Method and system for relaying and managing call messages

• US 8,489,061 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OY Exrei AB
• Original Assignee: OY Exrei AB
• Inventors: Valtonen, Kauko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): AU, SCOTT D
• Application Number:
  US12/162,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20090016511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/445, 455/521, 379/201.2, 379/37, 379/38, 379/45
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• 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 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method and a server for relaying and managing service calls. The invention is suitable, for example, for relaying and managing calls related to alarm and care services. The objective of the invention can be attained with a solution wherein the calls are routed from the customer terminal (230, 250) to a server (210) for relaying as an assignment to the service terminals (270) of service providers. The server (214) shall be programmed not only with the contact information of the service providers but also with additional service provider data based on which the service to which the assignment is to be sent is chosen. By using suitable additional data and selection criteria, the system can yield an efficient, quick, and affordable solution for relaying services.

Claims

1. A method for relaying and managing service calls, comprising the steps of:

a customer terminal sending a call, the call including a call message sent to a server, the call message comprising call information including identification data of the customer terminal and a reason for the call, the reason including a specified desired service;

a service terminal receiving an assignment based on the customer terminal sending the call, wherein,

the call information is transmitted from the customer terminal to the server,

the sever selects a service provider by the server reading additional service provider data which indicates a suitable service provider that provides the specified desired service, in which server-based data on the service providers comprise data for establishing a connection to the service provider'"'"'s service terminal and the additional service provider data, whereby the call arriving at the server activates the server'"'"'s selection of the suitable service provider on the basis of the data contained in the call and said additional service provider data, and

the server sending the assignment to the service terminal in accordance with contact information of selected service provider, wherein the additional service provider data comprises information concerning the particular service providers,

the selected service provider providing the desired service; and

the server maintaining i) a log memory storing a log of received calls, assignments sent from the server to each service provider, and assignment acknowledgements sent by each service provider to the server acknowledging reception of the assignments, and ii) service-completion acknowledgements, sent by each service provider to the server, acknowledging completion of services corresponding to the assignments sent to each service provider.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised by determining of the customer'"'"'s position and, as said additional service provider data, the service provider'"'"'s position, and said selection being based on this position information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterised by selecting the service provider closest to the position of the customer terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterised by said additional data comprising data concerning the services provided by the service provider, whereby the selection of the service provider will be based at least on the call-contained data concerning the service need and said additional data on the services provided by the service provider.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server comprising presence information on the service provider'"'"'s availability at a specific time, whereby the selection of service provider is based on this presence data.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server comprising information on the service provider'"'"'s load at the time of inspection, whereby selection of service provider is based on this load situation.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server, comprising information on the number of services carried out by the service provider in a pre-set period of time, whereby the selection of service provider is based on this number of services carried out by the service provider.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the service provider having access for storing and altering the data pertaining to the service provider in question on the server.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterised by encryption of the data exchange between the customer terminal and the server, as well as between the server and the service terminal.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the server comprising means for activating the customer'"'"'s operating device on the basis of an incoming call.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the server comprising means for activating the customer'"'"'s operating device on the basis of data stored on the server.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the call comprising environment data concerning the customer'"'"'s premises, such as the state of the fire alarm device, stove, indoor temperature and humidity, and/or the opened/closed state of the exterior doors or windows.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the invoicing for the services taking place on the basis of this log information.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterised by relaying a call to the server through a control centre that serves as a base station.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the information exchange between the customer terminal and the server is bi-directional.

16. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the customer terminal being located on the basis of the radio data exchange between the customer terminal and the control centre that serves as a base station, whereby the positioning information is relayed to the server.

17. The method according to claim 1, characterised by the customer terminal sending information on its own state to the server at regular intervals for monitoring the customer terminal'"'"'s operation.

18. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the customer terminal can be activated to control an operating device.

19. A system for relaying and managing service calls that comprises customer terminals for sending calls and service terminals for receiving assignments that is characterised by the system comprising a server with memory storing the information of the service providers, which comprises data for establishing a connection to the service provider'"'"'s service terminal and additional service provider data, with the system further comprising the means for relaying the call data from a customer terminal to the server, whereby the server is arranged to be activated on the incoming call and perform selection of a service provider on the basis of the data contained in the call and said additional data, and to send an assignment based on the data of the call to the service terminal in accordance with the contact information of the selected service provider, wherein the additional service provider data comprises information concerning the particular service providers, and service provider information stored in the server is configured to be changed without updating the customer terminals,

the server further comprising:

i) a log memory storing a log of received calls, assignments sent from the server to each service provider, and assignment acknowledgements sent by each service provider to the server acknowledging reception of the assignments, and

ii) service-completion acknowledgements, sent by each service provider to the server, acknowledging completion of services corresponding to the assignments sent to each service provider.

20. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the system comprising means for determining the position of the customer terminal, whereby as one of the said additional data is the position of the service provider and said selection is carried out on the basis of said position information.

21. The system according to claim 20, characterised by comprising means for selecting the service provider closest to the position of the customer terminal.

22. The system according to claim 19, characterised by said additional data comprising information on the services provided by the service provider, whereby selection of the service provider shall be based at least on the call-contained data on the service need and the said additional data on the services provided by the service provider.

23. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server comprising presence information related to the service provider'"'"'s availability at a specific time, whereby the selection of service provider is based on said presence data.

24. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server comprising information on the service provider'"'"'s load at the time of inspection, whereby the selection of service provider is based on said load situation.

25. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the additional service provider data stored on the server comprising information on the number of services carried out by the service provider in a pre-set period of time, whereby the selection of service provider is based on the said number of services carried out by the service provider.

26. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the service provider having access for storing and altering the data pertaining to the service provider in question on the server.

27. The system according to claim 19, characterised by encryption of the data exchange between the customer terminal and the server as well as the data exchange between the server and the service terminal.

28. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the server comprising means for activating the customer'"'"'s operating device on the basis of an incoming call.

29. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the server comprising means for activating the customer'"'"'s operating device on the basis of the information stored on the server.

30. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the call comprising environment data concerning the customer'"'"'s premises, such as the state of the fire alarm device, stove, indoor temperature and humidity, and/or the opened/closed state of the exterior doors or windows.

31. The method according to claim 19, characterised by comprising means for invoicing the customer for the services on the basis of said log data.

32. The system according to claim 19, characterised by comprising means for relaying a call to the server through a control centre that serves as a base station.

33. The system according to claim 19, characterised in that the information exchange between the customer terminal and the server is bi-directional.

34. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the system comprising means for determining the location of a customer terminal on the basis of the radio data exchange between the customer terminal and the control centre that serves as a base station, as well as means for relaying the positioning data to the server.

35. The system according to claim 19, characterised by the customer terminal comprising means for sending information on its own state to the server at regular intervals for monitoring the customer terminal'"'"'s operation.

36. The system according to claim 19, characterised in that the customer terminal can be activated to control of an operating device.

37. A server for relaying and managing service calls in a system that comprises customer terminals for sending calls and service terminals for receiving assignments, the server having:

memory for storing the information of the service providers, which contains data for establishing a connection to the service provider'"'"'s service terminal and additional service provider data,

means for receiving call data from a customer terminal,

server-based data comprising information concerning the particular service providers, and

service provider information stored in the server configured to be changed without updating the customer terminals,

wherein the server is arranged

i) to be activated upon the incoming call and select a service provider on the basis of the data contained in the call and the said additional data, and

ii) to send an assignment based on the data of the call to the service terminal in accordance with the contact information of the selected service provider,

the server further comprising;

i) a log memory storing a log of received calls, assignments sent from the server to each service provider, and assignment acknowledgements sent by each service provider to the server acknowledging reception of the assignments, and

ii) service-completion acknowledgements, sent by each service provider to the server, acknowledging completion of services corresponding to the assignments sent to each service provider.

38. The server according to claim 37, characterised by further comprising means for controlling the customer'"'"'s operating device on the basis of the information comprised in the received call and/or the control data stored on the server.

39. The server according to claim 37, characterised by comprising means for determining the customer'"'"'s position, and the service provider'"'"'s position.