Method and apparatus to concurrently notify emergency contacts during an emergency voice call based on network capability

• US 9,100,802 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Khaledul, Cormier, Jean-Philippe, Ahmed, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US11/377,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20070218925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,427 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/456.1, 455/466, 455/564, 455/404.2, 455/90.1, 370/338, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 method and apparatus for automatically sending a data message from a mobile device to at least one recipient during or soon after an emergency voice call, the method having the steps of: determining whether the data message can be sent over the network during the emergency voice call, and if yes, creating and sending the data message; and if no, waiting until either the mobile device connects to a new network, wherein the method proceeds back to said determining step, or until the voice call has ended and then creating and sending the data message.

Claims

1. In a mobile device, a method for sending a data message from said mobile device to at least one emergency contact, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a mobile network of the mobile device supports concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications, and whether a battery level of the mobile device is above a threshold, wherein the threshold is a battery level for which a data call will not adversely affect a voice call;

if the mobile network supports concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications and the battery level is above the threshold, , sending the data message to the at least one emergency contact during an emergency voice call;

if the mobile network does not support concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications and the emergency voice call is a circuit-switched voice call, sending the data message to the at least one emergency contact over a circuit-switched network;

wherein the at least one emergency contact is selected from a contact book of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message is one of an email message, and instant message and a short message service (SMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message includes:

a timestamp; and

a geographic indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from a global positioning system module on the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the network the mobile device is connected to.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the data message further includes an indicator for the type of emergency, said indicator derived from a number dialed for the emergency voice call.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the data message further includes a list of emergency contacts.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the list of emergency contacts is predetermined by a user.

9. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the means for checking is configured to perform the checking repeatedly.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, prior to said determining step, checking a user set parameter, said user set parameter having a first value to indicate the user wishes to send the data message and a second value to indicate the user does not wish to send the data message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if the mobile network does not support concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications, checking for the first one of the mobile device connecting to a new network and the emergency voice call ending, and if the mobile device connects to a new network before the end of the emergency voice call, proceeding back to said determining step.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking is performed repeatedly.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to the sending, the data message is created.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to the sending, the mobile device is configured to create the data message.

15. A mobile device configured to send a data message to at least one emergency contact, the mobile device having a radio subsystem including a radio configured to communicate with a mobile network;

a radio processor having a digital signal processor and configured to interact with said radio subsystem;

memory;

a user interface;

a processor configured to run user applications and interact with the memory, the radio and the user interface and, the mobile device characterized by having means for;

determining whether the mobile network supports concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications, and whether a battery level of the mobile device is above a threshold, wherein the threshold is a battery level for which a data call will not adversely affect a voice call;

if the mobile network supports concurrent circuit-switched and packet switched communications and the battery level is above the threshold, sending the data message to the at least one emergency contact during an emergency voice call;

if the mobile network does not support concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications, sending the data message to the at least one emergency contact over a circuit-switched network;

wherein the at least one emergency contact is selected from a contact book of the mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the data message is one of an email message, and instant message and a short message service (SMS) message.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the data message includes:

a time stamp; and

a geographic indicator.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, further comprising a global positioning system module, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the global positioning system module.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the mobile network the mobile device is connected to.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the data message includes an indicator for the type of emergency, said indicator being derived from a number dialed for the emergency voice call.

21. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the data message includes a list of emergency contacts to the data message.

22. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein if the mobile network does not support concurrent circuit-switched and packet-switched communications, checking for the first one of the mobile device connecting to a new network and the emergency voice call ending, and if the mobile device connects to a new network before the end of the emergency voice call, proceeding back to said determining step.