Location-based emergency information

• US 8,688,070 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Forstall, Scott, Christie, Gregory N., Borchers, Robert E., Chaudhri, Imran A.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/610,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 455/466, 455/412.1, 4554141-4144, 379/45
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/053 remote terminal provisioning, e.g. of applets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for location-based emergency information. A current geographic location of a device is determined. One or more first contact information items based on the determined geographic location are received at the device. The first contact information items include one or more contact information items associated with emergency services.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device and by a server that includes one or more computers, a request for accessing one or more emergency services;

determining, by the server, a current geographic location of the mobile device;

identifying, by the server, an emergency number associated with an emergency service available at the geographic location;

identifying emergency contact information, the emergency contact information specifying an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) contact designated by a user of the mobile device;

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the identified emergency number; and

communicating with the ICE contact using the emergency contact information, wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending, from the server, at least one of a voice message or a text message to the ICE contact, wherein at least a portion of the text message was composed by the user prior to receiving the request by the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency contact information comprises at least one of an email address, an identifier of a text message service, or a telephone number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending at least one of an email message or a short message service (SMS) text message to the ICE contact.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency number comprises a unified emergency phone number for a plurality of emergency services.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a current geographic location of the mobile device comprises receiving the current geographic location from the mobile device.

6. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device, a request for accessing one or more emergency services;

determining a current geographic location of the mobile device;

identifying an emergency number associated with an emergency service available at the geographic location;

identifying emergency contact information, the emergency contact information specifying an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) contact designated by a user of the mobile device;

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the identified emergency number; and

communicating with the ICE contact using the emergency contact information, wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending at least one of a voice message or a text message to the ICE contact, wherein at least a portion of the text message was composed by the user prior to receiving the request by the server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein

the emergency contact information comprises at least one of an email address, an identifier of a text message service, or a telephone number, and

wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending at least one of an email message or a short message service (SMS) text message to the ICE contact.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the emergency number comprises a unified emergency phone number for a plurality of emergency services.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a server to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device and by a server that includes one or more computers, a request for accessing one or more emergency services;

determining, by the server, a current geographic location of the mobile device;

identifying, by the server, an emergency number associated with an emergency service available at the geographic location;

identifying emergency contact information, the emergency contact information specifying an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) contact designated by a user of the mobile device;

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the identified emergency number; and

communicating with the ICE contact using the emergency contact information, wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending, from the server, at least one of a voice message or a text message to the ICE contact, wherein at least a portion of the text message was composed by the user prior to receiving the request by the server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein:

the emergency contact information comprises at least one of an email address, an identifier of a text message service, or a telephone number, and

wherein communicating with the ICE contact includes sending at least one of an email message or a short message service (SMS) text message to the ICE contact.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining a current geographic location of the mobile device comprises receiving the current geographic location from the mobile device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the emergency number comprises a unified emergency phone number for a plurality of emergency services.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a request for accessing an emergency service;

determining a location of the mobile device;

accessing emergency information based on the location, the emergency information comprising default emergency information and override emergency information, the default emergency information including a first emergency number associated with a region that includes a venue, the override emergency information including a second emergency number being associated with the venue;

selecting a location-specific emergency number based on the location of the mobile device, including;

determining whether the location of the mobile device is at the venue;

selecting the first emergency number when the location of the mobile device is not at the venue, and

selecting the second emergency number when the location of the mobile device is at the venue; and

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the location-specific emergency number in response to the request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the region is a country, and the venue is a campus or complex of a university, company, or government entity.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising downloading, by the mobile device and from a server, the emergency information during a scheduled emergency information update.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the emergency information includes default emergency information and override emergency information for multiple countries.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

providing for display a portion of the emergency information associated with a country that includes the venue, and

hiding from display a portion of the emergency information associated with another country.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a mobile device, a request for accessing an emergency service;

determining a location of the mobile device;

accessing emergency information based on the location, the emergency information comprising default emergency information and override emergency information, the default emergency information including a first emergency number associated with a region that includes a venue, the override emergency information including a second emergency number being associated with the venue;

selecting a location-specific emergency number based on the location of the mobile device, including;

determining whether the location of the mobile device is at the venue;

selecting the first emergency number when the location of the mobile device is not at the venue, and

selecting the second emergency number when the location of the mobile device is at the venue; and

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the location-specific emergency number in response to the request.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, through a user interface of a mobile device, a request for accessing an emergency service;

determining a location of the mobile device;

accessing emergency information based on the location, the emergency information comprising default emergency information and override emergency information, the default emergency information including a first emergency number associated with a region that includes a venue, the override emergency information including a second emergency number being associated with the venue;

selecting a location-specific emergency number based on the location of the mobile device, including;

determining whether the location of the mobile device is at the venue;

selecting the first emergency number when the location of the mobile device is not at the venue, and

selecting the second emergency number when the location of the mobile device is at the venue; and

initiating communication between the mobile device and the emergency service using the selected location-specific emergency number in response to the request.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the emergency information includes default emergency information and override emergency information for multiple countries.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations comprising:

providing for display a portion of the emergency information associated with a country that includes the venue, and

hiding from display a portion of the emergency information associated with another country.