System and method for providing personal and emergency service hailing in wireless network

• US 7,529,537 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraft, Reiner, Ford, Daniel A., Myllymaki, Jussi P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/855,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,913 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-4566, 455/518, 455/519, 455/521, 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 340/539.23
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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 system for determining each location and identifier of a plurality of wireless communication devices, computing a distance between a location of a requesting device and the location of each of the plurality of wireless communication devices. The system and method presents to a user of a requesting device a list of at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices that satisfy a proximity requirement for the requesting device. The user can then select a presented one of the list of at least one of the plurality of wireless communication devices and initiate communications with the selected one wireless communication device. The system and method also can receive an alert notification request from the requesting device and send an alert notification, in response to the alert notification request, to a plurality of wireless communication devices satisfying a proximity requirement for the requesting device.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a profile database storing a respective profile for each of a plurality of wireless communications devices, the respective profile for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices comprising at least one individualized distance threshold for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices;

computing distances between a location of a first wireless communications device and a respective location of each of a plurality of other wireless communication device;

comparing each of the distances to the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile that is stored within the profile database for the first wireless communications device;

identifying, in response to the comparing, a set of wireless communications devices consisting of a plurality of wireless communications devices within the plurality of other wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile for the first wireless communications device; and

sending, to the first wireless communications device, the respective location and an identifier of each wireless communication device within the set of wireless communications devices consisting of the plurality of wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold.

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

displaying, on the first wireless communication device, the respective location and the identifier of each wireless device within the set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first wireless communications device in response to the step of sending, a selection of a selected wireless communications device from within the set; and

initiating, in response to the step of receiving, communications between the first wireless communications device and the selected wireless communications device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing step is performed in response to a request transmitted by the first wireless communications device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computing the distances comprising retrieving a respective location of each of at least one other wireless communications device that had been stored in a location database prior to receiving the request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the first wireless communications device in response to the step of sending, a selection of a selected wireless communications device from within the set, wherein the selected wireless communications device is incompatible with the first wireless communications device;

initiating, in response to the step of receiving and based on the selected wireless communications device being incompatible with the first wireless communications device, communications between the first wireless communications device and the selected wireless communications device; and

performing, in response to the initiating, a protocol conversion between the first wireless communications device and the selected communications device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing, the comparing, and the identifying are performed prior to receiving a communication request from the first wireless communications device, the method further comprising the steps of:

storing, in a location database, the set of wireless communications devices consisting of a plurality of wireless communications devices within the plurality of other wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile for the first wireless communications device; and

retrieving, from the location database in response to receiving the communication request from the first communications device, the set of wireless communications devices consisting of a plurality of wireless communications devices within the plurality of other wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile for the first wireless communications device,

wherein the sending is performed after the retrieving.

8. A method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a profile database storing a respective profile for each of a plurality of wireless communications devices, the respective profile for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices comprising at least one individualized distance threshold for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices;

computing distances between a location of a first wireless communications device and a respective location of each of a plurality of other wireless communication device;

comparing each of the distances to the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile that is stored within the profile database for the first wireless communications device;

identifying, in response to the comparing, a set of wireless communications devices consisting of a plurality of wireless communications devices within the plurality of other wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile for the first wireless communications device; and

sending an alert notification to at least one wireless communications device within the set that satisfies preferences within the list of preferences.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a profile database storing a respective profile for each of a plurality of wireless communications devices, the respective profile for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices comprising at least one individualized proximity preferences for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices;

computing distances between a received location indication of a wireless communication device and a respective location of a plurality of emergency service;

comparing each of the distances with an individualized proximity preference within the respective profile that is stored within the profile database for the wireless communications device;

identifying, in response to the comparing, a set of emergency services consisting of a plurality of emergency services within the at least one emergency service that satisfy the individualized proximity preference within the respective profile for the wireless communications device; and

sending an alert notification to the set of emergency services consisting of the plurality of emergency services that satisfy the individualized proximity preference.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one emergency service comprises at least one from the following list of emergency services:

an emergency facility, an emergency mobile unit, an emergency service person, an officer with wireless communication device, and an individual with wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprises the step of sending, to the wireless communications device, the respective location and an identifier of each emergency service within the set.

12. A computer readable medium having computer instructions tangibly encoded therein for a communication system, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

maintaining a profile database storing a respective profile for each of a plurality of wireless communications devices, the respective profile for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices comprising at least one individualized distance threshold for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices;

computing distances between a location of a first wireless communications device and a respective location of each of a plurality of other wireless communication device;

comparing each of the distances to the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile that is stored within the profile database for the first wireless communications device;

identifying, in response to the comparing, a set of wireless communications devices consisting of a plurality of wireless communications devices within the plurality of other wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold within the respective profile for the first wireless communications device; and

sending, to the first wireless communications device, the respective location and an identifier of each wireless communication device within the set of wireless communications devices consisting of the plurality of wireless communications devices that satisfy the at least one individualized distance threshold.

13. A computer readable medium having computer instructions tangibly encoded therein for a communication system, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

maintaining a profile database storing a respective profile for each of a plurality of wireless communications devices, the respective profile for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices comprising at least one individualized proximity preference for each of the plurality of wireless communications devices;

computing distances between a location received in a location indication from a wireless communication device and a respective location of a plurality of emergency service;

comparing each of the distances to an individualized proximity preference for the wireless communication device within the respective profile that is stored within the profile database for the wireless communications device;

identifying, in response to the comparing, a set of emergency services consisting of a plurality of emergency services within the at least one emergency service that satisfy the individualized proximity preference within the respective profile for the wireless communications device; and

and

sending an alert notification to the set of emergency services consisting of the plurality of emergency services that satisfy the individualized proximity preference.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one emergency service comprises at least one from the following list of emergency services:

an emergency facility, an emergency mobile unit, an emergency service person, an officer with wireless communication device, and an individual with wireless communication device.