GB2588964A

GB2588964A - Application for safety of users

Info

Publication number: GB2588964A
Application number: GB1916719.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Mccrae Douglas; Sundeep Cannon Kelly Michael
Original assignee: Wingman Nights Ltd
Current assignee: Wingman Nights Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-15
Filing date: 2019-11-15
Publication date: 2021-05-19
Also published as: GB201916719D0

Abstract

A software application on a user device having access to a processor, memory, a clock and a GPS locator comprises a list of companions, a list of fixed locations and a time period, all of which are selected 1, 3, 5 by the user and stored 2, 4 in the memory. An alert or notification is sent 9 to the people in the list of companions if the application has determined 8 that the user device has not entered one of the fixed locations (a static geofence) during the time period. Additionally [fig. 2], a distance may be selected by the user and stored in memory as well as access to distances selected by people in the list of companions being granted. A notification may be sent to the list of companions if the user device is further away from the companions’ user devices (dynamic/moving geofences) than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance may be based on the distances selected on the various user devices. This application is designed to help companions check whether a person has been separated from their group and/or whether they have entered a safe area.

Description

Application for safety of users The invention relates to an application, such as an application for a mobile device, which monitors the locations of users and alerts their selected companions if they fail to enter a designated safe zone within a predetermined time period.

Background to the invention

It is a fact universally acknowledged that young people enjoy occasional recourse to nocturnal revelry. Many establishments offer hospitality to such pleasure-seekers, even past 9pm. While for the most part this is good and healthy, there are attendant risks, not least associated with the consequent outdoor perambulation of young people after dark, their faculties impaired by intoxicating substances. Such people are more prone to accidents, such as tripping or falling. Unfortunately, they are also more vulnerable to malfeasance.

One of the surest ways of reducing these and other risks is to stay with a group of companions until one reaches a safe location, such as one's home, the home of a friend, or university lodgings. Then, in the event of an accident, companions will be able to take the necessary action to rescue or obtain assistance, and cowardly scoundrels bent on destructive behaviour will be deterred.

Walking with a group of companions has risks of its own. One member of a group may fall behind, and be separated from the group, and this may go 20 unnoticed by the other parties for some time, especially in larger groups.

Furthermore, it is not always possible to walk in groups of two or more, in which case one option for reducing risk, at least by expediting rescue or alert, is to arrange to contact a companion when one arrives at a safe destination. This system is fallible, of course, because a young person returning home after an evening lemonade may forget to text his or her mother, causing unnecessary alarm.

Most people, and especially most members of the demographics associated with these risks, possess or are possessed by mobile devices, in particular smart mobile devices. These mobile devices provide convenient functions for most aspects of a modern life, and it seems reasonable, therefore, to seek a solution to the problems outlined so far using this ubiquitous technology.

Young party-goers are not the only people for whom walking alone presents risks, and the following invention may be useful for any number of reasons.

Acknowledged prior art

The inventor is aware of the following prior art.

FS20110148626 discloses a UPS system which stores a geofence and generates an alert when a geofence boundary is or is not crossed by the UPS unit. However, this system considers each geofenced area separately and does not generate an alert unless any one of the geofenced boundaries is crossed. Furthermore, each geofenced area is static, and so does not create a perimeter around a moving user.

CA2851485 discloses a system which dynamically creates a geofenced area in case a user forgets to do so, for the security of the user's car. The geofenced area is static.

Statement of invention

A first aspect of the invention provides an application for a user device having access to a computer processor, electronic memory, a clock and a UPS locator, comprising: a list of companions to be populated by a user and stored in the electronic memory; a list of fixed locations to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; and a time period to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; wherein, if the application determines that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period, the application causes a notification to be sent to the people in the list of companions.

The step of determining that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period may consist of: recording an event in the memory if the application determines by consulting the UPS locator that the user device has entered any one of the fixed locations; and at the end of the time period as measured by the clock, consulting the UPS locator, and the record of events in the electronic memory to determine whether the user device is or has been at one of the fixed locations.

Alternatively, the step of determining that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period may consist of: resetting the clock's measurement of the time period if the application determines, by consulting the UPS locator, that the user device has entered any one of the fixed locations and then left said fixed location.

The application may further comprise: access to UPS locator data from other user devices belonging to people in the list of companions; a distance to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; and access to distances selected by each of the persons in the list of companions; wherein the application determines, based on the UPS locator data of the user device and the UPS locator data of the other user devices, whether or not the user is present in a group with one or more companions and, if it is determined that the user is in a group, if the application determines that the user device is farther away from the group members' user devices than a predetermined distance, the application causes a notification to be sent to the people in the list of companions.

The predetermined distance may be the distance selected by the user.

Alternatively, the predetermined distance between the user and each respective member of the group may be the sum of the distance selected by the user and thc distance selected by the respective group member.

A status may be associated with the user device, said status being readable by people on the list of companions who also use the application, and wherein the status may be set to a first status when the user device is at any one of the fixed locations, and wherein the status may be set to a second status when the application causes notifications to be sent to people on the list of companions.

Brief description of drawings

The invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to thc following figures, of which: Figure 1 shows a process for adding companions and safe places to an application according to the present invention; and Figure 2 shows a process for setting up a personal radius and group monitoring, according to the present invention.

Detailed description of drawings

For the purposes of this specification, the following terms should be understood according to the definitions given below.

Companions: People that the user has selected to receive notifications or text messages (such as SMS messages or other online based messages) concerning their location when either: the user is outside the radius of a designated 'safe place', or when the user has not returned to a designated 'safe place' for a predefined amount of time. See Figure 2.

Safe place: A predefined geofenced arca defined by the user, selected for its safety, such as the user's home.

The application of the invention is designed to be used on a user device. The user device may be a smart phone, or another portable computing device. The user device must have access, either directly or remotely, to a computer processor to execute the instructions of the application, a memory to store the application and the various user input parameters and events, a clock to measure thine periods and a CPS locator to accurately locate the user device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the application of the invention operates in the following manner. The user is able to set multiple 'safe place(s)' on a digital map (See Figure 1). The system uses UPS co-ordinates and will track the user's location frequently using the built in UPS system of the user's mobile device. If the user does not return to one of his/her predefined safe places as saved in the user's account database within a predetermined time frame, the application will detect this and send a notification to their one or more of the user's selected companions'.

The user can change the alert 'sensitivity' (the period after which their companions receive an alert) in the application's user settings, but in a preferred embodiment the period is set by default to 24 hours if the user does not select a different period. A different default period may be provided.

If the user does return to a safe space within the specified period, the companion can consult the application and see that the user is in or has recently been to a safe space.

As well as providing an alert, if the user does not return to a safe space within the specified period and the companion wishes to check the app, the app will display that the user may not be safe.

Another useful aspect of the application is 'group monitoring'. If the user is detected by the application to be in proximity to other users registered as companions to the user, the application will recognise that the users are together as a group. If the application detects that one of the users in the group has fallen away, and is no longer in proximity to the other users, the application will send a notification of this to the others. The user who is leaving the group will also receive a notification to the effect that he/she is leaving the group.

Group monitoring can be enabled and disabled within the application, for example from the homepage, for user convenience.

Each user has an individual radius that follows the user's position in the application's memory. This is, in effect, a dynamic geofencing system wherein the 30 geofenced area moves with the user such that the user (or rather, the user's mobile device) is always at the centre of the geofenced area.

Mach user can set his/her personal radius, and an alert is not sent to the group from which the user has departed until the other group members no longer fall within the user's personally set radius. The larger the radius set by the user, the 35 farther the user can stray from the group before notifications are triggered.

Another useful feature is the monitoring of user activity on the mobile device. If a user has not made use of his/her mobile device with a predetermined time (an exemplary default being twenty-four hours) then the user's companions will be sent a notification by the application.

Figure 1 shows an exemplary process for the functions of adding companions and safe places using the application of the invention. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the individual operations may be performed in a different order with the same substantial effect, or may be combined or broken into sub-operations.

When a user acids companions to the application at 1, the specified companions are added to the user's companions list at 2, stored in device memory, or in 10 application memory remote from the user device, such as cloud memory.

When the user sets safe places at 3, a geofenced area around the safe place, or simply a set of GAS coordinates, is saved to the device memory of the application memory at 4.

The user also sets a time period which the application will wait before sending notifications in the event that the user does not return to a safe place at 5.

After the period has elapsed, or periodically during the period, or constantly/ in real time during the period, the application checks to see if the user is in a safe space. If the user enters the safe space, this is recorded in the application or device memory. Once the set period has elapsed, the application checks if the user is in the safe space at 6.

If the user is in a safe space, the application records that the user is safe at 7. A companion checking the status of the user will then see that the user is safe.

If the user is not in a safe space, the application consults the memory for recorded events of the user entering a safe space, and determines whether or not the user 25 has been to a safe space within the alert time, at 8.

If the application determines that the user has not been to a safe space within the period, the user is marked as potentially unsafe, and alerts are sent to companions at 9.

lf, at 8, it is determined that the user has been to a safe space within the period, no alerts are sent, but the user is not marked as safe by the application.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than recording events when the user enters a safe space, the clock could be reset every time the user enters and then leaves a safe space, and the user marked as potentially unsafe and notifications sent to companions if the period expires without the clock being reset.

Figure 2 shows an exemplary process for the functions of setting a personal radius and group monitoring with the application of the invention. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the individual operations may be performed in a different order with the same substantial effect, or may be combined or broken into sub-operations.

The user sets up a personal radius using the options provided by the application at 11. 1 f no radius is selected by the user, preferably a default of 100 metres is selected. Other default values may be provided. The radius is stored in the device or application memory.

The application periodically or constantly checks if the group monitoring function has been set to 'on' by the user at 12. If not, the application continues to perform the check at 12.

If the group monitoring function has been switched on, the application checks the memory to see if the user is in proximity to one or more companions at 13, using the GPS location information for the user, and GPS location data for the companions' devices. If the user is not in proximity to one or more companions, the application returns to 12. If the user is in proximity to one or more companions, it is determined that the user is in a group, and the application proceeds to 14.

At 14 the application uses GPS data from the user's device and the devices of the companions in the group, and creates a dynamic moving gcofence around the user's position having the radius set at 11. The application determines whether or not at least one companion in the group is within the geofenced region.

Alternatively, the application may set up a dynamic moving geofence around each 25 group member, based on each user's respective selected radius. In this case, the application determines whether or not at least one companion's geofence overlaps with the user's.

If at least one companion from the group is within the predetermined radius of the user, the user is marked safe at 15.

If no companions from the group are within the predetermined radius of the user, the user is marked potentially unsafe at 16, such that companions consulting the application will be able to see that the user is potentially unsafe. Furthermore, alerts will be sent to companions at 17.

The safe place function shown in figure 1 runs concurrently with the group function of figure 2, such that the user's companions are notified if the user does not enter a safe place within the period, he/she is marked as potentially unsafe and companions are notified, even if the user has not left the company of the group.

The scope of the invention is not determined by the exemplary embodiments described above, but by the claims.

Claims

Claims 1. An application for a user device having access to a computer processor, electronic memory, a clock and a GPS locator, comprising: a list of companions to be populated by a user and stored in the electronic memory; a list of fixed locations to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; and a time period to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; wherein, if the application determines that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period, the application causes a notification to be sent to the people in the list of companions.
2. An application according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period consists of: recording an event in the memory if the application determines by consulting the GPS locator that the user device has entered any one of the fixed locations; and at the end of the time period as measured by the clock, consulting the GPS locator, and the record of events in the electronic memory to determine whether the user device is or has been at one of the fixed locations.
3. An application according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the user device has not entered any one of the fixed locations during the time period consists of: resetting the clock's measurement of the time period if the application determines, by consulting the GPS locator, that the user device has entered any one of the fixed locations and then left said fixed location.
4. An application according to any preceding claim, further comprising: access to GPS locator data from other user devices belonging to people in the list of companions; a distance to be selected by the user and stored in the electronic memory; and access to distances selected by each of the persons in the list of companions; wherein the application determines, based on the GPS locator data of the user device and the GPS locator data of the other user devices, whether or not the user is present in a group with one or more companions and, if it is determined that the user is in a group, if the application determines that the user device is farther away from the group members' user devices than a predetermined distance, the application causes a notification to be sent to the people in the list of companions.
5. An application according to claim 4 wherein the predetermined distance is the distance selected by the user.
6. An application according to claim 4 wherein the predetermined distance between the user and each respective member of the group is the sum of the distance selected by the user and the distance selected by the respective group member.
7. An application according to any preceding claim, wherein a status is associated with the user device, said status being readable by people on the list of companions who also use the application, and whcrcin thc status is set to a first status when the user device is at any one of the fixed locations, and whcrcin the status is set to a second status when the application causes notifications to be sent to people on the list of companions.