Method and apparatus to concurrently notify emergency contacts during an emergency voice call based on network capability

• US 20070218925A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Cormier, Jean-Philippe, Ahmed, Farhad, Islam, Muhammad
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically sending a data message from a mobile device to at least one recipient during or soon after an emergency voice call, the method having the steps of: determining whether the data message can be sent over the network during the emergency voice call, and if yes, creating and sending the data message; and if no, waiting until either the mobile device connects to a new network, wherein the method proceeds back to said determining step, or until the voice call has ended and then creating and sending the data message.

Claims

1. A method for automatically sending a data message from a mobile device to at least one recipient during or after an emergency voice call, the method comprising the steps of:

a. determining whether the data message can be sent over the network during the emergency voice call, and

i. if yes, creating and sending the data message; and

ii. if no, waiting until either the mobile device connects to a new network, wherein the method proceeds back to said determining step, or until the voice call has ended and then creating and sending the data message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message is one of an email message, and instant message and a short message service (SMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step includes:

adding a timestamp to the data message; and

adding a geographic indicator to the message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from a global positioning system module on the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the network the mobile device is connected to.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the creating step further includes adding an indicator for the type of emergency, said indicator derived from a number dialed for the emergency voice call.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the creating step further includes adding a list of recipients.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the list of recipients is predetermined by a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step checks whether the network the mobile device is connected to supports concurrent voice and data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

considering whether sending a data message will adversely affect the emergency voice call, and if yes, ending the process, wherein the considering step occurs before the determining step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the considering step checks whether the battery level is below a predetermined threshold and if yes, finding that the data message will adversely affect the emergency voice call.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, prior to said determining step, checking whether a user wishes to send the data message, the checking step testing a user set parameter, said user set parameter having a first value to indicate the user wishes to send the data message and a second value to indicate the user does not wish to send the data message.

13. A mobile device adapted to automatically send a data message to at least one recipient during or after an emergency voice call, the mobile device having a radio subsystem including a radio adapted to communicate with a mobile network;

a radio processor having a digital signal processor and adapted to interact with said radio subsystem;

memory;

a user interface;

a processor adapted to run user applications and interact with the memory, the radio and the user interface and adapted to run applications, the mobile device characterized by having means for;

determining whether the data message can be sent over the network during the emergency voice call, and

if yes, creating and sending the data message; and

if no, waiting until either the mobile device connects to a new network, wherein the mobile device proceeds back to said determining step, or until the voice call has ended and then creating and sending the data message.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the data message is one of an email message, and instant message and a short message service (SMS) message.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the means for creating is adapted to:

add a timestamp to the data message; and

add a geographic indicator to the message.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, further comprising a global positioning system module, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the global positioning system module.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the geographic indicator is derived from the mobile network the mobile device is connected to.

18. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the means for creating is adapted to add an indicator for the type of emergency, said indicator being derived from a number dialed for the emergency voice call.

19. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the means for creating is further adapted to add a list of recipients to the data message.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising means for:

considering whether sending a data message will adversely affect the emergency voice call, and if yes, the means for considering being adapted to block the means for determining, means for creating and means for sending a message.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein mobile device further includes a battery level indicator, the means for considering adapted to check the battery level indicator to determine whether the battery level is below a predetermined threshold.

22. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the means for determining is adapted to check whether the network the mobile device is connected to supports concurrent voice and data.