Emergency communication recognition

• US 8,320,875 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Musgrove, Charles, Daly, Brian, Sennett, Dewayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM LU, NGAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/913,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20120108196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1
• 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

Abstract

Emergency communication initiated from an internet protocol enabled device may be recognized and established. An address representative of a designated recipient with which communication is to be established may be provided to a first communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device, such as a wireless mobile device. The communication may be a non-voice communication or a voice communication. The communication may be determined to be indicative of an emergency. The communication may be established with a recipient associated with the designated recipient address via a second communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device and a predetermined network upon the communication being indicative of an emergency. The predetermined network may provide the communication between the internet protocol enabled device and the recipient securely.

Claims

1. A method performed by a system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

providing, by the system, an address of equipment of a designated recipient with which a communication is to be established to a first communication service operating on an internet protocol enabled device, wherein the address of the equipment of the designated recipient is associated with at least one public safety access point;

determining, by the system, that the communication is indicative of an emergency; and

establishing, by the system, the communication with at least one recipient associated with the address of the equipment of the designated recipient via a second communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device and at least one predetermined network upon the communication being determined to be indicative of the emergency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is at least one of a non-voice communication or a voice communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one predetermined network is provided by an operator of the internet protocol enabled device, and the at least one predetermined network provides the communication between the internet protocol enabled device and the at least one recipient securely.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication service is provided by a party other than an operator of the internet protocol enabled device and the second communication service is provided by the operator of the internet protocol enabled device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether the communication is indicative of the emergency includes the internet protocol enabled device determining that the first communication service associates the address with at least one emergency response entity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the communication is indicative of an emergency includes the internet protocol enabled device receiving an indication from the first communication service that the address is associated with at least one emergency response entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

preventing interruption of the communication by applications or functions of the internet protocol enabled device in response to the communication being determined to be indicative of the emergency.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

deactivating at least one of a sound generation function or a vibration generation function of the internet protocol enabled device in response to the communication being determined to be indicative of the emergency.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol enabled device is a wireless mobile device.

10. A computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions when executed by at least one processor of an internet protocol enabled device causing the internet protocol enabled device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

providing an address of equipment of a designated recipient with which a communication is to be established to a first communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device, wherein the address of the equipment of the designated recipient is associated with at least one public safety access point;

determining that the communication is indicative of an emergency; and

establishing the communication with at least one recipient associated with the address of the equipment of the designated recipient via a second communication service operating on the internet protocol enable device and at least one predetermined network upon the communication being determined to be indicative of the emergency.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first communication service is provided by a party other than an operator of the internet protocol enabled device and the second communication service is provided by the operator of the internet protocol enabled device.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the determining whether the communication is indicative of the emergency includes the internet protocol enabled device determining that the first communication service associates the input with at least one emergency response entity.

13. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the communication is at least one of a non-voice communication or a voice communication.

14. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one predetermined network is provided by an operator of the internet protocol enabled device, and the at least one predetermined network provides the communication between the internet protocol enabled device and the at least one recipient securely.

15. The storage medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

placing the internet enabled device into a first communication mode, the first communication mode preventing interruption of the communication by applications or functions of the internet protocol device in response to the communication being determined to be indicative of an emergency.

16. An internet protocol enabled device comprising:

a processor portion configured to;

provide an address of equipment of a designated recipient with which a communication is to be established to a first communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device, wherein the address of the equipment of the designated recipient is associated with at least one public safety access point, and

determine that the communication is indicative of an emergency; and

a communications portion configured to;

establish the communication with at least one recipient associated with the address of the designated recipient via a second communication service operating on the internet protocol enabled device and at least one predetermined network upon the communication being determined to be indicative of the emergency.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the communication is at least one of a non-voice communication or a voice communication.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first communication service is provided by a party other than an operator of the internet protocol enabled device and the second communication service is provided by the operator of the internet protocol enabled device.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the at least one predetermined network is provided by an operator of the internet protocol enabled device, and the at least one predetermined network providing the communication between the internet protocol enabled device and the at least one recipient securely.