HELP adds privacy protections in second provisional patent filing

Maui Project Management Company filed a second U.S. provisional patent application for the Hawaiian Emergency Link Portal on Oct. 14, 2026, expanding the disaster-preparedness app’s privacy protections. The filing locks in a priority date while the company continues development, partner outreach and grant-supported build-out.

Why it matters: - HELP is positioning itself as a disaster-preparedness tool that can connect people to emergency help without exposing personal data. - The filing creates a dated priority record that can support future patent, partnership and grant efforts. - The application also reinforces HELP’s patent-pending status, but does not mean a patent has been granted.

What happened: - Maui Project Management Company, Inc. announced that a second U.S. provisional patent application for the Hawaiian Emergency Link Portal was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 14, 2026, Hawaiʻi time. - The filing was submitted through the USPTO Patent Center as Application No. 64/176,357, with Confirmation No. 6022. - The new application focuses on privacy protections in HELP.

The details: - Personal information stays encrypted on the user’s own phone. - Devices are identified in the system by coded identifiers rather than names. - The server keeps only a short-lived, latest-status record. - Emergency information is passed along and not stored. - The filing builds on HELP’s first provisional application, No. 64/169,380, filed Oct. 4, 2026. - HELP is a free disaster-preparedness app used by some Maui residents. - HELP directs nearby users to dial 911. - If a person is nonresponsive in a disaster, HELP can email the responsible agency a “HELP Hazard Alert,” which is not a 911 call. - Michelle Valentin, co-founder of Maui Project Management Company, said: “People in a disaster should never have to choose between getting help and protecting their privacy. With this filing, HELP keeps each person's information on their own phone, so families can reach help without giving up control of their personal details.”

Between the lines: - The second provisional filing gives the company a documented legal and development milestone while work continues. - The privacy language suggests HELP is being framed as an emergency app that limits stored data from the start, not as an after-the-fact privacy fix. - The announcement is also meant to create a public paper trail for partners, funders and future grant applications.

What's next: - Maui Project Management Company said development, partner outreach and grant-supported build-out will continue. - A nonprovisional U.S. application, and any foreign or Patent Cooperation Treaty filings that claim the benefit of this provisional, must be filed by Oct. 14, 2027, or the provisional filing date is lost. - If the company pursues the patent, USPTO examination would happen only after a later nonprovisional filing. - More information: HELP Hawaii

The bottom line: - HELP now has a second provisional filing tied to privacy protections, giving the project a stronger patent trail while the company works toward broader development and possible future filings.