Emergency communications from a local area network hotspot

• US 9,565,541 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iridium Satellite Llc (Iridium Communications, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Iridium Satellite Llc (Iridium Communications, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miner, Joshua, Kaehler, Kristine
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/584,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In one implementation, a request to initiate emergency communications is received at a wireless local area network hotspot. A number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and location information of the wireless local area network hotspot are determined. A distress message is generated that includes the number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and the location information. The distress message is transmitted to a contact address for an emergency contact.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a wireless local area network hotspot, a request to initiate emergency communications;

determining a number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and location information of the wireless local area network hotspot;

determining that the wireless local area network hotspot has been loaded with a contact address for an emergency contact;

generating a distress message including the number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and the location information; and

interrupting at least one communication session hosted by the wireless local area network hotspot to transmit the distress message to the contact address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the distress message to the contact address further comprises transmitting the distress message to the contact address over a satellite link from the wireless local area network hotspot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the distress message further comprises generating the distress message according to a predetermined distress message standard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the distress message to the contact address further comprises terminating, by the wireless local area network hotspot, communications between one or more mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and one or more other devices conducted through the wireless local area network hotspot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network hotspot is configured to communicate with multiple satellites other than satellites within the global positioning system (“

GPS”

) and determining the location information comprises;

determining whether sufficient GPS information currently is available at the wireless local area network hotspot to determine the location information; and

as a consequence of determining that sufficient GPS information to determine the location information is not currently available at the wireless local area network hotspot, determining the location information based on communications received by the wireless local area network hotspot from one or more of the multiple satellites.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the wireless local area network hotspot, a response from the contact address for the emergency contact; and

transmitting the response to at least one of the mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

receiving the response further comprises receiving a voice call at the wireless local area network hotspot; and

transmitting the response comprises facilitating a voice call between the contact address for the emergency contact and a mobile communication device connected to the wireless local area network hotspot.

8. A method, comprising:

loading a wireless local area network hotspot with a contact address for an emergency contact;

receiving, at the wireless local area network hotspot, a request to initiate emergency communications;

determining a number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and location information of the wireless local area network hotspot;

generating a distress message including the number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and the location information; and

transmitting the distress message to the contact address.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the distress message to the contact address further comprises transmitting the distress message to the contact address over a satellite link from the wireless local area network hotspot.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the generating the distress message further comprises generating the distress message according to a predetermined distress message standard.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the distress message to the emergency contact further comprises terminating, by the wireless local area network hotspot, communications between one or more mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and one or more other devices conducted through the wireless local area network hotspot.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless local area network hotspot is configured to communicate with multiple satellites other than satellites within the global positioning system (“

GPS”

) and determining the location information comprises;

determining whether sufficient GPS information currently is available at the wireless local area network hotspot to determine the location information; and

as a consequence of determining that sufficient GPS information to determine the location information is not currently available at the wireless local area network hotspot, determining the location information based on communications received by the wireless local area network hotspot from one or more of the multiple satellites.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, at the wireless local area network hotspot, a response from the contact address for the emergency contact; and

transmitting the response to at least one of the mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

receiving the response further comprises receiving a voice call at the wireless local area network hotspot; and

transmitting the response comprises facilitating a voice call between the contact address for the emergency contact and a mobile communication device connected to the wireless local area network hotspot.

15. A wireless local area network hotspot configured to enable mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot to communicate with a satellite communications network, comprising:

a satellite communications subsystem configured to connect the wireless local area network hotspot to a satellite communications network;

a wireless local area network hotspot subsystem configured to provide a wireless local area network;

one or more processing elements configured to execute instructions received from computer-readable storage; and

computer-readable storage storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to;

process a received request to initiate emergency communications;

determine a number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem and location information of the wireless local area network hotspot;

generate a distress message including the number of mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot and the location information; and

interrupt at least one communication session hosted by the wireless local area network hotspot to transmit, using the satellite communications subsystem, the distress message to a designated emergency contact address via the satellite communications network.

16. The wireless local area network hotspot of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to:

process a response received by the satellite communications subsystem from the emergency contact;

determine, in response to receiving the response, whether one or more of the mobile communication devices are connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem; and

transmit the response to a particular mobile communication device connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem in response to determining that the particular mobile communication device is connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem.

17. The wireless local area network hotspot of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to:

process a response received by the satellite communications subsystem from the emergency contact;

determine, in response to receiving the response, whether one or more of the mobile communication devices are connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem; and

display a notification of the received response at the wireless local area network hotspot in response to determining that no mobile communication devices are connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem.

18. The wireless local area network hotspot of claim 15 wherein, the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to generate the distress message to include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to generate the distress message according to a predetermined distress message standard.

19. The wireless local area network hotspot of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable storage further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to terminate, at the wireless local area network hotspot, communications between one or more mobile communication devices connected to the wireless local area network hotspot via the wireless local area network hotspot subsystem and one or more other devices accessible via the satellite communications network.

20. The wireless local area network hotspot of claim 15, wherein:

the satellite communications network includes multiple satellites other than satellites within the global positioning system (“

GPS”

);

the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to determine location information of the wireless local area network hotspot include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing elements, cause the wireless local area network hotspot to;

determine whether sufficient GPS information currently is available at the wireless local area network hotspot to determine the location information, and

determine, as a consequence of determining that sufficient GPS information to determine the location information is not currently available at the wireless local area network hotspot, the location information based on communications received by the wireless local area network hotspot from one or more of the multiple satellites.