ENHANCED PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130244714A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Klein, David E., ALAZRAKI, SCOTT M., BROOKS, ERIC D., YOUNG, STEVEN E., MONKS, DEBORAH J., BLANCO, ALEJANDRO G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/521
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/203 for converged personal network application service interworking, e.g. OMA converged personal network services [CPNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A communication system (100) provides collaboration between narrowband communication devices (102) and broadband communication devices (104) operating over different networks. The communication devices (102, 104) are linked to provide peer-to-peer communication that supports the dissemination of public safety information to a public safety personnel user utilizing the devices. Applications within the devices (102, 104) automatically control features amongst the plurality of devices for redundancy of critical information, removal of non-critical information and power management. Context information can also be examined and shared between amongst the devices.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a narrowband communication device operating over a private narrowband network of a public safety system;

a broadband communication device operating over a public or private network of a broadband system;

a secure network link operating between the public safety system and the broadband system; and

an information sharing link between the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device, wherein the information sharing link operates in accordance with public safety applications downloaded into each of the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device, wherein the public safety applications control collaborative operation between the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device such that the broadband communication device provides an expanded public safety user interface to the narrowband communication device, and wherein the collaborative operation relays information to user interface elements of the narrowband communication device and user interface elements of the broadband communication device.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the public safety applications are downloaded to the broadband communication device over the secure network link and the public safety applications are downloaded to the narrowband communication device over the private narrowband network.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the public safety applications further control gathering current context information surrounding the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device and control relaying the current context information to the user interface elements of the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the public safety applications automatically control one or more of:

providing redundancy of critical information, removal of non critical information, and power management amongst the narrowband communication device and broadband communication device.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle having an in-vehicle docking station and vehicular sensors for gathering vehicular context information and transferring the vehicular context information over the private narrowband network for communication to the narrowband communication device.

6. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a dispatch and information management center operating within the public safety system, wherein the dispatch and information management center stores the public safety applications.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the secure network link controls routing of information from the broadband communication device to the narrowband communication device using the dispatch and information management center.

8. A method comprising:

operating, by a narrowband communication device, over a private narrowband network of a public safety system;

operating, by a broadband communication device, over a public or private network of a broadband system;

operating, by a secure network link, between the public safety system and the broadband system; and

controlling, over an information sharing link and by public safety applications included in each of the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device, collaborative operation between the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device, wherein collaborative operation comprises providing, by the broadband communication device, an expanded public safety user interface to the narrowband communication device and wherein collaborative operation further comprises relaying information to user interface elements of the narrowband communication device and user interface elements of the broadband communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

downloading the public safety applications to the broadband communication device over a secure network link between the public safety system and the broadband system; and

downloading the public safety applications to the narrowband communication device over the private narrowband network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

controlling, by the public safety applications, a gathering of current context information surrounding the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device; and

controlling, by the public safety applications, a relaying of the current context information to the user interface elements of the narrowband communication device and the broadband communication device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically controlling, by the public safety applications, one or more of:

providing redundancy of critical information;

removal of non critical information; and

power management amongst the narrowband communication device and broadband communication device.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

gathering, by sensors of a vehicle, vehicular context information; and

transferring the vehicular context information over the private narrowband network for communication to the narrowband communication device.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing, by a dispatch and information management center operating within the public safety system, the public safety applications.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising routing, by the dispatch and information management center, information from the broadband communication device to the narrowband communication.