Method Of Facilitating Access To IP-Based Emergency Services

• US 20100205534A1
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Enzmann, Mark J., Zellner, Samuel N., Moton, Robert T. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/012 using recorded signals, e.g. speech G08B25/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A method of responding to an emergency includes monitoring for an internet protocol based help request message; receiving the help request message; evaluating the help request message and additional information; and dispatching emergency help in response to the help request message and the additional information.

Claims

1. A method of responding to an emergency comprising:

monitoring for an internet protocol based help request message;

receiving the help request message;

evaluating the help request message and additional information; and

dispatching emergency help in response to the help request message and the additional information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the additional information includes at least one of known medical conditions of a user, emergency contact address, home address, nature of the emergency condition and severity of the emergency condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the help request message contains one or more of the identity of the user, the location of the user, medical information about the user, the time when the user activated an emergency alert activation function, and an indication of a probable cause as to why the help request message was generated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location of the origination of the help request message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the help request message is received via a wireless telecommunication network including one or more of the following:

an analog wireless network;

a digital wireless network;

a cellular network;

a wireless LAN (Local Area Network); and

a wireless local loop (WLL).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the help request message is generated in response to an utterance by a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the help request message is generated in response to a sensor sensing an abnormal physical condition being experienced by a user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the abnormal physical condition includes an abnormality in one or more of the user'"'"'s blood pressure level, the user'"'"'s heartbeat, and the user'"'"'s body temperature.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the help request message includes one or more images of the physical vicinity of a user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the help request message is transmitted using instant messaging (IM) functionality.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor coupled to the emergency alert activation function, wherein the sensor is configured to sense an abnormal physical condition being experienced by the user and to activate the emergency alert activation function in response thereto.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the abnormal physical condition includes an abnormality in one or more of the user'"'"'s blood pressure level, the user'"'"'s heartbeat, and the user'"'"'s body temperature.

11. A device for requesting emergency assistance, comprising:

a processing unit;

an emergency alert activation function coupled to the processing unit, wherein the emergency alert activation function is configured to send a first indication to the processing unit, wherein the sending of the first indication is in response to a user of said device activating the emergency alert activation function;

a communication module coupled to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to send a second indication to said communication module, wherein the sending of the second indication is in response to the first indication, and

wherein said communication module is configured to deliver a help request message in to an emergency service center (ESC), wherein the delivering of the help request message is in response to the second indication.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the help request message contains one or more of the identity of the user, the location of the user, medical information about the user, the time when the user activated the panic button, and an indication of a probable cause as to why the user activated the emergency alert activation function.

13. The device of claim 11, further comprising a user location identifier coupled to the processing unit, wherein the user location identifier is configured to ascertain a location of the user activating said emergency alert activation function.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the communication module is configured to deliver the help request message via a wireless telecommunication network including one or more of the following:

an analog wireless network;

a digital wireless network;

a cellular network;

a wireless LAN (Local Area Network); and

a wireless local loop (WLL).

15. The device of claim 11, further comprising a memory unit coupled to the processing unit, wherein the memory unit is configured to store therein said help request message in one of said TCP/IP format and a non-TCP/IP format.

16. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a display screen; and

a display logic unit coupled to said processing unit and said display screen, wherein the display logic unit is configured to display text of said help request message on said display screen in a user-understandable format.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the display screen is touch-sensitive and wherein the display screen displays an icon, wherein the display logic unit is further configured to send a third indication to said processing unit when the user touches the icon, and wherein the processing unit is configured to activate the emergency alert activation function in response to the third indication.

18. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a microphone; and

an audio logic unit coupled to said microphone and said processing unit, wherein the audio logic unit is configured to receive the user'"'"'s speech signals from said microphone and send the speech signals to said processing unit; and

a voice recognition unit coupled to the microphone and the processing unit, wherein the voice recognition unit is configured to identify a emergency utterance from the user and to send a third indication thereof to the processing unit, and wherein the processing unit is configured to activate said emergency alert activation function in response to said third indication.

21. The device of claim 11, further comprising an image capture device coupled to the emergency alert activation function and the processing unit, wherein the image capture device is configured to be activated in response to activation of said emergency alert activation function, and wherein upon activation said image capture device is further configured to capture one or more images of the physical vicinity of the user and to transmit said one or more images to said processing unit, wherein the help request message includes an image acquired with the image capture device.

22. The device of claim 11 wherein the help request message is transmitted using instant messaging (IM) functionality.