US 6,579,231 · Granted 2003-06-17
The Wearable Health Alert That Calls for Help Before You Can
Imagine a small device you wear that constantly watches your heart rate, blood pressure, or other vital signs and automatically sends an alert to emergency responders if something goes wrong—all without you having to press a button or yell for help. This 2003 patent describes exactly that kind of personal medical guardian, complete with wireless messaging and the ability to even dispense medicine automatically.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a portable wearable unit that combines physiological monitoring sensors, onboard data processing and memory, wireless transmission capability, and optional automated chemical dispensing—all working together to detect medical emergencies and relay real-time alerts to a central station or emergency dispatch center. What's protected is the integration of these components into a single wearable system, plus the ability to store long-term health records and trigger alarms without manual intervention.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early vision of what would become the modern personal health monitoring ecosystem. Filed in 1998, it anticipated remote patient monitoring, wearable sensors, and automated emergency alerts—technologies that are now standard in smartwatches, medical alert systems, and hospital-grade continuous monitors. The inclusion of automatic drug dispensing hints at what would later become implantable insulin pumps and other smart pharmaceuticals.
Real-world use
When someone wears a modern smartwatch with fall detection or heart rhythm monitoring that automatically alerts family or emergency services, they're using technology that traces back to concepts locked down in patents like this one.
Original USPTO abstract
A portable unit worn by a subject, comprising a medical monitoring device, a data processing module with memory and transmitter for collecting, monitoring, and storing the subject's physiological data and also issuing the subject's medical alarm conditions via wireless communications network to the appropriate location for expeditious dispatch of assistance. The unit also works in conjunction with a central reporting system for long term collection and storage of the subject's physiological data. The unit may have the capability to automatically dispense chemicals that may alleviate or assist in recovery from an illness.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,579,231
- Filing date
- 1998-03-27
- Grant date
- 2003-06-17
- Assignee
- Mci Communications Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- PHIPPS ERIC T.
- CPC class
- H04M11/04
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