Handheld device for elderly people

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10049077-B2
Application number	US-47846006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2006
Priority date	Jun 30, 2006
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

The embodiments of the invention relate to a mobile computing device, such as a cell phone or “handheld” with expanded features and capabilities for elderly persons, children, and others with either health-related issues or the need to monitoring by friends, family members, healthcare personnel, or others. Illustratively, the invention is a middleware application for a handheld/cellular device, that may be remotely configurable, and interacts with network service providers to provide a single-button solution for elderly people requiring assistance and for the notification of multiple parties regarding the nature of the required assistance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A handheld device comprising:
a central processing unit;
an operating system;
a plurality of input keys; and
a middleware application, wherein the middleware application is configured to support a plurality of services that are arranged to interact with network service providers, the plurality of services including an emergency locator service, a digital health monitoring service, a name card exchange service, a remote configuration service and a housekeeping and maintenance service,
wherein the middleware application is operable to initiate at least the emergency locator service in an active mode and a passive mode, wherein in the active mode, the emergency locator service is initiated in response to a single one of the plurality of keys being pressed by the user, and in the passive mode, the emergency locator service is initiated by a remote user by sending a text message to the handheld device,
wherein, upon initiation, the emergency locator service is configured to initiate communication with an emergency locator service provider, determine, based on information received from the emergency locator service provider, a location of the handheld device and locations of one or more emergency service centers nearest to the handheld device, and notify one or more recipients listed in a list of receipts stored in a memory of the device as to the location of the device and the determined one or more emergency service center, and
wherein the housekeeping and maintenance service is configured to receive a request for housekeeping maintenance services, and in response to receipt of the request, automatically transmit an address of the user, billing information of the user, and the request to a housekeeping maintenance service provider.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the emergency locator service is configured to determine a geographic location of the handheld device using a global positioning system.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the middleware application is configured to create a message that includes geographic location of the handheld device.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the middleware application is configured to send the message to the one or more recipients via a network service provider.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the middleware application is configured to receive a request from a remote user to provide a geographic location of the handheld device and to provide a geographic location of the handheld device to the remote user.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the middleware application is configured to create a message including the geographic location of the handheld device and send the message to a. remote user using SMS.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a health data acquisition device, the health data acquisition device comprising a wired health data acquisition device ora wireless health data acquisition device.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the health data acquisition device is a heart rate monitor or blood pressure monitor.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the middleware application is configured to transmit data received from the health data acquisition device to a network service provider in real time.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the middleware application is configured to identify a health state of a user of the handheld device.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the middleware application is configured to create and send a message notifying one or more predefined parties of the health state of the user of the handheld device.

12. The device of claim 7 , wherein the middleware application is configured to lock a screen display of the handheld device upon receipt of an instruction received via a network service provider.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the middleware application is configured to receive and install configuration data for the handheld device via a network service provider.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the middleware application is configured to transmit and receive name card data.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is configured to transmit and recieve data wirelessly.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein data is transmitted and received using the Bluetooth wireless data protocol.

17. A handheld device, comprising,
a central processing unit;
an operating system running on the central processing unit;
a keypad in electronic communication with the operating system; and
a middleware application running on the operating system, wherein the middleware application is configured to support a plurality of services that are arranged to interact with service providers, wherein the plurality of services are configured to communicate with each other, the services including an emergency locator service, a digital health monitoring service, a name card exchange service, a remote configuration service and a housekeeping and maintenance service,
wherein the middleware application is operable to initiate at least the emergency locator service in an active mode and a passive mode, wherein in the active mode, the emergency locator service is initiated in response to a single one of the plurality of keys being pressed by the user, and in the passive mode, the emergency locator service is initiated by a remote user by sending a text message to the handheld device,
wherein, upon initiation, the emergency locator service is configured to initiate communication with an emergency locator service provider, determine, based on information received from the emergency locator service provider, a location of the handheld device and locations of one or more emergency service centers nearest to the handheld device, and notify one or more recipients listed in a list of receipts stored in a memory of the device as to the location of the device and the determined one or more emergency service centers when a single key of the keypad is pressed, and
wherein the housekeeping and maintenance service is configured to receive a request for housekeeping maintenance services, and in response to receipt of the request, automatically transmit an address of the user, billing information of the user, and the request to a housekeeping maintenance service provider.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the middleware application is configured to permit communication of contact or address information between applications.

19. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a computing device having a user interface comprising a keypad and a screen display, the set of instructions comprising:
recognizing an input from the keypad;
determining a service associated with the input, the services including an emergency locator service, a digital health monitoring service, a name card exchange service, a remote configuration service and a housekeeping and maintenance service, wherein the housekeeping and maintenance service is configured to receive a request for housekeeping maintenance services, and in response to receipt of the request, automatically transmit an address of the user, billing information of the user, and the request to a housekeeping maintenance service provider; and
initiating at least the emergency locator service, wherein the emergency locator service is operable in an active mode and a passive mode, wherein in the active mode, the emergency locator service is initiated responsive to a single key being pressed on the keypad, and in the using a passive mode, the emergency locator service is initiated by

Assignees

• Li Ying
• Wen Yutian
• Huang Bo
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Ying
• Wen Yutian
• Huang Bo

Classifications

• G06F15/16 Primary

  Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs {(coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B)} · CPC title

• H04M1/72541

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72588

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72424

  with manual activation of emergency-service functions · CPC title

• H04M1/2474

  Telephone terminals specially adapted for disabled people (user interfaces for cordless or mobile telephones specially adapted for disabled users H04M1/72475; network based special services or facilities for hearing-impaired persons H04M3/42391; devices for conversing with the deaf-blind G09B21/04) · CPC title