Method and system for sending an emergency call from a mobile terminal to the nearby emergency institution

• US 6,944,464 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IPC World, Inc., NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: IPC World, Inc., NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Muranaga, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/955,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20020034960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/404.2, 455/457, 455/404.1, 379/37, 379/45, 379/67.1, 342/357.01
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• 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 mobile terminal includes a unit for acquiring position information. The mobile terminal sends an emergency call with the position information to a server. The server retrieves an emergency institution with reference to the position information and relays the emergency call to the retrieved emergency institution.

Claims

1. A method of sending emergency call from a mobile terminal of a mobile communication system, the mobile terminal comprising means for acquiring position information that shows where the mobile terminal is, comprising the steps of:

locating the mobile terminal to generate the position information by the means for acquiring;

sending the emergency call with the position information from the mobile terminal to a server computer;

retrieving one of emergency institutions with reference to the position information by the server computer;

translating information including the position information to a language determined with reference to the position information by the server computer; and

sending the translated information to the emergency terminal of the retrieved emergency institution.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication system provides international roaming service.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the emergency institutions include at least one of police, medical and financial institutions.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring comprises a GPS (global positioning system).

5. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a support service for rising to an emergency to at least one of the mobile and emergency terminals.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the emergency call includes a message of first language, further comprising the steps of:

inputting the message by an input device of the mobile terminal;

sending the message from the mobile terminal to the server computer;

machine-translating the message from the language to second language different from the first language by the server computer; and

sending the translated message from the server computer to at least one of the mobile and emergency terminals.

7. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the retrieved emergency institution is a financial institution, which is referred to as first financial institution;

another financial institution, which is referred to as second financial institution, identifies the user of the mobile terminal with reference to registration of the user for the mobile communication system; and

the second financial institution sends money to the first financial institution.

8. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of directing the user of the mobile terminal to the retrieved emergency institution with reference to the position information.

9. The method claimed in claim 8, wherein the directing step comprises the steps of:

sending map information including current position of the mobile terminal shown in the position information from the server computer to the mobile terminal;

displaying the map information in a display device of the mobile terminal.

10. A system for sending emergency call from a mobile terminal of a mobile communication system, comprising a server computer and terminals for emergency institutions which are referred to as emergency terminals and receive the emergency call, wherein:

the mobile terminal comprises means for acquiring position information that shows where the mobile terminal is and sends the position information to the server computer in response to predetermined operation by the user of the mobile terminal;

the server computer retrieves one of the emergency institutions in response to the position information, translates information including the position information to a language determined with reference to the position information, and sends the translated information to the emergency terminal of the retrieved emergency institution.

11. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the mobile communication system provides international roaming service.

12. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the emergency institutions include at least one of police, medical and financial institutions.

13. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the means for acquiring comprises a GPS (global positioning system).

14. The system claimed in claim 10, further comprising the means for providing a support service for rising to an emergency to at least one of the mobile and emergency terminals.

15. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the emergency call includes a message of first language;

the mobile terminal comprises an input device for inputting the message and sends the message to the server computer; and

the server computer translates the message from the language to second language different from the first language and sends the translated message to the retrieved emergency terminal.

16. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the retrieved emergency institution is a financial institution, which is referred to as first financial institution;

another financial institution, which is referred to as second financial institution, identifies the user of the terminal with reference to registration of the user for the mobile communication system; and

the second financial institution sends money to the first financial institution.

17. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the server computer sends message for directing the user of the terminal to the retrieved emergency institution with reference to the position information.

18. The system claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the server computer comprises a storage device for storing map information and sends a part of the map information including current position of the terminal shown in the position information to the terminal; and

the terminal comprises a display device for displaying the map information.

19. A computer program product for execution by a server computer, wherein:

clients of the server computer comprise mobile terminals of a mobile communication system each of that comprises means for acquiring information that shows where the terminal is, and terminals for emergency institutions;

the computer program product comprises the computer codes for receiving the position information from the mobile terminal, retrieving one of the emergency institutions with reference to the received position information, translating information including the position information to a language determined with reference to the position information, and sending the translated information to the terminal of the retrieved emergency institution.

20. The computer program product claimed in claim 19, wherein the mobile communication system provides international roaming service.

21. The computer program product claimed in claim 20, wherein the emergency institutions include at least one of police, medical and financial institutions.

22. The computer program product claimed in claim 20, wherein the means for acquiring comprises a GPS (global positioning system).

23. The computer program product claimed in claim 20, further comprising the computer code for providing a support service for rising to an emergency.

24. The computer program product claimed in claim 23, wherein:

the emergency call includes a message of first language, and the terminal comprises an input device for inputting the message and sends the message to the server computer;

the computer program product comprises computer codes for translating the message from the language to second language different from the first langauge and sends the translated message to the terminal.

25. The computer program product claimed in claim 23, wherein the retrieved emergency institution is a financial institution, which is referred to as first financial institution, comprising the computer codes for:

sending another financial institution, which is referred to as second financial institution, a request for identifying the user of the mobile terminal with reference to registration of the user with the mobile communication system; and

sending the second financial institution a request for sending money from the second financial institution to the first financial institution based on the identification.

26. The computer program product claimed in claim 23, comprising the computer code for sending message for directing the user of the terminal to the retrieved emergency institution with reference to the position information.

27. A computer comprising a storage device that stores the computer program product claimed in claim 19.