Real-time, crowd-sourced, geo-location based system for enhancing personal safety

Abstract

The disclosure describes a crowd-sourced, social network and geo-location based system for enhancing personal safety via users' mobile devices. The system shares information (including images, video, and/or audio) about crimes, fires, accidents and public safety-related events and their geo-locations. Users selectively receive notifications for such events in a map view based on the events' proximity to users or on whether the notification was initiated by a person in the users' social network. The system also shares users' status and geo-location information with previously identified persons or with all persons in their social network to let them know their geo-location and/or when they have reached a destination. Through the system's operation, a user can cause sending of a distress signal to pre-identified persons, groups within their social network, or others who are within a pre-established distance. Additionally, the system can send a distress signal if the user fails to check in.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for enhancing personal safety, the method comprising the steps of:
 collecting data representative of the level of personal safety at a plurality of geographical locations;   associating the data representative of the level of personal safety at each geographical location with geographical coordinate data uniquely identifying the geographical location;   receiving first input corresponding to a starting location of a route to be traveled by a person;   receiving second input corresponding to an ending location of the route to be traveled by the person; and   determining a safest route for travel by the person between the starting location and ending location based at least in part on the collected data and associated geographical coordinate data.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of collecting data representative of the level of personal safety comprises receiving data for each geographical location from persons previously present at each geographical location. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the data representative of the level of personal safety comprises data ranking the relative safety at each geographical location relative to other geographical locations. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of collecting data representative of the level of personal safety comprises receiving data pertaining to previously occurring crimes. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of collecting data representative of the level of personal safety comprises receiving data pertaining to previously occurring traffic accidents. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of collecting data representative of the level of personal safety comprises receiving data pertaining to on-going construction projects. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises a step of generating a visual representation of the safest route relative to a graphical map including the starting location, ending location, and safest route. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the method further comprises a step of displaying symbols along the safest route and relative to the graphical map identifying the respective locations of events having an effect on personal safety. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the events include previously occurring crimes. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the events include previously occurring traffic accidents. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the events include on-going construction. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises a step of producing audible turn-by-turn instructions directing the person along the safest route. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises a step of generating visual turn-by-turn instructions directing the person along the safest route. 
     
     
         34 . A method for searching a geographical area for a missing person or article, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving information defining a plurality of geographical sub-areas of a geographical area to be searched for the presence of a missing person or article;   assigning a person having a mobile device to search a particular geographical sub-area;   continually determining the geographical location of the mobile device relative to the particular geographical sub-area; and   displaying on the mobile device a map of the particular geographical sub-area and a marker on the map corresponding to the then current geographical location of the mobile device relative to the particular geographical sub-area.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
 identifying a first portion of the particular geographical sub-area already searched by the person and a second portion of the particular geographical sub-area not searched by the assigned person based at least on the then current geographical location of the mobile device, and displaying visual representations of the first and second portions on the map of the particular geographical sub-area.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of: detecting movement of the mobile device outside of the particular geographical sub-area; and
 alerting the person via the mobile device that the then current geographical location of the mobile device is outside of the particular geographical sub-area.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of alerting comprises producing an audible spoken message. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of alerting comprises producing an audible sound not corresponding to a spoken message. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of alerting comprises generating a text message. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the person comprises a first person and the particular geographical sub-area comprises a first particular geographical sub-area, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
 assigning a second person having a mobile device to search a second particular geographical sub-area;   continually determining the geographical location of the mobile device of the second person relative to the second particular geographical sub-area; and   tracking the portion of the first particular geographical sub-area searched by the first person and the portion of the second particular geographical sub-area searched by the second person.   
     
     
         41 - 56 . (canceled)