Emergency message transmission method and mobile terminal

• US 7,826,821 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang Don, Jang, Jin Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nair; Sowmini
• Application Number:
  US11/706,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20080003975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A mobile terminal capable of emergency message transmission using Bluetooth® technology is disclosed. The mobile terminal includes a memory unit for storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message; an input unit for inputting a command of emergency message transmission; a Bluetooth® module for discovering Bluetooth®-enabled devices within Bluetooth® range and for extracting a Bluetooth® address of the discovered Bluetooth®-enabled device when a Bluetooth®-enabled device is discovered; a controller for inserting the extracted Bluetooth® address into the emergency message; and a communication unit for transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission. As a result, an emergency message is transmitted to a proximate Bluetooth®-enabled device for immediate help to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal capable of emergency message transmission using short range Radio Frequency (RF) technology that provides a point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint connection that lacks an administrative function for operating as a network, comprising:

a memory unit for storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message;

an input unit for inputting a command of emergency message transmission;

an RF module for discovering RF-enabled devices within range and for extracting an address of the discovered RF-enabled device when an RF-enabled device is discovered;

a controller for inserting the extracted address into the emergency message; and

a communication unit for transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs a mode change command for emergency message transmission.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller inserts the extracted address into the recipient list, and wherein the RF module transmits the emergency message to an RF-enabled device having an RF address in the recipient list using point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication in response to input of the command of emergency message transmission.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the RF module establishes a communication link to an RF module of an RF-enabled device having the extracted address for point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication, and each RF module activates an Intercom Profile for speech signal transmission and reception.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the RF module establishes a communication link to an RF module of an RF-enabled device having an address satisfying a preset condition when multiple addresses are extracted.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the preset condition is selection of an earliest extracted one of the multiple addresses.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, further comprising an interface unit for intermediating speech signals between the RF module and controller, and wherein the controller controls the communication unit to send a speech signal received from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message to the interface unit when a call is received from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the RF module transmits the received speech signal to the RF-enabled device connected to the communication link using point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the RF module sends the received speech signal to the interface unit according to a control signal for speech signal transfer when a speech signal is received using RF communication from the RF-enabled device connected to the communication link.

10. An emergency message transmission method for a mobile terminal enabled for point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication that lacks an administrative function for operating as a network, the method comprising:

storing a recipient list and a pre-composed emergency message;

discovering RF-enabled devices within range, and extracting an address of a discovered RF-enabled device when an RF-enabled device is discovered;

inserting the extracted address into the emergency message; and

transmitting the emergency message to a mobile terminal associated with the stored recipient list in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

11. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising changing an operation mode to an emergency message transmission mode in response to input of a mode change command.

12. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising inserting the extracted address into the recipient list, and wherein the transmitting the emergency message step transmits the emergency message to an RF-enabled device having the inserted address in the recipient list using point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication in response to input of a command of emergency message transmission.

13. The emergency message transmission method of claim 10, further comprising forwarding a call from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message to an RF-enabled device having the extracted address.

14. The emergency message transmission method of claim 13, wherein the forwarding a call step comprises:

establishing a communication link between the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and RF-enabled device having the extracted address for point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication;

activating communication profiles for speech signal transmission and reception, respectively, at the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and the RF-enabled device; and

transferring a speech signal therefrom to the RF-enabled device after reception of a call from the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message.

15. The emergency message transmission method of claim 14, wherein the establishing a communication link step makes a communication link between the mobile terminal sending the emergency message and an RF-enabled device having an address satisfying a preset condition when multiple addresses are extracted.

16. The emergency message transmission method of claim 15, wherein the preset condition is selection of an earliest extracted one of the multiple addresses.

17. The emergency message transmission method of claim 14, wherein the transferring a speech signal step comprises:

sending, by the mobile terminal receiving the emergency message, a speech signal to the mobile terminal sending the emergency message;

converting, by the mobile terminal sending the emergency message, the received speech signal into Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) data; and

sending, by the mobile terminal sending the emergency message, the PCM data to the enabled device having the extracted address using point-to-point connection or a point-to-multipoint communication.