Method and system for emergency call management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9942739-B2
Application number	US-201514856818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for generating and transmitting emergency messages and for maintaining real-time emergency communications sessions between users and emergency dispatch centers. A system receives data transmitted from a user device and constructs an emergency message related to a specific type of emergency scenario as well as the location, meta-data and background information of the user. The generated emergency message is transmitted via a communications network and delivered to an appropriate emergency dispatch center. The method enables the user to deliver a detailed request for help regardless of his or her location or, in another instance, delivers the basic emergency response related information for the user. The generated emergency message is universally compatible with emergency communications center infrastructure so long as the communications centers possess basic voice call equipment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of facilitating a reliable and persistent communication between a user of a user communication device and an emergency dispatch center (EDC), the method comprising:
receiving an emergency alert from the user communication device at an emergency management system (EMS);
constructing an emergency message that is based on the emergency alert and that includes at least one of an audio file, an interactive voice response (IVR) message, a Short Message Service (SMS) text message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, an e-mail message, an Instant Messaging (IM) message, and a message otherwise formatted for communication over an Internet;
establishing a first communication link, the first communication link including at least one of:
a communication link between the emergency management system and the emergency dispatch center;
a communication link between the emergency management system and a Routing Service Provider (RSP) and a communication link between the RSP and the emergency dispatch center; and
a communication link between the emergency dispatch center and a first gateway and a communication link between the first gateway and the emergency management system;

establishing a second communication link, the second communication link including at least one of:
a communication link between the emergency management system and the user communication device; and
a communication link between the emergency management system and a second gateway and a communication link between the second gateway and the user communication device;

bridging the first communication link and the second communication link;
routing the emergency message from the emergency management system to the emergency dispatch center over the first communication link; and
actively managing the first and second communication links until a termination signal is received from the user communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising communicating between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center via one or more of text messages and e-mail exchanges.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein constructing the IVR message includes generating an audio message from alert metadata and user information of the user stored in a database of the emergency management system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency management system sends a push notification to the user communication device notifying the user of an attempted connection with the emergency dispatch center and wherein the emergency management system sends an SMS message to the user communication device notifying the user of the attempted connection with the emergency dispatch center.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency management system continuously attempts to initiate a voice connection with the emergency dispatch center until success or termination by request by one of the user and a session controller of the emergency management system, wherein the emergency management system maintains the first communication link if the second communication link fails and maintains the second communication link if the first communication link fails and wherein the emergency management system re-establishes the first communication link in response to failure of the first communication link and re-establishes the second communication link in response to failure of the second communication link.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency management system:
determines whether a reliable data connection to the emergency dispatch center is available, and implements a VoIP session between the emergency dispatch center and the user communication device in response to a determination that a reliable data connection to the emergency dispatch center is available,
implements a cellular phone call between the emergency dispatch center and the user communication device in response to a determination that the reliable data connection to the emergency dispatch center is not available and that a reliable cellular connection between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center is available, or
implements a PSTN phone call between the emergency dispatch center and the user communication device in response to a determination that the reliable data connection to the emergency dispatch center is not available and that the cellular phone call between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center failed to initiate and that a PSTN telephone connection between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center is available.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first communication link includes multiple TCP or UDP sessions and the second communication link includes multiple TCP or UDP sessions.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first gateway and the second gateway is configured to generate, transmit, receive and interpret one or more of multimedia Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages and H.323 signaling messages.

9. A method for providing emergency communication with an emergency management system (EMS), the method comprising:
provisioning and maintaining a pool of direct inward dial telephone numbers at one or more gateways;
receiving, at a server of the emergency management system remote from a user communication device, a transmission from the user communication device that indicates that a user of the user communication device is in an emergency;
receiving, at the emergency management system, location information metadata regarding a location of the user communication device sent from the user communication device;
using the location information metadata regarding the location of the user communication device to determine an emergency dispatch center to which to transmit an emergency message;
selecting a telephone number from the pool of direct inward dial telephone numbers;
associating the telephone number with the user communication device;
associating the telephone number with the location of the user communication device in real-time using an emergency service provisioning application programming interface (API); and
utilizing the telephone number to provision emergency service for the user from the emergency dispatch center.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the emergency management system sends the location information metadata to one of a number of APIs exposed by third-party Routing Service Providers (RSPs) and, in response to sending the location information metadata, receives, from the one of the number of APIs, an identity of the emergency dispatch center and identifying information associated with the emergency dispatch center, including location, infrastructure capabilities, and responder availability of the emergency dispatch center, and wherein the emergency management system includes the location information metadata in a request for provisioning of emergency services for the user utilizing the telephone number, and one of the third-party RSPs updates an automatic location identification (ALI) database of the emergency management system to associate the location information metadata with the telephone number.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the emergency management system determines if communications between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center have been successfully established utilizing the telephone number and the one of the third-party RSPs and, responsive to communications between the user communication device and the emergency dispatch center having not been successfully established, attempts to establish communications

Assignees

• Rapidsos Inc

Inventors

• Bozik Matthew
• Horelik Nicholas
• Martin Michael J
• Mehta Anil

Classifications

• H04M7/006

  Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer (H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04W76/50

  for emergency connections · CPC title

• H04L51/02

  using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages · CPC title

• H04W4/90 Primary

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04M3/5116

  for emergency applications · CPC title