Emergency Notification System Using Proximity-Based Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In emergency situations, there is a need for a system that can quickly identify and notify non-emergency personnel in proximity to a person requesting assistance, allowing them to provide immediate help until official emergency services arrive, while also considering the privacy and consent of potential assisting individuals.
Innovation Solution
A computerized system that uses a processor and database to receive requests for assistance, identify nearby individuals who have opted in to receive such notifications, and transmit electronic messages to them via cellular networks or GPS, including information about the requester's location and situation, to facilitate assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a private assistance service is used to request help in an emergency, then the client receives assistance from a centralized service center, but the response time may be delayed compared to immediate nearby assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the assistance response into two distinct pathways: (1) immediate response from nearby opted-in individuals identified through cellular network and GPS data, and (2) secondary response from official emergency services through the centralized service center. This segmentation allows the system to provide rapid initial assistance while maintaining the structured emergency protocol, thereby reducing overall response time without overwhelming the central service center.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer between the client and official emergency services by identifying and notifying nearby individuals who can provide immediate assistance. This intermediary response team acts as a bridge, providing crucial first-minute assistance while official services are being summoned and en route, effectively reducing the time gap without adding complex direct communication protocols.
2Reliability
If notifications are sent to all nearby individuals, then more potential helpers are reached, but privacy concerns and unwanted interruptions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by requiring individuals to opt-in to the assistance network in advance, explicitly consenting to receive notifications and potentially respond to emergencies. This pre-established consent mechanism ensures that when notifications are sent, recipients have already agreed to this level of contact, thereby reducing privacy intrusion while maintaining high assistance availability through a pre-qualified network of helpers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by creating geographically segmented notification zones based on the client's location, sending notifications only to opted-in individuals in the immediate vicinity rather than universally. This localized approach ensures that notifications are targeted to those who can actually provide timely assistance while minimizing unnecessary interruptions to others, balancing reliability with privacy respect.
3Loss of time
If the system identifies potential assisting persons based on proximity, then faster assistance can be provided, but accuracy in determining true proximity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple location determination methods including cellular network triangulation, GPS coordinates, and Wi-Fi positioning data to create a composite proximity assessment. By combining these different measurement systems, the patent achieves both rapid identification of nearby individuals and improved location accuracy, reducing the time to assist while maintaining precise proximity determination through multi-source validation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for notifying an extended group of persons that a person has requested assistance from a private response center. In one example, an electronic communication is received from the first person, requesting assistance. One or more potential assisting persons are automatically identified as being in position to render assistance to the first person. An electronic message is sent to the one or more potential assisting persons indicating that the first person has requested assistance. The potential assisting persons may be identified based at least in part on their proximity to the first person, for example based on their interaction with the same cell of a cellular communications network, or based on global positioning system data. The electronic message may contain other information, such as information about the first person. In this way, the original caller may be assisted more quickly than would otherwise occur.