Method and apparatus for public safety answering point (PSAP) discreet alert system

• US 9,480,087 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Brent, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US13/409,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 455/404.2, 379/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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, apparatus and system for automatically generating an e911 alert are provided in a public safety answering point (PSAP) server including at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices, wherein in response to a request for assistance message including location information associated with a user device, the PSAP server determines the emergency services resources proximate the requesting device and communicates location information associated with the requesting device toward the determined emergency services resources.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating an emergency services alert, comprising:

receiving, at a public safety answering point (PSAP), a request for assistance message including a predefined code of a requested emergency type and including identification and location information associated with a user device, the requested emergency type being indicative of at least one of a medical emergency, a fire emergency, or a police emergency;

determining, at the PSAP using the location information associated with the user device and the predefined code of the requested emergency type, emergency services resources from a group including at least one of medical resources, fire resources, and police resources, wherein the determined emergency services resources correspond to the requested emergency type and are proximate the user device;

communicating, by the PSAP, the identification and location information associated with the user device toward the determined emergency services resources; and

determining, at the PSAP based on the request for assistance message and callback information associated with the predefined code of the requested emergency type, whether to initiate a return call responsive to the request for assistance message, wherein the callback information comprises, for each of two or more callback numbers, a respective Boolean value indicative as to whether or not callback via the respective callback number is permitted.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an acknowledgement message toward the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a command toward the user device, wherein the command is adapted to put the user device into a silent mode of operation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one or both of the request for assistance message and the acknowledgment message are transmitted using a short message service (SMS).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the acknowledgement message is adapted to establish a message-based interaction with the user device, wherein the PSAP utilizes the message-based interaction to request further information from the user device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said further information comprises one or more of identification information, geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status information, or network status information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the PSAP, at least one additional message from the user device, the at least one additional message including one or more of identification information, geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status information, or network status information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the message-based interaction between the PSAP and the user device is supported by an application executed on the user device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the application is adapted to periodically sample one or more of parameters of one or more of geophysical point data, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, motion information, image data, audio data, device status information, or network status information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more periodically sampled parameters is stored at the user device and, in response to a command transmitted by the PSAP, forwarded from the user device to the PSAP via a communication link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication link comprises one of a short message service (SMS) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises one or more of perimeter center information, perimeter circle information, longitude information, latitude information, or altitude information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the identification and location information associated with the user device toward the determined emergency services resources uses one or more of a messaging service, a Voice-Circuit Switched (CS) service, or a Voice-Packet Switched (PS) service.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a command toward the user device, wherein the command is adapted to enable the user device to relay a perimeter violation alarm.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assisting in making a return phone call from the PSAP to one of the callback numbers when the respective Boolean value for the respective one of the callback numbers indicates that the return phone call is to be made.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the callback information comprises, for a text-based callback type, a respective Boolean value indicative as to whether or not callback via the text-based callback is permitted.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating the return call responsive to a determination to initiate the return call.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the callback information associated with the predefined code of the requested emergency type at predetermined time intervals.

19. An apparatus for generating an alert, the apparatus comprising:

a public safety answering point (PSAP) server adapted to provide alerting functions according to a PSAP server suite;

the PSAP server comprising;

a plurality of Baseband Transceivers supporting communication with other PSAP servers; and

at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices;

the PSAP server configured to;

receive a request for assistance message including a predefined code of a requested emergency type and including identification and location information associated with a user device, the requested emergency type being indicative of at least one of a medical emergency, a fire emergency, or a police emergency;

determine, using the location information associated with the user device and the predefined code of the requested emergency type, emergency services resources from a group including at least one of medical resources, fire resources, and police resources, wherein the determined emergency services resources correspond to the requested emergency type and are proximate the user device;

communicate the identification and location information associated with the user device toward the determined emergency services resources; and

determine, based on the request for assistance message and callback information associated with the predefined code of the requested emergency type, whether to initiate a return call responsive to the request for assistance message, wherein the callback information comprises, for each of two or more callback numbers, a respective Boolean value indicative as to whether or not callback via the respective callback number is permitted.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing software instructions which, when executed by a processer, cause the processor to perform a method for automatically generating an emergency services alert, the method comprising:

receiving, at a public safety answering point (PSAP), a request for assistance message including a predefined code of a requested emergency type and identification and location information associated with a user device, the requested emergency type being indicative of at least one of a medical emergency, a fire emergency, or a police emergency;

determining, at the PSAP using the location information associated with the user device and the predefined code of the requested emergency type, emergency services resources from a group including at least one of medical resources, fire resources, and police resources, wherein the determined emergency services resources correspond to the requested emergency type and are proximate the user device;

communicating, by the PSAP, the identification and location information associated with the user device toward the determined emergency services resources; and

determining, at the PSAP based on the request for assistance message and callback information associated with the predefined code of the requested emergency type, whether to initiate a return call responsive to the request for assistance message, wherein the callback information comprises, for each of two or more callback numbers, a respective Boolean value indicative as to whether or not callback via the respective callback number is permitted.

21. A system for automatically generating an emergency services alert, the system comprising:

at least one geo-spatial database (GS-DB); and

at least one public safety answering point (PSAP) server adapted to provide alerting functions according to a PSAP server suite;

the PSAP server comprising;

a plurality of Baseband Transceivers supporting communication with other PSAP servers; and

at least one messaging interface supporting message-based interaction with one or more user devices;

the PSAP server configured to;

receive a request for assistance message including a predefined code of a requested emergency type and including identification and location information associated with a user device, the requested emergency type being indicative of at least one of a medical emergency, a fire emergency, or a police emergency;

determine, using the location information associated with the user device and the predefined code of the requested emergency type, emergency services resources from a group including at least one of medical resources, fire resources, and police resources, wherein the determined emergency services resources correspond to the requested emergency type and are proximate the user device;

communicate the identification and location information associated with the user device toward the determined emergency services resources; and

determine, based on the request for assistance message and callback information associated with the predefined code of the requested emergency type, whether to initiate a return call responsive to the request for assistance message, wherein the callback information comprises, for each of two or more callback numbers, a respective Boolean value indicative as to whether or not callback via the respective callback number is permitted.