System and method for effecting special treatment of emergency calls originating from a temporarily designated region

• US 8,913,982 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intrado Life & Safety Incorporated
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Eich, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Htun, San
• Assistant Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US12/553,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 4554141-4144, 455/440, 4554561-457, 370229-2381, 370/352, 379/211.01, 37922101-22103, 379/309, 379 37- 51
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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

Abstract

A system for effecting special treatment of emergency calls originating from a temporarily designated region; emergency calls originating from the region ordinarily being routed to a first emergency answering position. The system includes: (a) a geographic mapper; (b) a polygon manager coupled with the geographic mapper; at least one of the geographic mapper and the polygon manager unit being coupled with an emergency network handling the emergency calls; the polygon manager and the geographic mapper cooperating to effect designation of the region; and (c) a call routing unit coupled with the emergency network and coupled with at least one of the geographic mapper and the polygon manager. The call routing unit provides alternate call routing of the emergency calls originating in the region substantially while the region is designated to at least one other emergency answering position than the first emergency answering position.

Claims

1. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus;

emergency service calls originating from an area including said locus ordinarily being routed to a first emergency service answering position;

the system comprising;

(a) a geographic mapping unit to effect display of an electronic map of said area including said locus;

(b) a polygon managing unit to effect designation by an operator of a temporary region substantially surrounding said locus by drawing a special treatment polygon on said electronic map when a predetermined increased volume of emergency service calls is detected;

said polygon managing unit coupled with said geographic mapping unit;

at least one of said geographic mapping unit and said polygon managing unit being coupled with an emergency telephone network handling said emergency service calls; and

(c) a call routing unit coupled with said emergency telephone network and coupled with at least one of said geographic mapping unit and said polygon managing unit;

said call routing unit providing alternate call routing to at least one other emergency service answering position than said first emergency service answering position of said emergency service calls originating in said temporary region substantially while said temporary region is designated.

2. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one other emergency answering position is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency answering positions.

3. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 2 wherein said predetermined list identifies said alternate emergency service answering position in a priority order.

4. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 1 wherein said temporary region is designated after a predetermined number of emergency service calls are received within a predetermined time interval and originating within a predetermined distance of each other.

5. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one station in said first emergency service answering position is authorized to initiate said designation of said temporary region and said providing said alternate call routing.

6. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 4 wherein said at least one other emergency answering position is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency answering positions.

7. A system for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls originating from a locus as recited in claim 6 wherein said predetermined list identifies said alternate emergency service answering position in a priority order.

8. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at a first emergency call taking facility;

said incident occurring from an area with an incident locus;

the system comprising;

(a) at least one geographic mapping unit to effect display of an electronic map of said area with said locus;

(b) at least one polygon managing unit to effect designation by an operator of a temporary incident region substantially surrounding said locus by drawing a special treatment polygon on said electronic map when a predetermined increased volume of emergency service calls is detected;

at least one of said at least one geographic mapping unit and said at least one polygon managing unit being coupled with said emergency communication network; and

(c) a routing unit coupled with said emergency communication network and coupled with at least one of said at least one geographic mapping unit and said at least one polygon managing unit;

said routing unit being responsive to said repeat emergency service calls originating from said temporary incident region while said temporary incident region is designated to enable alternate call routing of emergency service calls originating from said incident locus to at least one emergency call taking facility other than said first emergency call taking facility.

9. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 8 wherein said at least one polygon managing unit effects attaching an expiration time stamp to said temporary incident region.

10. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 8 wherein said at least one other emergency call taking facility is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency call taking facilities;

said predetermined list identifying said alternate emergency call taking facilities in a priority order.

11. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 8 wherein said temporary incident region is designated after a predetermined number of emergency service calls are received within a predetermined time interval and originating within a predetermined distance of each other.

12. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 8 wherein at least one station in said first emergency call taking facility is authorized to initiate said enabling said alternate call routing.

13. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one polygon managing unit effects attaching an expiration time stamp to said temporary incident region.

14. A system for reducing numbers of repeat emergency service calls relating to an incident arriving via an emergency communication network at an emergency call taking facility as recited in claim 13 wherein said at least one other emergency call taking facility is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency call taking facilities;

said predetermined list identifying said alternate emergency call taking facilities in a priority order.

15. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus;

emergency service calls originating from an area including said locus ordinarily being routed to a first emergency service answering position;

the method comprising;

(a) in no particular order;

(1) providing a geographic mapping unit;

(2) providing a polygon managing unit; and

(3) providing a call routing unit;

(b) in no particular order;

(1) coupling said polygon managing unit with said geographic mapping unit;

(2) coupling at least one of said geographic mapping unit and said polygon managing unit with said emergency telephone network; and

(3) coupling said call routing unit with said emergency telephone network and with at least one of said geographic mapping unit and said polygon managing unit;

(c) operating said geographic mapping unit to effect display of an electronic map of said area including said locus;

(d) operating said polygon managing unit and said geographic mapping unit cooperatively to effect designation by an operator drawing a special treatment polygon on said electronic map of a temporary region substantially surrounding said locus when a predetermined increased volume of emergency service calls is detected; and

(e) operating said call routing unit to provide alternate call routing to at least one other emergency service answering position than said first emergency service answering position of said emergency service calls originating in said temporary region substantially while said temporary region is designated.

16. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus as recited in claim 15 wherein said at least one other emergency answering position is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency answering positions.

17. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus as recited in claim 16 wherein said predetermined list identifies said alternate emergency service answering position in a priority order.

18. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus as recited in claim 15 wherein said temporary region is designated after a predetermined number of emergency service calls are received within a predetermined time interval and originating within a predetermined distance of each other.

19. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus as recited in claim 18 wherein said at least one other emergency answering position is included in a predetermined list of alternate emergency answering positions.

20. A method for effecting special treatment of an increased volume of emergency service calls handled by an emergency telephone network and originating from a locus as recited in claim 19 wherein said predetermined list identifies said alternate emergency service answering position in a priority order.