Method and apparatus for the autoselection of an emergency number in a mobile station

• US 20060172720A1
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hossain, Asif, Islam, Muhammad Khaledul
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the selection of an emergency number in a mobile station having a geographic indicator, the method comprising the steps of and the apparatus characterized by means for: determining whether a user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider; and if the user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider, connecting to a network if the mobile station is not already connected to a network; looking up an emergency dial string in a look-up table based on the geographic indicator and the network connected to and the underlying service; and sending the emergency dial string.

Claims

1. A method for the selection of an emergency number in a mobile station having a geographic indicator, the method comprising the steps of:

a. determining whether a user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider, the determining step comparing only a dial string entered by the user with a list of emergency numbers stored in the memory of the mobile station and determining that the user is attempting to reach an emergency service if the dial string entered by the user is among the stored list of emergency numbers; and

b. if it is determined that the user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider,

i. connecting to a network if the mobile station is not already connected to a network;

ii. looking up an emergency dial string in a look-up table based on the geographic indicator and the network connected to; and

iii. using the emergency dial string to call the emergency service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step determines that the user is attempting to reach an emergency number if the user selects an emergency call option on the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the using step compares the dial string entered by the user with the emergency dial string found in the looking-up step, and if the two dial strings are not the same, replacing the dial string entered by the user with the found emergency dial string.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a code division multiple access network and the geographic indicator is a mobile country code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic indicator is a global positioning system signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting step, if failing to connect to a first network type, connects to a second network type.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first network type is a code division multiple access (CDMA) network and the second network type is a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the looking up step further considers user set parameters when finding the emergency dial string.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a user set parameter includes a teletype for the deaf (TTY) parameter.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of looking up the emergency dial string in the look-up table comprises the steps of:

checking in the look-up table to determine whether the dial string entered by the user is a valid emergency number associated with a stored geographic indication matching that for the network the mobile station is currently connected to; and

,

if it is determined that the dial string is a valid emergency number, using this number as the emergency dial string;

or,

if it is determined that the dial string is not a valid emergency number, replacing the dial string entered by the user by the emergency number associated with the stored geographic indication.

2. (canceled)

11. A mobile apparatus capable of selecting an emergency number based on a geographic indication, comprising:

a. means for determining whether a user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider, said means being arranged to compare only a dial string entered by the user with a list of emergency numbers stored in a memory of the mobile station and determine that the user is attempting to reach an emergency service if the dial string entered by the user is among the stored list of emergency numbers;

b. means for connecting to a network if the mobile station is not already connected to a network;

c. means for looking up an emergency dial string in a look-up table based on the geographic indicator and the network connected to; and

d. means for using the emergency dial string to call the emergency service provider,

said means for connecting, means for looking up and means for using being responsive to said determining means determining that the user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider.

13. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the means for determining if a user is attempting to reach an emergency service provider is arranged to determine that the user is attempting to reach an emergency number if the user selects an emergency call option on the mobile station.

14. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the means for sending is arranged to compare the dial string entered by the user with the emergency dial string found in the looking-up step, and if the two dial strings are not the same, includes means arranged to replace the dial string entered by the user with the found emergency dial string.

15. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the network is a code division multiple access network and the geographic indicator is a mobile country code.

16. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the geographic indicator is a global positioning system signal.

17. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the means for connecting, if failing to connect to a first network type, connects to a second network type.

18. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the first network type is a code division multiple access (CDMA) network and the second network type is a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network.

19. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the means for looking up is arranged to consider user set parameters when finding the emergency dial string.

20. The mobile station of claim 19, wherein a user set parameter includes a teletype for the deaf (TTY) parameter.

22. The mobile station of claim 11, wherein the means for looking up the emergency dial string in the look-up table comprises:

means for checking in the look-up table to determine whether the dial string entered by the user is a valid emergency number associated with a stored geographic indication matching that for the network the mobile station is currently connected to; and

,

means for using the dial string entered as the emergency dial string, said means for using adapted to use the dial string if it is determined that the dial string is a valid emergency number; and

means for replacing the dial string entered by the user by the emergency number associated with the stored geographic indication, said means for replacing adapted to replace the dial string if it is determined that the dial string is not a valid emergency number,

12. (canceled)