Alternative carrier selection on repeat emergency calls

• US 6,240,285 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Harvey, Richard L., Blum, Thomas C., Whritenour, Lee J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US09/221,570
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/510, 455/460, 455/414, 455/436, 455/552, 455/564, 455/521, 379/201, 379/356, 375/357
• 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

Wireless telephone networks, such as cellular, PCS networks, and other mobile radio services networks provide 911 or similar emergency calling services between mobile stations and a public safety answering point (PSAP). In emergency situations, the caller often will not be satisfied with the quality of the link to the PSAP, for any of a variety of subjective reasons. In such a case, the caller ends the first emergency call and initiates another emergency call. In accord with the invention, if the caller initiates the second emergency call within a predetermined interval from the first call, the mobile station will select an alternate operating system of the network for the second call. For example, if the first call utilized the A-side cellular carrier, the handset will select a B-side or PCS carrier for the second call. The handset also may select a different technology, e.g. analog instead of the normally preferred digital, for the second emergency call. The expectation is that conditions will be different on the alternate operating system and provide a quality of service that the emergency caller subjectively finds more acceptable.

Claims

1. A communication network for providing public emergency calling services, comprising:

a wireless network comprising a plurality of operating systems;

a public switched telephone network;

mobile wireless telephone stations linked via the wireless network and the public switched telephone network to each other and to wired telephone stations; and

a public safety answering point linked to the wireless network and to the public switched telephone network;

each of said mobile wireless telephone stations detecting the termination and re-initiation within a predetermined time period of a call to said public safety answering point and directing the re-initiated call via an operating system other than an operating system which handled the terminated call.

2. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein the other operating system comprises an operating system of a carrier different from a carrier which handled the terminated call.

3. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein the other operating system comprises an operating system using a different technology than the technology which was used for the terminated call.

4. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein each of the mobile wireless telephone stations includes:

an audio frequency signal to sonic energy transducer;

a sonic audio energy to electrical audio signal transducer;

a transceiver coupled to the transducers;

a display;

a keypad having keys;

a microprocessor for controlling operations of the wireless telephone station; and

a memory coupled to the microprocessor storing a program for said mobile wireless telephone station.

5. A communication network as in claim 4, wherein said keys include a key for single key-stroke initiation of a call to said public safety answering point.

6. A communication network as in claim 5, wherein said key for single key-stroke initiation of a call to said public safety answering point comprises a marked functional key.

7. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein said time period comprises a period of no more than substantially a minute.

8. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein said wireless network includes a cellular telephone network.

9. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein said wireless network includes a personal communication service (PCS) network.

10. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein said wireless network includes a satellite or SMR network.

11. A communication network as in claim 1, wherein said wireless network includes a dual mode network providing digital as well as analog service.

12. A communication network for providing public emergency calling services, comprising:

a public wireless network comprising networks of a plurality of carriers;

a public switched telephone network;

mobile wireless telephone sets linked via the public wireless network and the public switched telephone network to each other and to wired telephone sets; and

a public safety answering point linked to said wireless network and to said public switched telephone network;

one of said mobile wireless telephone sets detecting initiation therefrom within a predetermined time period of two calls to said public safety answering point and directing the second of said calls via a network of a carrier different from a network of a carrier which handled the first of said calls.

13. A communication network as in claim 12, wherein said time period comprises a period of no more than substantially a minute.

14. A communication network as in claim 12, wherein the one mobile wireless telephone set comprises:

an audio frequency signal to sonic energy transducer;

a sonic audio energy to electrical audio signal transducer;

a vocoder;

a transceiver;

a display;

a keypad having numeric keys;

operational keys;

a microprocessor for controlling operations of the one wireless telephone set; and

a memory coupled to the microprocessor;

said memory storing a program for the microprocessor control of said one mobile wireless telephone set including the direction of the first and second of said calls.

15. A wireless telephone set for providing public emergency calling services via a communication network which includes:

said wireless telephone hand set and other wireless telephone sets linked via a public wireless network and a public switched telephone network to each other and to wired telephone sets; and

a public safety answering point linked to said public wireless network and to said public switched telephone network via multiple operating systems;

the wireless telephone set comprising;

a wireless transceiver for selectively establishing telephone call communications via the operating systems; and

a programmed controller coupled to the wireless transceiver for detecting the initiation therefrom within a predetermined time period of multiple calls to said public safety answering point and directing the second of said calls via an operating system different from an operating system which handled the first of said calls.

16. A wireless telephone set as in claim 15, further comprising:

an audio frequency signal to sonic energy transducer;

a sonic audio energy to electrical audio signal transducer;

a vocoder coupled to the transducers and to the wireless transceiver

a display;

a keypad having numeric keys;

operational keys; and

a memory storing a program of the controller for control of operations of the said wireless telephone set during said calls.

17. A wireless telephone set as in claim 16, wherein said keys include a key for single key-stroke initiation of a call to said public safety answering point.

18. A wireless telephone set as in claim 17, wherein said key for single key-stroke initiation of a call to said public safety answering point comprises a marked operation key separate from the numeric keys.

19. A wireless telephone set as in claim 18, wherein the programmed controller controls the transceiver to select an operating system supporting a different technology, for the second of said calls.

20. A wireless telephone set as in claim 15, wherein the controller controls the transceiver to select an operating of a different carrier, for the second of said calls.

21. A wireless telephone set as in claim 15, wherein the controller automatically powers-up the transceiver and initiates the first of said calls, if the controller detects activation of a designated emergency key while power to the telephone set is substantially off.

22. A method for providing public emergency calling services to one wireless telephone station in a communication network including wireless telephone stations linked by multiple operating systems via a public wireless telephone network to each other and to wired telephone stations and to a public safety answering point, comprising the steps of:

detecting the termination and re-initiation within a predetermined time period of a call from the one wireless telephone station to said public safety answering point; and

directing the re-initiated call via a different operating system than an operating system which handled the terminated call.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein said re-initiated call is directed at least partially via the operating system of a carrier different than a carrier that handled the terminated call.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein the different carrier utilizes a different technology than used by the carrier that handled the terminated call.

25. A method as in claim 22, wherein said time period comprises a period of no more than substantially a minute.

26. A method of establishing emergency call communication from a mobile telephone station, comprising:

while in a power-down state of the mobile telephone station, detecting user activation of a designated emergency key input;

in response to the detection, powering-up the mobile telephone station;

automatically initiating a telephone call through a wireless telephone network to a public safety answering point,

recognizing if a user terminates the telephone call to the public safety answering point and subsequently inputs an instruction to the mobile telephone station to initiate another call to the public safety answering point within a predetermined interval of the termination; and

in response to the recognition, initiating another telephone call through the wireless telephone network to the public safety answering point,

wherein each of the calls to the public safety answering point utilizes a different operating system of the wireless telephone network.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein each of the operating systems comprises a wireless telephone network of a different carrier.

28. A method as in claim 27, wherein each of the operating systems utilizes a different wireless technology.

29. A method as in claim 28, wherein one of the technologies provides analog services, and another of the technologies provides digital services.

30. A method as in claim 26, wherein each of the operating systems utilizes a different wireless technology.

31. A method as in claim 30, wherein one of the technologies provides analog services, and another of the technologies provides digital services.