Emergency text messaging

• US 9,204,277 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Artax LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ung, Dara Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/565,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 455/466, 455/403, 455/550.1, 705/7.15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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]

Abstract

A location privacy configuration module enables location determination to emergency services only relating to an emergency text message or emergency text message session. An emergency text message transmitted to an emergency number is routed to an emergency text message server, which initiates an emergency text indicator for each emergency text message, and requests location information for the emergency texting device by transmitting the emergency text indicator and a location request to a location determination server. Location of the emergency texting device may be obtained without acquiring customer authorization for location determination. The originating text messaging device acknowledges receipt of the emergency text indicator/location request combination and checks the location privacy setting configured thereon. Location determination is permitted if configured to permit location determination if emergency text messaging.

Claims

1. A method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device, comprising:

receiving, at an emergency non-voice-messaging device, a location request message including an emergency indicator from a network-based server;

determining a privacy configuration of said emergency non-voice-messaging device is set to restrict location determination by said emergency non-voice-messaging device in response to said location request message including said emergency indicator; and

denying location information from said emergency non-voice-messaging device in response to said location request message including said emergency indicator.

2. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 1, wherein said network-based server comprises:

a physical location based services (LBS) server.

3. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 1, wherein:

location request message is associated with a non-voice emergency communication.

4. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 3, wherein:

said location request message originates from a source that received said non-voice emergency communication.

5. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 4, wherein said non-voice emergency communication comprises:

an emergency text message.

6. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 5, wherein said emergency text message comprises:

a short messaging system (SMS) text message.

7. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 3, wherein:

said network-based server identifies said location request message as being related to an established emergency session including said non-voice emergency communication.

8. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting an acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of said non-voice emergency communication.

9. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 3, wherein said non-voice emergency communication comprises:

an emergency text message.

10. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 9, wherein said emergency text message comprises:

a short messaging system (SMS) text message.

11. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 1, wherein said denying location information comprises:

returning a restricted response to said network-based server.

12. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 11, wherein said network-based server comprises:

a physical location based services (LBS) server.

13. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 11, wherein said network-based server comprises:

an emergency text message server.

14. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency text messaging wireless device according to claim 1, wherein:

said location information is denied from said emergency non-voice-messaging device in response to non-emergency location requests.

15. A method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device, comprising:

receiving a location request message including an emergency indicator within an emergency non-voice message, said emergency indicator indicating that an associated location request is in association with said emergency non-voice message, and that no consent need be sent to an emergency non-voice-messaging device that originated said emergency non-voice message during a location determination process to locate said emergency non-voice messaging device;

determining that a location privacy setting in said emergency non-voice-messaging device indicates location determination by said emergency non-voice-messaging device is restricted in response to said location request including said emergency text indicator; and

denying location information from said emergency non-voice-messaging device in response to said location request message including said emergency text indicator.

16. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 15, wherein said emergency non-voice message comprises:

a short messaging system (SMS) text message.

17. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 15, wherein

said location request message originates from a source that received said emergency non-voice message.

18. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 17, wherein said emergency non-voice message comprises:

a short messaging system (SMS) text message.

19. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 15, further comprising:

returning a restricted response to a network-based server.

20. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 19, wherein said network-based server comprises:

a physical location based services (LBS) server.

21. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting an acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of said emergency non-voice message.

22. The method of providing location privacy to an emergency messaging wireless device according to claim 15, wherein:

said location information is denied from said emergency non-voice-messaging device in response to non-emergency location requests.