Method and apparatus for providing emergency information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9301119-B2
Application number	US-201414161769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2014
Priority date	Jan 23, 2014
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a device to provide emergency information is provided herein. During operation, an emergency responder will send out a wireless request for ICE information. Any device in the area will wirelessly respond to the request by providing ICE information, as long as a predetermined criterion is met. Because ICE information can be requested, and obtained wirelessly, a first responder does not need physical access to the device storing the ICE information. Thus, ICE information can be obtained from a device even when the device is not immediately accessible to the first responder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a cellular telephone, the method comprising the steps of:
determining if context-aware circuitry has detected an accident/impact;
receiving a request from an emergency responder for in-case of emergency (ICE) information using a Bluetooth communication protocol;
not sending the ICE information over the Bluetooth communication protocol when the request has been received from the emergency responder based on a fact that the context-aware circuitry has not detected the accident/impact.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the request comprises the step of receiving the request wirelessly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining if the accident/impact has been detected comprises the step of the context-aware circuitry determining at least one of the following:
detecting a force in excess of a threshold;
detecting excessive smoke;
detecting excessive heat;
detecting water;
detecting that a vehicle collision/accident has occurred;
detecting sudden and/or excessive rotation;
detecting lack of motion;
detecting heart rate or a breathing rate or other biosensor reading, above or below a predetermined threshold;
detecting that a period of time has elapsed since receiving the ICE request.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:
entering a Bluetooth scanning mode upon the detection of the accident/impact; and
wherein the request is received as an advertisement during the Bluetooth scanning mode.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is received as an advertisement during the Bluetooth scanning mode.

6. A cellular telephone comprising:
context-aware circuitry detecting if an accident/impact has occurred;
a receiver receiving a request from an emergency responder for ICE information using a Bluetooth communication protocol;
a transmitter; and
logic circuitry instructing the transmitter to transmit ICE information using the Bluetooth communication protocol only in response to the received request and upon the detection that an accident/impact has occurred, otherwise not instructing the transmitter to transmit the ICE information over the Bluetooth communication protocol based on a fact that the context-aware circuitry has not detected the accident/impact and the request for ICE information has been received.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
the receiver comprises a wireless receiver; and
the transmitter comprises a wireless transmitter.

8. The cellular telephone of claim 6 wherein the receiver enters a Bluetooth scanning mode upon the detection of the accident/impact; and
wherein the request is received as an advertisement during the Bluetooth scanning mode.

9. A cellular telephone comprising:
a receiver receiving a request from an emergency responder for ICE information;
context-aware circuitry determining a period of time since the request was received and determining if an accident/impact has occurred; a user interface;
a transmitter using the Bluetooth protocol; and
logic circuitry instructing the transmitter to transmit ICE information using the Bluetooth protocol in response to the request only when the accident/impact has been detected and based upon the period of time and whether or not an opt-out was received from the user interface, otherwise not instructing the transmitter to transmit the ICE information over the Bluetooth communication protocol based on a fact that the context-aware circuitry has not detected the accident/impact and the request for ICE information has been received.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:
the receiver comprises a wireless receiver; and
the transmitter comprises a wireless transmitter.

11. The cellular telephone of claim 9 wherein the receiver enters a Bluetooth scanning mode upon the determination that the accident/impact has occurred; and
wherein the request is received as an advertisement during the Bluetooth scanning mode.

Assignees

• Motorola Solutions Inc
• Motorola Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Alazraki Scott M
• Romer Lisajane M
• Tealdi Daniel A

Classifications

• H04W4/90 Primary

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

• H04W4/80

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

• G16H10/60 Primary

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• H04M2242/04

  for emergency applications · CPC title

• H04M3/5116

  for emergency applications · CPC title