Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-22
2003-11-04
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S286020, C340S293000, C340S991000, C701S036000, C701S301000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06642844
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a direct, dispatcherless, automatic-routing, vehicle-to-vehicle (VTV) and non-vehicular to vehicle (NTV) Police/Emergency Medical Services (P/EMS) system that provides the user with the shortest notification and response time that is technologically possible to saves lives and protect property, whenever vehicular and human emergencies arise. VTV communication is accomplished by using a conventional Global Positioning System (GPS), which is coupled to a Fleet Management System (FMS) that can automatically locate and communicate directly (to avoid critical time delays when using an organizational dispatcher) with a P/EMS vehicle (cruiser) nearest to the vehicle in need of emergency assistance. NTV communications, however, in certain circumstances can forego the need for GPS capability, e.g., when the emergency and appeal for assistance is from a fixed location, a dwelling. Direct VTV communication hinges on the use of a modified GPS/FMS that uses essentially flawless theft and accident characterization technology, to eliminate erroneous emergency assistance calls to P/EMS cruisers. An important point should be understood in advancing this novel emergency notification approach. Only P/EMS emergency vehicles have respectively, the legal and social responsibility, obligation and means to respond to bonafide life threatening time-critical exigencies. Further, their ability to respond hinges on their being apprized of the exigency in a timely manner. A new multi-channel emergency number 767 (SOS) is optionally designated for this novel approach.
STATE OF THE ART
Vehicular accidents with their attendant injuries, losses of life and vehicular thefts as well as other non-vehicular social exigencies have an enormous social economic cost, currently estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars each year. It is also common knowledge that many of these accidents, sustained injuries and other medical emergencies could be less severe, with many lives saved and not lost, if the emergency medical assistance sought arrived in a timely manner; in some instances just seconds earlier. In addition, property losses resulting from vehicular and non-vehicular thefts would also be substantially less, if requests for emergency assistance to the nearest available police cruiser are instantaneous, and the response equally prompt. There is no doubt that requests for life threatening emergency assistance and subsequent response by appropriate emergency assistance organizations should be sooner rather than later.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,656 to Okada, et al. (“Okada”), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, notes with regard to current external transmissions and communication of an accident that “Probable prescribed addresses may include a district police station or fire station for notifying the occurrence of accident, and a rescue association if there is any damage to the vehicle.” Further, that “In many automobile accidents, life is in danger even while the emergency is being reported.” Okada's recommended solution in part is, “to ask for help from nearby persons by publicly announcing the occurrence of an accident as soon as possible, or to apply first-aid treatment to prolong life until the rescue squad arrives.” Okada, in this regard discloses, “An emergency assistance system for summoning first-aid assistance of persons and vehicles within the vicinity of a person involved in an automobile accident, while also making an emergency call to rescue and police authorities.” Okada also claims and provides for “estimating position of a vehicle,” “accident detection means . . . , ” and “external communication means for notifying an emergency response organization of accident related information.”
The aforementioned solution for vehicular emergencies fails to recognize that accidents often occur in remote regions where there are no persons or vehicles to witness, hear, or see the various alarms or receive local transmission signals generated by the suggested “small broadcasting equipment.” Even if nearby people were apprized of an accident they would not, with certainty, be qualified to administer first aid. Further, the possibility of being sued by the injured party for aggravating the persons' injury could preclude direct intervention by any third party that may arrive first at the accident scene. Finally, calling an emergency “organization” for assistance consumes precious time. The following scenario or steps are generally followed to secure emergency assistance from an emergency “organization.” First, a phone must be secured. This would be followed by an individual placing an emergency call to 911, then having to wait until a connection is established since 911 a well known emergency number may be busy. A verbal telephone link must then be established with a dispatcher, but now another delay may be encountered because the dispatcher is on another emergency call. Finally, when the dispatcher comes on line, information must then be conveyed about the accident, its location and other particulars. The dispatcher must then locate the nearest and available P/EMS and dispatch that vehicle(s) to the accident scene. This time consuming process wastes critical seconds, possibly minutes, as it runs through the aforementioned notification process, while a injured person(s) is (are) in need of immediate and proper medical attention. While many non-vehicular medical emergencies and thefts may forego the need to secure a wire or wireless telecommunications unit or system, e.g., phone or cell phone, the same aforementioned delays would be encountered when communicating with an organizational dispatcher. Time delays, even seconds, are critical when an injured person(s) is (are) in trauma and in urgent need of specialized and immediate medical attention.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing an automated, real-time (instantaneous), vehicle-to-vehicle (VTV), wireless, direct (dispatcher less) notification and response system that optionally, but preferably, contacts a dedicated emergency number 767 (SOS), with multi-channel capability that automatically routes the emergency request, i.e., accident or theft, whichever is appropriate to the nearest P/EMS vehicle(s). The ability to communicate directly with a P/EMS vehicle(s) hinges on the use of essentially flawless accident and theft characterization technology. This approach eliminates the need for a dispatcher and the associated life threatening time delays when processing information, while providing exacting means to respond to the exigency in the shortest time frame that is technologically possible. It will also substantially reduce the notification time for the P/EMS vehicle(s) to be apprized of the exigency. This cost-effective approach will maximize the probability of saving lives, since seconds count when an injured person(s) is (are) experiencing possible trauma.
Similarly, real-time (instantaneous) notification of an on-going vehicle/aircraft (avionics) theft directly from the vehicle or parked aircraft being violated to the nearest police cruiser with an equally timely response by the cruiser could result in the apprehension of the would-be-thief in the act of committing the crime and prevention of the property from ever being moved from the location.
Further, the present invention also overcomes the limitations presented in prior art for NTV communications by providing an automated or semi-automated, real-time (instantaneous), wireless or semi-wireless, direct (dispatcher less) notification and response system that optionally, but preferably, contacts a dedicated emergency number 767 (SOS) with sub-channel capability. This methodology automatically routes the emergency request, whether it is an accident, theft or individual medical emergency, whichever is appropriate to the nearest P/EMS vehicle(s). A semi-automated request would occur when an individual with a predisposed medical condition in need o
Pope Daryl
Sutton Ezra
LandOfFree
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