Patent Publication Number: US-2018046769-A1

Title: Emergency response kit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/375,403, filed with the United States Patent Office on Aug. 15, 2016, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an emergency response kit. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Due the large number of incidents such as accidents, terrorism, violent crimes, and other traumatic incidents around the world, many entities (e.g., government, law enforcement, etc.) rely on the public&#39;s assistance in protecting the general public. One specific field in which such entities may rely on public assistance is the medical field since a victim may lose critical time awaiting the arrival of first responders. 
     Accordingly, the inventor has devised emergency response kit. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of emergency response kits and methods of use thereof are provided herein. In some embodiments, an emergency response kit includes a container having an interior volume; a plurality of equipment kits disposed within the interior volume, wherein each equipment kit contains equipment tailored to a predetermined emergency scenario; and wherein each equipment kit includes an identifying mark that is different from identifying marks of other ones of the plurality of equipment kits; and an instruction device configured to output instructions regarding use of the equipment inside of the plurality of equipment kits. 
     In some embodiments, an emergency response kit includes a box having an interior volume; a plurality of containers disposed within the interior volume, wherein each container contains equipment tailored to a predetermined emergency scenario, and wherein each container has a color that is different from colors of other ones of the plurality of containers; and an audio device configured to output audio instructions regarding use of the equipment inside of the plurality of containers, wherein the audio device includes a plurality of pressable buttons, wherein the plurality of pressable buttons each have a color corresponding to a color of one of the plurality of containers, and wherein upon selection of a pressable button, the audio device plays audio instructions regarding use of the equipment inside one of the plurality of containers associated with the pressable button. 
     In some embodiments, a method of using an emergency response kit includes opening the emergency response kit; selecting one of a plurality of equipment kits disposed within the emergency response kit based on an emergency; pressing a button on an audio device of the emergency response kit corresponding to the selected equipment kit, wherein upon pressing of the button, the audio device plays audio instructions regarding use of equipment inside of the selected equipment kit; and using the equipment to treat a victim of the emergency. 
     Other and further embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above and discussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the appended drawings. However, the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  depicts an isometric view of an open emergency response kit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a schematic side view of an audio device of an emergency response kit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an isometric view of a closed emergency response kit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method of using an emergency response kit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. Elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Emergency response kits are provided herein. The inventive emergency response kit advantageously enables any competent individual to provide aid to a victim of an emergency situation by providing equipment tailored to a specific emergency situation and guidance on how to use the equipment. 
       FIG. 1  depicts an isometric view of an emergency response kit  100  in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  includes a container  102  having an interior volume  104 , a plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C disposed within the interior volume  104 , and an instruction device  108  coupled to the container  102  and configured to output instructions regarding use of the equipment inside of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C.  FIG. 1  shows the container  102  in an open configuration. 
     Each of plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C contains equipment (not shown) tailored to a predetermined emergency scenario. For example, a first equipment kit  106 A may be a compression dressing kit having a compression dressing and, for example, nitrile gloves; a second equipment kit  106 B may be a hemostatic dressing kit having a hemostatic dressing, a compression dressing, and nitrile gloves; and the third equipment kit  106 C may be a tourniquet kit having a tourniquet and nitrile gloves. However, these are just examples. Each of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C may contain any equipment suitable for treating a victim of a given emergency. In some embodiments, the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C are bags. In some embodiments, the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C are alternatively boxes. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may include additional items that may be useful in an emergency situation such as, for example, a lighting device (e.g., a flashlight, a flare, a glow rod, etc) that can be taken out of the container  102 , trauma shears, a writing tool (e.g., pen, marker, pencil, etc.), a notepad on which the user can write useful information for first responders, and a biohazard bag in which the user can discard any used equipment. 
     Each of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C also includes an identifying mark such as, for example, color. In such an embodiment, each equipment kit has a color that is different from colors of the other equipment kits. By way of example only, the first equipment kit  106 A may be green, the second equipment kit  106 B may be yellow, and the third equipment kit  106 C may be red. To ensure that the instruction device  108  outputs the correct instructions, the instruction device  108  may include a plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C having the same identifying mark as the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C to indicate an association between ones of the plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C and corresponding ones of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C. For example, if the first, second, and third equipment kits  106 A-C are green, yellow, and red, respectively, then first, second, and third user selectable input elements  110 A-C are also green, yellow, and red, respectively. As such, if a user needs to use the equipment in the second equipment kit  106 B, then the user can easily recognize that the second user selectable input element  110 B is associated with the second equipment kit  106 B. When the user actuates any one of the plurality of user selectable input elements, instructions for how to use the associated equipment kit will be output. Although color has been used as an example, any other symbol, number, letter, etc., or combinations thereof, may be used as an identifying mark on the equipment kits and their corresponding user selectable input elements. 
     In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  is an audio device configured to play pre-recorded audio instructions regarding use of one of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C when a corresponding one of the plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C is selected. In some embodiments, the plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C are pressable buttons. In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  is part of a video display device configured to play pre-recorded audio and video instructions regarding use of one of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C when a corresponding one of the plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C is selected. In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  is a touchscreen and the plurality of user-selectable input elements  110 A-C are visual buttons on the touch-screen. 
     In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  is configured to output instructions in a plurality of user-selectable languages. For example, the instruction device  108  may include one or more user-selectable buttons  112  which a user may select to choose a language in which the instructions are output. In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  may further include other user-selectable buttons to facilitate control of playback of the instructions. For example, the instruction device  108  may include a power toggle button  114 , rewind and fast forward buttons  116 ,  118 , volume up and volume down buttons  120 ,  122 , and the like. That is, the instruction device  108  may include all the input commands of a conventional playback device. 
     In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may include a plurality of written instructions  124 A-C also corresponding to ones of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C. The plurality of written instructions  124 A-C may be written on a bottom surface  125  of a top  127  of the container  102 . In such an embodiment, each of the plurality of written instructions  124 A-C will also include the identifying mark (e.g., color) associating ones of the plurality of written instructions  124 A-C with corresponding ones of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C. The language in which the plurality of written instructions  124 A-C are written will depend on which country in which the emergency response kit  100  is installed. In some embodiments, the written instructions  124 A-C may include pictures in addition to text to illustrate use of the equipment. In some embodiments, additional instructions or information may be written on surfaces  126 ,  128 , and/or  130  such as, for example, instructions regarding how to operate the instruction device  108 . In some embodiments, the bottom surface  125  may be a display screen, which automatically turns on upon opening of the container  102 . In such an embodiment, the display screen may display a plethora of information such as, but not limited to, the written instructions  124 A-C, pre-recorded videos demonstrating how to use the equipment in each of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C, and/or a live video feed from a remote facility. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a schematic side view of the instruction device  108  in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  may include a speaker  202 , a communication device  204  configured to enable a user to communicate with one or more predetermined parties in real time, a computer-readable medium  206  (e.g., electronic storage device) on which the instructions and contact information for the one or more predetermined parties are stored, a tracking device  208  configured to wirelessly send a location of the emergency response kit  100  to a third party (for example, GPS coordinates, street address, or the like), and a power supply  212  to supply power to elements of the emergency response kit requiring power. The communication device  204  may include, for example, a receiver and transmitter capable of facilitating wireless communication (e.g., via cellular towers) or wired communication. The tracking device  208  may include, for example, a geolocation sensor capable of communicating with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) to pinpoint the geographical location of the emergency response kit  100  and transmit the location to a predetermined location or facility. In such an embodiment, the contact information may include user-selectable (e.g., buttons, touch-screen options, etc.) to allow the user to choose who to contact. In some embodiments, the power supply  212  may be one or more batteries or a plug that can be coupled to an external power source (e.g., solar panel  305  discussed below) In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  may also include an input/output port  210  to allow the manufacturer to program the instruction device  108  or charge the batteries if the power supply  212  is one or more batteries. In some embodiments, the instruction device  108  may include electrical connections (not shown) coupling the instructions device  108  to a monitor, as discussed above, to power the monitor and display pre-recorded video stored on the computer-readable medium  206 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts an isometric view of the emergency response kit  100  in a closed configuration in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit may include further information and/or instructions written on an upper surface  302  of the top  127 . In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may be coupled to a solar panel  305  to power the emergency response kit  100  and/or to recharge batteries in the instruction device. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may also include a mounting element  304  configured to allow the emergency response kit  100  to be mounted to a desired structure. For example, the mounting element  304  may be a strap with a buckle to allow the emergency response kit  100  to be mounted to a tree or pole. However, the mounting element  304  may be any suitable apparatus configured to facilitate the mounting of the emergency response kit  100  to any desired structure. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may further include an identifying element  306  such as for example, a light, which can be used to locate the kit in low light situations (e.g., power outage). 
     Although the above description has been made with specific examples, the inventive emergency response kit may include additional elements/devices configured to enable a user to administer aid to a victim of an emergency. For example, the emergency response kit  100  may further include attachable indicators (e.g., flags) to allow first responders to prioritize which victims need assistance first. In some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may turn on automatically upon opening of the top  127  as opposed to requiring the user to actuate the power toggle button  114 . Similarly, in some embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may include sensors (e.g., light sensors, weight sensors, etc.) to detect when one of the equipment kits  106 A-C has been removed from the container  102  and instruct the instruction device  108  to play the instructions corresponding to the equipment kit that has been removed. In such embodiments, the emergency response kit  100  may power down if a predetermined period of inactivity has been detected. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method  400  of using an emergency response kit (e.g., emergency response kit  100 ) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. At  402 , a user opens the emergency response kit  100 . The emergency response kit  100  may be a box or any other similar container. At  404 , the user selects one of the plurality of equipment kits  106 A-C based on the emergency at hand. At  406 , the user presses a button (e.g.,  110 A-C) on the instruction device  108  (e.g., audio device) corresponding to the selected equipment kit. Upon pressing the button, the instruction device  108  plays pre-recorded audio instructions regarding the use of the equipment inside of the selected equipment kit. At  408 , the user uses the equipment per the audio instructions to treat a victim of the emergency. 
     While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.