Multimedia emergency services

• US 6,567,502 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zellner, Samuel N., Enzmann, Mark J., Moton, Jr., Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US09/740,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/37, 379/38, 379/39, 379/40, 379/102.01, 379/102.02, 379/102.07, 379/106.01, 379/106.02
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• 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 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• 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: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system and method for remotely controlling one or more monitoring devices in a user'"'"'s household in the event of emergency so as to more productively monitor the emergency situation on a real-time basis. The monitoring devices may include a number of multimedia instruments such as a telephone with an answering machine, a computer with a built-in digital camera, a video recording device, a cellular phone with an integrated digital camera, etc. An emergency service provider may remotely activate the monitoring devices in the user'"'"'s vicinity upon receiving an emergency help request from the user, and receive the information sent by the monitoring devices to enable the service personnel to plan appropriate response to the emergency at hand. Such an arrangement allows for better monitoring of the user'"'"'s vicinity in an emergency situation without the need for prolonged user participation in narrating or describing the emergency situation. Further, the emergency service provider may obtain a better picture of the emergency and its impact by controlling appropriate monitoring devices available in the user'"'"'s vicinity. The remote activation and control of a monitoring device may be accomplished via the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the vicinity of a user requesting emergency help, said method comprising:

receiving, at an emergency service center, an emergency help request from the user;

remotely controlling, via the emergency service center, one or more monitoring devices in the user'"'"'s vicinity in response to the emergency help request from the user, wherein remotely controlling includes remotely activating said one or more monitoring devices and then remotely establishing a direct and individual communication session between the emergency service center and each of said one or more monitoring devices, wherein remotely activating said one or more monitoring devices includes remotely querying said one or more monitoring devices, determining one or more device-specific capabilities for each remotely queried monitoring device, and remotely activating said each remotely queried monitoring device based on the determination of corresponding one or more device-specific capabilities, and wherein there is no interface circuitry interposed between the emergency service center and the one or more monitoring devices; and

receiving, at the emergency service center, monitored information directly from said each of said one or more monitoring devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency help request from the user is in at least one of the following forms:

a telephonic voice message; and

a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein remotely controlling said one or more monitoring devices further includes remotely terminating the individual communication session with said each of said one or more monitoring devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more device-specific capabilities for each remotely queried monitoring device includes:

accessing a database containing information about device-specific capabilities for a plurality of monitoring devices; and

retrieving from said database the information about said one or more device-specific capabilities for said each remotely queried monitoring device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more device-specific capabilities is determined based on the information received from said each remotely queried monitoring device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said individual communication session is remotely established by sending a command to the corresponding monitoring device.

7. A method of monitoring the vicinity of a user requesting emergency help, said method comprising:

receiving, at an emergency service center, an emergency help request from the user;

remotely controlling, via the emergency service center, one or more monitoring devices in the users vicinity in response to the emergency help request from the user, wherein remotely controlling includes remotely activating said one or more monitoring devices and then remotely establishing a direct and individual communication session between the emergency service center and each of said one or more monitoring devices, wherein remotely activating said one or more monitoring devices includes;

remotely querying said one or more monitoring devices;

receiving a device-specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator) from each remotely queried monitoring device;

determining one or more device-specific capabilities for each remotely queried monitoring device based on the information obtained using the corresponding device-specific URL; and

remotely activating said each remotely queried monitoring device based on the determination of corresponding one or more device-specific capabilities;

and wherein there is no interface circuitry interposed between the emergency service center and the one or more monitoring devices; and

receiving, at the emergency service center, monitored information directly from each of said one or more monitoring devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining one or more device-specific capabilities for each remotely queried monitoring device includes:

accessing a website using the corresponding device-specific URL for respective remotely queried monitoring device; and

obtaining information about said one or more device-specific capabilities for the remotely queried monitoring device from the website.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining one or more device-specific capabilities for each remotely queried monitoring device is performed by retrieving from a database information about said one or more device-specific capabilities for said each remotely queried monitoring device.

10. A system for monitoring the vicinity of a user requesting emergency help, said system comprising:

one or more monitoring devices installed in the vicinity of the user, wherein at least one of said one or more monitoring devices is configured to transmit an emergency help request from the user; and

an EMS (emergency monitoring service) provider in communication with said one or more monitoring devices, wherein no interface circuitry is interposed between the emergency monitoring service and the one or more monitoring devices, wherein the EMS provider uses a database that contains information about device-specific capabilities for at least one of said one or more monitoring devices, and wherein the EMS provider is configured to receive the emergency help request and to remotely control said one or more monitoring devices in response thereto by remotely establishing a direct and individual communication session with each of said one or more monitoring devices and receiving monitored information directly from said each of said one or more monitoring devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said EMS provider is in communication with said one or more monitoring devices through a communication network, and wherein the communication network includes at least one of the following:

the plain old telephone system;

the public switched telephone network;

a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)-based communication network;

a wireless LAN (Local Area Network); and

a cellular telephone network.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said one or more monitoring devices include one or more of the following:

a wireline telephone;

a computer with a built-in digital camera;

a wearable transceiver that monitors one or more human biological parameters;

a cellular telephone with a built-in digital camera;

a video recording device; and

a telephone answering machine.

13. A system for monitoring the vicinity of a user requesting emergency help, said system comprising:

monitoring means installed in the vicinity of the user, wherein at least one of said monitoring means is configured to transmit an emergency help request from the user; and

emergency servicing means in communication with said monitoring means, wherein the emergency servicing means is configured to receive the emergency help request and to remotely control said monitoring means in response thereto by remotely establishing a direct and individual communication session with each of said one or more monitoring devices and receiving monitored information directly from said each of said one or more monitoring devices, wherein the emergency servicing means includes a database that contains information about device-specific capabilities for at least one of said monitoring means, and wherein there is no interface circuitry interposed between the emergency servicing means and the monitoring means.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said emergency servicing means is in communication with said monitoring means through a network means, and wherein the network means includes at least one of the following:

the plain old telephone system;

the public switched telephone network;

a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)-based communication network;

a wireless LAN (Local Area Network); and

a cellular telephone network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said monitoring means includes one or more of a wireline telephone;

a computer with a built-in digital camera;

a wearable transceiver that monitors one or more human biological parameters;

a cellular telephone with a built-in digital camera;

a video recording device; and

a telephone answering machine.