Mobile interoperability workstation controller having video capabilities within an incident communications network

• US 8,364,153 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: People's United Bank, N.A. (Sage Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Mutualink, Inc.
• Inventors: Boucher, Joseph N., Kurmas, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US12/856,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/466, 455/420, 455/435.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/518, 455/519, 455/520, 455/521, 455/552.1, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/445, 370/356, 370/328, 370/401, 370/329, 370/340, 370/341
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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

The present invention is directed to a mobile interoperability workstation (IWS) controller with capabilities for controlling designated communications resources under its command and having, inter alia, inbound receiving and outbound sharing video capabilities, data file and data sending and receiving capabilities, text messaging capabilities and push to talk voice communications capabilities within an incident communications network. An incident communications network enables interoperable communications among communications resources controlled by multiple organizations during an incident involving emergency or pre-planned multi-organization communications. The incident communications network includes IWS controllers to control communications resources and enable a user a means to control and interface with the incident communications network. In the present invention, a mobile IWS supported by an IWS gateway are provided. In embodiments, the mobile IWS supports enhanced video capture and streaming capabilities that are integrated with incident management information and events associated with activities taking place on an incident communications network.

Claims

1. An agent to enable a wireless mobile device to operate as an interoperability workstation (IWS) controller within an incident communications network, comprising:

a wireless mobile device interface that couples the agent to the wireless mobile device;

an incident communications network interface that couples the agent to a smartphone IWS gateway; and

a mobile interoperability workstation controller coupled with the wireless mobile device interface and the incident communications network interface that provides functionality to enable the wireless mobile device to operate as a mobile interoperability workstation, wherein IWS functionalities are shared between the agent and the smartphone IWS gateway, wherein the wireless mobile device retains pre-existing functionality.

2. The agent of claim 1, wherein the wireless mobile device interface adapts a series of graphical user interfaces to enable a user to control interoperability workstation functions to unique operating characteristics of the mobile device.

3. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile device interface determines capabilities of the wireless mobile device, wherein the incident communications network interface transmits the capabilities of the wireless mobile device to the smartphone IWS gateway.

4. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile device interface enables a selection of the type of wireless communications protocol to be used by the wireless mobile device.

5. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interface initiates a secured connection of a wireless network between the wireless mobile device and the smartphone IWS gateway.

6. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interface establishes one or more communications conduits to the incident communications network, wherein a conduit comprises a dedicated communications channel for audio, video, messaging or data communications between the wireless mobile device and the incident communications network.

7. The agent of claim 6, wherein the incident network interface upon creation of a video conduit will negotiate video capabilities comprising codec, bit rate, frame rate and image size as a function of one or more of the capabilities of the mobile wireless device, incident characteristics and capabilities of members within an incident communications network.

8. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interface provides a prompt to a user upon a request to join an incident arriving at the wireless mobile device, wherein the prompt includes one or more of a modal dialog box and/or an audible alerting tone.

9. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interface provides video streaming of video captured by the wireless mobile device to the incident communications network.

10. The agent of claim 9, wherein the video stream identifies the geographical location of the video, wherein the geographical location of the video stream is provided by capturing position information from GPS capabilities of the wireless mobile device.

11. The agent of claim 9, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller associates a video stream with meta data identifying one or more of location information, members present at the time of the video stream, tags to messages occurring simultaneously, and tags to events occurring simultaneously.

12. The smartphone gateway of claim 11, wherein the smartphone gateway stores a the video stream with the meta data.

13. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller invites other members to participate in an incident based on the video capabilities and location of the member when additional views of an incident are desirable.

14. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interface receives video streaming from the incident communications network and the video stream is displayed on the wireless mobile device.

15. The agent of claim 1, wherein the incident network interfaces uses an adapted XML protocol for communications between the wireless mobile device and a network manager server, wherein the form of a message is

16. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller evaluates available bandwidth and implements bandwidth management features to dynamically adjust bandwidth use based on available bandwidth and as a function of a type and status of an incident.

17. The agent of claim 16, wherein bandwidth management features comprise suggesting bandwidth management alternatives or automatically adjusting bandwidth usage.

18. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller presents an incident list screen adapted to the wireless device as a function of the screen characteristics and characteristics of an incident, wherein the incident list screen provides a listing of the incidents that are ongoing and a listing of the incidents for which the wireless mobile device is a member.

19. The agent of claim 1, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller maintains a preset list of potential members to incidents of varying types, wherein whether a potential member is included in a preset list is a function of one or more of the type of incident, the location of the member and/or the type of device of the member.

20. The agent of claim 19, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller automatically initiates sending invites to potential members of a preset list when an incident occurs.

21. The agent of claim 19, wherein the mobile interoperability workstation controller sends a email or SMS message to a potential member when the potential member does not respond to the invite, wherein the email or SMS message includes a hypertext link that when clicked initiates a process of having the potential member join the incident.

22. The agent of claim 1, wtherein the wireless mobile device is a smartphone.