Apparatus, and associated method, for providing a digital image generated at a mobile station to an assistance center

• US 6,748,223 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Fraccaroli, Federico
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US09/815,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/556, 455/74.1, 455/557, 455/414, 349/447
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, by which to provide a digital image, created at the mobile station by a digital camera forming a portion thereof, to an assistance center, such as an emergency dispatch center. The digital image is created automatically upon initiation at the mobile station of a request for assistance from the assistance center. Initiation of a 911 emergency call, for example, causes a digital image to be created by the digital camera, and signals representative of the created digital image are automatically sent to the assistance center. Once received at the assistance center, viewing of the digital images provides personnel at the assistance center with additional information by which best to respond to the request for assistance. And, the digital image is storable thereat for evidentiary purposes.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system having a mobile station having a transmit portion and a user actuator, the mobile station selectably operable by a user to initiate a call at a calling position to an assistance center, the user actuator actuable by the user to initiate the call to the assistance center, a combination with the mobile station of apparatus for providing a digital image to the assistance center, said apparatus comprising:

a digital image creator coupled at least to receive indications of initiation of the call to the assistance center and of actuation of the user actuator by the user, said digital image creator for creating a digital image at the calling position at which the call is initiated responsive to reception of the indications of the initiation of the call through the actuation of the user actuator;

a digital image signal generator coupled to receive indications of the digital image created by said digital image creator, said digital image signal generator automatically for generating a digital image signal for transmission to the assistance center together with the call initiated by the user to the assistance center upon creation of the digital image by said digital image creator, the digital image signal provided to the transmit portion to be transmitted therefrom.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the digital image generated by said digital image creator is created concurrent with initiation of the call to the assistance center, initiated responsive to actuation of the user actuator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile station further comprises a position indicator for indicating positional indicia associated with positioning of the mobile station and wherein indications of the positional indicia are generated for transmission to the assistance center together with the call initiated by the user to the assistance center.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the positional indicia indicated by the position indicator indicates the calling position at which the mobile station is located when the call to the assistance station is initiated.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, responsive to initiation of the call to the assistance center, the call is terminated thereat, thereby to effectuate a communication session between the mobile station and the assistance center, and wherein the digital image signal is sent by the mobile station to the assistance center, and wherein the digital image signal is sent by the mobile station upon effectuation of the communication session.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the indications of the positional indicia are sent by the mobile station to the assistance center upon effectuation of the communication session.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assistance center comprises an emergency dispatch center, wherein the call is initiated to request emergency assistance and wherein said digital image signal generator generates the digital image signal for transmission to the emergency dispatch center.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the digital image created by said digital image creator comprises a digital image taken at the calling position during the call to request the emergency assistance.

9. In the radio communication system of claim 1, a combination with the assistance center of further apparatus for operating upon the digital image signal generated by said digital image signal generator, said further apparatus comprising:

a detector coupled to receive indications of the digital image signal subsequent to transmission of the digital image signal to the assistance center, said detector for detecting values of the digital signal;

an image capturer coupled to said detector, said image capturer for capturing a visual image responsive to the values of the digital image signal detected by said detector.

10. The further apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a display device coupled to said image capturer, said display device for displaying at the assistance center the visual image captured by said image capturer.

11. The further apparatus of claim 9 wherein said image capturer comprises a storage device at which the values of the digital image signal detected by said detector are stored.

12. The further apparatus of claim 11 wherein the mobile station is further operable to send positional indicia to the assistance center and wherein said detector is further operable to detect values of the positional indicia.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the storage device forming said image capturer further stores the values of the positional indicia.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile station comprises a housing having a first side portion and a second side portion and wherein said digital image creator is at least alternately operable to create the digital image of the calling position beyond the first side portion of the mobile station and to create the digital image of the calling position beyond the second side portion of the mobile station.

15. A method for providing a digital image to an assistance center to which a user, positioned at a calling position, of a mobile station having a transmit portion and a user actuator, selectably initiates a call to the assistance center through actuation of the user actuator, said method comprising:

creating a digital image at the calling position from which the call is initiated responsive to initiation of the call through actuation of the user actuator;

automatically generating a digital image signal responsive to the digital image created during said operation of creating; and

automatically transmitting, from the transmit portion, the digital image signal created during said operation of generating to the assistance center.

16. In a radio communication system having a mobile station having a transmit portion and a user actuator, the mobile station selectably operable by a user to initiate a call at a calling position to an assistance center, the user actuator actuable by the user to initiate the call to the assistance center a combination with the mobile station of apparatus for providing a multimedia sequence to the assistance center, said apparatus comprising:

a digital image creator coupled at least to receive indications of initiation of the call to the assistance center and of actuation of the user actuator by the user, said multimedia sequence creator for creating a first digital image and at least a second digital image at the calling position at which the call is initiated responsive to reception of the indications of the initiation of the call through the actuation of the user actuator;

a digital image signal generator coupled to receive indications of the first and at least second digital images, respectively, created by said digital image creator, said digital image signal generator for automatically generating first and at least second digital image signals for transmission to the assistance center together with the call initiated by the user to the assistance center.