Information provisioning for emergency calls

• US 8,000,678 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McGinnis, Timothy Kevin, Durkin, Ray N., Klesper, Stevan A., Santharam, Arun, Paczkowski, Lyle Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu; Meless N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US11/764,665
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 607/5, 607/60, 607/59, 705/1, 705/2, 709/207, 709/238, 709/240, 709/206, 600/523
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber

Abstract

An emergency service system receives a call transmitted from a calling device to an emergency service to obtain assistance for a person, receives from a responder device a personal information request for personal information associated with the person, wherein the personal information request includes a personal identification read by the responder device that identifies the person, determines if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information, and transfers the personal information to the responder device if the responder device is authorized.

Claims

1. A communication network for handling emergency service calls comprising:

a responder device configured to receive a personal identification that identifies a person and transmit a personal information request for personal information associated with the person wherein the personal information request includes the personal identification; and

an emergency service system configured to receive a call transmitted from a calling device to an emergency service to obtain assistance for the person, receive the personal information request from the responder device, determine if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information, and transfer the personal information to the responder device if the responder device is authorized;

wherein to determine if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information, the emergency service system is configured to determine a location of the call and process the location of the call to determine if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, wherein the responder device is authorized to request the personal information if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, and wherein the emergency service system is configured to deny the personal information request if the responder device is not proximate to the location of the call.

2. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the emergency service system is configured to set a time limit in response to receiving the call, and wherein, to determine if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information, the emergency service system is configured to determine if the personal information request is received within the time limit, wherein the responder device is authorized if the personal information request is received within the time limit, and wherein the emergency service system is configured to deny the personal information request if the personal information request is not received within the time limit.

3. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the emergency service system comprises a public safety answering point and a customer information system, wherein the public safety answering point receives the call, receives the personal information request, and transfers the personal information to the responder device if the responder device is authorized.

4. The communication network of claim 3 wherein the public safety answering point is configured to transfer another personal information request to the customer information system and receive the personal information from the customer information system in response to the other personal information request.

5. The communication network of claim 4 wherein the public safety answering point determines if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information.

6. The communication network of claim 4 wherein the customer information system determines if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information.

7. The communication network of claim 3 wherein the public safety answering point is configured to transfer a context information request to the customer information system, receive the context information from the customer information system in response to the context information request, and transfer the context information to the responder device, wherein the context information is associated with the calling device and is not associated with the person.

8. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the responder device, to receive the personal identification, is configured to read the personal identification from an identification device located on the person, wherein the identification device comprises a radio frequency identification chip, a bar code, or a magnetic strip.

9. A method of operating communication network for handling emergency service calls, the method comprising:

receiving in a responder device a personal identification that identifies a person;

transmitting a personal information request for personal information associated with the person from the responder device wherein the personal information request includes the personal identification;

receiving a call into an emergency service system transmitted from a calling device to an emergency service to obtain assistance for the person;

receiving the personal information request into the emergency service system;

in the emergency service system, determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information; and

transferring the personal information from the emergency service system to the responder device if the responder device is authorized;

wherein determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information comprises determining a location of the call and processing the location of the call to determine if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, wherein the responder device is authorized to request the personal information if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, and wherein the personal information request is denied if the responder device is not proximate to the location of the call.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, in the emergency service system, setting a time limit in response to receiving the call, and wherein determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information comprises determining if the personal information request is received within the time limit, wherein the responder device is authorized if the personal information request is received within the time limit, and wherein the personal information request is denied if the personal information request is not received within the time limit.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the emergency service system comprises a public safety answering point and a customer information system, the method comprising receiving the call in the public safety answering point, receiving the personal information request in the public safety answering point, and transferring the personal information from the public safety answering point to the responder device if the responder device is authorized.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising transferring another personal information request from the public safety answering point to the customer information system and receiving the personal information in the public safety answering point from the customer information system in response to the other personal information request.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information in the public safety answering point.

14. The method of claim 12 comprising determining if the responder device is authorized in the customer information system.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising transferring a context information request from the public safety answering point to the customer information system, receiving the context information in the public safety answering point from the customer information system in response to the context information request, and transferring the context information from the public safety answering point to the responder device, wherein the context information is associated with the calling device and is not associated with the person.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the personal identification comprises reading the personal identification from an identification device located on the person, wherein the identification device comprises a radio frequency identification chip, a bar code, or a magnetic strip.

17. A method of operating a public safety answering point for handling emergency service calls, the method comprising:

receiving a call transmitted from a calling device to an emergency service to obtain assistance for a person;

receiving from a responder device a personal information request for personal information associated with the person, wherein the personal information request includes a personal identification read by the responder device that identifies the person;

determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information; and

transferring the personal information to the responder device if the responder device is authorized;

wherein determining if the responder device is authorized to request the personal information comprises determining a location of the call and processing the location of the call to determine if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, wherein the responder device is authorized to request the personal information if the responder device is proximate to the location of the call, and wherein the personal information request is denied if the responder device is not proximate to the location of the call.