System and method for establishing an incident communications network

• US 8,320,874 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: People's United Bank, N.A. (Sage Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Mutualink, Inc.
• Inventors: Mills, Donald C., Boucher, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US12/651,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 455516-521, 455/450, 455/455, 455/422.1, 455424-425, 455/428, 455560-561, 455/550.1, 4555561-5562, 455/566, 455/445, 370276-278, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370328-330, 370/338, 370340-341, 370/395.52
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing an interoperable communications system including a plurality of otherwise disjunct communication systems each including at least one communications device. The system includes a plurality of system interface controllers each coupled to one of the communication systems and a common network for connecting the communication system and associated communications devices to the common network. A controller is coupled to each of the system interface controllers. The system interface controller being operable in response to commands from an authorized controller wherein the connection between each of the communication systems and the common network is controlled by a controller associated with, and authorized to control each communication system. The system provides an interoperable communications system between the otherwise disjunct systems wherein the communications devices for each system coupled to the common network are in communication therebetween.

Claims

1. A method for establishing an incident communications network that enables interoperable communications among communications resources controlled by multiple organizations during an incident involving emergency or pre-planned multi-organization communications, wherein an administrator controls a set of communications resources within an organization, comprising:

upon an occurrence of an incident, establishing an incident identifier associated with the incident;

establishing communications among communications resources controlled by administrators that accept an invitation to be electronically coupled to the incident communications network, wherein communications among administrators and communications resources are exchanged on one or more communications channels associated with the incident identifier; and

granting communication rights to communications resources, wherein the rights granted for a communications resource are determined by an administrator that controls the communications resource, wherein an administrator retains control of communications resources that were under the control of the administrator prior to the start of the incident, wherein control is the ability to determine the capabilities of the communications resource that are made available to other organizations within the incident communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an administrator is a user or electronic controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications resources comprise communications devices, communications facilities, or data resources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein communications devices include two-way radio communications devices, push-to-talk devices, wireline telephones, wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, public address systems, group address systems, video cameras or surveillance devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the incident communications network includes audio and video communications devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an identity of a communications resource that accepts an invitation to participate in the incident communications network within a registry.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a control message to an interface controller associated with a communications resource that couples the communications resource to the incident communications network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the control message is encrypted.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a unique transport address to enable routing of communications or data within the incident communications network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing multiple incident communications networks, wherein communications resources are contained within more than one incident communications networks simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying unique groupings of organizations and associated communications resources that are capable of participating within the incident communications network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying communications resources to be invited to the incident communications network based on incident conditions.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein communications resources to be invited are included within a pre-existing plan.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining communications resources to be invited to participate in the incident communications network based on a pre-existing plan.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining pre-existing plans to facilitate establishment of the incident communications network.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a subset of administrators to selectively communicate among the subset.

17. A server having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations for establishing an incident communications network that enables interoperable communications among communications resources controlled by multiple organizations during an incident involving emergency or pre-planned multi-organization communications, wherein an administrator controls a set of communications resources within an organization, the operations comprising:

upon an occurrence of an incident, establishing an incident identifier associated with the incident;

establishing communications among communications resources controlled by administrators that accept an invitation to be electronically coupled to the incident communications network, wherein communications among administrators and communications resources are exchanged on one or more communications channels associated with the incident identifier; and

granting communication rights to communications resources, wherein the rights granted for a communications resource are determined by an administrator that controls the communications resource, wherein an administrator retains control of communications resources that were under the control of the administrator prior to the start of the incident, wherein control is the ability to determine the capabilities of the communications resource that are made available to other organizations within the incident communications network.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein an administrator is a user or electronic controller.

19. The server of claim 17, wherein the communications resources comprise communications devices, communications facilities, or data resources.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein communications devices include two-way radio communications devices, push-to-talk devices, wireline telephones, wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, public address systems, group address systems, video cameras or surveillance devices.

21. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising storing an identity of a communications resource that accepts an invitation to participate in the incident communications network within a registry.

22. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising assigning a unique transport address to enable routing of communications or data within the incident communications network.

23. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising establishing multiple incident communications networks, wherein communications resources are contained within more than one incident communications networks simultaneously.

24. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising identifying unique groupings of organizations and associated communications resources that are capable of participating within the incident communications network.

25. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising identifying communications resources to be invited to the incident communications network based on incident conditions.

26. The server of claim 25, wherein communications resources to be invited are included within a pre-existing plan.

27. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising determining communications resources to be invited to participate in the incident communications network based on a pre-existing plan.

28. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising maintaining pre-existing plans to facilitate establishment of the incident communications network.

29. The server of claim 17 having stored thereon computer executable instructions, execution of which by a processing device causes the processing device to perform operations, the operations further comprising defining a subset of administrators to selectively communicate among the subset