Methods and apparatus for providing assistance services for large crowds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9342965-B2
Application number	US-201113996661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Dec 22, 2011
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

In one example embodiment, a mobile computing device provides assistance services for visitors at events which involve large crowds and long distances. The mobile computing device may be used to read a unique identifier for a visitor from an identification token for the visitor. The mobile computing device may then send visitor location data for the current location of the visitor to a remote command center. The mobile computing device may then receive leader location data from the remote command center. The leader location data may identify a last known location for a leader of a group of visitors that includes the visitor. After receiving the leader location data, the mobile computing device may compute directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader, and the mobile computing device may display those directions on a map. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated system for providing assistance services for crowded events, the system comprising:
a computing device with a control center interface to support network communications and a token reader to read a unique identifier for a visitor from an identification token for the visitor; and
a command center workstation with (a) a network interface to support communications with the computing device and (b) a visitor database to store information for the visitor, wherein the information for the visitor comprises leader identification data to identify a leader associated with the visitor and leader location data to identify a last known location of the leader;
wherein the computing device is configured to use the control center interface to send the unique identifier for the visitor from the computing device to the command center workstation, in response to reading the unique identifier for the visitor;
wherein the command center workstation is configured to send the leader location data to the computing device, in response to receiving the unique identifier for the visitor from the computing device;
wherein the computing device is operable to present a map that shows a current location of the visitor, the last known location of the leader, and directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader;
wherein the computing device is operable (a) to obtain medical records for the visitor from the command center workstation and (b) to display selectable medical options comprising (i) an option to request an ambulance and (ii) an option to communicate with a health care provider;
wherein the computing device is configured to respond to selection of the option to request an ambulance by (a) sending a request for the ambulance to an ambulance dispatcher (b) sending the visitor location data to the ambulance dispatcher, and (c) sending the medical records for the visitor to the ambulance dispatcher; and
wherein the computing device is configured to respond to selection of the option to communicate with a health care provider by (a) establishing a videoconference with the healthcare provider and (b) sending the medical records for the visitor to the health care provider.

2. A computing device comprising:
a processor;
a display responsive to the processor;
a token reader responsive to the processor, the token reader configured to read a unique identifier for a visitor from an identification token for the visitor; and
a storage medium containing instructions which, when executed by the processor, implement components comprising:
a control center interface to support network communications with a command center workstation; and
a visitor interface configured to display a map on the display;

wherein the computing device is configured to use the control center interface to send the unique identifier for the visitor to the command center workstation, in response to reading the unique identifier for the visitor;
wherein the computing device is configured to use the control center interface to receive leader location data from the command center workstation, wherein the leader location data identifies a last known location of a leader associated with the visitor;
wherein the map shows a current location of the visitor, the last known location of the leader, and directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader;
wherein the instructions enable the computing device (a) to obtain medical records for the visitor from the command center workstation and (b) to display selectable medical options comprising (i) an option to request an ambulance and (ii) an option to communicate with a health care provider;
wherein the instructions further enable the computing device to respond to selection of the option to request an ambulance by (a) sending a request for the ambulance to an ambulance dispatcher, (b) sending the visitor location data to the ambulance dispatcher, and (c) sending the medical records for the visitor to the ambulance dispatcher; and
wherein the instructions further enable the computing device to respond to selection of the option to communicate with a health care provider by (a) establishing a videoconference with the healthcare provider and (b) sending the medical records for the visitor to the health care provider.

3. A computing device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a global positioning system (GPS) responsive to the processor, wherein the GPS is configured to automatically determine the current location of the visitor; and
wherein the control center interface is configured to automatically send the current location of the visitor to the command center workstation.

4. An automated method for providing assistance services for crowded events, the method comprising:
using a computing device to read a unique identifier for a visitor from an identification token for the visitor;
in response to reading the unique identifier for the visitor:
automatically sending visitor location data for a current location of the visitor from the computing device to a remote command center; and
automatically receiving leader location data from the remote command center, wherein the leader location data identifies a last known location for a leader of a predetermined group of visitors that includes the visitor;

after receiving the leader location data, computing directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader;
displaying a map on a display of the computing device, wherein the map shows the current location of the visitor, the last known location of the leader, and the directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader;
presenting selectable medical options on the display, wherein the selectable medical options comprise (a) an option to request an ambulance and (b) an option to communicate with a health care provider;
obtaining medical records for the visitor;
in response to selection of the option to request an ambulance, (a) sending a request for an ambulance to an ambulance dispatcher, (b) sending the visitor location data to the ambulance dispatcher; and (c) sending the medical records for the visitor to the ambulance dispatcher; and
in response to selection of the option to communicate with a health care provider, (a) establishing a videoconference with the healthcare provider, and (b) sending the medical records for the visitor to the health care provider.

5. An automated method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
in response to reading the unique identifier for the visitor, automatically sending the unique identifier for the visitor from the computing device to the remote command center;
after sending the unique identifier for the visitor from the computing device to the remote command center, receiving, from the remote command center, residence location data to identify a location of a residence of the visitor;
after receiving the residence location data, computing directions from the current location of the visitor to the residence of the visitor; and
displaying, on the map on the display of the computing device, the location of the residence of the visitor and the directions from the current location of the visitor to the residence of the visitor.

6. An automated method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
obtaining crowd density data; and
using the crowd density data to optimize route calculations when computing the directions from the current location of the visitor to the last known location of the leader.

7. An automated method according to claim 4 , wherein the computing device comprises a first computing device, the method further compri

Assignees

• Elgebaly Hani H
• Badawi Ashraf H
• Ibrahim Ahmed S
• Soliman Mohamed Yousef
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Elgebaly Hani H
• Badawi Ashraf H
• Ibrahim Ahmed S
• Soliman Mohamed Yousef

Classifications

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · 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

• H04W4/50

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• H04W4/025

  using location based information parameters · CPC title

• H04W4/90 Primary

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