WO2010096632A1 - Portable device with distributed messaging capability - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, apparati, and computer-readable media for sending messages from a portable device (100). In a method embodiment, the portable device (100) performs the following tasks: gathering sensory data from at least one sensor (110) coupled to the portable device (100); processing sensory data; determining presence of a messaging event based upon results of the processing step; and when a messaging event is present, sending at least one message using at least one communications protocol to a plurality of receiving entities (190) over at least one communications channel (150) available to the portable device (100).

Description

Description PORTABLE DEVICE WITH DISTRIBUTED MESSAGING CAPABILITY

Inventor : Frantz Lohier Related Applications

This patent application claims the benefit of the following three commonly owned U.S. provisional patent applications: serial no. 61/154,406 filed February 22, 2009 entitled "Portable and Automated Crash Detection System with Decentralized Signaling and Assist Networks"; serial no. 61/162,258 filed March 21, 2009 entitled "Methods for Energy Efficient and Ergonomic Signaling of Emergency Situation for Portable Emergency Devices"; and serial no. 61/243,023 filed September 16, 2009 entitled "Method for Establishing Communication Links Based on Motion Patterns", all three of which provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into the present patent application .

Technical Field

This invention relates to monitoring and notification by portable devices, and, more particularly, to portable devices capable of detecting human crashes or falls, and reporting such events.

Background Art

Crash detection and signaling mechanisms have been deployed in some industries such as automotive and health care, and typically consist of dedicated sensors paired with communications protocols attached to a vehicle or human. When an emergency event is triggered or detected, such devices communicate with a centralized monitoring terminal used to dispatch appropriate help.

The present invention extends beyond the prior art by using an inexpensive portable device to robustly report the existence and context of emergency and other situations to an arbitrarily large number of receiving entities, each able to dispatch proper assistance to a user of the portable device, to directly assist, or otherwise to respond.

Disclosure of Invention

Methods, apparati, and computer-readable media for sending messages from a portable device (100) . In a method embodiment, the portable device (100) performs the following tasks: gathering sensory data from at least one sensor (110) coupled to the portable device (100); processing sensory data; determining presence of a messaging event based upon results of the processing step; and when a messaging event is present, sending at least one message using at least one communications protocol to a plurality of receiving entities (190) over at least one communications channel (150) available to the portable device (100) .

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other more detailed and specific objects and features of the present invention are more fully disclosed in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of apparatus suitable for use in the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method embodiment of the present invention illustrating a power savings protocol; and

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method embodiment of the present invention illustrating a power efficient way to locate portable device 100.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

In general, embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer readable media for a portable device 100 to detect and report events, such as emergency and/or health threatening situations, to a plurality of recipients 190. Device 100 can be, for example, on board a car or other moving vehicle, or on the person of a skier. Specifically, embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer readable media enabling portable device 100 to robustly report contextual information of such events using one or more communications channels 150 to an arbitrarily large number of distributed recipients 190. Embodiments of the invention perform these reporting tasks in a way that is power efficient.

Figure 1 shows apparatus suitable for use in the present invention. Portable device 100 can comprise a telephone, computer, personal digital assistant, and/or radio. In one embodiment, an emergency list 130 of contacts is stored in device 100 in a conventional storage medium such as nonvolatile memory. This list 130 contains information (selected by a user of device 100 or input by a third party) pertaining to receiving entities 190 to be contacted in case a messaging event is triggered or detected by device 100. Such contact information can include phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Internet Protocol addresses, and any other identification or addressing means. In one embodiment, list 130 is populated by a user of device 100, either by entering data through a keyboard, touchscreen, or other means associated with device 100; or remotely via a separate device. In another embodiment, list 130 is populated by a third party, e.g., remotely via a separate device.

A central processing unit (CPU) 140 associated with device 100 and having access to list 130 interacts with one or more sensory and/or communications peripherals 110, 160. In one embodiment of the invention, multiple input sensors 110 (such as accelerometer (s) 111, gyroscope (s) 112, audio and/or video capture means 113 (such as a microphone and/or camera) , altimeter 114, temperature gauge, means for measuring physical attributes of a user of device 100, and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) or other locator device 115) are embedded in or coupled to device 100. In an embodiment, one or more output means 160, such as speaker 161 and/or vibrator 162, are also used by device 100 to report the progress of notifications, and to allow a user of device 100 to alter the method flow.

In an embodiment, one or more communications channels 150 are used to send messages to receiving entities 190 and to connect with sensors 110 and/or peripherals 160, to capture and report external data.

Each communications channel 150 can use one or more communications protocols, to convey messages to receiving entities 190. More than one communications protocol can be used at any given time. In one embodiment, all the communications channels 150 available to device 100 are used. The recipients 190 of the messages can be contacted sequentially or simultaneously.

The set of communications protocols comprises 3G, any protocol used by a cellular telephone, WiFi, SMS, instant messaging, e-mail, modulation of a signal onto an electromagnetic wave, visual alarm, audible alarm, and signal to a radio transmitter 180 coupled to the portable device 100.

In an embodiment, communications channels 150 are communicatively coupled to external input/output peripherals 170, such as a microphone or speaker. In another embodiment, communications channels 150 are coupled to an external transmitter 180 (such as an amateur radio, citizens band radio, police radio, or maritime radio) having a higher power output capability than device 100, and therefore able to boost the strength of the signal (s) used to send messages to receiving entities 190.

Central processing unit 140 implements the exemplary flowchart illustrated in Figure 2. All of the steps of Figure 2 can be performed automatically by CPU 140. In an alternative embodiment, the sending of alerting messages to entities 190 is manually triggered by the user of device 100, without the intervention of CPU 140.

In the automatic embodiment, at step 210, CPU 140 gathers sensory data from sensor (s) 110. CPU 140 then processes the data at step 220. Any one or more of the sensors 110 can perform functions independently of and simultaneously with the steps of Figure 2. For example, device 100 can perform its normal functions while CPU 140 organizes the sending of emergency messages to recipients 190. This can be accomplished by partitioning CPU 140, or by using two microprocessors to perform the functions of block 140. In an embodiment, each data set (i.e., the set of data gathered from an individual sensor) is aggregated by CPU 140 over a preselected time at step 221. In one embodiment, spatial and temporal accelerometer 111 values are analyzed by CPU 140, and compared against a stored preselected threshold or range of values at step 222, to enable CPU 140 to determine if a significant enough acceleration or deceleration pattern is present to warrant the sending of an alerting message to entities 190. In another embodiment, CPU 140 analyzes aggregated data from a plurality of sensors 111 to determine if an emergency has occurred. In one embodiment, each data set is weighted, and linearly or non-linearly combined with other data sets. The aggregated score of sensory data is then compared against stored preselected thresholds or ranges by CPU 140 at step 222.

In one embodiment, these thresholds and ranges are fixed and are based on user-selected attributes, such as characteristics of a user of device 100 (e.g., weight, age, physical condition) , and/or mode of transportation of a user of device 100 (e.g., land, water, skis) . In another embodiment, these thresholds and ranges are dynamically modified over time by CPU 140, based upon ambient conditions of the transportation path as reported by sensors 110. Non- limiting examples of "transportation path" include fluctuation of speed, altitude, and recent motion to which device 100 has been subjected.

When CPU 140 determines at step 230, based upon the aforementioned criteria, that an alerting event is present, device 100 sends one or more messages to receiving entities 190 over communications channels 150, at step 260. If CPU 140 determines that no alerting event is present, no message (alarm) is sent (step 240), and the method terminates. In an embodiment, at processing step 220, CPU 140 can decide to send a particular message to just a preselected subset of the receiving entities 190, based upon preselected criteria .

In one embodiment, a user of device 100 is offered the opportunity to cancel a pending message after CPU 140 has determined that an alerting event is present. In this embodiment, a preliminary determination of an alerting event is reported to the user via speaker 161, vibrator 162, or visual signal on display 163. The user is then given a preselected amount of time to cancel the sending of alerting messages to entities 190. The user performs this cancellation by activating alert canceling mechanism 125, e.g., a button or switch.

In one embodiment, the messages contain contextual information about the scene surrounding device 100, as a way to enable a recipient 190 to be able to make a better-informed decision as to whether to relay the message to a third party or to remotely assist the user directly. Non-limiting examples of such contextual information include geographical location of device 100, motion profile of device 100 over time, linear velocity of device 100, angular velocity of device 100, linear acceleration of device 100, angular acceleration of device 100, temperature, audio, video, photograph (s) , and physical attribute (s) of a user of device 100.

In another embodiment, the message is an audio and/or video stream that permits establishing a real-time voice and/or visual link between a user of device 100 and one or more receiving entities 190. In another embodiment, device 100 detects when a message has been sent to an entity 190 that has a voice answering machine .

In another embodiment, device 100 automatically sends an alerting message to a third party that sends a communication to device 100.

In another embodiment, a user of the portable device 100 manually overrides automatic execution of the sending of alerting messages, and sends and/or cancels messages manually.

In one embodiment, recipients 190 may decide to share the content of the message with a third party, in which case the sharing recipient 190 can establish a conference call with a user of the device 100, the third party, and the sharing recipient 190.

Such broadcasting and relaying of contextual information constitutes a virtual assist network.

The functions performed by CPU 140 can be implemented in any combination of hardware, firmware, and software. In the case of software, the data structures and code are typically stored on at least one computer-readable medium, such as volatile memory, non-volatile memory, optical storage, or other medium capable of storing computer-readable data. A copy of the code and/or data structures can also be stored remotely from device 100, i.e., in a remote computer, for backup and/or retrieval purposes.

In one embodiment, a power savings protocol 250 is executed by CPU 140 in conjunction with one or more of the steps of data gathering 210, analysis 220, and reporting 260. Device 100 is powered by a power source 199, e.g., a battery or solar panel, which provides electrical power to CPU 140, sensors 110, and peripherals 160, and optionally provides power to list 130, channels 150, and peripherals 170. The power savings protocol 250 selectively enables/disables (or increases or decreases) power applied to sensors 110, peripherals 160, 170, 180, and/or communications channels 150, depending on the status of the message reporting process, the content of the messages, and/or external factors, such as lack of a response from a preselected receiving entity 190, availability of a sensor 110, and/or availability of a communications channel 150.

A detailed embodiment of our invention showing power savings features is depicted in Figure 3.

In order to detect if an acceleration or deceleration has been applied to device 100, accelerometer sensor 111 is first periodically sampled by CPU 140 at step 301. A preselected time delay 302 is applied between each sampling. In one embodiment, acceleration is measured along multiple axes. In another embodiment, the spatial configuration of device 100 is also sampled using a multi-axis gyroscope 112.

In one embodiment, the delay 302 between each sampling is altered as a function of time, based on the power source 199 level .

Other sensors 110 may also be sampled. In one embodiment, such spatial and temporal sampling of one or a plurality of sensors 110 is aggregated by CPU 140. In one embodiment, this aggregation is performed using a weighted linear combination of the sampled values, allowing an overall score to be produced.

At step 303, CPU 140 compares the generated score versus threshold TO, which may be a single value, a range, or attributes of a pattern (i.e., a plurality of values) . In an embodiment, TO is dynamically adjusted over time, based on statistical characteristics of the sampled sensory values. In another embodiment, TO and the weights used for the combination are modified, based on external factors such as those sensed by the sensory peripherals 110, 170. In one embodiment, TO is a function of the linear velocity of device 100, typically measured using localization/GPS sensor 115.

If the acceleration or other pattern matches TO, the location of device 100 is captured by CPU 140 at step 304. If the acceleration or other pattern doesn't match TO, sampling of sensor 110 data continues at step 305. In one embodiment, the geographical location of device 100 is periodically captured at step 305 as a way to constantly maintain a recent snapshot of device 100 location. In another embodiment, the peripherals 110, 160 connected to central processing unit 140 are selectively reconfigured to optimize the drain on power source 199, at step 306. This step includes comparing the power source 199 level against a preselected threshold T4. Said reconfiguration of the capture and/or rendering sensors 110, 160 includes enabling/disabling such peripherals 110, 160, or rebalancing the tradeoff between the functionally/ performance of such peripherals 110, 160 with their power consumption profile.

Steps 301-306 preferably work in the background, enabling a user of device 100 to conduct normal operations simultaneously with the detection of emergency events. This multitasking can be accomplished by partitioning CPU 140, or by providing two microprocessors to perform the functions of block 140.

In one embodiment of the invention, alerting events are not automatically detected by CPU 140 at steps 301, 302, 303, but rather are reported to a user of device 100 via the device's user interface. In one embodiment, such a user interface includes one or more dedicated navigation peripherals, such as a display 163, button, touch screen, or voice based control; or by a specific preselected motion pattern of device 100 known to CPU 140.

In one embodiment, should a pending message be ready to be sent to receiving entities 190 after condition TO is satisfied at step 308, the message is first announced to a user of device 100 to be in a "pending" state, as a way to offer said user the opportunity to cancel sending of the message. In one embodiment, at step 309 a preliminary warning is announced using sensors such as speaker 161, vibrator 162, display 163, or other user interface means. At step 311, the user is prompted to confirm the sending of the message. In one embodiment, a countdown is voiced through speaker 161 as a way for the user to understand how much time is left prior to the sending of a message.

In one embodiment of the invention, at step 310, concurrent with this countdown phase, audio and/or video is recorded by sensor 113 for a preselected time of T5 seconds, until step 316 is reached.

The user may elect to cancel the sending of the message at step 312. At any point of the message sending steps, the user can manually cancel the sending of a message via an interrupt, at step 300, in which case the method resumes at step 301.

In the advent that a pending message is not cancelled, the method proceeds with the sending of one or multiple messages using communications channels 150. At step 313, CPU 140 first confirms that a channel 150 is available and that a preselected power charge level of T7 is exceeded. If true, at step 314 CPU 140 determines whether this is the first time a message is being sent. If true, at step 315 CPU 140 causes the task of sending one or a plurality of messages to a predetermined list of recipients 190 using possibly different communications protocols. Such communications protocols can include SMS and voice telephony protocols (for example, 3G or any other cellular telephone protocol) . In one embodiment, all receiving entities 190 are reached via a single message. In another embodiment, receiving entities 190 are each sequentially contacted via communications channels 150 and provided with alerting messages containing information about the alert.

In one embodiment of the invention, the message sent contains a set of information about the context of the alert, as captured by the various sensors 110. This can include time, geographical location, motion profile, temperature, and/or altitude. This may also include the ambient audio or video whose recording was triggered and buffered in step 310. In one embodiment of the invention, the message may also contain information about the user, such as his or her health status .

In one embodiment of the invention, if a voice mailbox of a receiving entity 190 is reached during the message notification process (as identified via a typical tone emitted) , the corresponding communications channel 150 is automatically disconnected after the message's delivery. In one embodiment, when a voice protocol is established with the receiving entities 190, a hand-free mode is enabled at step 315, using speaker 161 or another audio rendering peripheral 160 to communicate with the user of device 100. This mode of operation allows an impaired user to be orally connected with receiving entities 190 without the need for any physical interaction between the user and device 100.

Once a message has been sent, at step 316 CPU 140 implements a preselected delay of time T6 until the message is sent again. In an embodiment, a confirmation of receipt for the message is processed by CPU 140 as a way to alter the amount of T6 delay, e.g., if a recipient 190 is confirmed to have received a message, it is not as imperative to send a follow-up message soon, and T6 can be safely increased.

In one embodiment, incoming communication requests to device 100 (such as incoming phone calls) are intercepted by CPU 140, and used to inject an alerting message to the sender of the incoming call, such as the voicing of a pre-recorded message or the voicing of the data contained in an alerting message .

Step 317 is reached when a message is resent after delay T6, or when a communications channel 150 isn't available at the time of a first attempt to send a message. In this case, CPU 140 first considers if the power level of the device's power source 199 is sufficient to resubmit the message. If true, the method goes back to step 313 after some preselected delay that is imported at step 318. If not, the device's geographical location is re-sampled at step 319, and the environment is re-captured from an audio/video perspective at step 320, as in step 310. Similar to step 315, at step 321 CPU 140 attempts to resend the message. In one embodiment, depending on the state of the communications channels 150, the composition of the set of receiving entities 190 may be altered to include an emergency service number for a given country, state or region. In one embodiment, this number is automatically selected based on the current geographical location of device 100. In an embodiment, this alternate behavior is triggered after a preselected delay has expired and/or after a number of non-successful attempts to connect (for instance, via voice protocol) with receiving entities 190.

In an embodiment, after a successful connection to a receiving entity 190 is established, device 100 remains active as a way to facilitate potential incoming connection requests, at step 322. In one embodiment, if multiple incoming connection requests (such as those based on a voice protocol) are concurrently received by device 100, the incoming signals are multiplexed, as a way, for example, to automate a multiparty conference call including the calling entity and device 100.

If the power source 199 level T7 is not exceeded, step 322 is bypassed. Instead, step 323 is reached when an alert is to be reported and there's no communications channel 150 available. In this case, the device 100 is configured into a sleep mode. In one embodiment, this includes CPU 140 scheduling the restarting of device 100 and peripherals 110, 160. Login credentials possibly required for the device 100 to restart can be neutralized.

Per step 324, if motion is inflicted to device 100 or if the scheduled sleep delay expires, device 100 awakes from its sleep mode, and can be entirely restarted if desired. In one embodiment, the delay between restarts is a function of the power source 199 level or ambient information; these factors may be sampled during step 324.

Step 326 comprises restarting the device 100 and its peripherals 110, 160 if the conditions of step 324 are met. If the conditions of step 324 are not met, device 100 stays in sleep mode (step 325) .

In one embodiment, if device 100' s power source 199 level is less than preselected threshold TIl, communications channels 150 are turned on-and-off (rapidly and alternatively over time), to allow receiving entities 190 or channel protocol relays to locate device 100 by using radio related characteristics, such as beaconing pulses. This notification scheme is implemented at step 327.

After device 100 is eventually restarted, at step 328 CPU 140 checks whether incoming messages were received during the sleep period. If true, such messages are locally notified/announced to a user of device 100 using appropriate peripherals 160 such as speaker 161.

General remarks regarding Figure 3 are:

• In one embodiment, the method offers different operating modes, which may alter the overall steps used in Figure 3. In one embodiment, such an operating mode is user selected. For example, a "quiet" mode is offered, resulting in no locally audible or visible feedback during the alert reporting process. This mode allows preserving the security of an end-user, which may be important for military or investigative applications. In another embodiment, information deemed confidential by the user is not reported during message sending (thus implementing a "privacy" mode) .

• In one embodiment, the method described runs in the background, allowing other applications/methods to share the central processing unit 140 and the peripherals 110, 160. • In one embodiment, if any of the integrated sensors 110 are damaged, while an external paired peripheral 170 offers similar functionality, such external peripheral 170 is automatically pressed into service instead.

The sampling of geographical location in step 304 and/or in step 319 can take advantage of the power-efficient scheme described in Figure 4, which depicts a power-efficient way to capture device 100' s geographical location using a localization sensor such as a GPS sensor 115. At step 400, CPU 140 checks the power source 199 level to determine if a new sampling is relevant in light of the power drain associated with this step. In case there has been no significant change in the observed geographical location of device 100 for a period of time T14, coupled with the level of power source 199 being less than T13, the update of the device 100 location is bypassed. Similarly, if the power source 199 level is less than T12, the location update is bypassed. Otherwise, localization sensor 115 is activated by CPU 140 at step 410.

If a geographical location was already successfully obtained in the not too distant past, the channel configuration is reused in step 420. For the GPS communication protocol, this includes re-using the reference satellites used to triangulate device 100' s position. If reusing such prior information is not possible, the channel is reconfigured. If the channel is reconfigured, at step 430 CPU 140 captures the geographical position of device 100, after which the localization sensor 155 is possibly disabled based on the level of power source 199, in step 440.

The above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments, and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims. From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would yet be encompassed by the spirit and scope of the prevent invention.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A method for sending messages from a portable device, said method comprising the portable device performing the following tasks: gathering sensory data from at least one sensor coupled to the portable device; processing sensory data; determining presence of a messaging event based upon results of the processing step; and when a messaging event is present, sending at least one message using at least one communications protocol to a plurality of receiving entities over at least one communications channel available to the portable device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending step uses at least two different communications protocols.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending step uses at least one protocol from the group of communications protocols consisting of:

3G; a protocol used by cellular telephones;

WiFi;

SMS; instant messaging; e-mail; modulation of a signal onto an electromagnetic wave; visual alarm; audible alarm; and signal to a radio transmitter coupled to the portable device .

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending step utilizes all the communications channels available to the portable device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one sensor from the group of sensors consisting of: accelerometer; gyroscope; microphone; camera; altimeter; temperature gauge; means for determining geographical location of the portable device; and means for measuring physical attributes of a user of the portable device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the portable device comprises a power source, said method further comprising the step of the portable device executing a power savings protocol; wherein: the power savings protocol selectively controls, based upon external factors, power consumption of at least one of a sensor and a communications channel.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the external factors comprise at least one factor from the group of factors consisting of: lack of a response from a preselected receiving entity; a preselected response from a receiving entity; availability of a sensor; and availability of a communications channel.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each message comprises at least one item from the group of items consisting of: geographical location of the portable device; motion profile of the portable device over time; linear velocity of the portable device; angular velocity of the portable device; linear acceleration of the portable device; angular acceleration of the portable device; temperature; audio; video; photograph; and physical attribute of a user of the portable device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step is performed by a digital computer; and the digital computer: aggregates sensory data over at least one preselected time period; and determines whether the aggregated sensory data falls within a preselected range of values corresponding to each said time period.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each range of values is selected based upon at least one parameter from the group of parameters consisting of: mode of transportation employed by a user of the portable device; and ambient conditions of a transportation path utilized by a user of the portable device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the portable device executing a deactivation procedure, wherein a user of the portable device is given an opportunity to deactivate, during a preselected time period, the sending of a message.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting when a message has been sent to a receiving entity comprising a voice answering machine.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of automatically sending a message to an entity sending a communication to the portable device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a user of the portable device manually overrides automatic execution of the method steps of claim 1, and sends and/or cancels messages manually.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one sensor performs functions simultaneously with and independently of the steps of claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a receiving entity forwards a message to a third party while simultaneously establishing a multi-party voice connection with the third party and the portable device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein a message is sent to a pre-established subset of the receiving entities, based upon results of the processing step.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the messaging event is triggered by a preselected motion pattern to which the device is subjected.

19. At least one computer readable medium containing computer program instructions for executing the following steps in conjunction with a portable device adapted to send at least one message to a plurality of receiving entities: gathering sensory data from at least one sensor coupled to the portable device; aggregating sensory data over at least one preselected time period; determining whether the aggregated sensory data falls within a preselected range of values corresponding to each said time period; and when the aggregated sensory data falls within a preselected range of values, sending at least one message to a plurality of receiving entities.

20. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein each range of values is selected based upon at least one parameter from the group of parameters consisting of: mode of transportation employed by a user of the portable device; and ambient conditions of a transportation path utilized by a user of the portable device.

21. Apparatus comprising: a portable device adapted to send at least one message using at least one communications protocol to a plurality of receiving entities over at least one communications channel available to the portable device; coupled to the portable device, at least one sensor; coupled to the at least one sensor, means for processing sensory data; coupled to the processing means, means for determining presence of a messaging event based upon results produced by the processing means; and coupled to the determining means, means for sending the at least one message.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the sending means uses at least two different communications protocols.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the sending means uses at least one protocol from the group of communications protocols consisting of:

3G; a protocol used by cellular telephones;

WiFi;

SMS; instant messaging; e-mail; modulation of a signal onto an electromagnetic wave; visual alarm; audible alarm; and signal to a radio transmitter coupled to the portable device .

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the sending means utilizes all the communications channels available to the portable device.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one sensor from the group of sensors consisting of: accelerometer; gyroscope; microphone; camera; altimeter; temperature gauge; means for determining geographical location of the portable device; and means for measuring physical attributes of a user of the portable device.

26. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising: a power source adapted to supply electrical power to the portable device; and coupled to the power source, means for executing a power savings protocol; wherein: the power savings protocol selectively controls, based upon external factors, power consumption of at least one of a sensor and a communications channel.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the external factors comprise at least one factor from the group of factors consisting of: lack of a response from a preselected receiving entity; a preselected response from a receiving entity; availability of a sensor; and availability of a communications channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein each message comprises at least one item from the group of items consisting of: geographical location of the portable device; motion profile of the portable device over time; linear velocity of the portable device; angular velocity of the portable device; linear acceleration of the portable device; angular acceleration of the portable device; temperature; audio; video; photograph; and physical attribute of a user of the portable device.

29. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the portable device comprises a digital computer adapted to: aggregate sensory data over at least one preselected time period; and determine whether the aggregated sensory data falls within a preselected range of values corresponding to each said time period.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein each range of values is selected based upon at least one parameter from the group of parameters consisting of: mode of transportation employed by a user of the portable device; and ambient conditions of a transportation path utilized by a user of the portable device.