Urgent communications

• US 9,509,829 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Culbert, Michael, Forstall, Scott, Lamiraux, Henri, Lee, Michael, Tupman, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US12/005,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,259 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.19, 455/417
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications

Abstract

A communications system by which a user may provide inputs using an accessory device is provided. The accessory device may provide instructions to the communications device over any suitable wired or wireless communications path. The accessory device may include any suitable input mechanism for providing an input, including for example one or more switches, sliders, knobs, keys, motion sensing components, environmental sensing components, or any other input mechanism that the user may actuate. A communications system by which a communications device may transmit urgent communications requests is provided. The user may select an urgent option when transmitting a communications request to cause the recipient communications device to enable an urgent mode in which the recipient communications device may change the notification scheme to ensure that the recipient receives the urgent communications request.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an urgent communications request, comprising:

receiving with an electronic device a first user instruction to transmit a first communications request;

detecting with the electronic device a second user instruction to make the first communications request urgent;

in response to the detecting, providing with the electronic device data that is associated with the first communications request;

transmitting, substantially simultaneously, after the receiving and detecting, using the electronic device, the first communications request over a first communications path and the provided data over a second communications path to a recipient device, wherein transmitting the first communication request and the provided data substantially simultaneously causes the recipient device to enable an urgent mode of the recipient device and provide an audio notification of the first communications request, wherein the recipient device enabling an urgent mode comprises the recipient device transitioning from a non-audio notification mode to an audio notification mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications path is different from the second communications path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications path comprises a telephone communications path.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second communications path comprises a text message communications path.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving authorizing information required for authorizing the first communications request with the recipient device in response to the detecting.

6. A communications device for receiving an urgent communications request, comprising communications circuitry and control circuitry, wherein:

the communications circuitry is operative to simultaneously receive a first communications request and a second communications request from a transmitting device; and

the control circuitry is operative to;

determine whether the received first communications request is the urgent communications request based on the simultaneous receipt of the first communications request and the second communications request;

in response to a determination that the received first communications request is the urgent communications request, automatically enable an urgent mode and output a notification using a first output setting, wherein enabling an urgent mode comprises transitioning from a non-audio notification mode to an audio notification mode; and

in response to a determination that the received first communications request is not the urgent communications request, output the notification using a second output setting in the non-audio notification mode.

7. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the second communications request is received using a communications mode that is different than a communications mode in which the first communications request is received.

8. A communications device for transmitting an urgent communications request, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive a request to initiate a first communication as an urgent communication with a recipient device using a first communication mode;

transmit a first communications request to the recipient device using the first communications mode in response to the request; and

transmit a second communications request to the recipient device using a second communications mode in response to the request, wherein the second communications request is transmitted substantially simultaneously to the recipient device with the first communications request, wherein the transmitting the first communications request and the second communications request substantially simultaneously is configured to cause the recipient device to enable an urgent mode of the recipient device.

9. The communications device of claim 8, wherein the recipient device enabling an urgent mode comprises the recipient device transitioning from a non-audio notification mode to an audio notification mode.

10. The communications device of claim 8, wherein the first communications mode supports voice communication, and the second communications mode supports a text message.

11. The communications device of claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive authorizing information required for authorizing the initiation of the communication as an urgent communication.

12. A method for receiving an urgent communications request, comprising:

by a receiving communications device;

receiving a first communications request from a transmitting communications device;

simultaneously receiving a second communications request from the transmitting communications device;

determining that the first communications request and the second communications request were simultaneously received from the same transmitting communications device;

transitioning automatically, based on the determining, from a non-urgent mode of the receiving communications device to an urgent mode of the receiving communications device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first communications request comprises a request for a voice communication, and the second communications requests comprises a request for a text message communication.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-urgent mode comprises a non-audio notification mode, and the urgent mode comprises an audio notification mode.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an audio notification based on the determining.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the audio notification continues after the transmitting communications device has ceased communication.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving an instruction to respond to the first communications request with a default message.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a function to respond to a communication request with a default message is disallowed by the urgent mode of the receiving communications device.