Method by which PSAPs can identify and request information from cellular devices that are near emergent events

• US 9,654,955 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Michaelis, Paul Roller, Fletcher, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US14/579,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

When a PSAP receives a call from a cellular telephone in reference to an emergent event, the speed and quality of the response may be improved by the cellular service provider'"'"'s provision to the PSAP of information that includes the geographic location of the caller'"'"'s phone. In a typical scenario, in which the call is from a GPS-equipped phone, the GPS coordinates of the phone may be echoed back to the PSAP in response to a specialized open “ping” request from the service provider. Of particular advantage to this approach is that GPS ping requests typically work regardless of whether a call is in progress, as long as the phone is turned on.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates the securing of information about an emergent event comprising:

receiving a call at a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point);

determining, by a processor, an initial location of the emergent event;

defining, by the processor, an area relative to the location of the emergent event;

identifying, by the processor, and based on a query, one or more devices within the defined area;

obtaining, by the processor, capability information about one or more identified devices;

analyzing, by the processor, one or more of the device capability information and communication network information;

identifying, by the processor, one or more target devices of the one or more identified devices to contact based on the analyzed information; and

contacting the one or more target devices to request use of device capabilities.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the capability information includes one or more of:

pingable GPS information,

camera resolution information,

camera low-light sensitivity information,

streaming video capabilities,

specialized sensor information,

camera zoom capabilities,

flash/lighting capabilities,

bandwidth capabilities,

uplink quality,

QoS metrics, and

multi-channel information indicative of whether the device can support simultaneous data and voice communications.

2. A system comprising:

a Public Safety Answering Point adapted to receive a communication and initial location information from a calling device;

a ping module adapted to initialize a second communication to the calling device and request updated location information, wherein the calling device automatically responds to the second communication with updated location information obtained from a calling device GPS during the communication; and

wherein a processor determines a location difference between an initial location provided by the initial location information and an updated location provided by the updated location information;

an event proximity determination module adapted to determine whether the location difference indicates the calling device is moving relative to an emergent event;

a call priority module adapted to deprioritize the communication over one or more other calls about the emergent event based on the event proximity determination module determining the calling device is moving relative to the emergent event; and

wherein the Public Safety Answering Point processes the one or more other calls and the communication in priority order.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a static calling device relative to the emergent event is sent a third communication requesting an operator of the device to take certain action.

4. A system comprising:

a reverse emergency module adapted to identify one or more devices determined to be in an emergency area, wherein the emergency area comprises an emergency area elevation information;

a processor cooperating with a contact module adapted to obtain location information and elevation information from the one or more devices determined to be in the emergency area, wherein the reverse emergency module provides a reverse emergency notification to the one or more devices selected from a number of devices, wherein the one or more devices are determined to be in the emergency area at least based on the obtained location information and having elevation information associated with the emergency area elevation information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the elevation information is used to determine whether devices are in the emergency area.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the location information and the elevation information are automatically provided to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the elevation information is obtained from a GPS device.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising an intelligent agent module adapted to identify one or more target devices within a geographic area of the one or more devices determined to be in an emergency area and to contact the one or more target devices to request use of device capabilities.

9. A system comprising:

a Public Safety Answering Point adapted to receive a communication and initial location information from a calling device about an emergent event;

an intelligent agent and processor adapted to determine one more devices within a geographic proximity of the emergent event;

an event proximity determination module adapted to;

at least utilize topographic information to determine whether a user associated with one of the one more devices within the geographic proximity of the emergent event may have witnesses the emergent event; and

determine a location difference between an initial location provided by the initial location information and an updated location provided by an updated location information of the calling device and further determining whether the location difference indicates the calling device is moving relative to the emergent event; and

wherein the Public Safety Answer Point prioritizes at least one other call over the communication from the calling device, upon determining the calling device is moved relative to the emergent event.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a contact module adapted to initiate a communication to the one more devices within the geographic a proximity of the emergent event.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a ping module adapted to determine one or more capabilities of the calling device.

13. A Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) call handling system adapted to perform a method comprising:

receiving one or more calls, and for each call, and before each call is answered, determining, by a processor, if a caller is moving and if so the rate of movement; and

based on a location and the determining of whether the caller is moving and the rate of movement relative to an emergent event either;

resequencing, by the processor, a call wait queue prioritizing calls that are proximate to or have a low rate of movement relative to the emergent event, or

resequencing, by the processor, a call wait queue de-prioritizing calls that are not proximate to or have a high rate of movement relative to the emergent event.