Splitting a call for an emergent event into multiple devices using data channels

• US 9,485,357 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Fletcher, Mark J., Krishnan, Parameshwaran, Ordille, Joann J., Singh, Navjot
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/673,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

Public safety access points (PSAP), such as 911 and e911 service providers, are often overwhelmed with information coming from a number of callers. As part of an initial assessment, a determination is often made as to whether two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event. If two or more callers are calling about the same emergent event, the callers and PSAP may interact at the same time but differently, such as different content or different media types. As a benefit, on-site activities may be coordinated in a manner that helps reduce the demands on PSAP resources and helps to facilitate a more accurate and appropriate response to the emergent event.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a public safety access point (PSAP), comprising;

a PSAP resource; and

a PSAP server that, upon determining that a first PSAP caller and a second PSAP caller are both calling the PSAP with respect to a common emergent event, enables a single PSAP agent to simultaneously interact with the first PSAP caller and the second PSAP caller over a first and second data channel, respectively, and wherein a first multimedia content provided to the first data channel differs from a second multimedia content provided to the second data channel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the simultaneous interaction comprises a media type received via the data channel from the first PSAP caller that is different from media type received by the second PSAP caller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the difference in the media type comprises at least one of audio, video, text, data file, still image, motion, and direction content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the difference between the interaction with the first PSAP caller and the second PSAP caller comprises a media type sent by PSAP to the first PSAP caller that is different from the media type sent to the second PSAP caller.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the media type comprises at least one of different audio, video, graphics, images, and repositioning instructions.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the different media type further comprises an instruction to one of the first PSAP caller and the second PSAP caller to initiate a interaction with a third party.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the PSAP server is further configured to evaluate social media content related to the emergent event and modify the interaction between the single PSAP agent and at least one of the first and second PSAP caller in accord with the evaluated social media content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the PSAP sever is operable to reorder a queue comprising first and second PSAP callers waiting to interact with the single PSAP agent, wherein the reordering is performed in response the second PSAP caller having at least one of a location determined to be more relevant to the emergent event, a location determined to be more relevant to a responder to the emergent, more relevant data channel content, a greater opportunity to mitigate the emergent event, and a greater opportunity to provide data channel content to the responder to the emergent event.

9. A method comprising:

establishing a first data channel connection between a public safety access point (PSAP) and a first customer device and a second data channel connection between the PSAP and a second customer device associated with a first and second PSAP callers, respectively;

determining, by a PSAP server, whether the first and second PSAP callers are reporting a common emergent event; and

upon determining that the first and second PSAP callers are reporting a common emergent event, causing a single PSAP agent to simultaneously interact via the first data channel with the first PSAP caller and via the second data channel with the second PSAP caller with respect to the common emergent event, and wherein a first multimedia content provided to the first data channel differs from a second multimedia content provided to the second data channel.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the interaction comprises receiving media type from the first PSAP caller that is different from the media type of the second PSAP caller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the media type comprises at least one of voice, data, video, still image, data file, motion, and direction.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the interaction further comprises the PSAP sending media type to the first PSAP caller that is different from the media type of the second PSAP caller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the media type comprises audio, video, textual, graphical, and repositioning instructions.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the interaction comprises instructions to at least one of the first and second PSAP caller to initiate an interaction with a third party.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving social media content regarding the emergent event from a social media source;

evaluating the social media content; and

modifying the interaction with at least one of the first and second PSAP caller in accord with the evaluated social media content.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the second PSAP caller should be placed in a queue for processing by the single PSAP agent ahead of the first PSAP caller; and

wherein the step of determining further comprises, determining the second PSAP caller has at least one of a location determined to be more relevant to the emergent event, a location determined to be more relevant to a responder to the emergent, more relevant data channel content, a greater opportunity to mitigate the emergent event, and a greater opportunity to provide data channel content to the responder to the emergent event.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium that when read by a computer causes the computer to:

establish a first data channel connection between a public safety access point (PSAP) and a first customer device and a second data channel connection between the PSAP and a second customer device associated with a first and second PSAP callers, respectively;

determine, by a PSAP server, whether the first and second PSAP callers are reporting a common emergent event; and

upon determining that the first and second PSAP callers are reporting a common emergent event, cause a single PSAP agent to simultaneously interact via the first data channel with the first PSAP caller and via the second data channel with the second PSAP caller with respect to the common emergent event, and wherein a first multimedia content provided to the first data channel differs from a second multimedia content provided to the second data channel.

18. The non-transitory medium of claim 17, the interaction comprises receiving media type from the first PSAP caller that is different from the media type of the second PSAP caller.

19. The non-transitory medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions to cause the single PSAP agent to simultaneously interact via the first data channel with the first PSAP caller and via the second data channel with the second PSAP caller with respect to the emergent event, further comprise instructions to cause the single PSAP agent to send a first media type to the first PSAP caller that is different from a second media type sent to the second PSAP caller.

20. The non-transitory medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions to cause the computer to perform:

receiving social media content regarding the emergent event from a social media source;

evaluating the social media content; and

modifying the interaction with at least one of the first and second PSAP caller in accord with the evaluated social media content.