System and method for alerting a list of multiple recipients of a user's request for assistance

• US 10,171,390 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crawford, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Uzma
• Application Number:
  US15/693,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453

Abstract

A request for assistance from a user employing a first user device is received. The request is converted into a plurality of formatted requests. Each formatted request is formatted for receipt by a respective recipient in the list of recipients. Each of the plurality of formatted requests is broadcasted to each respective recipient in the list of recipients. A location of the first user device is provided to each recipient in the list of recipients. An assistance response to the request is received. The assistance response is sent by a particular recipient in the list of recipients. A message is broadcasted to each recipient in the list of recipients, other than the particular recipient, indicating that the particular recipient provided the assistance response. Upon receiving an update message from the particular recipient, the update message is broadcasted to each recipient in the list of recipients other than the particular recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting a request to each of a plurality of recipient devices in response to a request for assistance from a first user device;

receiving an assistance response from a particular recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices;

broadcasting a message to each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, indicating that the particular recipient device provided the assistance response;

locking out communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, to prevent additional assistance responses;

transmitting an assistance confirmation query to the particular recipient device;

receiving an indication that a particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user;

unlocking communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices other than the particular recipient device; and

receiving a second assistance response to the request sent by a second recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices,

wherein the indication that the particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user is in response to the assistance confirmation query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining traveling directions from a location of the particular recipient device to a location of the first user device; and

providing the traveling directions to the particular recipient device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for assistance is a request for help and wherein one of the recipient devices of the plurality of recipient devices is associated with an emergency authority.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the assistance response is received within a specified time period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an update message from the particular recipient device; and

broadcasting the update message to each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices other than the particular recipient device.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

broadcasting a request to each of a plurality of recipient devices in response to a request for assistance from a first user device;

receiving an assistance response from a particular recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices;

broadcasting a message to each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, indicating that the particular recipient device provided the assistance response;

locking out communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, to prevent additional assistance responses;

transmitting an assistance confirmation query to the particular recipient device;

receiving an indication that a particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user;

unlocking communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices other than the particular recipient device; and

receiving a second assistance response to the request sent by a second recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices,

wherein the indication that the particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user is in response to the assistance confirmation query.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

determining traveling directions from a location of the particular recipient device to a location of the first user device; and

providing the traveling directions to the particular recipient device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the request for assistance is a request for help and wherein one of the recipient devices of the plurality of recipient devices is associated with an emergency authority.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the assistance response is received within a specified time period.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

receiving an update message from the particular recipient device; and

broadcasting the update message to each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices other than the particular recipient device.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program instructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

broadcasting a request to each of a plurality of recipient devices in response to a request for assistance from a first user device;

receiving an assistance response from a particular recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices;

broadcasting a message to each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, indicating that the particular recipient device provided the assistance response;

locking out communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, other than the particular recipient device, to prevent additional assistance responses;

transmitting an assistance confirmation query to the particular recipient device

receiving an indication that a particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user;

unlocking communication with each recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices other than the particular recipient device; and

receiving a second assistance response to the request sent by a second recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices,

wherein the indication that the particular recipient associated with the particular recipient device has not completed assisting the user is in response to the assistance confirmation query.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

determining traveling directions from a location of the particular recipient device to a location of the first user device; and

providing the traveling directions to the particular recipient device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request for assistance is a request for help and wherein one of the recipient devices of the plurality of recipient devices is associated with an emergency authority.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the assistance response is received within a specified time period.