Communicating emergency information via a beacon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10966077-B2
Application number	US-201816145531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods include communicating emergency information relative to a structure and an individual associated with the structure. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a beacon that transmits emergency information to a communications device associated with the individual. The emergency information includes emergency status information that updates the individual as to a status of an emergency that the structure is enduring and/or emergency action information that provides recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency. A controller updates the emergency information that is transmitted by the beacon based on changes in the status information due to changes in the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or changes in the emergency action information due to changes in the recommended actions that the individual is to execute based on changes in the status information of the emergency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for communicating emergency information relative to a structure to an individual associated with the structure, comprising:
a beacon configured to:
transmit emergency information via a first byte code included in a first packet of emergency information to a communications device associated with the individual, wherein the emergency information includes emergency status information that updates the individual as to a status of an emergency that the structure is enduring and/or emergency action information that provides recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency, and
transmit default emergency information via a second byte code included in the first packet of the emergency information associated with the transmitted emergency information to the communications device, wherein the default emergency information provides additional information related to the emergency that the structure is enduring to the individual; and

a controller configured to:
update the emergency information via a first byte code in a second packet of emergency information that is transmitted by the beacon based on changes in status information due to changes in the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or changes in the emergency action information due to changes in the recommended actions that the individual is to execute based on changes in the status information of the emergency, and
maintain the default emergency information via a second byte code included in the second packet of the emergency information to maintain the additional information provided to the communications device via the second byte code included in the second packet as to the second byte code included in the first packet thereby enabling the communications device to provide the default emergency information to the individual when the communication device is unable to access an emergency server to receive updated emergency information stored in the emergency server via the first byte of the second packet of the emergency information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
generate detailed emergency information and provide the detailed emergency information to the emergency server, wherein the detailed emergency information provides additional information associated with the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or additional information associated with the recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency that is in addition to the emergency information transmitted by the beacon.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the beacon is further configured to:
transmit a prompt included in the emergency information transmitted to the communications device that requests the individual to provide individual emergency status information to the emergency server via the communications device, wherein the individual emergency status information is status information associated with the individual as the individual endures the emergency that the structure is enduring.

4. A method for communicating emergency information relative to a structure to an individual associated with the structure, comprising:
transmitting, by a beacon, emergency information via a first byte code included in a first packet of emergency information to a communications device associated with the individual, wherein the emergency information includes emergency status information that updates the individual as to a status of an emergency that the structure is enduring and/or emergency action information that provides recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency;
transmitting default emergency information via a second byte code included in the first packet of the emergency information associated with the transmitted emergency information to the communications device, wherein the default emergency information provides additional information related to the emergency that the structure is enduring to the individual;
updating the emergency information via a first byte code in a second packet of emergency information that is transmitted by the beacon based on changes in the status information due to changes in the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or changes in the emergency action information due to changes in the recommended actions that the individual is to execute based on changes in the status information of the emergency; and
maintaining the default emergency information via a second byte code included in the second packet of the emergency information to maintain the additional information provided to the communications device via the second byte code included in the second packet as to the second byte code included in the first packet thereby enabling the communications device to provide the default emergency information to the individual when the communication device is unable to access an emergency server to receive updated emergency information stored in the emergency server via the first byte of the second packet of the emergency information.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
generating detailed emergency information and providing the detailed emergency information to the emergency server, wherein the detailed emergency information provides additional information associated with the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or additional information associated with the recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency that is in addition to the emergency information transmitted by the beacon.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
transmitting a prompt included in the emergency information transmitted to the communications device that requests the individual to provide individual emergency status information to the emergency server via the communications device, wherein the individual status information is status information associated with the individual as the individual endures the emergency that the structure is enduring.

7. A system for communicating emergency information relative to a structure, comprising:
a communications device associated with an individual associated with the structure, the communications device configured to:
receive emergency information via a first byte code included in a first packet of emergency information from a beacon associated with the structure, wherein the emergency information includes emergency status information that updates the individual as to a status of an emergency that the structure is enduring and/or emergency action information that provides recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency, and
receive default emergency information via a second byte code included in the first packet of the emergency information associated with the transmitted emergency information to the communications device, wherein the default emergency information provides additional information related to the emergency that the structure is enduring to the individual; and

a controller configured to:
query an emergency server to obtain detailed emergency information via a first byte code in a second packet of emergency information, wherein the detailed emergency information provides additional information associated with the status of the emergency that the structure is enduring and/or additional information associated with the recommended actions for the individual to execute to avoid harm caused by the emergency that is in addition to the emergency information received from the beacon, and
maintain the default emergency information via a second byte code included in the second

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Pfunder Dan
• Baumgarte Joseph W

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G08B21/0272

  System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS · CPC title

• H04W4/90 Primary

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G08B27/00

  Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations · CPC title