Enhanced public safety communication system

• US 8,903,446 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Klein, David E., Alazraki, Scott M., Brooks, Eric D., Young, Steven E., Monks, Deborah J., Blanco, Alejandro G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US13/873,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/550.1, 455/521, 370/311, 370/280
• US Class Current: 455/521
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/203 for converged personal network application service interworking, e.g. OMA converged personal network services [CPNS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A communication system (100) provides collaboration between narrowband communication devices (102) and broadband communication devices (104) operating over different networks. The communication devices (102, 104) are linked to provide peer-to-peer communication that supports the dissemination of public safety information to a public safety personnel user utilizing the devices. Applications within the devices (102, 104) automatically control features amongst the plurality of devices for redundancy of critical information, removal of non-critical information and power management. Context information can also be examined and shared between amongst the devices.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a set of communication devices formed of public safety communication devices and non-public safety communication devices, the set of communication devices linked together for an interconnected peer to peer network, the linked communication devices supporting a sharing of public safety information and status information via a safety net application implemented by each of the communication devices and that controls the delivery of safety information to and from the linked communication devices, wherein the sharing comprises a sharing, by the communication devices with each other via the peer to peer network, of information comprising one or more of functionality of the communication devices, event information, and contextual data associated with the event, and the safety net application automatically arranging for information to be sent to a most appropriate communication device and to a most appropriate user interface element of the communication device based on the information shared by the set of communication devices via the peer to peer network.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety net application controls device interconnectivity for controlling one or more of general event sharing, coordinated event sharing, coordinated bi-directional event sharing, application sharing, and event sharing.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety net application controls transmit and receive functionality of the public safety communication devices and non public safety communication devices.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety net application controls one or more of:

personal area connectivity control, display color, intelligent lighting, time out timers, level event driven triggers, power management, user interface, event sharing protocols, and public safety wide area voice, integrated voice and data protocols.

9. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety net application controls the user interface elements comprising one or more of:

a display, a loudspeaker, and a keyboard.

11. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the contextual data associated with the event comprises one or more of location data and sensory data.

12. The communication system of claim 1, wherein a communication device of the set of communication devices comprises one or more sensors, wherein the communication device is configured to collect sensory data using the one or more sensors, and wherein the contextual data associated with the event comprises the collected sensory data and the communication device is configured to share the collected sensory data with another communication device of the set of communication devices.

13. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the safety net application automatically arranges for information to be sent to a most appropriate communication device and to a most appropriate user interface element of the communication device based on predetermined rules maintained by one or more communication devices of the set of communication devices.

5. A method comprising:

linking a set of communication devices to create an interconnected peer to peer network, wherein the set of communication devices comprise public safety communication devices and non public safety communication devices;

sharing, by the set of communication devices, public safety information and status information via a safety net application implemented by each of the communication devices and that controls the delivery of safety information to and from the set of communication devices, wherein the sharing comprises a sharing, by the communication devices with each other via the peer to peer network, of information comprising one or more of functionality of the communication devices, event information, and contextual data associated with the event; and

automatically arranging, by the safety net application, for information to be sent to a most appropriate communication device and to a most appropriate user interface element of the communication device based on the information shared by the set of communication devices via the peer to peer network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising controlling, by the safety net application, device interconnectivity for controlling one or more of general event sharing, coordinated event sharing, coordinated bi-directional event sharing, application sharing, and event sharing.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising controlling, by the safety net application, user interface elements comprising one or more of:

a display, a loudspeaker, and a keyboard.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising controlling, by the safety net application, transmit and receive functionality of the public safety communication devices and non public safety communication devices.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising controlling, by the safety net application, one or more of:

personal area connectivity control, display color, intelligent lighting, time out timers, level event driven triggers, power management, user interface, event sharing protocols, and public safety wide area voice, integrated voice and data protocols.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the contextual data associated with the event comprises one or more of location data and sensory data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the contextual data associated with the event comprises sensory data and wherein the method further comprises collecting, by one or more communication devices of the set of communication devices, the sensory data and sharing the collected sensory data with another communication device of the set of communication devices.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein automatically arranging comprises automatically arranging for information to be sent to a most appropriate communication device and to a most appropriate user interface element of the communication device based on predetermined rules maintained by one or more communication devices of the set of communication devices.