TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency notification system and, more particularly to a system for distributing messages to groups of people.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In the event of an emergency, people in a building may not know how to exit the building or how to notify authorities that they are safe in the event of the emergency. The authorities may include a fire warden, building managers responsible for occupational health and safety or other members of staff.

[0003] A building occupied by people speaking different languages can make emergency evacuation procedures more difficult. For instance, if directions are issued in a language which people do not understand, it may endanger their lives.

[0004] Even if people are able to safely exit the building, it may be difficult for a fire warden or building manager to account for every person who is in the building before the emergency. People may not know where to congregate after exiting the building to be accounted. In the event that someone is not accounted for, it may be difficult for a fire warden to contact the missing person. It is also difficult for a fire warden to know whether a person is still inside the building during the emergency, or has safely left the building.

[0005] If the person is trapped in a building during an emergency (such as a fire or an earthquake), it is difficult to know where exactly the missing person is located within the building.

[0006] In the event of an emergency, people may not know how to raise the alarm to notify other people of an emergency. For instance, people may not know what the emergency telephone number is in the particular country which they may be visiting. They may not even know the exact street address of the building in which the emergency is occurring. In the event that a foreign person is involved in an emergency, they make not speak the same language as the operator of an emergency service telephone line.

[0007] In addition, people may not know how to deal with an emergency or to act appropriately in order to solve a problem. For instance, if a person has a heart attack or is badly injured, bystanders by may not know how to apply first aid to the person. [0008] In the event that the person is going into a potentially dangerous situation, they may wish to notify one or more third parties if an emergency situation occurs. For instance, in the event that a person is going on a bushwalk which is expected to take 5 hours, they may wish to notify the authorities in the event that they do not arrive as expected because they are incapacitated or injured.

[0009] The object of the invention is to provide an emergency notification system which solves or at least substantially ameliorates the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0010] According to the present invention, there is provided an emergency notification system comprising:

(a) a database for storing data relating to subscribers, including their attributes;

(b) a server for processing the data relating to the subscribers of the system;

(c) a mobile device for running a software application for the subscribers to access the

server;

wherein subscribers of the system are grouped together on the server by the attributes, so that in the event of an emergency, the mobile device can send a notification to the server to notify subscribers within a group of an emergency.

[0011] Preferably, the subscribers are able to notify other subscribers of their safety during the emergency. The software application may be adapted to send subscriber data to the server in the event of an emergency notification. The data may include the nature of the emergency, its location and the identity details of the subscriber.

[0012] The system is preferably adapted to monitor subscribers within a group. The monitoring may be performed by a mobile electronic monitor adapted to interface with the system. The attributes which may be monitored by the electronic monitor include temperature, sound, location, altitude, bearing, and/or blood alcohol level.

[0013] In a preferred form of the invention, the server is adapted to notify subscribers within a group in a language designated by the subscriber.

[0014] It is also preferred that the server is adapted to send the software application data to assist in the emergency. The data may includes first aid information, information on how to extinguish certain types of fires, floor plans of buildings designating the nearest exit, or other types of safety information. [0015] The attributes which may be used to group subscribers of the system may include a geographic boundary, nationality or language.

[0016] In some forms of the invention, the emergency system may include the ability for subscribers to use their mobile device as a keyless entry system, which is administered via the server of the system. The keyless entry system may near field communication devices within mobile devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the system according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is a representation of a login interface of an application running on a mobile device which is accessing the system of figure 1.

[0020] Figure 3 is a representation of a profile interface of the application.

[0021] Figure 4 is a representation of a homepage interface of the application.

[0022] Figure 5 is a representation of a create group interface of the application.

[0023] Figure 6 is a representation of a workgroup interface of the application.

[0024] Figure 7 is a representation of a fire severity level interface of the application.

[0025] Figure 8 is a representation of an incident report interface which can be completed by a user of the application.

[0026] Figure 9 is representation of the incident report issued by a user of the application to an administrator of the system.

[0027] Figure 10 is a representation of an alert message interface which includes set of instructions issued by the application in the event of an emergency. The interface includes a facility to allow a user to designate that they are safe.

[0028] Figure 11 is a representation of some members of a group who are affected by an emergency, including details of whether they have designated that they are safe or not. [0029] Figure 12 is a representation of a bar chart showing members of a group which are missing, off-site or safe following an emergency alert issued by the application.

[0030] Figure 13 is a representation of the details of a missing person who has not designated that they are safe following an emergency alert.

[0031] Figure 14 is a representation of an emergency message issued by an administrator of the system to the missing person.

[0032] Figure 15 is representation of a map to navigate a user of the system using GPS to an exit during an emergency.

[0033] Figures 16 is a representation of an interface of the application which allows user to designate the type of emergency.

[0034] Figure 17 is a representation of an interface of the application which provides the user with information to respond to the emergency.

[0035] Figure 18 is representation of a fire extinguisher which has sensors that interface with the application to advise users whether the fire extinguisher is available in the event of an emergency.

[0036] Figure 19 is a representation of an interface which displays information to a user in the event of a medical emergency, including video footage displaying the correct use of a defibrillator on a person who has experienced a heart attack.

[0037] Figure 20 is a representation of an interface of the application which allows the user to track their location for alert messages to third parties in the event that a timer facility is not deactivated by the user due to an emergency such as an injury or an attack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a system 10 according to the present invention. The system 10 comprises a server 12 which includes a database 14 for storing profiles relating to each subscriber 16. The subscribers 16 access the system 10 using a mobile device 18 running a software application 20 (described below).

[0039] In the embodiment of the invention shown in figure 1, subscribers 16 are grouped together by location, for example: a work group 22 representing subscribers within a particular office building or site; a hotel group 24 representing subscribers within a hotel building; and a travel group 26 representing subscribers within a particular country. An administrator 28 of the work group 22 could be an office manager, an administrator 30 the hotel group 24 could be a hotel manager and an administrator 32 of the travel group 26 could be a representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The administrator of any of these groups could also include a number of key personnel. The administrator can also view the profile information of any particular subscriber within their group. If any of the subscribers within a group notify the system of an emergency, the system distributes a notification to all of the others subscribers within the group. The system also notifies the administrator of the group.

[0040] Figure 2 shows a login interface 34 of the software application 20 running on the mobile device 18 which is accessing the system 10. The login interface 34 contains fields 36 for a subscriber to insert their username and password to log into an existing account, or sign up for a new account.

[0041] Figure 3 shows a profile interface 40 for the subscriber 16 to enter their details into the system 10. The details include a next of kin who will be notified in the event of an emergency. The software application 20 also allows the user to take a picture of themselves using the camera on the mobile device 18.

[0042] Figure 4 shows a homepage interface 38 which displays groups which are accessible by the subscriber 16. For example, the subscriber 16 can access the work group 22 by selecting the work icon 40, the hotel group 24 by selecting the hotel icon 42, or the travel group 26 by selecting the travel icon 44. The subscriber 16 may also belong to a personal group 46, which may include family members or friends. The emergency contacts for the work group are displayed at the bottom of the homepage interface 38 and include a fire brigade icon 52, a security icon 54, a police icon 56, an ambulance icon 58 and phone icon 60. The settings in the profile interface 38 can be accessed using the profile icon 62. Further groups can be added to the subscriber's account 16 by selecting the add group icon 64. The subscriber 16 can create an entirely new group (such as Australians visiting a particular overseas country, or the workplace of a new employer) by selecting the create group icon 66.

[0043] Figure 5 shows a new group interface 68 which allows the subscriber 16 to create a new a group. The interface 68 can allow the subscriber 16 to issue electronic invitations via text or email to new members of the group. The invitations contain a link which allows a new member to either download the software application 20 or automatically interfaces with the application running on their mobile phone to add the member to the group. [0044] By selecting the members icon 70 on the homepage interface 38, the subscriber 16 is taken to the workgroup interface 72 shown in figure 6. The workgroup interface 72 shows the members of the work group. If the subscriber 16 is an administrator of the group then he/she has the ability to delete members of the group via a cross icon 74 shown on the work group interface 72.

[0045] A subscriber 16 may wish to issue an emergency notification to only those subscribers within the work group 22, for instance. The subscriber 16 can issue the emergency notification in relation to a fire by selecting the work icon 40 and then the fire brigade icon 52. The subscriber 16 is then taken to the fire brigade interface 76 shown in figure 7, which allows the subscriber 16 to designate the severity level of the fire. Once the severity level has been designated, the subscriber 16 is taken to the fire reporting interface 78 shown in figure 8. The interface 78 allows the subscriber 16 to take footage or pictures of the fire (using the footage icon 80) and upload them to the database 14 (using the upload icon 82). Details of the fire incident can be added by the subscriber 16 using the application 20. A report of the incident can then be sent to the administrators of the group using the email icon 84. The fire brigade can also be called directly by pressing the icon 86 which has the local fire brigade number stored within database 14. The contact details of the administrators of the group can also be accessed via the administrator icon 88, which may include the contact details of one or more fire wardens or company managers, for example.

[0046] The administrator receives the fire incident report 90 shown in figure 9. The report 90 shows a photograph of the person who issued the report, photographs/footage of the fire and details of the incident. The administrator can then choose to issue an alert to everybody in the group by selecting the alert icon 92. The administrator can also call the fire brigade by selecting the fire brigade icon 94. The administrator can also contact the person who issued the report by selecting the call icon 96 on the report 90.

[0047] If the administrator issues the alert to everyone in the group, the members of the group receive the alert message 92 shown in figure 10. The message 92 overrides any other applications which may be open on the mobile phone 18 of the subscriber 16. The message 92 provides instructions to the member to evacuate the area, assemble at a designated muster point and then hit the accounted icon 94 to declare their safety. The message also issues a loud siren to get the attention of the recipient and those around them, which is only deactivated once the accounted icon 94 has been selected by the group member. If the member of the group has been incapacitated by smoke during a fire, the presence of the siren can assist firemen to find the incapacitated member. The recipient can select the map icon 96 which displays a map 97 (shown in figure 15) to navigate the person to the nearest exit using GPS. The map 97 can be enlarged by rotating the mobile phone 18 so that the map 97 is displayed in landscape format and the map 97 can be re-sized using the pinch-zoom facility available on many touch screen devices.

[0048] The alert message is issued in the language designated by the subscriber 16 in the profile interface 40 of figure 4. If the message is not delivered in a language understood by the recipient, they may not respond to the alert which may put their lives in jeopardy. This feature of the invention may be particularly important if the system 10 is utilised by a hotel operator which may have patrons from all over the world speaking many different languages. In that scenario, the hotel patrons are often unfamiliar with the layout of the hotel and the nearest exit from the hotel.

[0049] If a member of the group evacuates the building but neglects to take their mobile phone with them, another member of the group can hit the accounted icon 94 on their behalf by selecting the accountability icon 98. This takes the member to the accountability interface 100 shown in figure 11. The accountability interface 100 designates which members of the group have already declared themselves to be safe following the alert regarding the emergency.

Members of the group which have not yet declared their safety have a question mark icon 102 next to their picture. By selecting the icon 102, another of the group can declare the safety of another person on their behalf.

[0050] By selecting the group icon 104 on figure 11, the subscriber 16 is taken to the accountability statistics interface 106. The interface 26 displays the responses of all members of the group affected by the emergency in real time. Those members of the group which have already declared that they are safe are represented in a safe column 108. Those members of the group which are yet to declare their safety are represented in the unaccounted column 110. Those members of the group which are not at the location in which the emergency occurred are listed in the off-site column 112. The pictorial representation of the members provides administrators (including fire warden) with a ready means of establishing the safety of all people in their group during the emergency. This feature of the invention alleviates the need to conduct a roll call which may not always be possible in an emergency situation, such as during a terror attack when people tend not to congregate at a muster point and instinctively try to get as far away as possible from danger.

[0051] The administrator can inspect the lists of any of the missing, off-site or safe members the group by selecting the eye icons 114. This takes the administrator to an interface (which is not shown in the figures) that is similar to the accountability interface 100 listed in figure 11 (in that it shows pictures and details of the members which are filtered by whether they are missing, off-site or safe). The administrator can select any member of the group, including missing members who may be in danger.

[0052] Details of a missing person are displayed on the member details interface 116, shown in figure 13. During an emergency, the GPS tracking facility of the mobile phone 18 is activated so that it can display the location of the missing person on a map 118. This can assist with rescuing the missing person. The GPS tracking facility is adapted to only be activated during the event of an emergency to alleviate subscriber's privacy concerns. The details interface 116 also includes a facility to allow the administrator to call the missing person by selecting the phone icon 120, or send a message specifically to the phone of the missing person using the message icon 122. The message 124 is shown in figure 14, and involves the use of a push message which overrides all other applications presently open on the phone and is accompanied by a large siren and flashing lights, which persists until the "OK" icon 126 is selected by the missing person. The siren can help to assist rescue crews to locate a missing person who may have been incapacitated during an emergency.

[0053] Referring to figure 8, if the subscriber 16 selects the information icon 128 on the fire reporting interface 78 (see figure 8) or the fire brigade interface 76 (figure 7), then they will be taken to the information interface 130 shown in figure 16. The interface 130 provides information for a user on how to deal with any particular emergency. For example, the subscriber 16 has selected a kitchen fire involving cooking oils in figure 16 from drop down menus. The subscriber 16 is then provided with the information shown in figure 17, which includes a movie 132 (from YouTube™, or some other publicly available online source), which demonstrates the appropriate equipment and its operation to deal with the fire. The location of a fire extinguisher in the office can be shown by selecting the map icon 134. The availability of the equipment can be ascertained from the software application 20 via the tick or cross icons 136 and 138. The system 10 is adapted to ascertain whether an extinguisher 140 is available using a sensor 142 placed in a carriage 144 for the extinguisher 140 (see figure 18). In some cases, the fire extinguisher may be have been used in a previous emergency and never replaced. The presence of the extinguisher 140 could make a significant difference as to whether a fire is able to be contained during the emergency.

[0054] Figure 19 shows a medical information interface 146, which provides information in the event that the subscriber designates that the emergency involves a person who has had a heart attack using the drop down menu 148. The information interface provides a movie 150 displaying the correct use of a defibrillator, whose pre-programmed location can be ascertained within an office from the map 152. The availability of the defibrillator can be ascertained from the tick/cross icons 156 and 158. The interface 146 also provides further information regarding how to deal with the emergency by pressing the information icon 160 or calling an ambulance directly using the phone icon 162. The information imparted by the interface 146 could make the difference between life and death for a person experiencing a heart attack.

[0055] By pressing the phone icon 60 in figure 4, the subscriber 16 is taken to the tracking interface 160 shown in figure 20. The interface 160 includes a track mode icon 162 which allows the user to track their movements across a map 162. The interface 160 includes a timer 164 which allows third parties 166 to be notified if the subscriber 16 does not deactivate an alarm set on the timer 164 before its expiry. For example, if the subscriber 16 wishes to go for a bush walk which is planned to take five hours, then they can use the tracking interface 160 to issue an emergency notification to the third parties 166 if the alarm is not deactivated before the timer expires. If the timer is not manually deactivated then it can be assumed that the subscriber 16 has been incapacitated, which creates an emergency. Emergency crews can then be directed to the location of the incapacitated subscriber 16 as designated on the map 162. The distance of the mobile phone 18 from each mobile phone of each third party is also specified on the tracking interface 160. Any of the third parties can be called directly via the phone icons shown on the tracking interface 160. If the subscriber 16 is injured or fears for their safety for some other reason (e.g. an approaching assailant), then they can alert the third parties 166 using the alert message icon 168. The tracking interface 160 is adapted to run in the background once activated, so that exiting the software application 20 on the mobile phone 18 will not deactivate the timer 164.

[0056] In some embodiments of the invention, the mobile device 18 may be a mobile telephone or tablet. In other embodiment of the invention, the mobile device could be a custom made access device. The access device would have a graphical user interface and could also function as an electronic keyless entry system to access building relating to any particular group in the system. The administrator of the system could activate or deactivate the key functions on the mobile device at any time, to enable or restrict access for a subscriber to any particular location. The keyless entry system could use near field communication facilities available in many mobile phones. [0057] In other embodiments of the invention, an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) can be used in conjunction with the software application, so that a subscriber can send an emergency notification to one or more authorities (such as a surf live savers or water police). The EPIRB can be fitted into a bracelet which can be worn by the subscriber, wherein the bracelet contains a button for emergency notifications. In other embodiments of the invention, the bracelet can be worn by children who can send emergency notifications to parents. In that event, the software notification can designate the exact location of the bracelet (using GPS) and the time at which the emergency notification was issued by the child.

[0058] In other embodiments of the invention, the software application 20 could include interfaces which provide induction information to members to ensure that they are aware of safety procedures to avoid emergencies. The induction interfaces could also include tick box facilities to allow subscribers to designate that they have read and complied with each aspect of the induction information. The induction process could facilitate effective responses to emergencies by the subscribers. The software application 20 of the present invention can be useful in industry for reducing injury and loss of life for users of the system, and expediting assessments of insurance claims if the need arises by precisely recording the facts of an emergency as it occurs.

[0059] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word 'comprising' and its derivatives including 'comprises' and 'comprise' include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

[0060] Reference throughout this specification to 'one embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

[0061] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any)

appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.