Abstract:
There is disclosed herein an Internet server apparatus, method and device for implementing emergency information instructions. The instructions comprise a program of a plurality of steps and can be in the form of a virtual implementation through use of a web page that includes representations of a virtual emergency information apparatus or, alternatively, in the form of a physical portable device. Indicators are provided in the form of lights or a numerical display to indicate the completion of sequential steps in the program so as to aid the user in knowing how many steps will be necessary and to indicate the completion of each step.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the Internet and related devices and, more particularly, to an Internet web server that provides web documents, or a physical device, that relate to the interactive provision of instructional information particularly in medical and other emergency situations. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    In any emergency operation, such as in the rescue of an unconscious victim, it is of paramount importance for the individuals involved to take the proper actions as soon as possible. Normally, if proper rescue operations are applied to a victim, the chance of survival or recovery of the victim are much improved. In order to carry out many rescue operations effectively, the rescuer must follow the steps set forth in any of the standard medical rescue manuals. The proper procedure is generally based upon the particular condition of the victim. 
         [0005]    Standard rescue procedures are well developed in the medical field and are beyond the scope of this disclosure, except so far as may be necessary to explain the nature and applications of the present concepts. Studies have shown that even amongst professional rescue operators such as paramedic, firemen and nurses, relatively few people can remember the proper rescue sequence or procedure precisely. This is further complicated because the “standard” procedures frequently change as they are refined and new methodologies are introduced. 
         [0006]    Even more importantly, a paramedic, fireman, nurse or other emergency medical technician is generally not available in the critical initial moments of an emergency. Rather, lay rescuers, i.e., ordinary individuals, generally discover emergencies, and these people are responsible for both initiating the proper procedures and determining whether additional assistance from professionals is necessary. 
         [0007]    In general, the standard procedures have become more complex, and more procedures have been created for a growing number of emergencies. As procedures become more and more complex, potential rescuers have more and more difficulty in obtaining familiarity with them and memorizing them. 
         [0008]    Moreover, the ability of a rescuer to recall and employ the proper emergency procedure is further hampered by the chaotic circumstances typically surrounding an emergency situation. 
         [0009]    The prior art has seen varied approaches to the handling of emergency instructions or to the use of audible instructions. The prior art systems have included use of instruction booklets having indices in which the particular emergency has to be located; then pages flipped to locate the emergency; and read step by step while trying to perform the emergency with one hand and constantly going back to reread the instructions. The prior art also has included sophisticated computer instructions that are activated by a particular code on a telephone to give a caller instructions as to how to fill out a bank deposit, how to call a particular bit of information regarding insurance policies or the like. 
         [0010]    Attempts have been made to provide devices to assist in providing emergency information to ensure that a rescuer performs the rescue operation properly. However, most of these have been devices dedicated to just one type of emergency—cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). One of such devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,158 to Selwyn et al. Selwyn&#39;s device is in the form of a timer with various coded pattern displays at predetermined time intervals to indicate various stages in the rescue operation. The main drawback of the device is that confusion may still arise for the rescuer to memorize which procedural step is related to which code. 
         [0011]    Another device, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,383 to Parker et al., provides voice instructions solely for the rescuer to carry out the CPR rescue operation. Other portable CPR-prompting devices have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,383 to Parker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,524 to Hutchins and U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,037 to Battaglia. 
         [0012]    An emergency audible instruction apparatus for a fire extinguisher is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,395 to Bower. Such a device provides audible instructions which instruct a user in handling a fire emergency. The device is activated automatically when the fire extinguisher is removed from its base. Bower suggests that a device embodiment storing multiple instructions may be included with a dial selector for selecting a particular emergency. However, unlike the CPR-prompting devices, the Bower device is not portable and suggests purely mechanical means for providing a portable solution. 
         [0013]    A generalized manual key operated message generator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,250 to O&#39;Brien. However, this device is not portable nor adapted for emergency use. To retrieve a message, the user presses a series of keys to assemble a complete message upon prerecorded parts. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,391 describes a medical alert system for domestic use comprising two major components, a device worn about the neck and a home computer. The device worn about the neck and the home computer reciprocally communicate with one another to provide the wearer of the device, as well as an attendant of the device, both instructions for care and a method to call for emergency help. The home computer contains an audio synthesizer and a voice amplification device to communicate verbally to the individual. The device may be used to summon an ambulance from a remote location if the injured person is unable to reach a telephone. 
         [0015]    As can be seen, most of the known devices are bulky in size, not portable to be located conveniently beside the victim at the rescue site, provide very limited information and are complex to operate. 
         [0016]    Other prior devices have been developed in the past and include the Emergency Information Apparatus and Methods of U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,812 and the Instructional CD Player for providing emergency information of U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,954, the disclosures of each of which are fully incorporated herein by this reference. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    A principal object of the present invention is to provide an Internet web server and method for an interactive virtual implementation and provision of instructional information in medical and other emergency situations. Another object is to provide a new form of a portable device which can be conveniently located beside a victim or near an emergency site to assist the rescuer to carry out the rescue operation. Either implementation provides step by step instructions sequentially in response to the condition of the victim. 
         [0018]    A particularly important aspect of the present invention, whether implemented via an Internet web server, or a physical device, is the provision of a plurality of step indicators to assist the user in determining progress with respect to completion of the instructional program. Preferably, a separate indicator such as a light, is provided for each step in the program, and as steps are completed, the corresponding indicator light is either extinguished or illuminated in a manner to provide the user with an indication that the step has been completed. During a crisis, such as a medical emergency, the persons involved can be nervous, the situation can be chaotic, there can be uncertainty as to the steps to be taken. Therefore, it is important to have something to indicate the status of the beginning and ending of the procedure as well as each step of the procedure. Such step indicators provide this important feature. Alternatively, a display of numbers (e.g.,  1  through  8 ) can be provided with the display stepping through the numbers as steps are completed. 
         [0019]    These objects and features are provided in the emergency information concepts of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings in which: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  is a partial elevation of an emergency information apparatus of the prior art. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a network data distribution system, 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  shows an Internet browser window, 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary web page that includes a virtual representation of an information apparatus, 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart that describes a method of providing instructional programs over the Internet in connection with a virtual information apparatus, and 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a hardware implementation device according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a partial elevation of an emergency information apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,812 and No. 5,668,954. The external portion of the apparatus is comprised primarily of a casing  100 . The casing  100  is preferably of a rigid material, such as hard plastic, PVC, or the like. In addition, the casing and the items disposed in and within the casing  100  are, together, water resistant, such that water will not seep into the internal portion of the apparatus and induce electrical shorts or corrosion. This is beneficial so that the apparatus may be used, for example, in the rain, or during fire emergencies when water is being used to dowse the fire. The bottom of the casing  100  (not shown) preferably includes shock absorbing pads, such as rubber pads embedded within the casing  100  and exposed at the outer edge of the casing  100  to reduce shock and vibration when the apparatus is set down. 
         [0028]    On the left side of the apparatus there is a hinged compartment  180 . The compartment  180  is in a closed and locked position, as shown. The compartment  180  may be opened through a release (not shown), which may be on the side or top of the apparatus as known in the art. The compartment  180  is adapted for receiving a program medium such as a compact disc (CD) (not shown). When open, the compartment  180  may receive a CD, and when closed, the compartment  180  holds the CD within the apparatus. 
         [0029]    While a CD is one form of the program medium, other media are generally suitable. These media preferably are of a standard form and storage format, such as Data Play CD, micro cassette, floppy disk, DAT, flash memory or ROMs on a PCMCIA card. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , there are provided five rows of three program selectors  110 . The program selectors  110  are used for selecting and thereby starting the playback of programs stored therein. The number of program selectors  110  is not critical, although several should be provided so that several emergencies may be addressed. To further control playback, there are also provided several playback selectors  160 , including a pause key  160 H, a reverse key  160 R, a forward key  160 F and a continued play key  160 P. The program selectors  110  and the playback selectors  160  are preferably push buttons. The program selectors  110  and playback selectors  160  preferably are backlit. 
         [0031]    A nearly limitless number of programs may be used with the apparatus. To accommodate this flexibility, the program selectors  110  are preferably labeled with numbers  1 - 15 , and these numbers correspond to stored programs. Programs may include instructions relating to AIDS/HIV, bloody nose, bumps and bruises, burns, choking, CPR, dental injuries, drowning, earthquakes, electric shock, external bleeding, eye injuries, fires, fractures and dislocations, frostbite and hypothermia, heart attack, heat emergencies, insect stings and bites, internal injuries, muscle cramps, poisoning, rescue breathing, seizures and shock, stroke, spinal injuries, sprains and strains, and emergency action principles. 
         [0032]    With each start program, there can be provided a removable overlay  115 . The overlay  115  is adapted to be placed over and around the program selectors  110 . The overlay  115  labels the program selectors  110  in accordance with the stored programs. Thus, by scanning the overlay  115 , the user can determine which program selector  110  to press to begin a playback of a desired program. The overlay  115  is preferably a think piece of plastic, with the labels being resistant to erasure from typical use of the apparatus. The apparatus further includes a speaker  120  for playing back the audio portion of the programs stored. 
         [0033]    Once a program selector  110  has been pressed and the selected program has begun to play, the number of the program as associated with the program selector  110  and the name of the program is displayed on a display  160 . In  FIG. 1 , it is shown that the program number  5  related to “bleeding” has begun playback. The programs may be in multilingual audio. Preferably there is a language selector  185  in the casing. 
       Virtual Implementation of Information Apparatus 
       [0034]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a network data distribution system in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is implemented. The data distribution system includes a local device  600 , a data access network  620 , and a web server  650 . The local device  600 , the data access network  620  and the monitoring server  630  comprise the network data distribution system. 
         [0035]    The local device  600  preferably comprises a client computer which is configured to access the web server  650  via the local access network  120 . The client computer may be, for example, a PC running a Microsoft Windows operating system. The local device  600  preferably includes an output device, such as display  601 , and an input device, such as keyboard  602  and/or pointing device  603  (e.g., mouse, track ball, light pen, or data glove). The local device  600  also includes a docking station  611  that allows a data access device, such as a PDA to interface with the local device  600  and exchange data. 
         [0036]    Furthermore, the local device  100  may be any device that provides some measure of individual user interactivity with a source of web pages. For example, the local device could be an Internet appliance, network computer (NC, or an appropriately Internet-enabled device such as a PDA, mobile phone, etc. 
         [0037]    The data access network  620  provides lower layer network support for the local device  100  to interact with the web server  650 . The data access network  620  preferably comprises a common or private bidirectional telecommunications network (e.g., a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable-based telecommunication network, a LAN, a WAN, a wireless network), coupled with or overlayed by a TCP/IP network (e.g., the Internet or an intranet). 
         [0038]    The web server  650  may be of the type known in the art and has the ability to serve web pages to the local device  600 , as requested in the manner known in the art. It should be appreciated that the web server  650  is generic for any source of web pages available to the local device  100 . Thus, for example, the web server  650  could be accessible from the Internet, or it could be a part of an intranet and represents any number of web servers. 
         [0039]    A browser application, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator is preferably installed on the local device  600 . When the local device  100  is connected to the web server  650  through the data access network  620 , the user of the local device browses the web server  650  from the local device  600  using the browser application. The browser application itself need not be stored on the local device  600 . 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a browser window  700  generated by a browser application, here Microsoft Internet Explorer. The browser window  700  is familiar to those skilled in the art, so the particulars are not described further herein. Further information regarding the use of most browser applications and their technical specifications is abundantly available. 
         [0041]    Several aspects of the browser window  700  are identified for further reference below. These aspects include a display pane  710 , an address bar  720  and a title bar  730 . The display pane  710  is a region of the browser window  700  wherein the browser application causes web pages received by the browser application to be displayed. The address bar  720  is another region of the browser window  700  and the browser application displays URLs in the address bay  720  corresponding to the web page currently displayed in the display pane  710 . The user can also enter a URL into the address bar  720 , and the browser application will attempt to load the web page or other object to which the entered URL points. The primary feature of the title bar  730  is that it displays the title of the browser application. 
         [0042]    The web server  650  preferably includes a memory that includes one or more web pages that are associated with a virtual representation of the emergency information apparatus described above. The web server  650  downloads the web pages to the local device  600  so that a representation of the emergency information apparatus is displayed on the display device  601  within the browser display pane  710 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of a web page that includes a representation of a virtual emergency information apparatus  800 . The virtual information apparatus  800  is preferably configured to simulate the operation of the physical apparatus described above with respect to  FIG. 1 . According, the web page includes several hypertext program keys  810 , wherein each program key  810  is associated with a program that is stored in the web server  650 . By clicking on any of the program keys  810 , a user of the local device  600  causes the web server to load and initiate a program associated with the particular key  810 . In a preferred embodiment, each program is associated with a set of instructions relating to an emergency medical scenario, although the programs could vary. 
         [0044]    The virtual information apparatus  800  also includes one or more operational keys  812  that allow a user using the local device  600  to perform functions relating to the program, such as start, stop, pause, etc. In addition, the apparatus  800  includes step indicator  814  that provide a representation of the status with respect to the number of completed steps in the program, and which are described in more detail later. 
         [0045]    With reference to  FIG. 4 , the virtual information apparatus also includes a representation of one or more acknowledgement keys  816  that allow a user of the local device  600  to acknowledge the completion of steps associated with a program. 
         [0046]      FIG. 5  shows a flow chart that describes process in web pages associated with the virtual emergency information apparatus are downloaded to the local device  600 . The process begins when a user accesses the web server  650  using the local device  600  (step  910 ). In step  920 , the web server  650  downloads one or more web pages to the local device  600 . The web pages preferably include one or more introductory pages that allow a user to select a particular instructional template for the virtual information apparatus  800  from a list of options (step  930 ). For example, the user could select an instructional template associated with the provision of emergency services or provision of some category of emergency services. The templates could also be associated with other subject matter. 
         [0047]    In any event, in step  940 , after the user selects the instructional template, the web server downloads a web page in which is displayed a representation of the information apparatus  800  configured in accordance with the selected instructional template. For example,  FIG. 8  shows the web page associated with the information apparatus  800  being configured to implement emergency medical instructions. The program keys  810  each include a label that indicates the particular instructional set that will be implemented when the respective key  810  is selected. 
         [0048]    In step  950 , the instruction program is initiated. The web server  650  preferably issues instructions that causes the local device  600  to play the particular program in the manner described above with respect to the physical emergency information apparatus. The user can pause, stop, play or interact with the program using the acknowledgement keys  812  and the operational keys  810 . 
         [0049]    Each program preferably comprises plural audio instruction messages that relate to steps in a procedure. In one embodiment, the procedure relates to instructional steps for dealing with an emergency medical situation. However, the procedure could also relate to instructional steps for any other type of situations for which instructional steps are appropriate. The program further comprises playback control information for directing playback of the audio step message in a predefined pattern and in accordance with operation of the operational keys  810  and acknowledgement keys  812 . 
         [0050]    In a preferred embodiment, the acknowledgement keys  812  are used interactively in response to the audio instructional steps. The user preferably selects an appropriate acknowledgement key  812  to acknowledge an audio instruction. Preferably, the program includes predetermined stop points where the program either pauses for a predetermined time or repeats an instruction until the user acknowledges completion of a step using one or more of the acknowledgement keys  812 . The apparatus is preferably configured to respond to voice acknowledgements. The apparatus could be equipped with voice activation software that recognizes and responds to the voice of a user. 
         [0051]    For example, in an emergency medical instruction program, the audio instruction may instruct the user to check a person&#39;s breathing. The program could repeat the instruction or pause playing of the next instruction until the user acknowledges that this step has been completed. Once an acknowledgment has been received, the program would then continue. 
         [0052]    The step indicators  814  preferably assist the user in determining progress with respect to completion of the instructional program. Preferably, a separate indicator, such as a light, is provided for each step in the program. Any given program (e.g., category of medical emergency, such as bleeding, burns, seizure, etc.). For example, a “bleeding” program may involve four steps, a “seizure” program eight steps, and the like. When one of the programs is selected, all of the lights can be illuminated, such as illuminated green, so that the operator can readily see that there are four, five, six or more steps as the case may be. As the steps are completed, the corresponding indicator light is either extinguished or illuminated, or illuminated in a different color, to provide the user an indication that the step has been completed. The indicator could also blink or flash during the pendency of a particular step. The step indicators  814  thus provide the user with a visual status and summary relating to the progress of the particular program that is being played. 
         [0053]    In a preferred embodiment, the docking station  611  can be used to transfer one or more programs and virtual representations of the information apparatus to a PDA, such as a Palm Pilot. The PDA may then be used to implement the instructional program. For example, the user could dock the PDA to the docking station  611  and then download a virtual information apparatus into the memory of the PDA. Thereafter, the functionally provided in the web page representation of the virtual information apparatus would be available directly on the PDA, preferably via a touch screen on the PDA. Preferably, audio files in the form of voice instructions are downloaded to the PDA as part of the instructional program and virtual information apparatus. The PDA is also configured to accept voice instructions from the user from a microphone positioned on the PDA. Alternatively, the programs can be stored or embedded in the computer (e.g., in the hard drive) or PDA memory and be accessible via an emergency icon. 
       Physical Device 
       [0054]    The virtual apparatus of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 4  also can be implemented in a physical device of the nature earlier described in connection with  FIG. 1 , but further includes the step indicators  814  in the physical device operating in the same manner as described above and for the same purposes. Thus, the concepts of the present invention can be implemented in the form of a virtual device through a network data distribution system and the Internet, or via other communications systems, and can as well be implemented in a physical device like that shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0055]    This device typically is battery powered and includes a speaker  820  ( FIG. 4 ) for providing audible instructions and includes an internal system as shown in  FIG. 6  with a microcontroller interconnected with the keypad  810  and the step indicators  812  to appropriately cause illumination or extinguishing of the lights (e.g., LED&#39;s). The programs preferably are stored in a flash memory, and the other components of the system shown in  FIG. 6  provide the audio information. 
         [0056]    As noted earlier, the steps can be indicated via a display of numbers which are stepped through as program steps are completed, for either or both of the virtual system or portable device. 
         [0057]    While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and all such modifications and equivalents are intended to be covered.