Preformatted emergency text message

• US 8,472,916 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coppage, Carl M., Ray, Amar Nath, Greene, Lynne T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gu, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/257,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20100003959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• 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 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communications device and method for generating and communicating an emergency text message includes in response to receiving a request to communicate an emergency text message, accessing stored personal data for use in generating content of the emergency text message. A determination may be made if current location coordinates are available. The emergency text message may be populated with the accessed stored personal data and current location coordinates, if available. The populated emergency text message may be communicated over a communications network.

Claims

1. A method for generating an emergency text message, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless communication device, a request to communicate an emergency text message and a selection of a type of emergency text message;

in response to receiving the request to communicate an emergency text message, accessing, with the wireless communication device, stored personal data for use in generating content of the emergency text message;

further in response to receiving the request to communicate an emergency text message, determining, with the wireless communication device, that current location coordinates are not available within a time period;

in response to determining that the current location coordinates are not available within the time period, populating, with the wireless communication device, the emergency text message with information associated with the selection of the type of emergency text message and the accessed stored personal data;

communicating, with the wireless communication device, the populated emergency text message over a communications network as a first emergency text message; and

further in response to determining that the current location coordinates are not available within the time period, requesting, with the wireless communication device, current location coordinates;

in response to receiving the current location coordinates, populating, with the wireless communication device, a second emergency text message with the current location coordinates; and

communicating, with the wireless communication device, the second emergency text message over the communications network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

determining that the current location coordinates are not available includes determining that GPS coordinates are not locally available.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

requesting current location coordinates from the communications network; and

populating the second emergency text message with the current network location coordinates if received from the communication network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein requesting current location coordinates includes requesting cell site coordinates.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein accessing the personal data includes accessing a name and fast track address, if available.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising accessing the current address, if available.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing a stored emergency network address.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein communicating the emergency text message includes communicating the emergency text message to the emergency network address capable of processing the emergency text message for display to emergency service personnel.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the emergency text message is preformatted and the personal data are positioned in one or more preformatted data fields.

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit is further configured to:

request current location coordinates from the communications network;

populate the second emergency text message with the current network location coordinates if received from the communication network.

13. The wireless communications device according to claim 12, wherein the processing unit, in requesting current location coordinates, is further configured to request cell site coordinates.

10. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a memory storing personal data of a user;

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate with a communications network;

a user interface; and

a processing unit in communication with said memory, I/O unit, and user interface, and configured to;

receive a request to communicate an emergency text message and a selection of a type of emergency text message;

in response to receiving the request to communicate an emergency text message by a user interacting with the user interface, access the stored personal data in said memory;

further in response to receiving the request to communicate an emergency text message, determine that current location coordinates are not available within a time period;

in response to determining that the current location coordinates are not available within the time period, populate the emergency text message with information associated with the selection of the type of emergency text message and the accessed stored personal data;

communicate the populated emergency text message over a communications network as a first emergency text message; and

further in response to determining that the current location coordinates are not available within the time period, request current location coordinates;

in response to receiving the current location coordinates, populate a second emergency text message with the current location coordinates; and

communicate the second emergency text message over the communications network.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, wherein said processing unit, in determining that the current location coordinates are not available, is configured to:

determine that GPS coordinates are not locally available.

14. The wireless communications device according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit, in accessing the personal data, is configured to access a name and fast track address, if available.

15. The wireless communications device according to claim 14, further configured to access the current address, if available.

16. The wireless communications device according to claim 10, further configured to access a stored emergency network address.

17. The wireless communications device according to claim 16, wherein the wireless communications device, in communicating the emergency text message, is configured to communicate the emergency text message to the emergency network address capable of processing the emergency text message for display to emergency service personnel.

18. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, further configured to:

access an emergency text message template; and

wherein the emergency text message is formatted based on the emergency text message template and the personal data are positioned in one or more preformatted data fields.