Patent ID: 8884751

Claim:
A portable monitoring device for use by an elderly/infirm individual that desires a significant degree of independence, the portable device comprising: a sensor system for receiving sensor data from a wireless sensor, the sensor data relating to an environment surrounding an elderly/infirm individual; a user interface for providing an elderly/infirm individual with the ability to interact with the device, the user interface comprising an input peripheral for providing an elderly/infirm individual with the ability to input data/information and a output peripheral for providing an elderly/infirm individual output data/information that can be sensed; a processing system for processing sensor data from the sensor system and/or input data/information from the input peripheral; and a communication interface for sending data/information relating to an elderly/infirm individual to a third party; wherein the processing system is adapted to cause the communication interface to direct to a third party (a) certain sensor data identified by the processing system and/or (b) certain data/information derived from sensor data and identified by the processing system; wherein the input peripheral of the user interface allows an elderly/infirm individual to create a signal for processing by the processing system to control at least one of the sensor system with respect to a wireless sensor and the communication interface with respect to data/information received or derived from a wireless sensor so as to prevent sensor data from a wireless sensor and/or data/information derived from the processing of sensor data from a wireless sensor from potentially being sent to a third party by way of the communication interface; wherein the sensor system, user interface, processing system, and communication interface are operatively coupled together into a unit that has a weight and dimensions that allow the unit to be carried on or associated with the person of a typical elderly/infirm individual without substantially impeding the individual's ability to move.