Effective handling of distress signals in an internet of things environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10013869-B2
Application number	US-201615060298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods may detect a condition with respect to a first device and generate a distress signal if the condition satisfies one or more safety criteria that are relevant to a second device. Additionally, the distress signal may be broadcasted, wherein the distress signal bypasses one or more application controls of the first device and has a transmission range that is restricted to a local area. In one example, one or more local preventive actions may be triggered, via the application control(s), based on the distress signal.

First claim

We claim:

1. A first device comprising:
a peer-to-peer communication manager;
one or more application controls; and
logic, implemented at least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to:
detect a condition with respect to the first device,
generate a first distress signal if the condition satisfies one or more safety criteria that are relevant to a second device,
broadcast, via the peer-to-peer communication manager, the first distress signal, wherein the first distress signal bypasses the one or more application controls of the first device and has a transmission range that is restricted to a local area, and
trigger, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions by the first device based on one or more of the first distress signal or the condition.

2. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the logic is to:
receive a second distress signal associated with a third device, and
trigger one or more local preventive actions based on the second distress signal.

3. The first device of claim 1 , further including one or more sensors, wherein the logic is to poll at least one of the one or more sensors to detect the condition.

4. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first distress signal is to be encoded with an interoperability message that indicates one or more of an alarm type, a severity level, a size of an affected area, an event label, a source identifier, a location or a time.

5. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the logic is to discontinue the broadcast of the first distress signal after a predetermined number of transmissions.

6. An apparatus comprising:
logic, implemented at least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to:
detect a condition with respect to a first device,
generate a first distress signal if the condition satisfies one or more safety criteria that are relevant to a second device,
broadcast the first distress signal, wherein the first distress signal bypasses one or more application controls of the first device and has a transmission range that is restricted to a local area, and
trigger, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions by the first device based on one or more of the first distress signal or the condition.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the logic is to:
receive a second distress signal associated with a third device, and
trigger one or more local preventive actions based on the second distress signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the logic is to poll one or more sensors of the first device to detect the condition.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first distress signal is to be encoded with an interoperability message that indicates one or more of an alarm type, a severity level, a size of an affected area, an event label, a source identifier, a location or a time.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the logic is to discontinue the broadcast of the first distress signal after a predetermined number of transmissions.

11. A method comprising:
detecting a condition with respect to a first device;
generating a first distress signal if the condition satisfies one or more safety criteria that are relevant to a second device;
broadcasting the first distress signal, wherein the first distress signal bypasses one or more application controls of the first device and has a transmission range that is restricted to a local area, and
triggering, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions by the first device based on one or more of the first distress signal or the condition.

12. The method of claim 11 , further including:
receiving a second distress signal associated with a third device; and
triggering, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions based on the second distress signal.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein detecting the condition includes polling one or more sensors of the first device.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first distress signal is encoded with an interoperability message that indicates one or more of an alarm type, a severity level, a size of an affected area, an event label, a source identifier, a location or a time.

15. The method of claim 11 , further including discontinuing the broadcasting of the first distress signal after a predetermined number of transmissions.

16. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a first device, cause the first device to:
detect a condition with respect to the first device;
generate a first distress signal if the condition satisfies one or more safety criteria that are relevant to a second device;
broadcast the first distress signal, wherein the first distress signal bypasses one or more application controls of the first device and has a transmission range that is restricted to a local area; and
trigger, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions by the first device based on one or more of the first distress signal or the condition.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first device to:
receive a second distress signal associated with a third device; and
trigger, via the one or more application controls, one or more local preventive actions based on the second distress signal.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first device to poll one or more sensors of the first device to detect the condition.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the first distress signal is to be encoded with an interoperability message that indicates one or more of an alarm type, a severity level, a size of an affected area, an event label, a source identifier, a location or a time.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first device to discontinue the broadcast of the first distress signal after a predetermined number of transmissions.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Priev Avi
• Pogorelik Oleg

Classifications

• G06Q10/20 Primary

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• G08B25/016 Primary

  Personal emergency signalling and security systems (emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12) · CPC title

• G08B21/20

  responsive to moisture · CPC title

• G08B25/009

  Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range · CPC title

• G08B25/007

  Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols · CPC title