Systems and methods for determining texting locations and network coverage

• US 10,362,448 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Thomas
• Original Assignee: David Thomas
• Inventors: Thomas, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US15/871,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20190222964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method for receiving an emergency communication includes receiving a first portion of a first communication. The method also includes receiving a second portion of a second communication. The second communication may be a duplicate of the first communication. The method includes reconstructing the first communication using the first portion and the second portion.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

attempting to send an emergency communication from a mobile device using a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises different carriers capable of communicating with the mobile device;

in response to attempting to send the emergency communication from the mobile device, failing to send the emergency communication from the mobile device; and

in response to the emergency communication not being sent from the mobile device, displaying a map on the mobile device indicating prior successful communication locations for the plurality of carriers, wherein the map enables a user of the mobile device to relocate to an area in which there is sufficient cell coverage to send the emergency communication from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises each carrier capable of communicating with the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency communication comprises one or more of:

an indication of a type of emergency;

information identifying a location of the emergency;

an indication of an accuracy of the information identifying the location of the emergency; and

an indication of a time that an emergency communication is initiated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency communication comprises an emergency indicator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the emergency indicator comprises one or more of a Unicode character, a predetermined combination of bits, a predetermined binary string, an icon, a picture, and an emoji.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a pattern of bits corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a predetermined number of repetitions of data corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a plurality of bytes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a first pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicates a type of emergency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a second pair of bytes and a third pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicate a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency communication is not initiated by the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to send the emergency communication comprises repeatedly attempting to send the emergency communication at an expiration of a predetermined period of time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to send the emergency communication comprises attempting to send the emergency communication in response to determining that the mobile device is in a reduced cell coverage area.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor to;

attempt to send an emergency communication from the apparatus using a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises different carriers capable of communicating with the apparatus;

in response to attempting to send the emergency communication from the apparatus, fail to send the emergency communication from the apparatus; and

in response to the emergency communication not being sent from the apparatus, display a map on the apparatus indicating prior successful communication locations for the plurality of carriers, wherein the map enables a user of the apparatus to relocate to an area in which there is sufficient cell coverage to send the emergency communication from the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises each carrier capable of communicating with the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the emergency communication comprises one or more of:

an indication of a type of emergency;

information identifying a location of the emergency;

an indication of an accuracy of the information identifying the location of the emergency; and

an indication of a time that an emergency communication is initiated.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the emergency communication comprises an emergency indicator.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the emergency indicator comprises one or more of a Unicode character, a predetermined combination of bits, a predetermined binary string, an icon, a picture, and an emoji.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a pattern of bits corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a predetermined number of repetitions of data corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a plurality of bytes.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a first pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicates a type of emergency.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a second pair of bytes and a third pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicate a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the emergency communication is not initiated by the user.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code executable by the processor to attempt to send the emergency communication comprises code executable by the processor to repeatedly attempt to send the emergency communication at an expiration of a predetermined period of time.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code executable by the processor to attempt to send the emergency communication comprises code executable by the processor to attempt to send the emergency communication in response to determining that the apparatus is in a reduced cell coverage area.

27. A memory that stores code executable by a processor, the code configured to perform:

attempting to send an emergency communication from a mobile device using a plurality of carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises different carriers capable of communicating with the mobile device;

in response to attempting to send the emergency communication from the mobile device, failing to send the emergency communication from the mobile device; and

in response to the emergency communication not being sent from the mobile device, displaying a map on the mobile device indicating prior successful communication locations for the plurality of carriers, wherein the map enables a user of the mobile device to relocate to an area in which there is sufficient cell coverage to send the emergency communication from the mobile device.

28. The memory of claim 27, wherein the plurality of carriers comprises each carrier capable of communicating with the mobile device.

29. The memory of claim 27, wherein the emergency communication comprises one or more of:

an indication of a type of emergency;

information identifying a location of the emergency;

an indication of an accuracy of the information identifying the location of the emergency; and

an indication of a time that an emergency communication is initiated.

30. The memory of claim 27, wherein the emergency communication comprises an emergency indicator.

31. The memory of claim 30, wherein the emergency indicator comprises one or more of a Unicode character, a predetermined combination of bits, a predetermined binary string, an icon, a picture, and an emoji.

32. The memory of claim 30, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a pattern of bits corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

33. The memory of claim 30, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a predetermined number of repetitions of data corresponding to a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

34. The memory of claim 30, wherein the emergency indicator comprises a plurality of bytes.

35. The memory of claim 34, wherein a first pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicates a type of emergency.

36. The memory of claim 34, wherein a second pair of bytes and a third pair of bytes of the plurality of bytes indicate a location from which the emergency communication was attempted to be sent.

37. The memory of claim 27, wherein the emergency communication is not initiated by the user.

38. The memory of claim 27, wherein attempting to send the emergency communication comprises repeatedly attempting to send the emergency communication at an expiration of a predetermined period of time.