Apparatus and system for emergency recording and notification and associated method

• US 7,433,672 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wood, Joseph Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRPOUR, NAGHMEH
• Application Number:
  US10/880,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20050287980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/414.1, 455/456.2, 455/566, 455/557, 455/550, 455/521, 455/575, 455/90, 455/73, 455/450.2, 455/567, 455/550.1, 455/80
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6775 by providing access to preprogrammed keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

An apparatus and system for communicating an emergency and an associated method are provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus is a mobile terminal including an input mechanism that is capable of receiving user input indicative of an emergency, and a wireless transmitter capable of transmitting an emergency message. The mobile terminal further includes a recording device capable of recording at least one of audio and imagery information indicative of the emergency, and a memory capable of storing the audio and imagery information. The audio and imagery information are also capable of being transmitted by the wireless transmitter.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for communicating an emergency, comprising:

an input mechanism capable of receiving user input indicative of an emergency;

a wireless transmitter capable of independently transmitting an emergency message in response to the user input;

a recording device capable of independently recording at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency and in response to the user input, the audio, location, time, or imagery information capable of being transmitted by the wireless transmitter in a plurality of predetermined increments of time and in an alternating fashion such that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information are capable of being transmitted independently from each other; and

a memory capable of storing the at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is capable of recording at least one of audio, photographic, video, and global positioning system information.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the input mechanism comprises two buttons positioned on opposed lateral sides of the mobile terminal.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the memory is further capable of storing a plurality of codes, the plurality of codes capable of being entered to at least one of activate and deactivate the wireless transmitter to transmit the emergency message.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a first code capable of deactivating the wireless transmitter

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a second code capable of activating the wireless transmitter to transmit an alarm message.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is capable of recording the audio and imagery information in increments of time while the transmitter is incapable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the wireless transmitter is capable of transmitting the audio and imagery information in different increments of time than that in which the audio and imagery information is recorded once the wireless transmitter again becomes capable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display capable of displaying an icon indicating that the wireless transmitter has been activated.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a tactile feedback mechanism capable of indicating to a user that the wireless transmitter has been activated to transmit the emergency message.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the emergency message comprises at least one of a time of activation, a location of the mobile terminal, and imagery indicative of the emergency.

12. A mobile terminal for communicating an emergency, comprising:

an input mechanism capable of receiving user input indicative of an emergency;

a wireless transmitter;

a recording device capable of recording at least at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency and in response to the user input, the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information capable of being transmitted by the wireless transmitter in a predetermined time increment that is different than a predetermined time increment that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information is recorded; and

a memory capable of storing the at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information and storing a plurality of codes, the plurality of codes capable of being entered by the user to at least one of activate and deactivate the wireless transmitter to transmit at least at least two of audio, location, time, or information.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the recording device is capable of recording at least one of audio, photographic, video, and global positioning system information.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the input mechanism comprises two buttons positioned on opposed lateral sides of the mobile terminal.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a first code capable of deactivating the wireless transmitter.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a second code capable of activating the wireless transmitter to transmit an alarm message.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the wireless transmitter is capable of transmitting the stored audio and imagery information in a plurality of predetermined increments of time.

18. A system for communicating an emergency, comprising:

a mobile terminal comprising;

an input mechanism capable of receiving user input indicative of an emergency;

a wireless transmitter capable of independently transmitting an emergency message in response to the user input;

a recording device capable of independently recording at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency and in response to the user input, the audio, location, time, or imagery information capable of being transmitted by the wireless transmitter in a plurality of predetermined increments of time and in an alternating fashion such that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information is capable of being transmitted independently from each other; and

a memory capable of storing the at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information; and

a service center comprising a wireless receiver capable of communicating with the wireless transmitter of the mobile terminal.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the recording device is capable of recording at least one of audio, photographic, video, and global positioning system information.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the input mechanism comprises two buttons positioned on opposed lateral sides of the mobile terminal.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the memory is further capable of storing a plurality of codes, the plurality of codes capable of being entered to at least one of activate and deactivate the wireless transmitter to transmit the emergency message.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a first code capable of deactivating the wireless transmitter.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of codes comprises a second code capable of activating the wireless transmitter to transmit an alarm message.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein the recording device is capable of recording the audio and imagery information in increments of time while the transmitter is incapable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the wireless transmitter is capable of transmitting the audio and imagery information in different increments of time than that in which the audio and imagery information is recorded once the wireless transmitter again becomes capable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

26. The system according to claim 18, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a display capable of displaying an icon indicating that the wireless transmitter has been activated.

27. The system according to claim 18, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a tactile feedback mechanism capable of indicating to a user that the wireless transmitter has been activated to transmit the emergency message.

28. The system according to claim 18, wherein the emergency message comprises at least one of a time of activation, a location of the mobile terminal, and a photograph indicative of the emergency.

29. The system according to claim 18, wherein the service center is capable of activating and deactivating the wireless transmitter.

30. A method for communicating an emergency, comprising:

activating a wireless transmitter of a mobile terminal in response to the emergency;

independently transmitting an emergency message from the wireless transmitter;

independently recording at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency in a memory of the mobile terminal; and

transmitting the audio, location, time, or information from the wireless transmitter in a plurality of predetermined increments of time and in an alternating fashion such that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information is capable of being transmitted independently from each other.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein recording includes recording at least one of audio, photographic, video, and global positioning system information.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising storing a plurality of codes into the memory of the mobile terminal, the codes capable of being entered to at least one of activate and deactivate the wireless transmitter to transmit the emergency message.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising deactivating the wireless transmitter by entering a first code.

34. The method according to claim 32, further comprising entering an alarm code such that the wireless transmitter appears to be deactivated although the wireless transmitter continues to operate.

35. The method according to claim 30, wherein recording comprises recording the audio and imagery information while the wireless transmitter is incapable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the audio and imagery information in predetermined time increments different than that that in which the audio and imagery information is recorded once the wireless transmitter again becomes capable of transmitting the audio and imagery information.

37. The method according to claim 30, further comprising deleting the audio and imagery information from the memory following transmitting of the audio and imagery information.

38. The method according to claim 30, wherein activating comprises activating the wireless transmitter by depressing a pair of buttons on the mobile terminal simultaneously for a predetermined amount of time.

39. The method according to claim 30, further comprising deactivating the wireless transmitter upon receipt of a deactivation message by the wireless transmitter.

40. The method according to claim 30, wherein activating comprises activating the wireless transmitter by upon receipt of an activation message by the wireless transmitter.

41. The method according to claim 30, further comprising providing tactile feedback to a user indicating that the wireless transmitter has been activated.

42. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to activate a wireless transmitter of a mobile terminal in response to the emergency, the processor also configured to direct transmission of an emergency message from the wireless transmitter, the processor further configured to independently record at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency in a memory of the mobile terminal, and the processor further configured to transmit the audio, location, time, or imagery information from the wireless transmitter in a plurality of predetermined increments of time and in an alternating fashion such that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information is capable of being transmitted independently from each other.

43. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a processor, cause said processor to:

activate a wireless transmitter of a mobile terminal in response to the emergency;

independently transmit an emergency message from the wireless transmitter;

independently record at least two of audio, location, time, or imagery information indicative of the emergency in a memory of the mobile terminal; and

transmit the audio, location, time, or imagery information from the wireless transmitter in a plurality of predetermined increments of time and in an alternating fashion such that the at least two of the audio, location, time, or imagery information is capable of being transmitted independently from each other.