Emergency mobile notification handling

• US 9,538,006 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Best Buy Health Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GreatCall Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Dean, Merritt, Pat, van der Raadt, Krijn
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US14/936,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20160065737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• 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 for handling emergency notification messages. In an example scenario, a call center identifies a text-based message sent from a mobile communication device, detects that the text-based message is an emergency notification message, determines the geographical location of the mobile communication device, and sends at least some of the information contained in the text-based message to one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a call center, comprising:

identifying a text-based message sent from a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device being at a particular geographical location;

detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message;

determining the geographical location of the mobile communication device;

identifying one or more other communication devices as being in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device;

generating one or more outgoing messages for sending to the one or more identified other communication devices, wherein each of the one or more outgoing messages is derived from the text-based message and includes at least some of the information contained in the text-based message; and

sending the one or more outgoing messages to the one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the text-based message sent from the mobile communication device comprises receiving the text-based message at the call center from the mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the one or more outgoing messages to the one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device comprises sending at least one outgoing message individually to one of the one or more other communication devices in another text-based message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving data or signals from the content of the text-based message rendering at least some of the content of the text-based electronic message into an audio format, wherein sending the one or more outgoing messages to the one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device comprises sending the data or signals.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating at least some of the content of the text-based message into a different language than the language of the text-based message prior to sending the one or more outgoing messages to one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the geographical location of the mobile communication device comprises receiving from the mobile communication device an indication of the geographical location of the mobile communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying the text-based message sent from the mobile communication device comprises receiving the text-based message at the call center from the mobile communication device of a client of the call center; and

sending the one or more outgoing messages to one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device comprises sending the one or more outgoing messages to one or more persons in proximity to the client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message comprises automatically detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one capability of each of the identified other communication devices; and

tailoring each outgoing message to the capability of the other communication device to which the outgoing message is sent.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein it is determined that a particular one of the other communication devices cannot display text, and wherein the outgoing message sent to the particular communication device renders at least some of the content of the text-based message in an audio format.

11. A method, comprising:

identifying a text-based message sent from a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device being at a particular geographical location;

detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message;

identifying a number of communications devices as being within a geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted;

generating one or more outgoing messages for sending to the one or more identified communication devices, wherein each of the one or more outgoing messages is derived from the text-based message and includes at least some of the information contained in the text-based message; and

sending the one or more outgoing messages to at least some of the communications devices identified as being within the geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the text-based message sent from a mobile communication device comprises receiving the text-based message from the mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is performed by a call center, and wherein identifying a number of communications devices as being within the geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted comprises identifying a number of communications devices that are within the geographical area and associated with clients of the call center.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein sending the one or more outgoing messages to at least some of the communications devices identified as being within the geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted comprises sending another text-based message individually to the identified devices.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising deriving from the content of the text-based message data or signals rendering at least some of the content of the text-based electronic message into an audio format, wherein sending the one or more outgoing messages to at least some of the communications devices identified as being within the geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted comprises sending the data or signals.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising translating at least some of the content of the text-based message into a different language than the language of the text-based message prior to sending the one or more outgoing messages to at least some of the communications devices identified as being within a geographical area to which the emergency notification is targeted.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message comprises automatically detecting that the text-based message is an emergency notification message.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining at least one capability of each of the identified communication devices; and

tailoring each outgoing message to the capability of the communication device to which the outgoing message is sent.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein it is determined that a particular one of the identified communication devices cannot display text, and wherein the outgoing message sent to the particular communication device renders at least some of the content of the text-based message in an audio format.