Emergency wireless telephone and control system, and method

• US 5,563,931 A
• Filed: 08/16/1994
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AH! Wireless Communications Incorporated, National Dispatch Center Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SOS Wireless Communications & National Dispatch Center
• Inventors: Bishop, Ronald D., Clayton, Vane P., Kreutzer, Michael H., Drucker, Elliott H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chernoff, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US08/291,172
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/57, 379/61, 379/369, 379/370, 379/433, 379/38, 379/39, 379/37, 379/66, 455/89, 455/90, 455/33.1, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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

The emergency wireless telephone and system describes improved control and service offered in the conventional public telephone system as pertains to cellular telephone service. The system contemplates an emergency wireless telephone, with options, including: (1) a method and system of alerting the user of a mobile emergency phone without the need for keeping the telephone'"'"'s electronics under power, (2) a system which enables the control and responsibility for a call to be moved further downstream at a cellular telephone switch, by altering the character and use of the mobile identification number and by reprogramming the telephone switch, (3) establishing a hierarchy for and insuring that the identification of the calling party is transmitted, both before and after answer supervision is transferred, (4) an fraud protection, interactive identification system using a key and mathematical operator which both verifies the user'"'"'s identity and eliminates the need for the look-up of the caller'"'"'s telephone or account number, (5) an interactive in phone switch which can interactively select between the "A" side and "B" side carriers in a given locale, (6) a system which can implement a manual call back method of handling incoming calls, and (7) a system which enables automatic "meet me" handling of incoming calls.

Claims

1. An emergency wireless telephone system comprising:

an emergency wireless telephone;

single switch means, connected to said emergency wireless telephone, for powering up and initiating a cellular call to a pre-specified called address upon the closure of a single switch;

a dispatch call center for said emergency wireless telephone, having said pre-specified called address for receiving telephone calls;

a cellular switch matrix, capable of receiving calls from said emergency wireless telephone and directing a call to said dispatch call center, and programmed to bypass a call'"'"'s subscriber data base verification identification upon the receipt of a call directed to said pre-specified called address.

2. The emergency wireless telephone system recited in claim 1 wherein said emergency wireless telephone is programmed with a non-standard mobile identification number.

3. The emergency wireless telephone system recited in claim 2 wherein said non-standard mobile identification number identifies a level of service particular to said emergency wireless telephone.

4. The emergency wireless telephone system recited in claim 1 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises a subscriber account data base containing the particular service needs and service preferences associated with said emergency wireless telephone.

5. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 4 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises:

an interactive computer terminal connected to said subscriber account data base; and

means for routing calls received from said emergency wireless telephone to locations remote from said dispatch call center.

6. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 4 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises:

a pager circuit in communication with said emergency wireless telephone for receiving numeric information; and

wherein said emergency wireless telephone comprises a transceiver electrically connected to a microprocessor and wherein said microprocessor is configured to use said at least numeric information to control said transceiver.

7. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 6 wherein said microprocessor is configured to control said transceiver including directing said transceiver to call to said pre-specified called address.

8. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 6 wherein said microprocessor is configured to control said transceiver including supplying said transceiver with a secondary called address and directing said transceiver to call to said pre-specified called address and transmit said secondary called address to said dispatch call center.

9. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 1 wherein said emergency wireless telephone further comprises a keypad capable of entering a secondary dialed address in addition to said pre-specified called address.

10. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 2 wherein said emergency wireless telephone communicates its said non-standard mobile identification number to said dispatch call center.

11. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 10 wherein said emergency wireless telephone system is configured to achieve the communication of said emergency wireless telephone with said dispatch call center by one of either signaling system seven or ANI spill.

12. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 10 wherein said emergency wireless telephone system is configured to achieve the communication of said emergency wireless telephone with said dispatch call center by modem, after answer supervision is transferred to said dispatch call center.

13. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 10 wherein said emergency wireless telephone system is configured to achieve the communication of said emergency wireless telephone with said dispatch call center by modem, after answer supervision is transferred to said dispatch call center.

14. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 1 wherein said emergency wireless telephone contains an electronic fraud protection key which mathematically operates upon numeric information received from said dispatch call center and returns a computed number to the dispatch call center for verification.

15. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 1 wherein said single switch means for powering up and initiating a cellular call to said pre-specified called address upon the closure of a single switch is also for switching between an "A" side carrier and a "B" side carrier upon the passage of a pre-specified time before a call to said pre-specified called address is achieved.

16. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 1 wherein said single switch means for powering up and initiating a cellular call to said pre-specified called address upon the closure of a single switch is also for powering down and terminating said cellular call.

17. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 1 and further comprising a single emergency switch means for powering up and initiating a cellular call to a local emergency dispatch location.

18. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 17 wherein said single emergency switch means for powering up and initiating a cellular call to a local emergency dispatch location and said single switch means for powering up and initiating a cellular call to said pre-specified called address upon the closure of a single switch are also for powering down and terminating said cellular calls.

19. An emergency wireless telephone system comprising:

a plurality of emergency wireless telephones programmed to initiate a cellular call to at least one pre-specified called address;

a dispatch call center for said emergency wireless telephones, having said at least one pre-specified called address for receiving telephone calls;

a cellular switch matrix, capable of receiving calls from said emergency wireless telephones and directing calls of said pre-specified addresses directly to said dispatch call center bypassing a subscriber data base verification identification associated with said cellular switch matrix.

20. The emergency wireless telephone system recited in claim 19 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises a subscriber account data base containing the particular service needs and service preferences associated with said emergency wireless telephones.

21. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 19 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises:

an interactive computer terminal connected to said subscriber account data base; and

means for routing calls received from said emergency wireless telephones to locations remote from said dispatch call center.

22. The emergency wireless telephone system of claim 20 wherein said dispatch call center further comprises:

a pager system associated with said central system;

a pager circuit associated with each of said emergency wireless telephones, each said pager circuit in communication with its said emergency wireless telephone for receiving at least numeric information; and

wherein each said emergency wireless telephone comprises at least a transceiver electrically connected to a microprocessor and wherein each said microprocessor is configured to use said at least numeric information to control said transceiver.

23. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system comprising the steps of:

initiating a cellular call, from an emergency wireless telephone to a pre-specified called address which will bypass a call'"'"'s subscriber data base verification identification which works in conjunction with a cellular switch matrix,

receiving said initiated cellular call directly at a dispatch call center for said emergency wireless telephone;

re-directing said received initiated cellular call to a variable called address indicated by the initiator of said cellular call.

24. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 wherein said variable called address is indicated by the initiator of said cellular call verbally.

25. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 wherein said variable called address is indicated by the initiator of said cellular call via modem.

26. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the steps of:

verbally receiving a generic identifier; and

associating a pre-stored number with said generic identifier before re-directing said call to said variable called address.

27. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 26 wherein said re-directing said call to said variable called address is performed automatically.

28. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 25 and further comprising the step of entering said variable called address into a keypad.

29. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the step of placing a pager call to a pager circuit, connected to said emergency wireless telephone;

and wherein said emergency wireless telephone, and wherein said step of initiating a cellular call is initiated in response to said placed pager call.

30. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 29 and further comprising the steps of:

entering a number to be dialed during the placing of said pager call to a pager circuit to be received by said pager circuit; and

transmitting, from said emergency wireless telephone, said number to be dialed to said dispatch call center after said step of initiating a cellular call is begun, in response to said placed pager call.

31. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 30 wherein said number to be dialed is the variable called address to which said initiated cellular call is re-directed.

32. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the step of supplying power to said emergency wireless telephone and wherein said supplying power step and said initiating a cellular call step are performed by closing a single switch.

33. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the step of supplying a non-standard mobile identification number to said central system after the initiating a cellular call step is performed.

34. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of supplying a non-standard mobile identification number to said central system is performed according to signaling system seven.

35. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of supplying a non-standard mobile identification number to said central system is performed according to ANI spill.

36. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of supplying a non-standard mobile identification number to said central system is performed by modem after answer supervision is transferred to said dispatch call center.

37. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 33 wherein the step of supplying a non-standard mobile identification number to said central system is performed by modem after an attempt at supplying said non-standard mobile identification number unsuccessfully by one of signaling system seven or ANI spill.

38. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the steps of:

sending a coded number from said dispatch call center to said wireless telephone;

computing a new number using a code key in said emergency wireless telephone, based upon said coded number from said dispatch call center;

sending said computed new number from said emergency wireless telephone to said dispatch call center; and

comparing an expected computed new number with said computed new number to verify the identity of said emergency wireless telephone.

39. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 23 and further comprising the step of selecting one of an "A" side carrier and "B" side carrier on which to initiate said cellular call.

40. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 38 wherein said selecting step is performed by receiving information as to the availability of a carrier from a cellular control channel.

41. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 38 wherein said selecting step is performed by receiving information as to the availability of a carrier from a pager circuit.

42. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 38 wherein said selecting step is performed by accessing information within the memory of said emergency wireless telephone which relate system identification numbers with their associated carrier.

43. The process of operating an emergency wireless telephone system as recited in claim 38 wherein said selecting step is performed by trial and error.