Special Emergency Call Treatment Based on the Caller

• US 20140003587A1
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Poremba, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A blacklist of known harassing or non-legitimate emergency calls is maintained. An incoming emergency call is checked against emergency call records to determine if multiple emergency calls have been made recently, from the same general location, and destined to the same PSAP. Feedback is provided regarding the number of recent calls made and the possibility of a false positive, based on call history from known handsets in the area, including the possibility of a phone with a known MEID/ESN, when powered up, receiving the same 911-xxx-xxxx. Blacklisting may be approved or not based on the feedback. A telephone number or MIN may be placed on a “blacklist” with a ‘timer’.

Subsequent calls to that phone number will be assigned a different SIP URI (a unique URI per destination determined prior to lookup on the blacklist) and be directed elsewhere. The call may be completed to an administrative line.

Claims

1. A method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call, comprising:

requesting a check of an incoming emergency call against emergency call records to determine if multiple emergency calls have been made recently all from a same source, all from a same general location, and all destined to a same public safety answering point (PSAP);

receiving feedback regarding a possibility of said incoming emergency call being a non-legitimate call; and

adding to a blacklist an identifying telephone number or mobile identification number (MIN) of said source when said possibility is beyond an acceptable threshold amount.

2. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

subsequent calls received from said source are assigned a different SIP URI per destination determined prior to lookup on said blacklist; and

said subsequent calls are directed to a voice recording system.

3. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 2, wherein:

said voice recording system is interactive.

4. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 2, wherein:

said voice recording system is registered to multiple SIP URIs.

5. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 2, wherein:

said voice recording system explains that a source of said emergency call has been identified as having made a harassing call.

6. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, further comprising:

giving said emergency call an opportunity to complete an emergency call to emergency personnel with a lower priority.

7. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said acceptable threshold amount is predetermined before said incoming emergency call is received.

8. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said received feedback includes information regarding a number of recent emergency calls made from said source.

9. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, further comprising:

blacklisting said telephone number or MIN associated with said received emergency call based on said received feedback.

10. The method of blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said identifying telephone number or min is a 911-xxx-xxxx number.

18. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said received feedback includes information regarding a number of recent emergency calls made from said source.

11. Apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call, comprising:

means for requesting a check of an incoming emergency call against emergency call records to determine if multiple emergency calls have been made recently all from a same source, all from a same general location, and all destined to a same public safety answering point (PSAP);

means for receiving feedback regarding a possibility of said incoming emergency call being a non-legitimate call; and

means for adding to a blacklist an identifying telephone number or mobile identification number (MIN) of said source when said possibility is beyond an acceptable threshold amount.

12. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 11, wherein:

subsequent calls received from said source are assigned a different SIP URI per destination determined prior to lookup on said blacklist; and

said subsequent calls are directed to a voice recording system.

13. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 12, wherein:

said voice recording system is interactive.

14. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 12, wherein:

said voice recording system is registered to multiple SIP URIs.

15. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 12, wherein:

said voice recording system explains that a source of said emergency call has been identified as having made a harassing call.

16. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for giving said emergency call an opportunity to complete an emergency call to emergency personnel with a lower priority.

17. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 11, wherein:

said acceptable threshold amount is predetermined before said incoming emergency call is received.

19. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for blacklisting said telephone number or MIN associated with said received emergency call based on said received feedback.

20. The apparatus for blacklisting a probable source of a harassing or otherwise non-legitimate emergency call according to claim 11, wherein:

said identifying telephone number or min is a 911-xxx-xxxx number.