Emergency call return systems and methods

• US 9,467,833 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Best Buy Health Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GreatCall Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Chin, John H., Sieg, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US13/004,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Systems and methods are provided for enabling communication between a service provider and a telephone user in conjunction with a call placed by the user. A call from the user to a particular telephone number, for example an emergency services number, is detected, and a notification is sent to a preselected recipient indicating that the call has been placed. The preselected recipient may be, for example, a private response center operated by a provider of personal health or other services to the user. A predetermined delay time may be allowed to elapse before the preselected recipient is notified of the call to the emergency services number. The preselected recipient may place a second call in reaction to the notification, for example the preselected recipient may call the user on his or her telephone.

Claims

1. A device with telephone capability, the device comprising:

an input interface;

a transceiver;

a microprocessor;

a power subsystem; and

a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory holding microprocessor instructions that, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the device with telephone capability to;

detect that a call has been placed using the input interface to an emergency services telephone number using the transceiver and that the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended;

after the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended, delay by a predetermined time, and after the delay, send a notification to a preselected recipient indicating that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number; and

send to the preselected recipient an indication of a location of the device with telephone capability;

wherein the delay elapses before any notification that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number is sent to any preselected recipient;

and wherein the location of the device with telephone capability is determined by the device with telephone capability after the delay and before sending the notification to a preselected recipient indicating that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number.

2. The device with telephone capability as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the device with telephone capability to send the notification using a short message service (SMS) message to the preselected recipient indicating that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number.

3. The device with telephone capability as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the device with telephone capability to include in the notification sent to the preselected recipient an indication that the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended.

4. The device with telephone capability as recited in claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the device with telephone capability to include in the notification sent to the preselected recipient an indication of a time at which the call to the emergency services telephone number ended.

5. The device with telephone capability as recited in claim 1, wherein the device with telephone capability is a wireless telephone.

6. The device with telephone capability as recited in claim 1, wherein device with telephone capability is a cellular telephone.

7. A system for operating a call service center, the system comprising:

a computer system including a processor and memory holding instructions executable by the processor; and

a network connection from the computer system to an electronic communications network;

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to

receive via the connection to the electronic communications network a notification indicating that a particular device with telephone capability has been used to place a first call to an emergency services telephone number not associated with the call service center;

receive from the particular device with telephone capability an indication of a geographic location of the particular device with telephone capability; and

after the first call has ended, delay for at least one minute and then place a second call to the particular device with telephone capability in reaction to the notification that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call to the emergency services telephone number.

8. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to receive via a short message service message received over the electronic network the notification indicating that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call.

9. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to receive, from the particular device with telephone capability, the notification indicating that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call.

10. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer system further comprises a display screen and an input device, and wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

display on the display screen an indication that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call to the emergency services telephone number;

accept an input from the input device; and

in response to the input, place the second call.

11. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer system further comprises a display screen, and wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

retrieve from a database information relating to a person associated with the particular device with telephone capability; and

display the retrieved information on the display screen.

12. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer system further comprises a display screen, and wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

retrieve from a database information relating to a medical status of a person associated with the particular device with telephone capability; and

display the retrieved information on the display screen.

13. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer system further comprises a display screen, and wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

display the geographic location on the display screen.

14. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

enable a call waiting feature for the device with telephone capability in response to the notification that the device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call, even though a user of the device with telephone capability has not previously subscribed to the call waiting feature.

15. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

enable a voice mail feature for the device with telephone capability in response to the notification that the device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call, even though a user of the device with telephone capability has not previously subscribed to the voice mail feature.

16. The system for operating a call service center as recited in claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to:

enable a text messaging feature for the device with telephone capability in response to the notification that the device with telephone capability has been used to place the first call, even though a user of the device with telephone capability has not previously subscribed to the text messaging feature.

17. A method of operating a call service center, the method comprising:

receiving, at the call service center via an electronic network by a computer system not affiliated with a public safety answering point, a notification indicating that a particular device with telephone capability has been used to call an emergency services telephone number not associated with the call service center, wherein receiving the notification indicating that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to call an emergency services telephone number comprises receiving an indication that the call to the emergency services telephone number ended;

receiving from the particular device with telephone capability an indication of a geographic location of the particular device with telephone capability; and

placing, by the computer system at the call service center, a telephone call to the particular device with telephone capability;

wherein the telephone call to the particular device with telephone capability is placed after a predetermined time period of at least one minute has elapsed after the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended.

18. The method of operating a call service center as recited in claim 17, wherein receipt of the notification indicating that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to call the emergency services telephone number serves as the indication that the call to the emergency services telephone number ended.

19. The method of operating a call service center as recited in claim 17, further comprising displaying on a display screen an indication that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to call the emergency services telephone number.

20. The method of operating a call service center as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

after receiving the notification indicating that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to call the emergency services telephone number, retrieving from a database information relating to a person associated with the particular device with telephone capability; and

displaying the retrieved information on the display screen.

21. The method of operating a call service center as recited in claim 17, wherein a delay for the predetermined period of time is instituted by the computer system.

22. The method of operating a call service center as recited in claim 17, wherein the notification indicating that a particular device with telephone capability has been used to call an emergency services telephone number is received by the computer system after the predetermined time has elapsed.

23. A device with telephone capability, the device comprising:

an input interface;

a transceiver;

a microprocessor;

a power subsystem; and

a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory holding microprocessor instructions that, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the device with telephone capability to;

detect that a call has been placed using the input interface to an emergency services telephone number using the transceiver and that the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended;

after the call to the emergency services telephone number has ended, delay by a predetermined time, and after the delay, send a notification to a preselected recipient indicating that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number; and

send to the preselected recipient an indication of a location of the device with telephone capability;

wherein the delay elapses before any notification that the call has been placed to the emergency services telephone number is sent to any preselected recipient;

and wherein the location of the device with telephone capability is determined by the device with telephone capability after the delay.

24. A system, comprising:

a device with telephone capability;

a computer system at a call service center, the computer system including a processor and memory holding instructions executable by the processor; and

a network connection from the computer system to an electronic communications network;

wherein the device with telephone capability is programmed to, after the device with telephone capability has been used to call an emergency services number and after the call to the emergency services number has ended, send via the electronic communications network to the computer system a notification that the device with telephone capability has been used to place the call to an emergency services telephone number not associated with the call service center;

and where the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system at the call service center to

receive via the connection to the electronic communications network the notification indicating that a particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the call to the emergency services telephone number; and

delay for a predetermined time and then place an outgoing call to the particular device with telephone capability in reaction to the notification that the particular device with telephone capability has been used to place the call to the emergency services telephone number.