Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Emergency or alarm communication
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-10
2001-03-06
Vo, Nguyen (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Emergency or alarm communication
C455S457000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198914
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency call system adapted for notifying an emergency call center about occurrence of an emergent state to ask for rapid measures to be taken.
2. Description of the Related Art
For any aged person or outpatient (of heart disease for example), there may occur some emergent situation inclusive of sudden attack of illness while the person is out. Therefore, upon occurrence of any emergent state, it is essentially necessary for him to receive an exact and quick primary measure and also to make fast contact with an ambulance or hospital to take a secondary measure.
It has been customary in the related art heretofore to employ a system where, upon occurrence of any emergent state on a patient or aged person in a hospital or old-people's home, the person depresses a button of a portable audio oscillator carried by himself to generate an audio signal, which is then received by any of a plurality of receiving alarm units installed in a relevant supervisory region, and a notice signal inclusive of identification data to specify the received point is transmitted to a center station.
In this system, a contact terminal unit capable of making contact with the audio signal generation point is connected to the center station via a contact unit, so that communication is rendered possible between the center station and the spot. However, there exists a problem in the known emergency call system that, although it is possible to deal with any emergency that occurs in the supervisory region where the system is installed, such as in a hospital or old-people's home, a proper measure fails to be performed with regard to any emergent state caused when the person is out of the region.
Another problem is also existent in that any outpatient who attends a hospital for medical treatment without being hospitalized, such as a heart-disease patent or aged person, is unable to report an emergent state caused during his being out, whereby a required rapid measure fails to be taken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an emergency call system which enables any person to report an emergent state for receiving a rapid measure.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an emergency call system having an emergency call mobile station to transmit emergency information and an emergency call center to receive the emergency information. The emergency call mobile station comprises a locating means for detecting the position of the self station and generating first positional information; an emergency switch means to be turned on or off; an emergent state detection means for outputting an emergent state detection signal when the emergency switch means is in its on-state; and a transmitting means for transmitting to the emergency call center the emergency information which includes both the first positional information and identification information to specify the user of the emergency call mobile station.
The emergency call center comprises a map information database where map information is stored; an individual information database where individual information relative to the user is stored; a positional information receiving means for receiving the first positional information included in the emergency information; a display means for displaying the information; a position display means for displaying, on the display means, the map information around the position of the emergency call mobile station by referring to the map information database on the basis of the first positional information; and an individual information display means for displaying, on the display means, the individual information of the user by referring to the individual information database on the basis of the identification information included in the emergency information.
Preferably, the emergency detection means is so structured as to output the emergency detection signal when the emergency switch means is turned to its on-state after a lapse of a predetermined time, whereby it is rendered possible to eliminate misreport to the emergency call center that may otherwise be caused by an erroneous manipulation of the emergency switch means.
More preferably, the emergency call mobile station further comprises a message storage means for storing a message, a speaker for emitting an audio output, and a message output means for outputting the message to the speaker in response to the emergency detection signal. Thus, an exact and rapid primary measure can be taken upon occurrence of an emergent state to the user.
According to the present invention, the user of the emergency call mobile station turns on the emergency switch means upon occurrence of an emergent state. When the emergency switch means is in its on-state, the emergent state detection means outputs an emergent state detection signal. In response to this emergent state detection signal, the transmitting means transmits to the emergency call center the emergency information which includes both the first positional information obtained from the locating means and the identification information to specify the user of the relevant emergency call mobile station.
Then the emergency information receiving means receives the first positional information, and the position display means displays the map information around the position of the emergency call mobile station on the display means, whereby the position of the user is specified. Meanwhile the individual information display means displays the individual information of the user on the display means, so that a rapid measure can be executed for the user.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing some preferred embodiments of the invention.
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patent: 3662267 (1972-05-01), Reed
patent: 5534851 (1996-07-01), Russek
patent: 5587715 (1996-12-01), Lewis
patent: 5712619 (1998-01-01), Simkin
patent: 5873040 (1999-02-01), Dunn et al.
patent: 5890061 (1999-03-01), Timm et al.
patent: 5937355 (1999-08-01), Joong et al.
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Mehrpour N.
Vo Nguyen
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