Handling emergency calls on an electronic device

• US 8,594,614 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Eitel, Robert T., Hollatz, Michael Charles, Vick, Steven, Cormier, Jean-Philippe Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US12/984,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20120171983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/521, 455/90.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

There are disclosed techniques for handling emergency calls in an electronic device, such as a mobile telephone. For example, in one embodiment, upon receipt of a request at the user-interface of the device to terminate an emergency call, the device first requests confirmation that the call should be terminated. In another embodiment, once the emergency call is terminated, if an incoming call request is subsequently received within a predetermined period of time, the device establishes a voice connection with the incoming caller regardless of whether the device is instructed to establish the voice connection. In another embodiment, once the emergency call is terminated, the device remains operable to receive a subsequent incoming call regardless of whether the device is instructed otherwise.

Claims

1. A method for handling a call in an electronic device comprising:

upon receipt of a request at a user-interface of the electronic device to terminate the call;

when the call is an emergency call, then (i) the electronic device requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated, and (ii) when the confirmation is not received at the electronic device within a predetermined period of time, then the electronic device automatically activating a speakerphone of the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, if the call is an emergency call, the electronic device delaying termination of the call, and wherein said requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises providing a message to the user-interface, the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, if the call is an emergency call, the electronic device delaying termination of the call until a message is received by the electronic device indicating that the call is terminated by a recipient of the call.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said message is a disconnect message received on a signaling channel.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises a message querying whether the call was made inadvertently;

the method further comprising;

receiving at the user-interface an indication that the call was made inadvertently and in response the electronic device performing at least one of;

(i) automatically generating a message for notifying a recipient of the call that the call was made inadvertently; and

(ii) providing a message to the user-interface comprising instructions that instruct a user to communicate with a recipient of the call to specify that the call was made inadvertently.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated and if an incoming call request is subsequently received by the electronic device within a predetermined period of time, establishing a voice connection regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing the electronic device to establish the voice connection.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated, the electronic device remaining operable to receive a subsequent incoming call regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing otherwise.

8. An electronic device for handling a call, the device comprising:

a user-interface;

a speakerphone;

an emergency communication handler for, when the call is an emergency call, upon receipt of a request at the user-interface to terminate the call, then (i) requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated, and (ii) when the confirmation is not received at the user-interface within a predetermined period of time, then the emergency communication handler automatically causing activation of the speakerphone.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, the emergency communication handler further configured for, if the call is an emergency call, delaying termination of the call;

and wherein said requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises providing a message to the user-interface, the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein said delaying termination of the call occurs while waiting for receipt of the confirmation.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, the emergency communication handler further configured for, if the call is an emergency call, delaying termination of the call until a message is received by the electronic device indicating that the call is terminated by a recipient of the call.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein said message is a disconnect message received on a signaling channel.

13. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises a message querying whether the call was made inadvertently;

and wherein upon receiving at the user-interface an indication that the call was made inadvertently, the emergency communication handler is further configured to perform at least one of;

(i) automatically generating a message for notifying a recipient of the call that the call was made inadvertently; and

(ii) providing a message to the user-interface comprising instructions that instruct a user to communicate with a recipient of the call to specify that the call was made inadvertently.

14. The electronic device of claim 8 wherein the emergency communication handler is further configured for:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated and if an incoming call request is subsequently received by the electronic device within a predetermined period of time, establishing a voice connection regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing the electronic device to establish the voice connection.

15. The electronic device of claim 8 wherein the emergency communication handler is further configured for:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated, controlling the electronic device to remain operable to receive a subsequent incoming call regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing otherwise.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions for handling a call in an electronic device, the computer-readable instructions including instructions for performing operations comprising:

upon receipt of a request at a user-interface of the electronic device to terminate the call;

when the call is an emergency call, then (i) the electronic device requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated, and (ii) when the confirmation is not received at the electronic device within a predetermined period of time, then the electronic device automatically activating a speakerphone of the electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is a magnetic cassette, or a magnetic tape, or a magnetic storage device, or an optical storage device, or a CD-ROM, or a digital versatile disk (DVD), or RAM, or ROM, or EEPROM, or flash memory.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the computer-readable instructions further including instructions for performing the operation of:

if the call is an emergency call, the electronic device delaying termination of the call; and

wherein said requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises providing a message to the user-interface, the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the computer-readable instructions further including instructions for performing the operation of:

if the call is an emergency call, the electronic device delaying termination of the call until a message is received by the electronic device indicating that the call is terminated by a recipient of the call, wherein said message is a disconnect message received on a signaling channel.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the message requesting confirmation that the call should be terminated comprises a message querying whether the call was made inadvertently;

the computer-readable instructions further including instructions for performing the operation of;

receiving at the user-interface an indication that the call was made inadvertently and in response the electronic device performing at least one of;

(i) automatically generating a message for notifying a recipient of the call that the call was made inadvertently; and

(ii) providing a message to the user-interface comprising instructions that instruct a user to communicate with a recipient of the call to specify that the call was made inadvertently.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the computer-readable instructions further including instructions for performing the operation of:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated and if an incoming call request is subsequently received by the electronic device within a predetermined period of time, establishing a voice connection regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing the electronic device to establish the voice connection.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the computer-readable instructions further including instructions for performing the operation of:

if the call is an emergency call, upon the call being terminated, the electronic device remaining operable to receive a subsequent incoming call regardless of whether an input is received at the user-interface instructing otherwise.