US 2,008,001,735 · Filed 2006-06-30

The Wireless Alert System That Connects You When You Need Help Most

Imagine a network of small wireless devices spread throughout your home that can detect when you've fallen or need emergency help, then automatically call for assistance. This patent describes how those devices talk to each other wirelessly and alert a monitoring center, all without needing traditional phone lines or internet.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system where wireless devices form a mesh network (meaning each device can relay signals through others) with a special sensor that detects user activity or emergencies. What's protected here is the combination of these wireless nodes working together through the mesh to communicate with a monitoring agent that can request help from third parties. Someone copying this setup—the wireless mesh architecture plus the activity-sensing capability linked to emergency response—would infringe on the patent.

Why it matters

This patent describes the technical backbone of personal emergency response systems, a growing market as aging populations and safety-conscious families seek reliable ways to call for help. The mesh network approach is clever because it doesn't rely on a single device or strong signal; multiple nodes working together mean better coverage and reliability in homes where cell or internet signals might be weak. Patents like this one protect the companies building these life-safety systems from competitors simply copying their architecture.

Real-world use

When an elderly person wears a wristband that detects a fall and their home has wireless alert devices placed in key rooms, those devices work together to send an emergency alert to a monitoring center—exactly the kind of system this patent describes.

Original USPTO abstract

A monitoring system includes one or more wireless nodes forming a wireless mesh network; a user activity sensor including a wireless mesh transceiver adapted to communicate with the one or more wireless nodes using the wireless mesh network; and a digital monitoring agent coupled to the wireless transceiver through the wireless mesh network to request assistance from a third party based on the user activity sensor.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,008,001,735
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Bao Tran
Inventor(s): TRAN BAO
CPC class: A61B5/0022

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