The present invention relates to a classification method for people in case of a disaster and particularly to a method for classification of people that may be in need in case of a disaster using cellphone connections.

1. Technical Background

After a disaster strikes it can be very difficult to get in contact with every single relative and friend in a certain area, especially when the number of friends and relatives potentially harmed is very large. The following method, which can be embedded in a computer or smart phone application, solves said problem.

2. Brief Description of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention is provided as claimed in the appended independent claims.

Accordingly, in a first preferred embodiment, a method for classifying cell phone users after a disaster using cellphone connections is provided, the method comprising forming a database on a server containing cell phone contact information of cell phone users to be classified. Once a cell phone connection to the cell phone of a supervised person is lost and reestablished again, determining that the disaster peak is over and requesting feedback information from the cell phone users. Then, the method further comprises storing a marker related to said feedback information on a server if the feedback is provided by the cell phone user. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the feedback is transmitted via short message service or a mobile data communication protocol.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming a database further comprises requesting a confirmation of each cell phone user to be classified in case of disaster.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the stored marker contains at least one of a timestamp, the cell phone's location or information related to the cell phone user's status.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises entering a time by a user and checking if one or more cell phone users provided a feedback after said time.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises providing a list of cell phone users which cell phone connection was lost and reestablished but which did not provide the feedback information.

In a second, third and fourth preferred embodiment, a method to classify people to be in need, e.g. after a disaster, using cellphone connections is provided, comprising using a database in which a group of friends and relatives enters standard cell phone numbers and every person opting in to be supervised by the relatives or friends by means of which it can be checked if after a certain point in time a person logged out and on again in the cell phone connection or performed any movement with the smartphone or performed any manual function of the smartphone, the lack of which showing that the person ^' s wellbeing might be endangered.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable medium having computer- executable instructions stored on it to cause a computer system to perform the method according to one of the preceding embodiments. 3. Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart showing of a method for classifying cell phone users after a disaster using cellphone connections according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4. Detailed Description of the Invention

In the first step, a group of friends and relatives, for example a social emergency network, is formed by using standard cell phone numbers and entering them into a database. Every person named in the database may opt for being supervised by the relatives or friends in the circle; if not, the name is removed from the database.

Once disaster strikes now, it is common that for a short period of time telephone connections, in particular cell phone connections, are disabled. Once cell phone connections are reestablished, able cell phones log into the cellular system again; this can be helped by the cell phone logging out and logging on once it is clear that the disaster peak is over. However this in itself shows only that the cell phone is working and able to reconnect to the cell phone system. Thus the other user can and must click on a preset switch or perform any other active handling of the cell phone showing that he or she is alive and well, in particular by logging out and on once it is clear that the disaster peak is over. At least time of this action is stored on a remote server.

A person interested in the well-being of his friends and relatives in the database may now enter a time (date, hours and minutes). If for a person the database has stored any action after the time given by the person checking the list, the name and number is removed from the "unclear" list. Using this, only the numbers of those relatives and friends remain displayed who have either not re-established connection or never logged out of the system. The latter can be called; if the person answers the call, then the person can be removed from the "unclear" list.

If no connection can be established or a call sign can be affected, but the receiver does not answer, it can be followed that more research is required, as the other person's situation is "unclear". In this case a status update can be requested with time and coordinates of the last GPRS cell connection and/or - if known and stored - GPS signal, facilitating search efforts.

If this method is combined with the methods described in WO 2004/084721 A2 and/or in particular EP 1 679 672 it can be implemented on a positive ON - negative ON basis and include vital information about the bearer of the apparatus combining the methods.