Method and apparatus for dialing an emergency service

• US 20020160807A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kruger, Mark, Williams, Eric, Robertson, Ryan, Maes, Stephane
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions

Abstract

A handheld computing device includes a housing, a processor supported by the housing, a wireless telephony device coupled to the processor, a display having a graphical user interface coupled to the processor, and a plurality of input keys. The device is programmed to effectuate a predetermined communications connection when a user depresses two or more input keys simultaneously.

Claims

1. A handheld computing device, comprising:

a housing;

a processor supported by the housing;

a wireless telephony device coupled to the processor;

a display having a graphical user interface coupled to the processor; and

a plurality of input keys;

wherein the device is programmed to effectuate a predetermined communications connection when a user depresses two or more input keys simultaneously.

2. The handheld computing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined communications connection is effectuated by dialing a predetermined telephone number.

3. The handheld computing device of claim 2, wherein the predetermined number is the number for an emergency service.

4. The handheld computing device of claim 1, wherein the user must depress and hold the two or more input keys for greater than one second to effectuate the predetermined communications connection.

5. The handheld computing device of claim 1, wherein the user must depress four input keys simultaneously to effectuate the predetermined communications connection.

6. The handheld computing device of claim 1, wherein the device effectuates the predetermined communications connection regardless of whether the wireless telephony device is powered on.

7. The handheld computing device of claim 1, wherein the device effectuates the predetermined communications connection regardless the state of the software operating on the device.

8. The handheld computing device of claim 3, wherein the device calls the emergency service by dialing 9-1-1.

9. The handheld computing device of claim 3, wherein the device calls the emergency service by dialing 1-1-2.

10. The handheld computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of navigation buttons, wherein the device is programmed to effectuate the predetermined communications connection when a combination of the navigation buttons and the input keys is depressed simultaneously.

11. A method of making an emergency request, comprising the steps of:

providing a handheld computing device having wireless communication capability and having two or more user input devices; and

activating two or more user input devices simultaneously, whereby the device effectuates a communications channel to an emergency service.

12. The method of making an emergency request of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

activating the two or more input devices for at least one second.

13. The method of making an emergency request of claim 11, wherein the user must activate four input devices simultaneously to effectuate the communications channel to the emergency service.

14. The method of making an emergency request of claim 11, wherein the device effectuates the communications channel to the emergency service regardless of the state of any software operating on the device.

15. The method of making an emergency request of claim 11, wherein the communications channel is a telephone connection to an emergency service made by dialing 9-1-1.

16. The method of making an emergency request of claim 11, wherein the communications channel is a telephone connection to an emergency service made by dialing 1-1-2.

17. The method of placing an emergency call of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of navigation buttons and user input keys, wherein the device is programmed to effectuate the communications channel when a combination of the navigation buttons and the user input devices are depressed simultaneously.

19. The method of programming a handheld computer of claim 18, wherein the certain combination of input devices includes the depression of four keys.

20. The method of programming a handheld computer of claim 18, wherein the user must activate the certain combination of input devices for greater than one second.

18. A method of programming a handheld computer having a hardware abstraction layer, an operating system, and wireless communication capability to call an emergency service in response to user input, comprising the steps of:

programming the hardware abstraction layer to direct the operating system to dial the emergency service when a user activates a certain combination of input devices simultaneously.

21. A handheld computer, comprising:

a processor;

a display including a touch screen coupled to the processor;

a plurality of user input keys coupled to the processor;

a wireless telephony device coupled to the processor; and

an operating system running on the processor;

whereby the operating system is configured to call an emergency service when two or more user input keys are pressed simultaneously.

22. The handheld computer of claim 21, wherein the handheld computer does not include a mechanical telephone keypad.

23. The handheld computer of claim 21, wherein the emergency service is called when four input keys are depressed simultaneously.

24. The handheld computer of claim 23, wherein the input keys must be depressed simultaneously for at least one second.