Automated third party call activated when 911 dialed

• US 20050169439A1
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Binning, Valerie
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses that operate with different communications devices, different users, and/or different communications networks to generate, enable, disable, transmit, and/or otherwise control an Emergency Third Party Communications Signal. According to embodiments of this invention, a communications network establishes an emergency communications link between a calling party and an emergency response call center. Thereafter, the communications network automatically associates a third party to add to the emergency communications link and uses the Emergency Third Party Communications Signal establish an emergency conferencing communications link between the third party, the calling party, and/or the emergency response call center.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a communications network for communicating a communications signal to an emergency response communications address via a communications link, the communications network comprising an Emergency Third Party Communications DataServer for storing and processing an Emergency Third Party Communications Profile; and

an Emergency Third Party Communications Application communicating with the communications network, the Emergency Third Party Communications Application using the Emergency Third Party Communications Profile to initiate communications with an Emergency Third Party Communications Address,

wherein the communications network further enables a communications connection with the Emergency Third Party Communications Address to the communications link.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the Emergency Third Party Communications Application further communicates with a calling party'"'"'s communications device to initiate communications with the Emergency Third Party Communications Address.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the Emergency Third Party Communications Address accesses a third party'"'"'s communications device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the third party'"'"'s communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network, a mobile switching telephone communications network, and a satellite communications network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprising a world wide electronic data communications network having an Emergency Third Party Conferencing Interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the Emergency Third Party Communications Profile comprises at least one of (i) the Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (ii) a third party'"'"'s communications device associated with the Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (iii) an identifier of a third party, (iv) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (v) a parameter for presenting a notification of an incoming emergency conference communication to the third party'"'"'s communications device, (vi) a communications parameter, and (vii) a third party control parameter.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

an Emergency Third Party Communications Application stored on the computer-readable medium, the Emergency Third Party Communications Application stored in a memory device, the Emergency Third Party Communications Application using at least one of an Emergency Third Party Communications Profile and an instruction from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to initiate communications with an Emergency Third Party Communications Address.

8. The system of claim 9, wherein the calling party'"'"'s communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

10. A communications method, comprising:

receiving an incoming communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to an emergency response communications address;

associating at least one of an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal and an enhanced emergency response identification signal with the incoming communications signal;

associating an Emergency Third Party Communications Profile with the at least one of an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal and an enhanced emergency response identification signal; and

transmitting a third party communications signal to an Emergency Third Party Communications Address, the third party communications signal comprising at least one of a notification of an emergency communications link between the calling party'"'"'s communications device and the emergency response communications address and of an emergency conferencing link for connecting a third party'"'"'s communications device with the emergency communications link;

presenting the notification to the third party'"'"'s communications device; and

using the emergency conferencing link to connect the third party'"'"'s communications device with the emergency communications link.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the third party'"'"'s communications device to control the emergency conferencing link;

using at least one of the incoming communications signal, the Emergency Third Party Communications Profile, and the selection from the third party'"'"'s communications device to control the emergency conferencing link.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the Emergency Third Party Communications Profile comprises (i) the Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (ii) a third party'"'"'s communications device associated with the Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (iii) an identifier of a third party, (iv) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (v) a parameter for presenting a notification of an incoming emergency conference communication to the third party'"'"'s communications device, (vi) a communications parameter, and (vii) a third party control parameter.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting a notification to establish the emergency conferencing link to at least one of the calling party'"'"'s communications device and the emergency response communications address.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

prompting at least one of the calling party'"'"'s communications device and the emergency response communications address for authorization to establish the emergency conferencing link.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

establishing the emergency conferencing link.

16. An emergency communications method, comprising:

receiving a communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device via a communications network, the communications signal addressed to an emergency response communications address; and

using the communications signal to generate an Emergency Third Party Communications Signal, the Emergency Third Party Communications Signal comprising at least one of (i) an Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (ii) a third party'"'"'s communications device associated with the Emergency Third Party Communications Address, (iii) an identifier of a third party, (iv) a notification message for alerting a third party of an available emergency conferencing link for joining an emergency communications link between a calling party and an emergency response call center, (v) a notification message for alerting at least one of the calling party and the emergency response call center that the third party is available to join the emergency communications link, (vi) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (vii) the Emergency Response Communications Address, (viii) a communications parameter, and (ix) a third party control parameter.

wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network and a mobile switching telephone communications network.