Managing a potential choking condition with a monitoring system

1. A method for managing a potential choking condition with a monitoring system comprising:

monitoring by the monitoring system by detecting relative positions of a set of emitters disposed along an object, wherein a choking condition is indicated by the set of emitters being on close proximity to a neck portion of a body and arranged in a potentially choking configuration; and

responsive to the indicated choking condition, the monitoring system performing an action.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the action is based on a state of the monitoring system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of emitters comprises a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag; wherein the object comprises a tether with a plurality of RFID tags along the tether; and wherein the monitoring system comprises a RFID reader and a remote monitoring station.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein detecting a first tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the first RFID tag and detecting a second tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the second RFID tag generates the determination of the choking condition.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the choking condition is characterized based on a distance along the tether between the first tether RFID tag and the second tether RFID tag.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the tether further comprises a tensioner on the tether, and the action is selected from a list consisting of releasing the tensioner, tightening the tensioner, sounding an audible alarm, and not sounding the audible alarm.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of emitters comprises a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag;

wherein the object comprises a tether with a plurality of RFID tags along the tether and wherein the tether further comprises a tensioner on the tether;

wherein the monitoring system comprises a RFID reader and a remote monitoring station;

wherein detecting a first tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the first RFID tag and detecting a second tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the second RFID tag generates the indicated choking condition;

wherein the choking condition is characterized based on a distance along the tether between the first tether RFID tag and the second tether RFID tag; and

wherein the action is based on a state of the monitoring system and the action is selected from a list consisting of releasing the tensioner, tightening the tensioner, sounding an audible alarm, and not sounding the audible alarm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of emitters comprises a first luminescent area and a second luminescent area; wherein the object comprises a luminescent tether; and wherein the monitoring system comprises a photosensitive detector and a remote monitoring station.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein detecting the luminescent tether in close proximity to the first luminescent area and detecting the luminescent tether in close proximity to the second luminescent area generates the indicated choking condition.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of emitters comprises at least one RFID reader positioned around the neck portion of the body; wherein the object comprises a tether with a plurality of RFID tags along the tether; and

wherein the monitoring system comprises a RFID reader and a remote monitoring station.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein detecting at least one of the plurality of RFIDS in an undesirable location generates the indicated choking condition.

12. A computer usable program product comprising a computer usable storage medium including computer usable code for managing a potential choking condition by a monitoring system, the computer usable program product comprising code for performing the steps of:

monitoring by the monitoring system by detecting relative positions of a set of emitters disposed along an object, wherein a choking condition is indicated by the set of emitters being on close proximity to a neck portion of a body and arranged in a potentially choking configuration; and

responsive to the indicated choking condition, the monitoring system performing an action.

13. The computer usable program product of claim 12 wherein the set of emitters comprises a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag; wherein the object comprises a tether with a plurality of RFID tags along the tether; and wherein the monitoring system comprises a RFID reader and a remote monitoring station.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 13 wherein detecting a first tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the first RFID tag and detecting a second tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the second RFID tag generates the indicated choking condition.

15. The computer usable program product of claim 14 wherein the choking condition is characterized based on a distance along the tether between the first tether RFID tag and the second tether RFID tag.

16. A data processing system for managing a potential choking condition, the data processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions which when executed by the processor execute the steps of:

monitoring by the monitoring system by detecting relative positions of a set of emitters disposed along an object, wherein a choking condition is indicated by the set of emitters being on close proximity to a neck portion of a body and arranged in a potentially choking configuration; and

responsive to the indicated choking condition, performing an action.

17. The data processing system of claim 16 wherein the set of emitters comprises a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag; wherein the object comprises a tether with a plurality of RFID tags along the tether; and further comprising a monitoring system comprises a RFID reader and a remote monitoring station.

18. The data processing system of claim 17 wherein detecting a first tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the first RFID tag and detecting a second tether RFID of the plurality of RFID tags in close proximity to the second RFID tag generates the indicated choking condition.

19. The data processing system of claim 18 wherein the choking condition is characterized based on a distance along the tether between the first tether RFID tag and the second tether RFID tag.

20. The data processing system of claim 17 wherein the tether further comprises a tensioner on the tether, and the action is selected from a list consisting of releasing the tensioner, tightening the tensioner, sounding an audible alarm, and not sounding the audible alarm.