunct 120 is 
illustrated here in the end office switch 14 it will be understood that 
the device and its functionality may be incorporated into any switch in 
the circuit between the PCS subscriber 10 and VMS hub location 20. The 
embodiment of FIG. 4, in contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 3, is not a 
line side embodiment. 
The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and related figures of the 
drawings have been described thus far in relation to Personal Check-Up 
Service Action which is triggered by an off-hook/no voice condition which 
persists beyond a predetermined time. According to another feature of the 
invention this same architecture is utilized to effectuate the personal 
check-up service in response to or triggered by a failure to answer beyond 
a predetermined period of ring time, for example, 10 minutes. In such a 
situation the invention provides for a call to the VMS. The VMS then 
attempts to call the subscriber's home to verify the existence of the 
ringing/no answer condition. Upon verifying that such a condition exists 
for a second predetermined period of time the VMS thereupon initiates the 
Notification Process as described in connection with the embodiments of 
the invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and associated FIGS. 1, 2 and 
8. As described in conjunction with those figures this feature of the 
invention may be carried out either through the use of a CPE device 
adjunct or through the use of equipment in the telephone network. Thus the 
monitors 116, 118 and 120 may be augmented by no answer detectors or 
monitors 116A, 118A and 120A. 
In the CPE version of this embodiment of the invention when the no answer 
adjunct 116A detects the pre-established no answer condition it generates 
a signal to actuate the CPE auto-dialer 99 to notify the VMS. This may be 
accomplished by the same process described in detail with respect to the 
operation of the off-hook adjunct 116. Similarly FIG. 3 shows the monitor 
118A connected to the line side of the switch 14 for detecting the 
described no answer condition. This monitor may include an auto-dialer 
adjunct to serve in the same fashion as described with respect to the 
monitor 118 detecting the off-hook/no voice condition. According to the 
embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the end office switch 14 is provided with a 
monitor/auto-dialer adjunct indicated at 120A. The monitor adjunct 120A 
carries out the same function as the monitor 120 described with respect to 
the on-hook/no voice condition. 
While the embodiment of FIG. 1, which is VMS initiated; and the embodiment 
of FIG. 2, which is subscriber initiated; and the embodiments of FIGS. 3 
and 4 which are initiated by a monitor detecting an off-hook/no voice or a 
no answer condition have been described separately it should be understood 
that the various features may be provided in combination. Thus the 
Personal Checkup Service may include VMS surveillance for a scheduled call 
from the subscriber premise and it may also include in combination with 
that feature a VMS initiated Checkup Call at another time of the day. 
These features may also be provided in combination with initiation of the 
Personal Check-Up Service by an off-hook/no voice condition or a no answer 
condition. 
In each embodiment of the invention described it is intended that there may 
also be provided an additional monitoring feature. As is illustrated in 
each of FIGS. 1-4 a monitoring center 44 is connected to the VMS along 
with the telephone stations of the notified parties on the Notification 
List. In each embodiment, if the Notification Process is activated and the 
VMS is unable to reach anyone on the Notification List, the VMS contacts 
the monitoring center 44 through the same type of out-dialing procedure 
described and delivers a predetermined message which includes the 
directory number of the involved customer's station. Upon receiving the 
notification an operator at the monitoring center utilizes the telephone 
network to call the customer to determine what 911 emergency assistance or 
other assistance is needed, if any. If the customer does not answer the 
call from the monitoring center, the center will summon 911 services. 
As another embodiment of the invention the activation of the Notification 
Process causes the VMS to immediately contact the monitoring center as an 
alternative to calling the Notification List first. 
It will be appreciated that the present invention provides an effective 
Personal Checkup Service which is superimposed on and utilizes the same 
equipment as is presently available in public telephone networks for 
providing VMS services such as Answer Call, Voice Mail and the like. This 
type of implementation permits initiation of the service with a very brief 
installation procedure which may be carried out at moderate cost. The 
service requires minimal additional usage of existing equipment since 
traffic and storage requirements are low. Current VMS technology is 
capable of providing most of the needed functions. The service permits 
furnishing to residential customers safety, security and peace of mind for 
their family, friends and home. The subscriber or customer has complete 
control over the identity of persons and directory numbers to be notified 
and enjoys maximum flexibility in changing various parameters, such as the 
content of the Notification Message, the identity of persons or numbers in 
the Notification List, the content of the Checkup Message, the Checkup 
Time, and the like. 
In this disclosure there are shown and described only the preferred 
embodiments of the invention, but as aforementioned, it is to be 
understood that the invention is capable of use in various other 
combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications 
within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.