Emergency text communications

• US 8,401,154 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Boni, Piotr, Armstrong, Michael, Schulzrinne, Henning, Song, Wonsang, Kim, Jong Yul
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/612,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20110064205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 379/45, 379/85, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/466, 455/67.11, 600/316, 725/33, 709/204, 709/206, 709/227, 715/753, 715/758
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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

A system includes one or more devices connected to or within one of a group of emergency services networks. The one or more devices may generate a text message that includes information identifying a user device, information identifying a geographic location of the user device, and information identifying a particular emergency services network of the group of emergency services networks; establish, based on the text message, a text-based communication session between the user device and a call taker device within the particular emergency services network; store session information regarding the text-based communication session; receive a subsequent text message; and transmit the subsequent text message to the call taker device based on the session information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more devices, a text message that includes information identifying a user device, information identifying a geographic location of the user device, and information identifying a particular emergency services network of a plurality of emergency services networks;

establishing, by the one or more devices and based on the text message, a text-based communication session between the user device and a call taker device within the particular emergency services network;

storing, by the one or more devices, session information regarding the text-based communication session;

receiving, by the one or more devices, a subsequent text message; and

transmitting, by the one or more devices, the subsequent text message to the call taker device based on the session information.

2. The method of claim 1, where the received text message is generated by:

receiving, from a user of the user device, text input via an instant messaging application operating on the user device,

identifying a geographic location of the user device,

identifying the particular emergency services network based on the geographic location of the user device, and

generating the text message based on the text input, information identifying the geographic location of the user device, and information identifying the particular emergency services network.

3. The method of claim 1, where the received text message is generated by:

receiving, from a user of the user device, text input via a short message services application operating on the user device,

identifying a geographic location of the user device,

identifying the particular emergency services network based on the geographic location of the user device, and

generating the text message based on the text input, information identifying the geographic location of the user device, and information identifying the particular emergency services network.

4. The method of claim 1, where storing the session information includes:

storing information identifying the user device,

storing information identifying a public safety answering point associated with the call taker device, and

storing a timestamp value reflecting a time at which the text message is received.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

resetting the timestamp value to a time at which the subsequent text message is received; and

ending the text-based communication session when a particular amount of time elapses, from the time associated with the timestamp value, before the subsequent text message is received.

6. The method of claim 1, where storing the session information includes:

storing information identifying the user device, and

storing information identifying a device within the particular emergency services network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the call taker device to end the text-based communication session; and

ending the text-based communication session based on the instruction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response text message from the call taker device; and

sending the response text message to the user device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the call taker device to end the text-based communication session, and

deleting, based on receiving the information from the call taker device to end the text-based communication session, the stored session information.

10. A system comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive

a text message generated based on text input at a user device, information identifying a geographic location of the user device, and information identifying a particular emergency services network,

route the text message to a call taker device within the particular emergency services network to establish a communication session between the user device and the call taker device,

store session information regarding the communication session,

receive a subsequent text message from the user device, and

transmit the subsequent text message to the call taker device based on the session information.

11. The system of claim 10, where the text message is a session initiation protocol (SIP) message.

12. The system of claim 10, where the text input is part of a short message services (SMS) message, and

where the one or more devices are further to convert the SMS message into a session initiation protocol (SIP) message.

13. The system of claim 10, where, when storing the session information, the one or more devices are to:

store information identifying the user device,

store information identifying a device within the particular emergency services network, and

store a timestamp value reflecting a time at which the text message is received.

14. The system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to:

reset the timestamp value to a time at which the subsequent text message is received, and

end the communication session when a particular amount of time elapses, from the time associated with the timestamp value, before the subsequent text message is received.

15. The system of claim 10, where, when storing the session information, the one or more devices are to:

store information identifying the user device, and

store information identifying a device within the particular emergency services network.

16. The system of claim 10, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive an instruction from the call taker device to end the communication session, and

end the communication session based on the instruction.

17. The system of claim 10, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive a response text message from the call taker device, and

send the response text message to the user device.

18. The system of claim 10, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive information from the call taker device to end the text-based communication session, and

delete, based on receiving the information from the call taker device to end the text-based communication session, the stored session information.

19. A device comprising:

a processor to;

receive a text message that includes;

text input, associated with a request for emergency services, entered via an instant messaging application or a short message services application operating on a user device, and

information identifying a geographic location associated with the user device,

identify one of a plurality of devices to forward the text message,

establish, based on the text message, a text-based communication session between the user device and the one of the plurality of devices,

store session information associated with the text-based communication session,

forward the text message to the one of the plurality of devices,

receive a subsequent text message, and

forward the subsequent text message to the one of the plurality of devices based on the session information.

20. The device of claim 19, where, when storing the session information, the processor is further to:

store information identifying the user device,

store information identifying the one of the plurality of devices, and

store a timestamp value reflecting a time at which the text message is received.

21. The device of claim 20, where the processor is further to:

reset the timestamp value to a time at which the subsequent text message is received, and

delete the session information when a particular amount of time elapses, from the time associated with the timestamp value, before the subsequent text message is received.

22. The device of claim 19, where the processor is further to:

receive a response text message, and

send the response text message to the user device.

23. The device of claim 19, where the processor is further to:

receive an instruction from the one of the plurality of devices to end the text-based communication session; and

end the text-based communication session based on the instruction.

24. The device of claim 19, where the processor is further to:

receive information from the one of the plurality of devices to end the text-based communication session, and

delete, based on receiving the information from the one of the plurality of devices to end the text-based communication session, the stored session information.