CALLER LOCATION DETERMINATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20180020091A1
• Filed: 09/28/2017
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laaser Critical Communications Corp.
• Original Assignee: Laaser Critical Communications Corp.
• Inventors: Self, Michael R., White, Frederick L., Penn, Raymond J., Harmer, Jonathan A., Whitehurst, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,051,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/256 comprising a service specific user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Telecommunications systems that are adapted to: (1) monitor a user'"'"'s behavior to anticipate that the user will likely imminently place an emergency services request; and (2) in response to determining that a request for emergency services is likely to be initiated imminently, facilitate the transmission of telemetry data from the user'"'"'s mobile computing device to a remote computer for use in determining a dispatchable location for use by a PSAP that will handle the request. The system may execute these steps in advance of the request for emergency services being initiated. For example, the system may monitor the user'"'"'s behavior, and determine that the user will imminently place an emergency call in response to determining that the user has dialed one or more digits of an emergency number, but has not yet selected a “send” key (or the equivalent) to formally initiate the call.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating determining the location of an individual in the context of the individual using a mobile computing device to initiate an electronic request for emergency services, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer processors, an indication that the individual has taken a set of one or more particular actions to begin a process of initiating the electronic request for emergency services, but has not yet initiated the request;

at least partially in response to receiving the indication, transmitting, by one or more computer processors, telemetry data from the mobile computing device to one or more computers that are remote from the mobile computing device for use in determining, by one or more computer processors, the individual'"'"'s current location;

receiving, by one or more computer processors, the request from the individual to initiate the electronic request for emergency services;

at least partially in response to receiving the request;

(A) facilitating, by one or more computer processors, a transmission of the individual'"'"'s determined location to a data structure that a public-safety answering point, that will handle the request for emergency services, will access to determine a dispatchable location for the individual; and

(B) initiating, by one or more computer processors, an electronic communication to the public-safety answering point.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic communication is an emergency call; and

the set of one or more particular actions comprises dialing at least a portion of a predetermined emergency number without initiating an emergency call.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the set of one or more particular actions consists of dialing a portion of the predetermined emergency number that consists of a two first digits of the predetermined emergency number.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the set of one or more particular actions comprises dialing a predetermined emergency number without initiating an emergency call.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined emergency number is a predetermined three-digit number.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined emergency number is a number selected from a group consisting of:

911, 000, 999, and 112.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of facilitating the transmission of the individual'"'"'s determined location to the public-safety answering point comprises:

using the individual'"'"'s determined location to determine which particular public-safety answering point of a plurality of public-safety answering points should, according to one or more controlling rules or regulations, handle the request for emergency services; and

transmitting the individual'"'"'s determined location to a data structure that the particular public-safety answering point will access to determine a dispatchable location for the individual.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of transmitting telemetry data is done at least partially in response to receiving the indication; and

the step of transmitting telemetry data is initiated before the step of initiating the electronic communication.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the electronic communication is an emergency call; and

the set of one or more particular actions comprises dialing at least a portion of a predetermined emergency number.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the set of one or more particular actions consists of dialing a first two digits of a predetermined emergency number.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the set of one or more particular actions consists of dialing “

91”

.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the set of one or more particular actions consists of dialing a first three digits of a predetermined emergency number.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more particular actions comprises selecting an area of a display screen of the mobile computing device that is selectable to initiate an emergency communication.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more particular actions comprises pressing one or more physical or virtual buttons.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the one or more physical or virtual buttons are located on the mobile computing device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the one or more physical or virtual buttons are located on a second computing device that is in communication with the mobile computing device.

17. A computer-implemented method of facilitating determining a location of an individual in the context of the individual using a mobile computing device to place an emergency call, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer processors, a first indication that the individual has used a caller interface of the mobile device to select a first particular digit of an emergency number;

at least partially in response to receiving the first indication, transmitting a first set of telemetry data to one or more remote computers for use in determining the individual'"'"'s current location;

after receiving the first indication, receiving, by one or more computer processors, a second indication that the individual has used a caller interface of the mobile device to select a second particular digit of the emergency number;

at least partially in response to receiving the second indication, transmitting a second set of telemetry data to the one or more remote computers for use in determining the individual'"'"'s current location, the second set of telemetry data being different than the first set of telemetry data;

receiving a request, from the user, to initiate the emergency call; and

at least partially in response to receiving the request;

(A) facilitating a transmission of the individual'"'"'s determined location to a particular data structure that a public-safety answering point, that will handle the emergency call, will access to determine a dispatchable location for the individual; and

(B) initiating, by one or more computer processors, an emergency call, to the public-safety answering point, regarding an emergency involving the particular individual, wherein;

the individual'"'"'s determined location is based at least in part on location data selected from a group consisting of;

(i) the first set of telemetry data and;

(ii) the second set of telemetry data.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the step of initiating the emergency call is done after the step of transmitting the individual'"'"'s location to the particular data structure.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the first particular digit of the emergency number is a second sequential digit in the emergency number.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the emergency number is 911 and the first particular digit is 1.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the first particular digit of the emergency number is a third sequential digit in the emergency number.

22. A computer-implemented method of facilitating determining the location of an individual in the context of an emergency, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer processors, an indication that the individual has suffered an emergency, but has not yet initiated an emergency electronic communication;

at least partially in response to receiving the indication, automatically initiating monitoring, by one or more computer processors, of the individual'"'"'s location;

transmitting telemetry data, that has been obtained from monitoring the individual'"'"'s location, to a data structure associated with a public-safety answering point to facilitate a determination of the individual'"'"'s current location; and

facilitating initiation, by one or more computer processors, of an emergency electronic communication, to the public-safety answering point, regarding an emergency involving the particular individual.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency comprises an indication that a particular non-speech sound has been detected adjacent the individual that is consistent with the individual being involved in an accident.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the particular non-speech sound is a sound of an automobile collision.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

monitoring sounds adjacent the individual; and

in response to detecting a sound that is consistent with the individual being involved in an accident, generating the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the indication that the individual has likely suffered an emergency comprises an indication that the individual'"'"'s body has undergone trauma.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency comprises an indication at least a portion of the individual'"'"'s body has undergone a sudden change in momentum.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

monitoring changes in momentum of one or more portions of the individual'"'"'s body; and

in response to detecting a change in momentum of the one or more portions of the individual'"'"'s body that is consistent with the individual being involved in an accident, generating the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency comprises an indication that a temperature adjacent a computing device associated with the individual is above a particular threshold temperature.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the indication that the individual has suffered an emergency comprises an indication that a temperature adjacent a computing device associated with the individual is below a particular threshold temperature.