Automatic Emergency Call Notification to Pre-Designated Personal Emergency Contacts

• US 20130045708A1
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Brandon, Townsdin, Elisabeth, Hines, Gordon John
• Application Number:
  US13/657,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20130045708A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications

Abstract

Automatic notification is provided to pre-designated emergency contacts for a given wireless subscriber upon the occurrence of an emergency call from the subscriber. Triggering for the automatic notification may take place at an appropriate time in the emergency call, e.g., at a time the emergency call is received, at a time during the emergency call after a current location of the emergency caller is obtained by the emergency network, once the emergency call terminates, after a set amount of time after the emergency call is received, terminates, etc. The automatic notification is preferably made using voice over Internet Protocol (VolP), but may instead be pre-designated by the subscriber to be in an alternative mode, e.g., by SMS, switched telephone, etc. An option is included for the emergency caller to cancel the automatic notification. The location of the emergency caller may be configurably provided to a notified emergency contact.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication, comprising:

receiving an emergency communication from a given subscriber device; and

determining at least one pre-designated emergency contact to be automatically contacted subsequent to said receipt of said emergency communication, generating said contact notification message to be sent to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact, and sending said generated contact notification message to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact, when a cancelation request is not received from said given subscriber device.

22. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 21, wherein:

said generated contact notification message is sent via a pre-configured method.

23. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 22, wherein said pre-configured method is at least one of:

an text message;

an email; and

an audio communication with a pre-recorded message.

24. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 22, wherein said pre-configured method is:

an text message.

25. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 22, wherein sad pre-configured method is:

an email.

26. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 22, wherein said pre-configured method is:

an audio call with a pre-recorded message.

27. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 21, wherein:

said emergency communication is received over an audio communication network.

28. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 21 wherein:

said contact notification message is sent via an audio communication network.

29. A notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication, comprising:

a receiver to receive an emergency communication from a given subscriber device;

a determiner to determine at least one pre-designated emergency contact to be automatically contacted subsequent to said receipt of said emergency communication;

a generator to generate said contact notification message to be sent to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact; and

a transmitter to transmit said generated contact notification message to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact, when a cancelation request is not received from said given subscriber device.

30. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 29, wherein:

said generated contact notification message is sent via a ore-configured method.

31. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 30, wherein said pre-configured method is at least one of:

an text message;

an email; and

an audio call with a pre-recorded message.

32. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 30, wherein said pre-configured method is:

an text message.

33. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 30, wherein said pre-configured method is:

an email.

34. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 30, wherein:

said pre-configured method is an audio call with a pre-recorded message.

35. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 29, wherein:

said emergency communication is received over a voice over an audio call communication network.

36. The notification engine for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency communication according to claim 29, wherein:

said contact notification message is sent via an audio call communication network.