Emergency telephone call notification service system and method

• US 20010009577A1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Published: 07/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tiliks, Dianna Inara, McBlain, Thomas Joseph, Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Griffith, Laura Marie, Kovarik, James Daniel, Bartels, Todd August, Blumenschein, Gordon Lynn, Orwick, David Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 6,735,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A system and method for emergency telephone call notification. The system includes an AIN capable switch, a service control point (SCP) having a database of designated contact numbers associated with a service subscriber telephone number, and an intelligent peripheral (IP) in communication with the SCP for contacting the designated contact numbers. The method includes the steps of recognizing an N11 trigger and the SCP initiating telephone calls, via the IP, to each of the contact numbers corresponding to the telephone number of the subscriber making the emergency telephone call.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system having at least one subscriber telephone in communication with an advanced intelligent network (AIN) capable switch, at least one intelligent peripheral (IP) in communication with the AIN capable switch, at least one service control point (SCP) in communication with the switch, and a public safety answering point (PSAP) in communication with the SCP and the switch, a method of notifying at least one designated telephone number that an emergency telephone call has been made from the subscriber telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

recognizing an emergency telephone call at the switch;

the switch informing the SCP of the emergency telephone call;

the SCP instructing the IP to dial the at least one designated telephone number; and

the IP informing the at least one designated telephone number of the emergency telephone call from the subscriber telephone.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the SCP further comprises a database having a list of subscriber telephones and a list of at least one designated telephone number associated with each of the subscriber telephones in the list of subscriber telephones, and wherein the step of the SCP instructing the IP to dial the at least one designated telephone number comprises the SCP retrieving a first of the at least one telephone number associated with the subscriber telephone number and instructing the IP to contact the first of the at least one telephone numbers that an emergency telephone call has been placed from the subscriber telephone.

5. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the SCP further comprises a database having a list of subscriber telephone numbers and a list of at least one designated telephone number associated with each of the subscriber telephone numbers, and wherein the step of the SCP instructing the IP to dial the at least one designated telephone number comprises the SCP retrieving all of the telephone numbers associated with the subscriber telephone number and instructing the IP to contact all of the designated telephone numbers simultaneously.

6. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of the IP informing the at least one designated telephone number further comprises the step of the IP supplying a caller ID message to the at least one designated telephone number indicating an incoming call from an emergency call notification service.

7. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of the IP informing at least one designated telephone number further comprises playing a pre-recorded message if a person answers the emergency call notification call.

8. The method of

claim 1

further comprising a step of automatically placing a call from the at least one designated telephone number to the subscriber telephone if a person answers the at least one designated telephone number.

17. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of the SCP instructing the IP comprises sending a message via a wide area network connection to the IP.

18. The method of

claim 17

, wherein the message comprises a TCP/IP message.

19. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the step of the IP informing the at least one designated number comprises the IP dialing a first of the at least one designated numbers and waiting a predetermined number of rings before trying to contact a next one of the at least one designated numbers.

2. The method of claim, wherein the emergency telephone call is a 911 telephone call.

3. The method of

claim 2

, wherein the step of recognizing an emergency telephone call trigger further comprises recognizing an 11 trigger.

9. An emergency call notification system comprising:

a subscriber telephone;

an AIN capable switch in communication with a public service access point (PSAP) and the subscriber telephone, the AIN switch configured to recognize an emergency telephone call;

a service control point (SCP) in communication with the switch, the SCP comprising a database having a list of emergency call notification service subscribers, the SCP configured to determine if an emergency telephone call was made by an emergency call notification service subscriber and correlate the emergency call notification service subscriber number with a list of at least one designated contact number for the emergency call notification service subscriber; and

an intelligent peripheral (IP) in communication with the SCP, the IP responsive to an instruction from the SCP to contact the at least one designated contact number.

10. The system of

claim 9

further comprising means for automatically connecting a designated contact number answered by a person to the emergency call notification service subscriber number.

11. The system of

claim 10

further comprising a caller ID generator comprising a predesignated message stored in memory.

12. The system of

claim 10

wherein the IP comprises answer verification logic.

13. The system of

claim 11

wherein the answer verification logic comprises a call repetition timer.

14. The system of

claim 11

wherein the answer verification logic further comprises a live answer detector.

15. The system of

claim 11

wherein the answer verification logic comprises a prerecorded message for transmission to an answering machine.

16. The system of

claim 9

, wherein the IP is in communication with the SCP via a wide area network.

20. The system of

claim 9

, wherein the IP further comprises a plurality of prerecorded message templates.

21. In a telecommunications system having at least one subscriber telephone in communication with an advanced intelligent network (AIN) capable switch, at least one intelligent peripheral (IP) in communication with the AIN capable switch, at least one service control point (SCP) in communication with the switch, and a public safety answering point (PSAP) in communication with the SCP and the switch, a method of notifying at least one designated telephone number that an emergency telephone call has been made from the subscriber telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

recognizing an emergency telephone call trigger corresponding to an emergency telephone call at the switch;

notifying the SCP of the emergency telephone call;

instructing the IP to dial the at least one designated telephone number;

informing the at least one designated telephone number of the emergency telephone call from the subscriber telephone; and

automatically placing a call from the at least one designated telephone number to the subscriber telephone if a person answers the at least one designated telephone number.