Apple Files For An Emergency Detection System for Connected Devices!
On September 9th, 2015, Apple Inc. filed a patent application [Application 20,160,071,392] with the USPTO for a system for “Care Event Detection and Alerts.” This application was published on the USPTO database on March 10th, 2016. Invented by Martha E. Hankey and James Foster of Cupertino, California, this system will provide a user with alerts regarding a care event. Assuming this patent from Apple will be implemented in their Apple Watch and iPhone technology, the devices will have the capabilities to detect medical emergencies and notify emergency services on behalf of the user.
The proposed technology claims to be able to detect a number of emergencies including, but not limited to “a car crash, a bike accident, a medical emergency such as a heart attack or an aneurysm, separation of a child from the child’s caregiver, a dementia patient becoming lost, an avalanche, a fall, a mugging, a fire, and/or any other event for which a user may require medical, police, family, fire rescue, and/or other kind of assistance.” During an emergency, the sensors in the Apple Watch, or whichever wearable Apple decides integrates this system into, will detect the emergency according to “environmental data and/or user data.” Upon detection, the wearable device will communicate with another electronic device in “monitoring, detecting, and/or transmitting” data to the proper authorities. A location-based service may be offered with the utilization of a device’s global positioning system (GPS).
An interconnected network of medical devices communicating with each other provides an opportunity for faster emergency response
Even with wearable medical technology becoming more innovative, popular, and common among the health conscious, not every device has the ability to be integrated into a standardized medical network. An interconnected network of medical devices communicating with each other provides an opportunity for faster emergency response, live medical status tracking, and potentially, a more affordable market for medical devices (especially if all you need is a smart device). Keep in mind this is just a patent application, so it is too early to say whether all of the features outlined in the application will be realized, or if the technology will be developed at all. Until that news, Bold IP will look forward to potentially seeing this technology implemented in the next few OS updates.
Author: Dan Truong, Legal Assistant & Researcher, Bold IP
Editor: J.D. Houvener, Patent Attorney and Founder of Bold IP