System and method for text messaging for emergency response

• US 9,319,859 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey J. Clawson
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey J. Clawson
• Inventors: Clawson, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US14/169,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 379/45, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to guide an emergency dispatcher in responding to emergency communications. The systems and methods may allow the dispatcher to use one or more of a plurality of different communication methods to communicate with a person needing assistance, such as by sending and receiving SMS/MMS messages. The systems and methods can include an emergency police, emergency fire, and/or emergency medical dispatch protocol configured to facilitate rapid, uniform, and consistent handling of communications. The emergency dispatch protocol presents a pre-scripted interrogation, including preprogrammed inquiries for a dispatcher to ask the person needing assistance. The emergency dispatcher may be able to easily send preprogrammed inquiries to the person needing assistance via SMS/MMS message and provide their responses to the emergency dispatch protocol quickly and/or automatically. The dispatch protocol may facilitate quick deployment of responders even if the person needing assistance cannot talk and/or hear.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for guiding a dispatcher when communicating with a person needing assistance via a communication device regarding an emergency incident and for dispatching an emergency dispatch response to the incident, the computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting, on a dispatch center computer device, a pre-scripted interrogation comprising a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for the dispatcher to present to the person needing assistance in order to systematically obtain a description of the incident, wherein the description of the incident comprises responses by the person needing assistance to the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries;

automatically sending, using the dispatch center computer device, at least one preprogrammed inquiry to the person needing assistance as an SMS/MMS message responsive to a dispatcher input at the dispatch center computer device without the dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one preprogrammed inquiry;

receiving, on the dispatch center computer device, input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation;

determining automatically on the dispatch center computer device a determinant value from one of a plurality of pre-established determinant values based on the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to one or more of the plurality of preprogrammed inquires; and

generating an emergency dispatch response by emergency responders based on the determinant value.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the dispatch center computer device automatically selecting a preprogrammed answer based on the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance, wherein the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance comprises a received SMS/MMS message from the person needing assistance.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving confirmation of the automatically selected preprogrammed answer from the dispatcher.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a right click of a pointing device by the dispatcher on the at least one preprogrammed inquiry to bring up a menu, and clicking on a send SMS command in the menu with the pointing device.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a selection of a preprogrammed inquiry to be sent to the person needing assistance.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a click on the preprogrammed inquiry to be sent to the person needing assistance.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dispatcher input comprises not more than two actions.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising shortening the preprogrammed inquiries with common abbreviations prior to sending the SMS/MMS message to the person needing assistance.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing time stamps and contents for all SMS/MMS messages sent and received by the dispatch center computer device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a computer network address for the person needing assistance based on a telephone number of the person needing assistance.

11. A computer system to guide a dispatcher when communicating with a person needing assistance via a communication device regarding an emergency incident, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

an output device in communication with the processor;

an input device in communication with the processor;

a communication interface in communication with the processor;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising;

a protocol comprising a logic tree that is configured to determine one of a plurality of pre-established determinant values, the protocol configured to;

present on the output device a pre-scripted interrogation comprising a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for the dispatcher to present to the person needing assistance in order to systematically obtain a description of the incident, wherein the description of the incident comprises responses from the person needing assistance to the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries;

automatically send, using the communication interface, at least one preprogrammed inquiry to the person needing assistance as an SMS/MMS message responsive to a dispatcher input at the dispatch center computer device without the dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one preprogrammed inquiry;

receive, via at least one of the input device and the communication interface, input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation; and

determine automatically, using the processor, a determinant value from one of the plurality of pre-established determinant values based on the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to one or more of the plurality of preprogrammed inquires, wherein the determinant value specifies an appropriate emergency dispatch response.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the protocol is further configured to automatically select a preprogrammed answer based on the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance, wherein the input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance comprises a received SMS/MMS message from the person needing assistance.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the protocol is further configured to receive confirmation of the automatically selected preprogrammed answer from the dispatcher.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a right click of a pointing device by the dispatcher on the at least one preprogrammed inquiry to bring up a menu, and clicking on a send SMS command in the menu with the pointing device.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a selection of a preprogrammed inquiry to be sent to the person needing assistance.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the dispatcher input comprises a click on the preprogrammed inquiry to be sent to the person needing assistance.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the dispatcher input comprises not more than two actions.

18. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the protocol is further configured to shorten the preprogrammed inquiries with common abbreviations prior to sending the SMS/MMS message to the person needing assistance.

19. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the protocol is further configured to store time stamps and contents for all SMS/MMS messages sent and received by the communication interface.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instruction code for a dispatch center computer device to perform a method for assisting a dispatcher when communicating with a person needing assistance via a communication device regarding an emergency incident, the method comprising:

presenting on the dispatch center computer device a pre-scripted interrogation comprising a plurality of preprogrammed inquiries for the dispatcher to present to the person needing assistance in order to systematically obtain a description of the incident, the description of the incident comprising responses by the person needing assistance to the plurality of preprogrammed inquiries, wherein the dispatch center computer device includes a logic tree configured to determine the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation and automatically determine one of a plurality of pre-established determinant values based on input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to one or more of the plurality of preprogrammed inquires;

automatically sending at least one preprogrammed inquiry to the person needing assistance as an SMS/MMS message responsive to a dispatcher input at the dispatch center computer device without the dispatcher copying and/or transcribing the at least one preprogrammed inquiry;

receiving input representative of the responses by the person needing assistance to the preprogrammed inquiries of the pre-scripted interrogation at the dispatch center computer device;

assigning on the dispatch center computer device the pre-established determinant value determined by the logic tree and the pre-scripted interrogation; and

generating an emergency dispatch response based on the assigned pre-established determinant value.