The United States (U.S.) Patent and Trademark Office passed an Apple Inc. invention that would detect an attack on the device's owner.

Titled "Mobile Emergency Attack and Failsafe Detection," the Apple patent detailed how a mobile communication device can be placed into an "attack detection mode." While in the aforementioned mode, the device can mobilize assistance automatically based on certain events.

"For example, while the device is in attack detection mode, if the device's user ceases to interact with the device, then the device can automatically place a telephone call to emergency services (e.g., by calling 911)," noted the Apple patent, No. 20140066000.

Apple also provided a second example if the device is on attack detection mode such as if the gadget detects a "sudden shock." In such occurrences of a sudden shock, the device can also summon a telephone call to an emergency service. In addition to initiating an emergency phone call, the device can emit a loud alarm at its maximum volume even if the gadget's owner had originally set settings to vibrate or silent.

"While a user of a mobile device is traveling from one location to another, either by walking or by driving, that user may encounter problems. If the user is driving, then the user may become involved in an automotive accident. If the user is walking, especially in a dangerous area at night, then the user may be accosted by ill-intentioned people. If the user has medical issues, then the user may become debilitated suddenly," noted the Apple patent, acknowledging how such conditions would prove the "attack detection mode" beneficial.

The patent could be linked with the device's global positioning system (GPS) if a person's device recognizes the attack mode. With the GPS link, the usual calls to an emergency service and alarm can still occur as well as detecting the nearest phone number from the user's contact list if a person lives nearby the scene of the incident.

"In one embodiment, whenever a user of a mobile device enters a public emergency service contact number...that user's mobile device can automatically upload its current geographic location and the emergency service contact number to the central repository," explained the patent. "The central repository can then use the geographic location to build a crowd-sourced database of emergency contact numbers for all geographic regions. Most mobile device users will enter such numbers while located in the geographic region in which those numbers are valid. Based on millions of such numbers being entered and being uploaded along with geographic information, a database that maps emergency contact numbers to geographic locations can be constructed within the central repository."

The patent's inventor is credited to Robert Butler from Middletown, DE. The patent was originally submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sept. 5, 2012.

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