Automatic emergency call notification to pre-designated personal emergency contacts

• US 8,295,445 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Brandon, Townsdin, Elisabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARIFZADA, IBRAHAM K
• Application Number:
  US11/898,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20080304630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 379 37- 51
• US Class Current: 379/41
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• 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

Abstract

Automatic notification is provided to pre-designated emergency contacts for a given wireless subscriber upon the occurrence of an emergency call from the subscriber. Triggering for the automatic notification may take place at an appropriate time in the emergency call, e.g., at a time the emergency call is received, at a time during the emergency call after a current location of the emergency caller is obtained by the emergency network, once the emergency call terminates, after a set amount of time after the emergency call is received, terminates, etc. The automatic notification is preferably made using voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), but may instead be pre-designated by the subscriber to be in an alternative mode, e.g., by SMS, switched telephone, etc. An option is included for the emergency caller to cancel the automatic notification. The location of the emergency caller may be configurably provided to a notified emergency contact.

Claims

1. A method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call, comprising:

receiving an emergency call from a given subscriber device;

transmitting, to said given subscriber device, a cancelation option message to optionally send a cancelation request to cancel generation of a contact notification message; and

if said cancelation request is not received from said given subscriber device in response to said cancelation option message, determining at least one are-designated emergency contact to be automatically contacted subsequent to said receipt of said emergency call, generating said contact notification message to be sent to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact, and sending said generated contact notification message to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact.

7. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said emergency call is received over a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

8. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said contact notification message is sent via a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

9. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one pre-designated emergency contact is at least three emergency contacts.

2. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to dam 1, wherein:

said generated contact notification message is sent via a pre-configured method.

3. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 2, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is one of:

an SMS message;

an email; and

a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with pre-recorded message payload.

4. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 2, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is:

an SMS message.

5. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 2, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is:

an email.

6. The method of automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 2, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is:

a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with pre-recorded message payload.

10. Apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call, comprising:

means for receiving an emergency call from a given subscriber device;

means for transmitting, to said given subscriber device, a cancelation option message to optionally send a cancelation request to cancel generation of a contact notification message; and

means for determining said at least one pre-designated emergency contact to be automatically contacted subsequent to said receipt of said emergency call, generating said contact notification message to be sent to said at least one pre-designated emergency contact, and sending said generated contact notification message to said at least one pre designated emergency contact, if said cancelation request is not received from said given subscriber device in response to said cancelation option message.

11. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 10, wherein:

said generated contact notification message is sent via a pre-configured method.

12. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 11, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is one of:

an SMS message;

an email; and

a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with pre-recorded message payload.

13. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 11, wherein said pre-designated emergency contact is:

an SMS message.

14. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 11, wherein aid pre-designated emergency contact is:

an email.

15. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 11, wherein:

said pre-configured method is a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with pre-recorded message payload.

16. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 10, wherein:

said emergency call is received over a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

17. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to claim 10, wherein:

said contact notification message is sent via a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

18. The apparatus for automatically notifying a pre-designated emergency contact relating to an emergency call according to dam 10, wherein:

said at least one pre-designated emergency contact is at least three emergency contacts.