Abstract:
A method is provided for monitoring the present location of a traveler at time t 1 , predicting a location at which the traveler is expected to arrive by time t 2 , and verifying the safety of the traveler. The safety verification is conducted if the traveler has not reached the expected location at time t 2 , if signal from the traveler is lost or if a message from the traveler is not received within a predetermined time period. In some embodiments of the present invention, verifying the safety of the traveler involves contacting the traveler at one or more telecommunications devices which the traveler is known to carry, contacting another person that is known to be accompanying the traveler, and if all else fails—alerting the local emergency response team.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    The present invention relates to telecommunications in general, and, more particularly, to a technique for reliably monitoring the safety of a person or object. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    When individuals travel, they often find themselves in risky or dangerous situations. Every year hikers are attacked by bears, become lost, or are injured. When dangerous circumstances arise, there is a need to guarantee that emergency response actions are promptly initiated and help is delivered in a timely manner. For this reason, hikers have adopted a variety of practices and technologies that allow emergency crews to respond promptly when the hikers become endangered. 
         [0003]    A common method used by hikers is to manually register in written logbooks at trailheads before entering wilderness areas. In a dangerous situation, such as a sudden storm, emergency response personnel can refer to the logbooks and determine who is in the zone of danger. This approach, however, has limited efficacy because the logbooks only inform of the presence of hikers inside a particular wilderness area. Moreover, such presence information is unreliable because it is impossible to guarantee that the all hikers who entered the wilderness area have diligently registered their names. 
         [0004]    Another approach adopted by hikers is to carry electronic communication devices that allow the hikers to send emergency alerts to a centralized safety system. This approach, however, does not provide a guarantee that emergency response personnel will be alerted at all times when this is necessary. In particular, the approach fails when the electronic communication devices fall out of range, lose power, or are lost. If the electronic communication device of a hiker is lost, the centralized safety system will not detect that the hiker is left without means to send an emergency alert. Similarly, if the hiker is rendered unconscious or disabled before having the opportunity to send an emergency alert, the centralized safety system will not be appraised that the hiker is facing danger. 
         [0005]    Therefore a need exists for a reliable system by which travelers can obtain a guarantee that timely and appropriate emergency response actions will be initiated if their safety is threatened. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]    The present invention answers this need by providing a method for the monitoring of the safety of travelers. 
         [0007]    The present invention comprises monitoring the present location of a traveler at time t 1 , predicting a location at which the traveler is expected to arrive by time t 2 , and verifying the safety of the traveler. The safety verification is conducted if the traveler has not reached the expected location at time t 2 , if signal from the traveler is lost or if a message from the traveler is not received within a predetermined time period. In some embodiments of the present invention, verifying the safety of the traveler involves contacting the traveler at one or more telecommunications devices which the traveler is known to carry, contacting another person that is known to be accompanying the traveler, and if all else fails—alerting the local emergency response team. 
         [0008]    The present invention is effective even in situations where the traveler loses, breaks or otherwise renders unusable his telecommunications device. In accordance with the present invention, if communication with the traveler is lost, a travelling companion of the traveler will be contacted to ensure the traveler&#39;s safety. Furthermore, if the traveler is rendered unconscious and unable to use his or her telecommunications device, the present invention will detect that the traveler failed to arrive at the predicted location by time t 2  and raise an alarm. And still furthermore, the present invention ensures that a traveling log for the traveler is diligently maintained by requiring the traveler to contact and record messages at a centralized server. In the event of an emergency, the recorded messages have the potential to provide information that is useful in locating and aiding the traveler. 
         [0009]    Although some embodiments of the present invention are described in the context of hiking, it is to be understood that the uses and applications of the methods and principles described in this disclosure extend well beyond monitoring the safety of hikers to virtually all fields in which the automated monitoring of the safety of travelers is desirable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the operation of the illustrative embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  210 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  220 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  450 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  450  as performed by another illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The illustrative embodiment comprises user  101 , terminal  110 , telecommunications network  120 , and server  130 . 
         [0017]    User  101  is a traveler using telecommunications terminal  110 . 
         [0018]    Terminal  110  is a cellular telephone operating over telecommunications network  120 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, terminal  110  is a cellular telephone, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which terminal  110  is any other telecommunications device (e.g. portable digital assistant, 2-way radio, personal computer, GPS transceiver, tracking device, etc.). 
         [0019]    Server  130  is hardware and software for monitoring the safety of user  101 . Server  130  comprises processor, memory, network adapter, and radio transceiver. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, server  130  is capable of receiving and processing geo-locational signals and maintaining a profile for user  101 . 
         [0020]    Telecommunications network  120  transports signals between terminal  110  and server  130 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, telecommunications network  120  is a cellular telephone network, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which telecommunications network  120  is another telecommunications network, such as, for example, and without limitation, the Internet, SONET, 802.11 wireless network, etc. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, server  130  connects with terminal  110  through a switched network, but those skilled in the art will appreciate, after reading this disclosure, that alternative embodiments of the present invention can be devised in which server  130  and terminal  110  communicate with each other directly without the use of switching services. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated with the operation of the illustrative embodiment. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to perform the tasks associated with  FIG. 2  in a different order than represented or to perform one or more of the tasks concurrently. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that omit one or more of the tasks. 
         [0022]    At task  210 , user  101  registers with server  130  and submits information that is used for the creation of a user profile. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the personal information of user  101  comprises an identification of terminal  110 . This information allows server  130  to associate user  101  with terminal  110  and use the location of terminal  110  as a proxy for the location of user  101 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the user profile also comprises an identification of a traveling companion of the user and one or more telecommunications devices associated with the traveling companion. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that in situations in which user  101  is traveling alone, traveling companion information will not be present in the user profile. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate, after reading this disclosure, that that the user profile can contain any type of information concerning user  101 , such as, for example, and without limitation:
       i. travel route; or   ii. a map of a geographic location through which the user is going to travel; or   iii. travel iterniary; or   iv. identities of traveling companions; or   v. emergency contact information; or   vi. identification of one or more telecommunications terminals associated with the user&#39;s travelling companions; or   vii. amount of supplies which the user carries; or   viii. photographs of the user; or   ix. photographs of the traveling parties; or   x. information about the supplies with which the user plans to travel; or   xi. information about equipment in which the user will be in possession during his or her trip (e.g. type clothes, type of boots, type of tent, type of sleeping bag, type of vehicle, type of firearms, etc.); or   xii. any combination of i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x, and xi.       
 
         [0035]    In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, user  101  submits his or her personal information through the Internet via a web service provided by server  130 , but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the personal information of user  101  is submitted to server  130  via alternative means, such as, for example, and without limitation, by calling a live operator, sending a text message from a cellular phone, by using an interactive voice response (IVR) system, mail, email, etc. Task  210  is further described in the discussion with respect to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0036]    At task  220 , server  130  monitors the safety of user  101 . Task  220  is further described in the discussion with respect to  FIG. 4 . 
         [0037]    At task  230 , user  101  is unregistered from server  130  and the server stops monitoring the safety of the user. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, all information concerning user  101  is removed from server  130 , but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  continues to maintain the user profile after task  230  is executed. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  210 . It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to perform the tasks associated with  FIG. 3  in a different order than represented or to perform one or more of the tasks concurrently. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that omit one or more of the tasks. 
         [0039]    At task  310 , user  101  identifies terminal  110  to server  130 . The identification is used by server  130  to track the location of terminal  110 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, user  101  submits the terminal&#39;s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which user  101  submits any information that can be used by server  130  to identify terminal  110 , such as, for example, and without limitation, serial number, MAC address, telephone number associated with the terminal, etc. Furthermore, in accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the identification of terminal  110  is entered manually by user  101  (i.e. by typing the IMEI number into a web form), but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the submission if the terminal&#39;s identity is accomplished automatically (e.g. by calling server  130  from telecommunications terminal  110  and automatically recording an identification of the call source at server  130 , contacting the service provider for terminal  110  and requesting the identification information from the service provider, etc.) 
         [0040]    At task  320 , user  101  submits to server  130  an electronic indication of a route along which the user intends to travel. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, user  101  submits a computer file identifying a plurality of waypoints, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which any type of electronic indication of a traveling route or a map is submitted, such as, for example, and without limitation, a Global Positioning System Exchange (GPX) file, geography markup language (GML) file, Open Street Map file, Garmin Mapcourse file, Google Earth Keyhole markup language file, and others. 
         [0041]    At task  330 , user  101  submits alternative contact information to server  130 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the alternative contact information comprises the identity of a traveling companion of the user and an identification of a telecommunications terminal associated with the traveling companion (e.g. cell phone carried by the traveling companion). However, those skilled in the art will recognize, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the alternative contact information comprises the contact information of an emergency contact who is not accompanying the user. 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  220 . It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to perform the tasks associated with  FIG. 4  in a different order than represented or to perform one or more of the tasks concurrently. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that omit one or more of the tasks. 
         [0043]    At task  410 , server  130  determines whether an expected message from user  101  has been received within a predetermined time period. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined time period is one hour, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the time period can be of any length (e.g. 30 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours, 1 day, etc.). In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the expected message is a voice message, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the expected message is any type of message, such as, for example, and without limitation, picture message, Short Message Service (SMS) message, email, instant messenger message, an indication of location, an indication that the user is in proximity to a scanning device, a beacon signal, etc. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the expected message is supposed to be transmitted by terminal  110 , but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the expected message is transmitted by another device, such as, for example, and without limitation, a stationary Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanner situated along the travel path of user  101 , another telecommunications terminal associated with the user, telecommunications terminal associated with the user&#39;s traveling companion, and so forth. And still furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the expected message indicates information that is pertinent to the safety of the user, such as, for example, and without limitation, the coordinates of the geographic location of the user, bodily temperature of the user, heart rate of the user, and so forth. Upon determining that the expected message from user  101  has been received, server  130  executes task  420 . Otherwise, server  130  proceeds to execute task  460 . 
         [0044]    At task  420 , server  130  records, in a well-known fashion, the message received at task  410 . 
         [0045]    At task  430 , server  130  receives a signal indicating the location of terminal  110 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, server  130  receives geo-locational information from terminal  110 , but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the geo-locational information is received from another device associated with user  101 , such as, for example, and without limitation, a Global Positioning System (GPS) transceiver, another type of tracking device, personal computer, etc. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  determines the location of terminal  110  through cellular tower triangulation or another similar technique. 
         [0046]    At task  440 , server  130  predicts the next location at which terminal user  101  is expected to be in a predetermined period of time. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the predetermined period of time is five minutes, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the predetermined period is of any length (e.g. 1 minute, 2 minute, 10 minute, 1 hour, 3 hours, etc.). In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the predicted location is determined based on the traveling route information submitted at task  320 . However, those skilled in the art will recognize, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  predicts the next location at which user  130  is expected to arrive on the basis of the location of one or more waypoints already reached by user  101  (e.g. present location of user, previous locations, etc.). 
         [0047]    At task  450 , server  130  determines whether user  101  reached the predicted location within the predetermined time period. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the determination is based on geo-locational information received from telecommunications terminal  110 . However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in the determination of whether user  101  has reached the predicted location based on alternative means, such as, for example, and without limitation, geo-locational information received from a secondary tracking device associated with user  101  (e.g. Global Positioning System (GPS) transceiver, etc.), cellular tower triangulation, etc. If user  101  has reached the predicted location, server  130  executes task  430  again (i.e. the server predicts the next location at which the user is going to be in a predetermined period of time). If the user has not reached the predicted location, server  130  executes task  460 . 
         [0048]    At task  460 , server  130  verifies the status of the user to ascertain that user  101  is safe. Task  460  is described in further detail in the discussion with respect to  FIG. 5 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 5  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  460 . It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to perform the tasks associated with  FIG. 5  in a different order than represented or to perform one or more of the tasks concurrently. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that omit one or more of the tasks. 
         [0050]    At task  510 , server  130  sends a message to user  101 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the message sent is a request to initiate a telecommunications session with terminal  110 . However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  sends any type of telecommunications message (e.g. email, Short Message Service (SMS), etc.). Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  prompts user  101  to submit a response to a query based on which server  130  determines whether user  101  is safe. For example, server  130  may transmit a Short Message Service (SMS) message: “Are you OK?,” leave a voice mail message asking if user  101  is safe, etc. 
         [0051]    At task  520 , server  130  determines whether user  101  responds to the message sent at task  510 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, server  130  determines if user  101  answers the telecommunications session request transmitted at task  510 . However, those skilled in the art will recognize, after reading this disclosure, that alternative embodiments of the present invention can be devised in which user  101  responds via an alternative mode of communication, such as, for example, and without limitation, by sending an email or Short Message Service (SMS) response. Upon determining that user  101  has responded to the telecommunications session request sent at task  510 , server  130  executes task  570 . Otherwise, server  130  proceeds to execute task  530 . 
         [0052]    At task  570 , server  130  ascertains that user  101  is safe. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, server  130  connects user  101  to a live operator who communicates with user  101  to assure the user&#39;s safety. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  automatically transmits messages to user  101  and automatically processes the responses of user  101  by using information processing techniques, such as, for example, and without limitation, voice recognition, semantic text recognition, image recognition, etc. 
         [0053]    At task  530 , server  130  sends a message to the alternative contact for user  101 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the message sent is a request to initiate a telecommunications session with the cellular telephone of the traveling companion of user  101 . However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  sends any other type of telecommunications message (e.g. email, Short Message Service (SMS), etc.). Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  prompts user  101 &#39;s traveling companion to submit a response to a query based on which server  130  determines whether user  101  is safe. For example, and without limitation, server  130  may transmit a Short Message Service (SMS) message: “Is user  101  OK?,” leave a voice mail message asking the traveling companion if user  101  is safe, etc. 
         [0054]    At task  540 , server  130  determines whether user  101 &#39;s traveling companion responds to the message sent at task  530 . In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, server  130  determines if the traveling companion answers the call initiated at task  530 . However, those skilled in the art will recognize, after reading this disclosure, that alternative embodiments of the present invention can be devised in which user  101 &#39;s travelling companion responds via an alternative mode of telecommunication, such as, for example, and without limitation, by sending an email or Short Message Service (SMS) message. Upon determining that the traveling companion of user  101  has responded to the message sent at task  530 , server  130  executes task  570 . Otherwise, server  130  proceeds to execute task  550 . 
         [0055]    At task  550 , server  130  in well known fashion contacts the local emergency response team and alerts it that user  101  may be in danger. 
         [0056]    At task  560 , server  130  forwards one or more recorded messages of user  101  to the local emergency response team. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which server  130  provides the emergency response team with any information that is present in the profile for user  101 . Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which in which server  130  provides the emergency response team with any information that has been attained during the monitoring of the safety of user  101 , such as, for example, and without limitation, a schedule of different locations (waypoints) visited by the user, a schedule of times at which the user was at the waypoints, speed of movement of the user, record of the user&#39;s bodily temperature, record of the user&#39;s heart rate, and so forth. 
         [0057]      FIG. 6  depicts a flowchart of the salient subtasks associated with the execution of task  460  as performed by another illustrative embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to perform the tasks associated with  FIG. 6  in a different order than represented or to perform one or more of the tasks concurrently. Furthermore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention that omit one or more of the tasks. 
         [0058]    At task  610 , server  130  obtains and processes information about the activity of terminal  110  in order to rule out the possibility that user  101  is in danger. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the activity information for terminal  110  comprises any information that concerns the state or actions taken by terminal  110 , such as, for example, and without limitation, information about telecommunications sessions initiated by the terminal (e.g. time, duration, far-end party identity, etc.), whether the terminal is currently involved in the conduct of a telecommunications session, any information exchanged between terminal  110  and its telecommunications service provider, information about the connections of terminal  110  to base stations (e.g. location, times, duration of connections, etc.), and so forth. Server  130  processes and analyzes the activity information in order to verify the existence of activity patterns that indicate that user  101  is in danger. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, patterns of activity of terminal  110  that indicate that user  101  is in danger comprise the dialing of  911 , an attempt by user  101  to connect to his or her emergency contact, the calling of many telephone numbers within a very short period of time, and others. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to any particular set of activity patterns that indicate that user  101  is in danger. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to correlate patterns in the activity of terminal  110  with the safety status of user  101 . 
         [0059]    At task  620 , server  130  contacts a stationary telecommunications device that is capable of confirming that user  101  was present at the device&#39;s location at a particular time instant. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the stationary telecommunications device comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader that is capable of scanning a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag carried by the user, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which alternative scanning technologies are used, such as for example, and without limitation, bar code readers, magnetic readers, etc. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, server  130  uses the information from the stationary telecommunications device to determine whether user  101  is still moving. For example, and without limitation, if one or more stationary telecommunications devices confirm that the user was present at their location, this information indicates that the user is still moving and he is not severely injured. 
         [0060]    It is to be understood that the disclosure teaches just examples of the illustrative embodiments and that many variations of the invention can easily be devised by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and that the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the following claims.