Systems, methods, devices and arrangements for emergency call services and emergency broadcasts

• US 9,689,988 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Bryan, Judge, Garth
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassim, Khaled
• Application Number:
  US12/793,393
• Time in Patent Office: 2,581 Days
• Field of Search: 370352
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A variety of methods, systems, devices and arrangements are implemented for emergency call centers. According to one such method, a location database is populated from a plurality of endpoint devices. The location database determines locations for nodes in a data transmission route from information received from the endpoint devices. Emergency calls using these nodes are located using the populated database.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory tangible storage mediums storing a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the computer system to function as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) by;

receiving an emergency service request from an endpoint device;

receiving physical location information of the endpoint device;

receiving access node data that identifies an access node used by the endpoint device to send the emergency service request;

generating, in response to the emergency service request, a broadcast request that includes emergency instructions;

displaying for view by a user and in response to receiving the emergency service request, a list of access nodes near a location indicated by the received physical location information; and

transmitting the broadcast request to the identified access node, the broadcast request being different than the emergency service request, the transmission of the broadcast request implemented using a protocol that notifies the identified access node that endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node should be notified of emergency conditions.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer processors are part of a PSAP that services 911 calls and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computer system to connect the endpoint device to a PSAP operator.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the list of access nodes includes at least one wireless router node and at least one wired-Ethernet node.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein transmitting the broadcast request is implemented in response to receiving a selection of one or more access nodes, of the list of access nodes, from an emergency operator.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast request includes a connection address from which additional information is requested.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast request includes a multicast-IP address from which additional information is requested.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computer system to receive an emergency service request from an endpoint device that does not have voice capabilities.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the emergency service request is received by the one or more computer processors using a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) protocol.

18. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the transmitting a broadcast request includes transmitting a new broadcast request in response to the emergency services request, the new broadcast request having data independent of data in the emergency services request.

7. A computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory tangible storage mediums storing a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the computer system to function as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) by;

receiving an emergency service request from an endpoint device;

receiving physical location information of the endpoint device, including a confidence factor representing a probability that the physical location information of the endpoint device is accurate;

receiving access node data that identifies an access node used by the endpoint device to send the emergency service request;

generating, in response to the emergency service request, a broadcast request that includes emergency instructions;

transmitting the broadcast request to the identified access node, the broadcast request being different than the emergency service request, the transmission of the broadcast request implemented using a protocol that notifies the identified access node that endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node will be notified of emergency conditions; and

in response to the confidence factor being below a predetermined threshold, transmit another broadcast request to the identified access node, the transmission of the other broadcast request implemented using another protocol that notifies the identified access node that endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node, other than the endpoint device that sent the emergency service request, will provide additional location information to the one or more computer processors.

17. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computer system to determine the confidence factor based upon an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) number received as part of the emergency service request.

9. A computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more non-transitory tangible storage mediums storing a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the computer system to;

receive an emergency service request from an endpoint device;

receive physical location information of the endpoint device;

receive access node data that identifies an access node used by the endpoint device to send the emergency service request;

transmit a broadcast request to the identified access node, the broadcast request being different than the emergency service request, the transmission of the broadcast request implemented using a protocol that notifies the identified access node that endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node should provide location information to the one or more computer processors; and

in response to a confidence factor representing a probability that the physical location information of the endpoint device is accurate being below a predetermined threshold, transmit another broadcast request to the identified access node, the transmission of the another broadcast request implemented using another protocol.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the one or more computer processors are part of a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) system.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computer system to display, in response to receiving the emergency service request, a list of access nodes near the received physical location information of the endpoint device.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the system further includes an emergency operator input;

and wherein the transmitting the broadcast request is implemented in response to receiving a selection of one or more access nodes of the list of access nodes from the emergency operator input.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the broadcast request includes a connection address for endpoint devices to use in transmitting additional location information.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein physical location information of the endpoint device includes a confidence factor representing a probability that the physical location information of the endpoint device is accurate and wherein the broadcast request is sent in response to the confidence factor being below a threshold level.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the computer system to receive an emergency service request from an endpoint device that does not have voice capabilities.

19. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the transmitting a broadcast request to the identified access node includes transmitting a broadcast request that causes the access node to send a request for location information to endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node, the request for location information causing the endpoint devices serviced by the identified access node to generate and send location information to the one or more computer processors.