Integrated data collection and transmission for 9-1-1 calls for service

• US 5,761,278 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network
• Original Assignee: Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network
• Inventors: Melcher, John R., Pickett, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/807,348
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 379/38, 379/41-46, 379/49, 379/51, 379/93, 379/96, 379/97, 379/93.17, 379/93.18, 379/93.23, 379/93.26, 379/93.27, 379/93.01, 379/90.01, 379/142, 455/31.2, 360/99.04, 371/37.4, 340/825.44, 340/311.1
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A system for integrated data delivery in 9-1-1 calls for service application. Specifically, the invention describes a machine executed method to provide: 1) the ability to capture and utilize decoded caller data--caller data could be in the format of dual tone multifrequency, multifrequency, or frequency shift keying coding formats; 2) automatically interrogate one or more computer databased using caller data (telephone number) as a search key: 3) intergrate and format the caller information as it is returned by the database search--such information could include the address of the caller, the geopolitical jurisdiction information (e.g., the police, fire, or ambulance service responsible for a particular geographic area), and the ability to integrate this information plus any additional information provided by the calltaker; 4) automatically tramsmit the integrated data via a leased or a dial up telephone line to a radio common carrier such as a paging service for broadcast to the end-user.

Claims

1. A system for providing data at a remote location comprising:

a computer at a central site wherein the data to be provided to said remote site is temporarily stored, the computer being programmed to interrogate at least one database in response to a received signal identifying a calling party to extract data associated with the calling party;

the computer including a memory storage device containing at least one database of pager telephone numbers, the computer being programmed to interrogate the telephone number database to identify at least one pager associated with the calling party;

a telecommunications link connecting the computer to a radio common carrier transmitter, the computer being programmed to transmit the data to the radio common carrier, wherein the radio common carrier transmits the data via radio frequency in response to the pager telephone number;

an alphanumeric pager associated with the pager telephone number, the alphanumeric pager being situated at the data transmitted by the receiving the data transmitted by the radio common carrier;

an RS232 interface electronically connected to said alphanumeric pager; and

a display device external to said alphanumeric pager and electronically connected to receive and display the data from the pager via the RS232 interface.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a storage device external to said alphanumeric pager for storing said data at said remote location.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said storage device is electrically connected to said RS232 interface.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said data comprises the telephone number of the calling party, the calling party'"'"'s name, the calling party'"'"'s address, the time of day, and the date of the call, and additional information input into said computer by an operator at the central site.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said telecommunecations link is a dedicated dataline.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said display device is an integral part of a computer.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said display device is a terminal screen.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said display device is a printer.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first interrogating step further comprises extracting the telephone number of the calling party, the calling party'"'"'s name, the calling party'"'"'s address, the time of day, and the date.

9. A method for providing data to a remote location comprising:

receiving at a central site a telephone call which includes an electronic signal encoding a calling party number;

interrogating one or more computer databases to extract data related to the calling party number,

interrogating one or more computer databases to identify the telephone number of an alphanumeric pager associated with the calling party, based on the extracted data related to the calling party number;

receiving additional data from an operator;

formatting the data related to the calling party number, the alphanumeric pager telephone number and the received additional data into a message;

transmitting said message from said central site to a central radio common carrier transmitter responsive to the alphanumeric telephone number;

broadcasting said message from said radio common carrier transmitter to said alphanumeric pager at the remote location;

decoding said message using said alphanumeric pager;

transferring said message from said alphanumeric pager to an external display device; and

displaying said message on the external display device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of storing said data at said remote location in a device external to said alphanumeric pager.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the second interrogating step comprises interrogating one or more computer databases to identify the telephone number of a plurality of alphanumeric pagers associated with the calling party, based on the extracted data related to the calling party number.

13. The method of claim 12, prior to the transmitting step further comprising:

receiving from the operator an indication of the alphanumeric pager to which the message is to be transmitted.