Systems, methods, devices and arrangements for emergency call services using non-traditional endpoint devices

• US 8,422,986 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Bryan, Judge, Garth
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US12/793,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/466, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/414.1, 455/445, 455/404.2, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A variety of methods, systems, devices and arrangements are implemented for emergency call centers. According to one such method, a location database is populated from a plurality of endpoint devices. The location database determines locations for nodes in a data transmission route from information received from the endpoint devices. Emergency calls using these nodes are located using the populated database.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of endpoint devices each having

a location circuit configured to provide physical location data about the physical location of the endpoint device;

one or more external ports for communicating data to an external network; and

a processing circuit configured to

generate one or more populating data packets containing the physical location data; and

transmit the populating data packets to a remote location-determination server; and

at least one location-determination server configured to

receive the populating data packets from the plurality of endpoint devices;

determine nodes in a transmission route between the plurality of endpoint devices and the location-determination server;

calculate a physical location for one or more of the determined nodes as a function of the physical location data in the populating data packets;

store the calculated physical location for the one or more of the determined nodes;

identify, in response to an emergency request from an emergency-capable endpoint device without bidirectional audio capabilities, one or more nodes in a transmission route used to send data from the emergency-capable endpoint device;

retrieve calculated physical location data for the identified nodes;

determine a probable physical location for the emergency-capable endpoint device as a function of the calculated physical location data for the identified nodes and a probable location algorithm;

provide the determined probable physical location for the emergency-capable endpoint device to an emergency operator; and

establish a non-audio communications link between the emergency operator and the emergency-capable endpoint device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency-capable endpoint device includes a sealed compartment for holding an emergency circuit when not in use.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency-capable endpoint device includes a sealed compartment for holding an emergency key for activation of an emergency circuit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency-capable endpoint device communicates with the emergency operator using SMS or MMS text messaging.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency-capable endpoint device communicates with the emergency operator over the Internet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency-capable endpoint device includes a modem used in response to activation of an emergency circuit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one location-determination server is further configured to update a current calculated physical location for the one or more of the determined nodes based upon receipt of additional populating data packets and a parameter representing resistance to change from the current calculated physical location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculated physical location for one of the determined nodes is a geographic area determined as a function of the probability that an endpoint device connected to one of the determined nodes is within the geographic area.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit of the plurality of endpoint devices is configured to encrypt data about nodes in a local-area-network (LAN) near the endpoint device and to include the encrypted data in a populating data packet.