Care event detection and alerts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12100282-B2
Application number	US-202217752731-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2022
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

An occurrence of one or more “care events” is detected by an electronic device monitoring environmental data and/or user data from one or more sensors. The electronic device transmits one or more alerts regarding the detected occurrence to at least one other electronic device. In some cases, the electronic device may cooperate with at least one other electronic device in monitoring, detecting, and/or transmitting. For example, the electronic device may detect the occurrence based on sensor data received from a cooperative electronic device or such data in combination with the electronic device's sensor data. By way of another example, the electronic device may detect the occurrence and signal a cooperative electronic device to transmit one or more alerts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a display, wherein the display is a touch-screen display;
a sensor that gathers sensor data;
processing circuitry configured to:
monitor the sensor data to detect that a user has fallen;
present a prompt on the display in response to detecting that the user has fallen; and
present an additional prompt on the display; and
communication circuitry that transmits an alert if a response to the prompt is not received, wherein the response the prompt is a touch input on the touch-screen display, and transmits the alert in response to an affirmative response to the additional prompt.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to monitor the sensor data to detect a motion response by the user.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 , wherein the communication circuitry transmits the alert if the motion response is not detected within a time period and the response to the prompt is not received.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to present an additional audio prompt in response to detecting that the user has fallen.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to present an additional haptic prompt in response to detecting that the user has fallen.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the alert comprises a call to emergency personnel.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 , wherein the communication circuitry is configured to transmit information of the user to the emergency personnel as part of the alert.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the alert includes location data.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising a heart rate sensor.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry monitors heart rate data collected by the heart rate sensor to detect an irregular heart rate of the user and presents an additional prompt in response to detecting the irregular heart rate.

11. An electronic device configured to be worn by a user, comprising:
a display, wherein the display is a touch-screen display;
a sensor that collects sensor data;
processing circuitry that monitors the sensor data to detect a fall by the user and to detect motion by the user after the fall; and
wireless communication circuitry that transmits an alert if the user is immobile for a time period after the fall, wherein:
the processing circuitry is configured to display a prompt on the display in response to detecting the fall and wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to not transmit the alert if a response to the prompt is received during the time period;
the response to prompt is a touch input on the touch-screen display;
the alert comprises a location of the user and information regarding the fall; and
the processing circuitry is configured to display an additional prompt in response to detecting the fall and wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to transmit the alert if a response to the additional prompt is received.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the alert is transmitted to emergency personnel automatically without user input.

13. An electronic device configured to be worn by a user, comprising:
a touch-screen display;
a sensor that gathers sensor data;
processing circuitry configured to:
monitor the sensor data to detect that a user has fallen, and
present a prompt on the touch-screen display in response to detecting that the user has fallen; and
communication circuitry that transmits an alert if a touch input response to the prompt is not received and the user is immobile for a time period, wherein:

the processing circuitry is configured to present an additional prompt on the touch-screen display in response to detecting that the user has fallen, and wherein the communication circuitry transmits the alert automatically if a response to the additional prompt is received.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hankey Martha E
• Foster James

Classifications

• G08B25/016

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

• G08B21/0446

  worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait · CPC title

• G08B25/005

  Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station · CPC title

• G08B21/0211

  Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature · CPC title

• A61B5/0205

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition · CPC title