Enhanced emergency system telephone feature for PBX and key systems

• US 20050197097A1
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Mohler, Bridget M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,395,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

When an emergency call is made from a location on a premises that has on-premises (non-public) emergency-response personnel, the communications system responds by accessing a private database of information about the premises, retrieves therefrom information about the location of the physical location on the premises and best access to the physical location from off-premises, and sends this information to both the on-premises emergency-response personnel and a public emergency-response center, as well as connects the call to the public emergency-response center.

Claims

1. A communications method comprising:

placing a single communication by means of a communications system to a public emergency-response center from a physical location that has non-public emergency-response personnel associated with the location;

in response to the single communication, the communication system causing information about the location to be retrieved from a database that is inaccessible to the public emergency-response center; and

the communications system causing the retrieved information to be provided to both the public emergency-response center and the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the physical location is located on a premises;

the database contains information about the premises; and

the retrieved information comprises information indicating location of the physical location on the premises.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the retrieved information further comprises information about access to the physical location from outside of the premises.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the communication system establishes a communications connection for both the communication and the information to the public emergency-response center, and establishes a communications connection for at least the information to a communications terminal of the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the communication is a telephone call.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the communication is an audio communication.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the communication is a data communication.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the emergency response personnel associated with the location is at least one of on-permises security personnel and on-premises medical emergency response personnel.

9. An apparatus for performing the method of one of claims 1-7.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a database of information about physical locations that have non-public emergency-response personnel associated with them, the database being inaccessible by a public emergency-response center; and

a communications system responsive to a single communication being placed from one of the physical locations to the public emergency-response center by causing information about the one location to be retrieved from the database and provided both to the public emergency-response center and the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

the physical locations are located on a premises; and

the retrieved information comprises information indicating location of the one physical location on the premises.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein:

the retrieved information further comprises information about access to the one physical location from outside of the premises.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

the communication system establishes a communications connection for both the communication and the information to the public emergency-response center and establishes a communications connection for at least the information to a communication terminal of the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the communication is a telephone call.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the communication is an audio communication.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the communication is a data communication.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for placing a single communication to a public emergency-response center from a physical location that has non-public emergency-response personnel associated with the location;

means responsive to the single communication, for retrieving information about the location from a database that is inaccessible to the public emergency-response center; and

means for providing the retrieved information to both the public emergency-response center and the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.

18. An apparatus comprising:

an effector of placing a single communication to a public emergency-response center from a physical location that has non-public emergency-response personnel associated with the location;

an effector responsive to the single communication, of retrieving information about the location from a database that is inaccessible to the public emergency-response center; and

an effector of providing the retrieved information to both the public emergency-response center and the emergency-response personnel associated with the location.