Inventor Touts Emergency-Alert Key Fob

Hand-held emergency-alert devices linked with home telephones now are as popular with the elderly as early bird specials.

Inventor Bob Eisenman says he is adding a new twist to the concept of summoning help with the touch of button by incorporating global positioning satellite technology with the now ubiquitous key fob.

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Eisenman’s neck was broken in an accident in 2000, sparking the idea for a device he’s now shopping to auto makers and suppliers.

“I was really in trouble and needed help,” he recalls. “I had the key fob to my car in my hand but had no way of reaching an operator.”

His wife eventually came to his rescue and he subsequently recovered, but his dilemma launched a mission to mate an ordinary auto key fob with a built-in GPS device.

Eisenman, a part-time gold and silver trader who personally financed a portion of the key fob’s development by selling his car collection, says he has stirred serious interest at a major automotive supplier and at least one auto maker.

Branded “SafeKey” the GPS-powered fob is designed to help the elderly, protect against carjacking, and get medical assistance or roadside help, Eisenman says.

A transceiver, SafeKey in its basic form acts as what Eisenman describes as “an emergency locating device,” alerting local officials someone needs help and when the call is logged.

It also can be configured with cell-phone capabilities, enabling a person in distress to speak with a dispatcher, hospital or other source using service center software, Eisenman says.

If the user is incapacitated, the audio “can eavesdrop on the scene” and listen to what is happening.

“There are 6,400 emergency 911 centers in the U.S., and when you press the button it will route your call to the nearest center,” he says.

Eisenman claims SafeKey has the mobility that’s lacking in General Motors’ OnStar system, which has more functions but is intrinsic to the car. “SafeKey puts safety in the palm of your hand,” he says.

The inventor formed Global Lifeline in 2003 and three years later applied for 20 U.S. patents, with 10 utility patents approved. The first prototype was completed in 2007.