Collaborative incident alert system for mobile devices

Abstract

An incident alert system enables a plurality of users to participate in a collaborative process to report and be alerted of incidents such as emergencies or hazards. A user uses a networked mobile phone with geo-positioning capability to communicate with a server to report incidents and to inquire about potential incidents of interest based on the user's current geographic position. Reports of incidents are transmitted to the server accompanied by the current position of the user / mobile phone. A user's mobile phone is preferably configured to automatically submit periodic inquiries to the server based on the user's location. Upon receipt of an inquiry from a user, the system queries a database to identify reports of potential interest to the inquiring user. The system analyzes the reports to determine whether to alert the inquiring user of a potential incident of interest.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 133,829, filed May 20, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,024,330, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 573,398, filed on May 20, 2004, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates generally to a system for mobile phone users to collaboratively report and be alerted of emergencies or hazards and to have the opportunity to respond and assist when possible. More particularly, the invention relates to a collaborative system that allows users of Internet-enabled mobile phones equipped with global positioning technology to communicate with a server to report and receive emergency and hazard information. The system can also be configured to coordinate users to provide the fastest possible assistance in emergency situations.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Mobile phones are becoming an integral part of every day life for most...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes an incident alert system that allows users to share their location and receive information about potential hazards or emergencies. The system uses a mobile device with geo-positioning capabilities to report incidents and inquire about others in real-time. The system analyzes the reports and sends an alert to the user if the incident falls within their geographic area. The user's position is tracked and reported to the system, allowing for timely communication of information. The system also allows users to set preferences for the types of incidents they want to be alerted about. Overall, the system improves awareness and response capabilities in crisis situations."

Problems solved by technology

Current systems, however, do not offer the capability for a plurality of users to collaborate to identify an emergency or hazard situation and to alert other users in the same geographic area to give them the opportunity to provide assistance for the emergency or to avoid the identified hazard.

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