Mobile radio with independent, user-operated messaging channel carrying location information

• US 8,688,069 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Khan, Azam, Cazanas, Carlos A, Butz, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US12/761,847
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 455/466, 455517-521, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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 4/12 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]

Abstract

A mobile communication system may include a remote communication system which may transmit communications to and receive communications from a plurality of mobile radios over one or more wireless communication channels. Each mobile radio may include a location sensing system which may sense the location of the mobile radio. A user interface within each mobile radio may receive a request from the user to transmit information indicative of the location of the mobile radio to a remote messaging system. A message transmitter within each mobile radio may transmit the location of the mobile radio sensed by the location sensing system to the remote messaging system in response to the request by the user over a wireless messaging channel. The remote messaging system may aggregate the location information from each mobile radio and deliver this aggregate location information to the remote communication system and/or to the mobile radios.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a remote communication system configured to transmit communications to and receive communications from a plurality of mobile radios over one or more wireless communication channels that are dedicated to an emergency service;

a remote messaging system configured to receive location information from a plurality of mobile radios over one or more wireless messaging channels, different from the wireless communications channels, and to aggregate this location information;

a plurality of mobile radios, each comprising;

a communication transceiver configured to transmit communications to and receive communications from the remote communication system over one of the wireless communication channels;

a biometric interface configured to receive biometric feedback diagnostic data of a user of the mobile radio;

a location sensing system configured to sense the location of the mobile radio;

a user interface configured to;

receive communications from a user of the mobile radio and deliver them to the communication transceiver for delivery to the remote communication system over one of the wireless communication channels;

receive communications from the communication transceiver, which the communication transceiver receives from the remote communication system over one of the wireless communication channels, and deliver them to the user; and

receive a request from the user to transmit information indicative of the location of the mobile radio to the remote messaging system; and

a message transmitter, separate from the communications transceiver, configured to transmit the location of the mobile radio sensed by the location sensing system and the received biometric feedback diagnostic data to the remote messaging system, over one of the wireless messaging channels, in response to the request by the user.

2. The mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein:

each wireless communication channel is configured to carry voice communications;

each wireless messaging channel is configured to carry SMS text messages; and

each message transmitter is configured to transmit the location in the form of an SMS text message.

3. The mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein the remote messaging system is configured to transmit the aggregate location information to the remote communication system.

4. The mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein:

the remote messaging system is configured to transmit the aggregate location information to each of the mobile radios; and

each user interface is configured to communicate the aggregate location information to the user in a single display.

5. The mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein the aggregate location information includes information indicative of the location of each mobile radio relative to the other mobile radios and the motion component.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the message transmitter is further configured to transmit, responsive to the biometric feedback data indicating an injury, the location of the mobile radio sensed by the location sensing system and the received biometric feedback data.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the message transmitter is configured to transmit the location and the received biometric feedback diagnostic data in a single message over the wireless messaging channel, wherein the message is selected from a group consisting of a short messaging service (SMS) message, a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) message and a real time protocol (RTP) message.

6. A mobile radio comprising:

a communication transceiver configured to transmit communications to and receive communications from a remote communication system over a wireless communication channel that is dedicated to an emergency service;

a biometric interface configured to receive biometric feedback diagnostic data of a user of the mobile radio;

a location sensing system configured to sense the location of the mobile radio;

a user interface configured to;

receive communications from a user of the mobile radio and deliver them to the communication transceiver for delivery to the remote communication system over the wireless communication channel;

receive communications from the communication transceiver which the communication transceiver receives from the remote communication system over the wireless communication channel and deliver them to the user; and

receive a request from the user to transmit information indicative of the location of the mobile radio to a remote messaging system;

a message transmitter, separate from the communications transceiver and configured to transmit the location of the mobile radio sensed by the location sensing system and the received biometric feedback diagnostic data, over a wireless messaging channel, different from the wireless communications channel, to the remote messaging system in response to the request from the user; and

a message receiver configured to receive aggregate location information from a remote messaging system over the wireless messaging channel.

7. The mobile radio of claim 6 wherein:

the wireless communication channel is configured to carry voice communications;

the wireless messaging channel is configured to carry SMS text messages; and

the message transmitter is configured to transmit the location in the form of an SMS text message.

8. The mobile radio of claim 6 wherein the wireless communication channel is for an emergency service that utilizes multiple service personnel.

9. The mobile radio of claim 8 wherein the emergency service is law enforcement.

10. The mobile radio of claim 6 wherein the user interface includes:

a first user-operated control that is configured when actuated to switch the communication transceiver from a mode that receives communications from the remote communication system to a mode that transmits communications to the remote communication system; and

a second user-operated control that is configured when actuated to issue the request to transmit information indicative of the location of the mobile radio.

11. The mobile radio of claim 10 wherein the first user-operated control is different than the second user-operated control.

12. The mobile radio of claim 10 wherein the first user-operated control is the same as the second user operated control.

13. The mobile radio of claim 12 wherein the user-operated control is a momentary push-button configured to be actuated only while depressed.

14. The mobile radio of claim 13 wherein the message transmitter is configured to transmit the location when the user-operated control is initially actuated.

15. The mobile radio of claim 13 wherein the message transmitter is configured to transmit the location when the user-operated control is released.

16. The mobile radio of claim 6 wherein the message transmitter is configured to periodically transmit the location of the mobile radio following the request from the user to transmit.

17. The mobile radio of claim 6 wherein:

the user interface is configured to communicate the direction of movement of the other mobile radios to the user as a map showing the location of each of the other mobile radios relative to the user.

18. The mobile radio of claim 17 wherein:

the user interface is configured to communicate the direction of movement of the other radios to the users via arrows superimposed on the map.

20. The mobile radio of claim 6, wherein the message transmitter is further configured to transmit, responsive to the biometric feedback data indicating an injury, the location of the mobile radio sensed by the location sensing system and the received biometric feedback data.

22. The mobile radio of claim 6, wherein the message transmitter is configured to transmit the location and the received biometric feedback diagnostic data in a single message over the wireless messaging channel, wherein the message is selected from a group consisting of a short messaging service (SMS) message, a session initiation protocol (SIP) message, an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) message and a real time protocol (RTP) message.