MXPA06006971A - Method for reporting personal status of a mobile communication device user and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile communication device contains event descriptor files that define certain detectable parameters indicative of the occurrence of an event. When the mobile communication device has determined that an event has occurred, the mobile communication device proceeds to send a status message to a preselected party, indicating to the preselected party that the user of the mobile communication device has experienced the event. A wide variety of events may be described and detected, such as arrival at a particular geographic location. The mobile communication device may prompt the user before sending the status message, and may further require the user to verify the user's identity by an authentication procedure.

Description

METHOD FOR REPORTING THE PERSONAL STATUS OF A USER OF A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SAME TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates, in a general way, to mobile communication devices, and more particularly to the status report in response to events experienced by the mobile communication device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mobile communication devices are widely used and have become especially common in metropolitan areas. Originally these devices supported the mobile radiotelephone service, allowing users to communicate without a landline phone, and move while they were making a phone call. More recently, however, those devices have been developed to support a wide variety of communication and personal services. Most of the mobile communication devices currently sold include an interface or network interconnection to send and receive data and data messages. The ability to enroll in data communications has transformed the mobile communication devices into personal communications assistants, allowing a wide variety of applications of the mobile communication device to be used, including the application in portable application environments, such as Java. The advancement of mobile communications has allowed society to be more mobile, and many people depend on their mobile communication device to keep in touch, not only with their business associates, but with friends and family as well. Many occupations require frequent travel, and in this way are related to the safety of the traveler. Of course, a person could simply use the mobile communication device to call home. However, those calls may involve charges to the person's account and may interrupt both parties by calling at inopportune times. There are currently "fallen man" buttons used in mobile communication devices such as bidirectional public safety radios, which, once activated, indicate that the radio user requires help. A "fallen man" message receives a high priority in the communication system, and once the "fallen man" feature is activated, it continuously transmits information that is given high priority by the communication system until the situation is resolved . This form of alerting and status reporting requires significant system resources as well as consuming a significant amount of battery power from the mobile communication device. Certainly for the less urgent status report the dedication of system resources and energy consumption are not necessary. Therefore, there is a need in which the state of a person may be known that does not require the personnel, energy or communication resources of an emergency call of life.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a system diagram of a mobile communication system and a mobile communication device that has the capacity to report personal status, according to the invention; Figure 2 is a block diagram, schematic, of a mobile communication device having personal status reporting capability, according to the invention; and Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a method for repurposing the state of a user of a mobile communication device, according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED MODALITY Although the specification concludes with the claims defining the features of the invention that are considered novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the figures of the drawings. , in which similar reference numbers were retained. The invention provides a mobile communication device with the ability to report the status of the owner / user of the mobile communication device. The report is made by transmitting a short message to a preselected part, and is carried out in response to the occurrence of an event which is defined by the user. The response can be sent automatically, or the mobile communication device can suggest to the user to respond, and the mobile communication device can authenticate the user to ensure that in effect the owner is responding. The event that may result in the status report may be an event experienced in the mobile communication device or may be in response to a status request received from another party. Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a schematic block diagram 100 of a mobile communication device 102 having personal status reporting capability in accordance with the invention. The user's status can be reported to, for example, the user's home 104. The mobile communication device receives the communication service of a communication system 106 via a base station 108. The communication system includes a central office 110 that it handles call processing and typically includes a mobile switching center 112 and a mobile data gate 114. The mobile switching center provides telephone communication and switching functionality, and connects the calls to other users of the mobile communication device, others base stations 115, as well as public switched telephone network 116. Mobile data gate 114 facilitates data communication, such as packet data communication, and provides connectivity to wide or wide area networks, such as Internet 118. The user of the mobile communication device 102 provides the criteria of the event to a processor of events of the mobile communication device. The information introduced provides criteria to determine the occurrence of an event and is stored in an event descriptor file in the mobile communication device. In one embodiment of the invention receiving a status request message from a remote party is a predetermined event, and the mobile communication device responds to the reception of the message according to the method taught herein. The types of events that can be defined depend on the design of the mobile communication device. It was contemplated that the mobile communication device may be equipped with a variety of subsystems, for example, the satellite positioning subsystem, a wireless local area network subsystem, and so on. Different equipment allows the mobile communication device to detect the different environmental parameters, and in this way detect the occurrence of events in different ways. For example, when the user travels to other regions, the mobile communication device can detect that the user entered a new service region after receiving the communication service in the new region by detecting a region code in an emission control channel. transmitted by the base station. The region code provides an approximate geographic location parameter, and the mobile communication device can detect when the region code changes, such as when moving from one state or province to another, or from one country to another. Alternatively, the base station may in particular transmit the geographical location in latitude and longitude, for example. After receiving the geographic location information for the base station, the mobile communication device compares this with the event descriptors related to the geographical location, and if the present geographical location is substantially equal to the geographic location parameter in an event descriptor, the mobile communication device determines that an event has occurred and proceeds according to the present invention. The geographical location can be used to infer that the user has arrived somewhere, such as an airport after landing, for example, and in this way the user can enter the geographical location of a place to which the user will travel to establish the event, resulting in a status report. The geographical location can also be determined in other ways, such as by using a satellite positioning subsystem of the mobile communication device that receives satellite positioning signals from satellite positioning satellites 120. Once the satellite positioning subsystem has determined the In the present geographical location of the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device then determines if an event has occurred according to what is defined by the event descriptors stored in the mobile communication device. Similarly, the information can be received by the mobile communication device from local wireless sources, for example, infrared communication sources, wireless local area networks such as those conforming to the well-known IEEE 802.11 specification or to the so-called Bluetooth specification. as described on the Internet in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) http://www.bluetooth.org. These wireless sources can be, for example, kiosks installed in public places, such as airports or hotels, for example, for the purpose of sending information to properly equipped mobile communication devices. These kiosks can be used for alternative purposes, such as advertising, or to order mobile communication devices to suggest to users to turn off the mobile communication device when boarding an airline to travel. These sources can provide explicit geographical location information, or the geographic location can be inferred simply by the presence of the signal, indicating that a new location has been reached. Once the mobile communication device has determined that an event corresponding to an event defined by one or more event descriptors has occurred, the mobile communication device can automatically transmit a status response message, or it can suggest to the user of the mobile device. Mobile communication transmit before the status response message. The status response message may be sent directly from the mobile communication device to the preselected part, or alternatively, the mobile communication device may request the communication system to send a message according to a stored predefined event response profile. in a database 124 of the communication system. In the latter case the user of the mobile communication device has access to the database under an agreement with the operator of the communication system the quiet user can configure the response profile of the event. The status response message can take a variety of forms, such as a telephone call to transmit a short announcement, a text message sent via a short message service (SMS) transmission, an e-mail message and so on. successively. Therefore, once the mobile communication device has determined that an event has occurred, which begins responding, the response may be provided by a mobile data or mobile data channel 124, a standard land telephone line 126 or a network of data 128.

Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a schematic block diagram 200 of a mobile communication device having personal status reporting capability according to the invention. The mobile communication device comprises a radio frequency transceiver 202 for modulating and transmitting radio signals, and receiving and demodulating radio signals via an antenna 204, as is known in the art. All components of the mobile communication device are operated under the control of a controller 206. As shown here the component subsystems of the mobile communication device are operatively coupled to the controller via a channel 207, but the controller can have direct connections to each subsystem , as an interface or serial interconnection, or there may be a combination of channel and direct connectivity. The controller executes the machine-readable code stored in a memory 208, and may have a local memory as well. The memory shown here is an abstract representation of several types of memory that the mobile communication device can have, such as RAM, ROM, reprogrammable and so on. The controller is linked to a user interface 210 that typically includes a display device for presenting information to the user and a numeric keypad or button assembly to allow the user to make selections, feed information, and control the operation of the mobile communication device. The user interface may also include other elements such as a mechanical vibrator 211, an audio transducer 209 to produce sounds, and light producing elements for other visual indications or illuminate the visual representation device or the numeric keypad and buttons. To facilitate voice and audio communication the mobile communication device comprises an audio processor 212 which converts the digital audio signals received from the transceiver into analog signals that are reproduced on a loudspeaker 214. The audio processor also receives analog signals from a microphone 216 and converts them to digital audio signals which are provided to the receiver. It was also contemplated that the mobile communication device may include a video recording device for capturing images and advancing video with the mobile communication device, and stored in the memory of the mobile communication device, or in an auxiliary memory contained in a mobile communication device. peripheral device connected to the mobile communication device. It was further contemplated that an odor generator subsystem may be included in the mobile communication device to generate various odors, as determined by the user. The mobile communication device operates in particular according to the code readable by the machine placed in the memory. The code of instructions is developed in code modules each of which perform certain tasks, applications and operations and establish various modes of operation and processes. One of these sets of modules controls the operation of an event verification mode, which can be activated or deactivated by the user. When the event verification mode is activated, the mobile communication device compares the input and receives with one or more event descriptor files 218, which are also stored in the memory, and can be created, edited and deleted by the user . When the event verification mode is invoked, the mobile communication device compares the received input of the different components of the subsystem with criteria in the event descriptor files. When the inputs are close enough to be considered equal, the event is generated, which means that the mobile communication device takes actions to send a status response message. The mobile communication device may comprise, for example, a satellite positioning subsystem 220 for receiving satellite positioning signals from satellite positioning satellites and determining an accurate present geographic location of the mobile communication device. The geographical location can be determined with less precision than other information, such as, for example, control information received in the communication system transceiver since many base stations of the communication system transmit information related to their geographical location. The mobile communication device can also include wireless receivers to receive information from local sources, such as an infrared subsystem 224 or a wireless local area network subsystem 222. These subsystems can receive information from local sources such as kiosks located in public places such as airports and shopping centers, as mentioned above. Alternatively, it was contemplated that the event may be a status inquiry message received in the mobile communication device via the communication system. The reception of the message is treated as another event that can be described in an event descriptor file. Once the mobile communication device has determined that an event has occurred, the mobile communication device can automatically send a status message, or suggest the user wait for an entry before sending the status message. To suggest to the user, the mobile communication device can use a variety of alert devices to obtain user attention, such as audio, visual and tactile alerts generated via the user interface, or even by means of an odor generated in response to the event. For example, the mobile communication device may light a lighting element that illuminates a status response button 219. The mobile communication device may also display a message on the display device, turn on the mechanical vibrator 211, or reproduce a sound in the speaker transducer 209, or any combination of those. In addition, the user can indicate how to alert the user in the event descriptor file. Once the user recognizes the suggestion, the user can then respond, for example, by pressing a status response button. In some cases, it may be desirable for the user to provide their identity, and in this way the mobile communication device will authenticate the user. For example, if the event is the reception of a status inquiry message, the person doing the investigation may want some assurance that the response of the status message was generated by the intended person. There is a variety of means to authenticate the user of the mobile communication device, each with different levels of complexity and the corresponding security that the current operator of the mobile communication device is the correct person to respond to the suggestion of the event. The simplest is to ask a password. The user provides a password to the mobile communication device before the event occurs. The password can be a general password for the mobile communication device as is common, or the password can be provided by the event descriptor. More sophisticated authentication means may be employed, such as a fingerprint recognition module 226 or a speech recognition authentication module 228. The fingerprint module operates with special physical computing components placed in the mobile communication device to receive an optical scan of the user's fingerprint. The fingerprint is compared to the stored fingerprint record of the user for authentication. Similarly, the voice recognition authentication module receives a voice frequency segment from the user's voice, as of the audio processor, and compares this with a stored version of the vocal frequency segment for authentication. The speech frequency recognition module, although shown here as a module, can be implemented entirely by a digital signal processor of the mobile communication device that executes the speech recognition instruction code. Since digital signal processors are commonly used in mobile communication devices, this form of authentication only requires the voice recognition instruction code, which is also very common in current mobile communication devices. It was also contemplated that the mobile communication device may comprise biometric sensors, or, alternatively, the mobile communication device may use the WLAN subsystem to communicate with a biometric sensor used by the user. The biometric sensors can read the heart rate, skin temperature and so on. Those metrics can then be reported in the status message. Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is shown a flow diagram 300 of a method that reports the status of a user of a mobile communication device according to the invention. At the start (302) of the method, the mobile communication device is turned on and at least one event descriptor has been provided to the mobile communication device. The event descriptor contains information and criteria to define an event and against which the input and data collected by the mobile communication device are compared. The event descriptor can also contain information about whether the event requires authentication, how to authenticate the user, where to send the status message, what communication mode to use to send the status message, and what information to send in the status message. . The mobile communication device initiates the verification and status reporting mode (304), which may occur after a user input, or may occur automatically after the mobile communication device is turned on. The start instantly involves an application of programs and programming or software systems that evaluate the different parameters acquired by the mobile communication device that indicate the condition of the current environment, which is compared with the event descriptor (306). The environment condition of the mobile communication device may include the current geographic location of the mobile communication device, if the mobile communication device has received a status inquiry message, and any other condition that may give rise to an event that may be detected by the mobile communication device. The environmental condition parameters are compared with event descriptors to determine if an event has occurred (308). If the mobile communication device determines that an event has not occurred, the mobile communication device continues to verify the condition of the environment comparing it against the event descriptor. If an event has occurred, the mobile communication device determines whether the event requires an automatic response (308). If an automatic response is required, which means that no user actions are required, the mobile communication device can send the status message immediately (320). If the event requires a user input, the mobile communication device begins by suggesting the user (312) to provide a response. The suggestion can take any of several forms, or a combination of several different alerts. For example, the mobile communication device may illuminate a status response button, display an image or icon on the visual display device, reproduce a sound, turn on a mechanical vibrator and so on. After suggesting the user, the mobile communication device awaits an input (314). If the event requires user authentication (316), the mobile communication device evaluates the entry to see if it compares it with the stored information (318). If the user is authenticated, or if authentication is not required, the mobile communication device begins by sending the status message. If authentication was required, and the user's input did not verify the user as the intended user, the mobile communication device may suggest the user again. After the status message is sent, the mobile communication device continues to check for additional events, if necessary. Thus, the invention provides a method for reporting the user status of a mobile communication device. The method includes the user who provides at least one event descriptor to the mobile communication device. The event descriptor defines an event and may include criteria such as geographic location parameters, status investigation parameters, delay time and other conditions that the mobile communication device may experience. The method begins by detecting the occurrence of the event according to what is defined by the event descriptor. In one embodiment of the invention, once the event is detected, the mobile communication device begins to transmit a status message to a preselected part 3. A state verification method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one provision is provided A set of criteria comprises a time parameter. In one embodiment of the invention the method further comprises alerting the mobile communication device of the occurrence of the event in response to detection of the occurrence of the event, after which or during which the mobile communication device begins to suggest to the user of the mobile communication device an input the user. The mobile communication device then checks the user interface and begins to receive the user input before transmitting the status message. The user suggestion can be made by using a visual indicator, such as illuminating a status response button on the mobile communication device. The suggestion may include an auditory alert, or a tactile alert such as that created by the operation of a mechanical vibrator. In one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises authenticating the user, such as identifying a user's fingerprint, receiving a user's entry password, or performing a speech recognition on a voice frequency segment uttered by the user in response to the suggestion. . The reception of the user's input may comprise detecting an actuation of a status response button. In detecting the occurrence of the event, the mobile communication device, in an embodiment of the invention, begins by detecting a present geographic location of the mobile communication device. The geographical location can be determined in various ways, including the use of a satellite positioning system of the mobile communication device, or receiving location information from a base station that provides communication service to the mobile communication device, for example. Another example of an event is to receive a message on the mobile communication device, such as a status inquiry message. In one embodiment of the invention, the mobile communication device may also receive a local wireless message from a source other than the mobile communication system, such as by an infrared communication source or a wireless local area network source. The invention also provides a mobile communication device for use in a mobile communication system and for reporting a user's status of the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device comprises a transceiver for communicating with the mobile communication system. The transceiver is capable of making voice and data calls and messages. Placed in the mobile communication device is a memory which, among other information, it contains at least one event descriptor which defines an event. To operate the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device comprises a user interface for providing information to, and receiving the user's input. The mobile communication device also comprises a controller for evaluating the current state of the mobile communication device against an event descriptor to determine the occurrence of an event defined by the event descriptor. The controller operates according to the instruction code placed in the memory, including the state response instruction code which is executed after the occurrence of the event, as determined by the controller. The state response code causes the mobile communication device to transmit a status response message to a preselected part. In one embodiment of the invention, the event descriptor comprises a geographic location parameter that corresponds to a geographical location. Therefore, an event occurs when a current location of the mobile communication device is substantially equal to the geographical location defined in the event descriptor. Although the geographical location can be determined by various means, in one embodiment of the invention the mobile communication device comprises a satellite positioning subsystem to determine the current geographic location of the mobile communication device. Alternatively, the current geographic location of the mobile communication device can be determined by a control message received in the mobile communication device of a base station of the communication system that is currently providing the communication service to the mobile communication device. In addition, it was contemplated that an event can be defined simply as the occurrence of an hour of the day. The time of day being determined by an internal clock of the mobile communication device or by a clock signal in a transmission channel of the communication system. If a response is required by the event, the mobile communication device comprises means for alerting the user of the occurrence of the event, means for suggesting to the user of the mobile communication device a user input, and means for receiving the user's input before to transmit the status message. There is a variety of means to suggest to the user that they can be employed, as a visual indicator. In a preferred embodiment, the visual indicator comprises a selectively illuminable state response button, wherein the selectively illuminable response button is illuminated after the occurrence of the event. That is, when the event occurs, the mobile communication device turns on a light element to illuminate the status response button. The light element, which is a light-emitting diode, can flash to draw even more attention. Other means of user suggestion comprise a loudspeaker to produce an auditory alert, such as a buzzing sound. Alternatively, the suggestion means may include a mechanical vibrator. It was also contemplated that the means of suggestion include a display of mobile communication device and at least one icon file that describes an icon that is stored in the memory of the mobile communication device, where the mobile communication device begins by displaying the icon in the visual representation device while making suggestions to the user. The icon is a graphic image that is related to the event, such as an image or animated graphic file that shows an airplane landing to be used in association with the arrival at a destination airport. If the event requires the user to be authenticated, the mobile communication device must include means to authenticate the user, such as a fingerprint recognition subsystem, or an access password or speech recognition system. Although the mobile communication device has a conventional user interface comprising a numeric keypad and a visual display device, it was contemplated that the means for receiving the input comprise a status response button. The status response button is one that is larger than other buttons and is placed on the mobile communication device in a place where it can be easily accessed and activated after the occurrence of an event. The mobile communication device may further comprise additional subsystems for determining ambient parameters, such as the current location of the mobile communication device. Accordingly, it was contemplated that the mobile communication device comprises means for detecting a present geographic location, such as a satellite positioning subsystem, or a local wireless reception subsystem for receiving local signals, where the local signals contain information related to a current location. of the mobile communication device. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the invention provides a method for reporting the state of a user of a mobile communication device by detecting the occurrence of a state event experienced by the mobile communication device, and then transmitting a status message of the mobile communication device. mobile communication device to a second party in response to the status event. This embodiment of the invention allows a user to generate a status message at will, rather than having to preprogram an event descriptor file, and instead of establishing a live call with a second party to which the user wishes to report the status current user. Although this alternative mode also allows the user of event descriptors as described above, it also allows detecting a user input from the mobile communication device indicating the desire to send a status message, such as detecting the activation of a response button of state of the mobile communication device, or equivalently a combination of button oppression or the actuation of a programmable function key call corresponding to an interface provided by the mobile communication device. In addition, it was contemplated that the status reporting method allows the user to send context information related to the event, or related to the reason why the user wished to send the status message. For example, a context image may be used as the background of an image formed by a composition of the background image and text or other images or icons superimposed on the background image. The background image can be automatically selected, including an event descriptor file, by providing a variety of background images that correspond to different events from which you can generally select mobile communication devices. Alternatively, the user can acquire an image, such as by means of a camera connected to, or integrated into, the mobile communication device, and the captured image can be used as the background image. Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:
2. CLAIMS 1. A method for reporting the status of a user of a mobile communication device, characterized in that it comprises: providing at least one event descriptor that defines an event in the mobile communication device; detecting the occurrence of the event defined by the event descriptor, effected by the mobile communication device; transmit a status message to a preselected part after detecting the occurrence of the event. 2. The method for reporting the state in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that providing at least one event descriptor comprises providing the geographic location parameter in the event descriptor.
3. 3. The method for verifying the state in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that providing at least one set of criteria comprises a time parameter.
4. 4. The method for reporting the state in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: alerting the user of the mobile communication device of the occurrence of the event in response to the detection of the occurrence of the event; suggesting to the user of the mobile communication device a user input; and receive the user's input before transmitting the status message.
5. 5. The method for reporting the status in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the suggestion to the user comprises a visual indicator.
6. 6. A mobile communication device for use in a mobile communication system and for providing a state of a user of the mobile communication device, characterized in that it comprises: a transceiver for communicating with the mobile communication system; a memory that contains at least one event descriptor, the event descriptor defining an event; a user interface for providing information to, and receiving the user's input; a controller for evaluating the current state of the mobile communication device against at least one event descriptor to determine the occurrence of the event defined by at least one event descriptor; and a status response instruction code placed in memory, which is executed after the occurrence of the event, as determined by the controller, by making the status response code that the mobile communication device transmits a response message from a pre-selected part when executed by the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one event descriptor comprises a geographic location parameter corresponding to a geographical location, the event occurring 'when a current location of the mobile communication device is substantially equal to the geographical location. The mobile communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises a satellite positioning subsystem for determining the present geographical location of the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device according to claim 7, characterized in that the current geographical location of the mobile communication device is determined by a control message received in the mobile communication device transmitted by a base station of the communication system that is currently providing the communication service to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one event descriptor comprises a time parameter corresponding to a time of the event, the event occurring when a current time is substantially equal to the time of the event. The mobile communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises: means for alerting the user of the mobile communication device of the occurrence of the event in response to the detection of the occurrence of the event; means for suggesting to the user of the mobile communication device a user input; and means for receiving the user's input before transmitting the status message.