METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT (PSAP) DISCREET ALERT SYSTEM

• US 20130229282A1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Brent, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,480,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• 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 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for automatically generating an e911 alert are provided in a public safety answering point (PSAP) server including at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices, wherein in response to a request for assistance message including location information associated with a user device, the PSAP server determines the emergency services resources proximate the requesting device and communicates location information associated with the requesting device toward the determined emergency services resources.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating an emergency services alert, comprising:

receiving, at a public safety answering point (PSAP), a request for assistance message including identification and location information associated with a user device;

determining, using the location information, emergency services resources proximate the requesting device; and

communicating the identification and location information associated with the requesting device toward said determined emergency services resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement message toward the requesting device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a command to said user device adapted to put said user device into a silent mode of operation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one or both of said request for assistance message and said acknowledgment message are transmitted using a short message service (SMS).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said PSAP acknowledgement message is adapted to establish a message-based interaction with the user device, said PSAP utilizing said message-based interaction to request further information from said user device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said further information comprises one or more of identification information, geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status and network status.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at said public safety answering point (PSAP), at least one additional message from said user device, said additional message including one or more of identification information, geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status and network status.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said message-based interaction between said PSAP and said user device is supported by an application executed on said user device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said user device application is adapted to periodically sample one or more of geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status and network status.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein periodically sampled is stored at said user device and, in response to a command transmitted by said PSAP, forwarded to said PSAP via a communication link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said communication link comprises one of a SMS and an IP network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises one or more of perimeter center, perimeter circle, longitude, latitude, and altitude information associated with said user device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said communications toward said determined emergency services resources to use one or more of a messaging service, a Voice-Circuit Switched (CS) service and a Voice-Packet Switched (PS) service.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a command to said user device adapted to enable said user device to relay a perimeter violation alarm.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said PSAP communicates with one or more other PSAPs to provide thereby a PSAP network.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said PSAP establishes a message-based interaction with the user device to request further information from said user device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said message-based interaction between said PSAP and said user device is supported by an application executed on said user device.

16. An apparatus for generating an alert, the apparatus comprising:

a public safety answering point (PSAP) server adapted to provide alerting functions according to a PSAP server suite, the PSAP server comprising;

a plurality of Baseband Transceivers supporting communication with other PSAP servers; and

at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices;

wherein, in response to a request for assistance message including location information associated with a user device, the PSAP server determines, using the location information, emergency services resources proximate the requesting device and communicates the location information associated with the requesting device toward said determined emergency services resources.

19. A computer readable medium including software instructions which, when executed by a processer, adapt the processor to perform a method for automatically generating an emergency services alert, the method comprising:

receiving, at a public safety answering point (PSAP), a request for assistance message including identification and location information associated with a user device;

determining, using the location information, emergency services resources proximate the requesting device; and

communicating the identification and location information associated with the requesting device toward said determined emergency services resources.

20. A system for automatically generating an emergency services alert, the system comprising:

at least one geo-spatial database (GS-DB); and

at least one public safety answering point (PSAP) server adapted to provide alerting functions according to a PSAP server suite, the PSAP server comprising;

a plurality of Baseband Transceivers supporting communication with other PSAP servers; and

at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices;

wherein, in response to a request for assistance message including location information associated with a user device, the PSAP server determines, using the location information, emergency services resources proximate the requesting device and communicates the location information associated with the requesting device toward said determined emergency services resources.