Method, system and computer program product for law enforcement

• US 9,641,965 B1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kologik Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: COPsync, Inc. (Thinkstream Acquisition, LLC)
• Inventors: Rapp, Jason Shane, Chaney, Russell Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US14/192,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 3405392, 4554561-457
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing information. The method includes receiving a prompt from a user operator associated with a first unit. The method further includes determining a location associated with the first unit. The method further includes responsive to the prompt, determining one or more second mobile units within a geographic area associated with the location. The method further includes outputting a communication to the one or more second mobile units. The method further includes enabling a direct communication link between the user operator and an operator associated with a respective one of the one or more second mobile units. The method further includes providing environment information to the one or more second mobile units based at least in part on the prompt.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a prompt from a user operator using a first unit;

determining a location of the first unit, wherein the first unit is at a facility at the location, wherein the facility includes plural different areas each defining a different portion of the facility, and wherein the location is an address of the facility or GPS coordinates of the first unit;

responsive to the prompt, identifying one or more second mobile units within a geographic area associated with the location;

outputting a communication to the one or more second mobile units;

enabling a direct communication link between the user operator and an operator associated with a respective one of the one or more second mobile units;

receiving information specifying a location of interest from the user operator with the prompt or after receiving the prompt, wherein the location of interest is a specific one of the plural different areas of the facility and is not an area in which the user operator or the first unit is present at the time the user operator provides the information specifying the location of interest, and wherein the user operator specifies the location of interest with respect to a visual layout of the facility at the location; and

providing environment information to the one or more second mobile units based at least in part on the prompt wherein the environment information includes a visual representation of the layout of the facility at the location including a visual representation of the user specified location of interest.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of interest is a door of the facility.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the environment information includes a layout of the facility.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the location of interest is provided as part of the prompt.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the user operator with layout information associated with the location and receiving from the user an indication of the location of interest based on the layout information wherein the environment information includes the location of interest.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the environment information includes the layout information with location of interest information.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising retrieving layout information associated with the facility.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the environment information includes a layout of the facility.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the prompt includes classification information and wherein eligible second mobile units are identified based at least in part on the classification information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the classification information classifies a type of alert being raised by the user operator.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location includes accessing a record that includes information representing the location.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location includes receiving information specifying the location along with the prompt.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting a communication includes outputting at least a portion of the prompt.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more second mobile units are associated with emergency service units.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling a direct communication link includes opening a chat room for facilitating direct communications between the user operator and users associated with the one or more second mobile units.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unit is a mobile device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first unit is a mobile telephone, tablet or laptop computer.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an application on a mobile device for enabling the user operator to initiate the prompt.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the prompt is for a check to verify a background associated with a person or a vehicle, determining when an alert should be raised based on a check of the background of the person or vehicle, and providing a signal back to the first unit based on the alert.

20. A method comprising:

receiving a prompt from a user operator associated with a first unit, the prompt being for a check to verify a background associated with a person or vehicle;

performing the check;

determining when an alert should be raised based on results of the check of the background of the person or vehicle;

providing a signal back to the first unit based on the alert;

determining a location of the first unit, wherein the first unit is at a facility being at the location, wherein the facility includes plural different areas each defining a different portion of the facility, and wherein the location is an address of the facility or GPS coordinates of the first unit;

identifying one or more second mobile units within a geographic area associated with the location;

receiving information specifying a location of interest from the user operator with the prompt or after receiving the prompt, wherein the location of interest is a specific one of the plural different areas of the facility and is not an area in which the user operator or the first unit is present at the time the user operator provides the information specifying the location of interest, and wherein the user operator specifies the location of interest with respect to a visual layout of the facility at the location; and

outputting a communication to the one or more second mobile units based on the alert including providing environment information to the one or more second mobile units based at least in part on the prompt wherein the environment information includes a visual representation of the layout of the facility at the location including a visual representation of the user specified location of interest.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising enabling a direct communication link between the user operator and an operator associated with a respective one of one or more second mobile units.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing environment information to the one or more second mobile units based at least in part on the prompt.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the location of interest is specified by the user operator.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the environment information includes a layout of the facility.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the location of interest is provided as part of the prompt.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising providing the user operator with layout information associated with the location and receiving from the user an indication of the location of interest based on the layout information wherein the environment information includes the location of interest.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein the first unit is a mobile device.