Emergency message transmission method and mobile terminal

• US 20080003975A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Sang Don, Jang, Jin Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A mobile terminal capable of emergency message transmission using Bluetooth® technology is disclosed. The mobile terminal includes a memory unit for storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message; an input unit for inputting a command of emergency message transmission; a Bluetooth® module for discovering Bluetooth®-enabled devices within Bluetooth® range and for extracting a Bluetooth® address of the discovered Bluetooth®-enabled device when a Bluetooth®-enabled device is discovered; a controller for inserting the extracted Bluetooth® address into the emergency message; and a communication unit for transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission. As a result, an emergency message is transmitted to a proximate Bluetooth®-enabled device for immediate help to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal capable of emergency message transmission using Bluetooth®

technology, comprising;

a memory unit for storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message;

an input unit for inputting a command of emergency message transmission;

a Bluetooth®

module for discovering Bluetooth®

-enabled devices within Bluetooth®

range and for extracting a Bluetooth®

address of the discovered Bluetooth®

-enabled device when a Bluetooth®

-enabled device is discovered;

a controller for inserting the extracted Bluetooth®

address into the emergency message; and

a communication unit for transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs a mode change command for emergency message transmission.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller inserts the extracted Bluetooth®

address into the recipient list, and wherein the Bluetooth®

module transmits the emergency message to a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having a Bluetooth®

address in the recipient list using Bluetooth®

communication in response to input of the command of emergency message transmission.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth®

module establishes a communication link to a Bluetooth®

module of a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having the extracted Bluetooth®

address for Bluetooth®

communication, and each Bluetooth®

module activates an Intercom Profile for speech signal transmission and reception.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the Bluetooth®

module establishes a communication link to a Bluetooth®

module of a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having a Bluetooth®

address satisfying a preset condition when multiple Bluetooth®

addresses are extracted.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the preset condition is selection of an earliest extracted one of the Bluetooth®

addresses.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, further comprising an interface unit for intermediating speech signals between the Bluetooth®

module and controller, and wherein the controller controls the communication unit to send a speech signal received from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message to the interface unit when a call is received from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the Bluetooth®

V module transmits the received speech signal to the Bluetooth®

-enabled device connected to the communication link using Bluetooth®

communication.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the Bluetooth®

module sends the received speech signal to the interface unit according to a control signal for speech signal transfer when a speech signal is received using Bluetooth®

communication from the Bluetooth®

-enabled device connected to the communication link.

10. An emergency message transmission method for a Bluetooth®

-enabled mobile terminal, the method comprising;

storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message;

discovering Bluetooth®

-enabled devices within Bluetooth®

range, and extracting a Bluetooth®

address of a discovered Bluetooth®

-enabled device when a Bluetooth®

-enabled device is discovered;

inserting the extracted Bluetooth®

address into the emergency message; and

transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

11. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising changing an operation mode to an emergency message transmission mode in response to input of a mode change command.

12. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising inserting the extracted Bluetooth®

address into the recipient list, and wherein the transmitting the emergency message step transmits the emergency message to a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having the inserted Bluetooth®

address in the recipient list using Bluetooth®

communication in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

13. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising forwarding a call from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message to a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having the extracted Bluetooth®

address.

14. The emergency message transmission method of claim 13, wherein the forwarding a call step comprises:

establishing a communication link between the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and Bluetooth®

-enabled device having the extracted Bluetooth®

address for Bluetooth®

communication;

activating communication profiles for speech signal transmission and reception, respectively, at the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and the Bluetooth®

-enabled device; and

transferring a speech signal therefrom to the Bluetooth®

-enabled device after reception of a call from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message.

15. The emergency message transmission method of claim 14, wherein the establishing a communication link step makes a communication link between the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and a Bluetooth®

-enabled device having a Bluetooth®

address satisfying a preset condition when multiple Bluetooth®

addresses are extracted.

16. The emergency message transmission method of claim 15, wherein the preset condition is selection of an earliest extracted one of the Bluetooth®

addresses.

17. The emergency message transmission method of claim 14, wherein the transferring a speech signal step comprises:

sending, by the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message, a speech signal to the mobile terminal sending the emergency message;

converting, by the mobile terminal sending the emergency message, the received speech signal into Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) data; and

sending, by the mobile terminal sending the emergency message, the PCM data to the Bluetooth®

-enabled device having the extracted Bluetooth®

address using Bluetooth®

communication.