METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IDENTIFYING THE LOCATION OF AN INDOOR MOBILE TELEPHONE USER

• US 20110250864A1
• Filed: 10/29/2009
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvarion Limited
• Original Assignee: Alvarion Limited
• Inventors: Zussman, Mordechai
• Granted Patent: US 9,179,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method is provided for activating a transmission means comprised in a mobile device to operate in a manner compatible with at least one wireless communication protocol such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi standard. The activation of this transmission means is carried out in response to receiving a pre-defined indication at that mobile device denoting that an emergency communication is to be forwarded to an emergency center.

Claims

1. A method for activating a transmission means comprised in a mobile device to operate compatibly with at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance, wherein the activation of said transmission means is carried out in response to receiving a pre-defined indication at said mobile device that an emergency communication is to be forwarded to an emergency center.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication is generated by pressing one or more pre-defined keys of the mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one wireless communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Bluetooth protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol and a combination thereof.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein said at least one wireless communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Bluetooth protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol and a combination thereof

3. A method for providing information regarding the location of a mobile device of a user who wishes to contact an emergency center within a multi-tenant building via a DAS network, the method comprising the steps of:

activating automatically transmission means comprised in said mobile device thereby enabling the mobile device to transmit data in a manner compatible with at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance;

forwarding a signal at a designated frequency of said at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance, indicating that the user wishes to contact an emergency center;

receiving the forwarded signal at an indoor termination unit associated with the DAS network; and

forwarding an emergency message along the DAS network towards an emergency center and wherein the emergency message comprises an indication of the location of the DAS network indoor termination unit.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of matching details comprised in said emergency message with a corresponding voice call being held between the user and the operator at the emergency center and wherein the communication path along which the voice call is being conveyed to the emergency center is at least partially different from the communication path along which the emergency message was conveyed to said emergency center.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of conveying an emergency message towards a pre-defined communication address at the multi-tenant building in addition to carrying out said step of forwarding the emergency message along the DAS network towards the emergency center.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein said at least one wireless communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Bluetooth protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol and a combination thereof

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein said at least one wireless communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Bluetooth protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol and a combination thereof

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein said at least one wireless communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Bluetooth protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol and a combination thereof.

7. A mobile device comprising a transmission means capable of operating in accordance with the at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance, wherein the mobile device is characterized in that the transmission means is automatically activated to operate in a manner compatible with the at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance upon receiving an indication that an emergency communication is to be forwarded to an emergency center.

8. The mobile device according to claim 7, wherein the indication to commence operation under the mode of the at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance is generated by pressing one or more pre-defined keys of said mobile device.

9. The mobile device according to claim 7, wherein said transmission means are capable of forwarding a signal at a designated frequency of the at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance, indicating that the user of said mobile device wishes to contact an emergency center.

10. The mobile device according to claim 7, and wherein the transmission means is able to communicate according to more than one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance, and is further adapted to confirm communication capabilities of an indoor termination unit currently located at the vicinity of said mobile device, before being automatically activated in a manner compatible with a wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance which is supported by that indoor termination unit.

11. A communication system comprising at least one indoor termination unit of a DAS network, wherein said at least one indoor termination unit comprises:

receiving means operative to receive a signal transmitted by a mobile device operative in accordance with at least one wireless communication protocol for exchanging data over short distance;

forwarding means operative to forward an emergency message along the DAS network towards an emergency center wherein the emergency message comprises an indication of the location of said DAS network indoor termination unit.