WO2014074420A1 - System for providing emergency communictions between mobile computing devices and emergency services answering points - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for providing emergency communications compatibility between mobile computing devices and emergency services answering points

Description

System for Providing Emergency Communications between Mobile Computing Devices and Emergency Services Answering Points

Applicant claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application, Serial No. 61/722852, filed November 6, 2012, entitled - System for Providing Emergency Communications between Mobile Computing Devices and Emergency Services Answering Points -.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Among other things, the present invention is a system for providing emergency communications compatibility between mobile computing devices and emergency services answering points.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Unlike the prior art, the current invention is a system for providing emergency communications compatibility between mobile computing device (MCDs) and emergency services answering points (ESAPs).

One aspect of the present system is to provide a communications adaptation module (CAM) that responds to an indication of a request for emergency communications initiated by a MCD by communicating using a communications means compatible with an ESAP serving the geographic location of the MCD.

Another aspect of the present system is to provide a MCD with the ability to communicate with an ESAP serving the present location of the MCD using data, short-message- system (SMS) messages, or teletype modem (TTY) signals without requiring the ESAP to directly support data, SMS, or TTY communications means.

Another aspect of the present system is to provide the user of a MCD with the ability to communicate emergency information to an ESAP operator in a human language that is likely to be understood by the operators of an ESAP serving the geographic location of the MCD.

A further aspect of the present system is to provide MCD emergency information to an ESAP using text-to-speech (TTS) signaling messages in cases where other communications means may not be compatible with ESAPs serving the geographic location of the MCD.

Yet another aspect of the present system is to provide ESAP operators with access to emergency information on the internet by communicating internet address and access credentials using a communications means compatible with an ESAP serving the geographic location of the MCD.

Another aspect of the present system is to provide wireless wide area networks (WWANs) with the ability to accept emergency SMS messages from an MCD and to further communicate those messages to ESAPs using a communications means that is compatible with ESAPs serving the geographic location of the MCD.

Yet another aspect of the present system is to provide MCDs with one or more CAM programs executable by the MCD that enable the MCD to accept requests from the user to communicate emergency information using one communications means and to communicate using a communications means compatible with ESAPs serving the geographic location of the MCD in a way that is transparent to the user.

A further aspect of the present system is to provide the ESAP with a CAM that enables the ESAP to accept communications using multiple communications means and to convert these communications means into communications means compatible with ESAP terminal equipment.

Another aspect of the present system is to provide software programs executable by a processor of a MCD that do not have access to call audio signals with the capability to communicate emergency information to ESAPs within call audio signals.

Yet another aspect of the present system is to provide ESAP operators with information regarding the internet address and access credentials required to access an internet emergency information server (IEIS).

A preferred embodiment of the current invention can be described as a system for providing emergency communications compatibility between mobile computing devices and emergency services answering points; the system comprising one or more mobile computing devices, one or more emergency services answering points remote from the mobile computing devices, and a communications adaptation module in communication with one or more of the emergency services answering points and at least one of the mobile computing devices ; the communications adaptation module operable to select, in response to an indication of a request for emergency communications initiated by the mobile computing device, one or more communications modules compatible with at least one of the emergency services answering points serving a geographic location of the mobile computing device and to communicate emergency information to the emergency answering point using one or more of the

communications modules, wherein the communications modules are selected from the group of TTS communications module, TTY communications module, SMS communications module and/or Internet communications module.

It is the novel and unique interaction of these simple elements which creates the current system. Pursuant to the Articles of the Patent Cooperation Treaty, select preferred

embodiments of the present invention follow. However, it is to be understood that the descriptions of the preferred embodiments do not limit the scope of the present system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including independent CAM implementation.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including a WWAN-supported CAM implementation.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including an E SAP-supported CAM implementation.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including an independent CAM implementation and a MCD emergency communications indication program (ECIP).

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including a MCD program implementation of a CAM with call audio stream access.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the system including a CAM communicating the internet address and access credentials required to access an internet emergency information server (IEIS).

Fig. 7 is a message sequence diagram illustrating the setup of an emergency voice call in a preferred embodiment of the system including a WWAN-supported CAM implementation and a TTY-compatible ESAP.

Fig. 8 is a message sequence diagram illustrating the setup of an emergency voice call and the subsequent communication of internet address and access credentials in a preferred embodiment of the system including a MCD program implementation of a CAM, a MCD location updating program, and an IEIS accessible by a web browser.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of CAM compatible with the current system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments of the system combine a mobile computing device (MCD) 100 with various implementations of a communications adaptation module (CAM) 300. FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the system including an MCD 100, a wireless-wide-area-network (WWAN) 200, an independent implementation of CAM 300 and an emergency services answering point (ESAP) 400.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, preferred embodiments of CAM 300 are capable of receiving emergency communications request indications at communication request indication input 810 and MCD 100 location information at location input 811. Using this information and other optional data sources, a CAM 300 communications controller 800 sets up one or more communications modules compatible with the communications mean compatible with a particular ESAP 400, and proceeds to route communications content between the

communications modules and voice communications input 812, SMS communications input 813, and packet data input 814 via communications router 802. Within the scope of the current system, CAM 300 is compatible with one or a combination of the following communications means: Text To Speech (TTS) 220, Text Telephone (TTY) 230, Short Message System (SMS) 240 or Internet 260. It should be noted that CAM 300 inputs and outputs may be implemented as logical inputs and outputs and that software may be used to dynamically connect and disconnect a CAM 300's inputs and outputs to heterogenous physical inputs and outputs; a non- limiting example is a CAM 300 software instance executed within a computer with a mix of POTS, ISDN, LAN, WLAN, and Cellular Modem interface cards, wherein a voice

communication is first received at a physical POTS interface and then dynamically connected to logical voice communication input component 812, and where a subsequent voice communication is first at a logical VoIP endpoint established over a physical WLAN interface and then dynamically connected to input component 812.

CAMs 300 of the current system may be implemented entirely as software or as a combination of software and hardware, and it should be noted that a single physical computer may execute multiple software CAM 300 instances at substantially the same time. It should be further noted that the system(s) implementing CAM 300 are generally compatible with computer networking communications means not limited to Internet communications means 260, and that such communications means may also be used to implement CAM 300 as a network of multiple physical or virtualized computer systems for the purposes of distributing the computational load of CAM 300 operations as well as to redistribution CAM 300 operations as required to maintain continuity of service during hardware, software, or infrastructure failures within the network.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, preferred embodiments of the system include ESAPs 400. Preferred embodiments of ESAPs 400 include endpoints capable of receiving teletype modem (TTY) audio signals, and short-message-system (SMS) messages. Still other ESAPs can include but are not limited to endpoints capable of receiving multimedia-message-system (MMS) messages and data packets delivered over the Internet. Within the scope of the current invention, SMS can include SMS and MMS. Any combination of these preferred

embodiments may be supported either individually or in combination by ESAPs 400, CAMs 300, and MCDs 100. Different implementations of TTY modem signaling are employed in different regions of the world. As used herein, TTY modem signaling includes any combination of the known and proprietary signaling protocols and text character encoding protocols, e.g., various Baudot signaling protocols and data rates, ITU V.XX modem signaling protocols, proprietary error- corrected teletype signaling protocols such as those employed by Ultratec™ TTYs, and various text character encoding standards including but not limited to UTF-8 and ITU T.140. WWANs 200 may implement adaptation mechanisms to ensure the reliability of underlying teletype modem signals within wireless communications channels. Teletype modem signals herein can also pass through the Cellular Text Telephone Modem as described within the ETSI 3GPP TS 26.226 specification.

Although FIG. 1 depicts only a single WW AN 200, certain implementations of MCD 100 support multiple types of communications systems and more than one WWAN 200 to effect communications between MCD 100 and ESAPs 400. Illustrative examples of WWANs 200 include terrestrial wireless networks such as WCDMA, GSM, and LTE networks and satellite-telecommunications networks such as Inmarsat™, Iridium™, and Thuraya™.

Provided that the local wireless network is compatible with the routing of communications from the local wireless network to locations remote from the local wireless network and from MCD 100, local wireless area networks not limited to Wi-Fi™ networks can also function as WWANs 200.

Within the scope of the present invention, MCD 100 may communicate with a CAM

300 using any of the various means supported by WWAN 200 and CAM 300. Depending on the geographic location of MCD 100 and the implementation of the CAM 300, CAM 300 may select an ESAP 400 from geographically available ESAPs 400 available for serving MCD 100, a human language common to the geographic region occupied by MCD 100, and a

communications module compatible with a communications means for which ESAP 400 compatibility is mandated by the law of the geographic region. Among other things, CAM 300 establishes a communications channel between the selected ESAP 400 and a selected communications module of CAM 300, such as the TTS communications module 830, TTY communications module 831, SMS communications module 832 or Internet communications module 833 as depicted in FIGs 1-6 and 9.

Communications between MCD 100 and CAM 300 can be passed through CAM 300 without alteration, i.e., an English language SMS messages sent by MCD 100 can be passed through to ESAP 400 with capacity for receiving and understanding the SMS message. CAM 300 may accept multiple communications from MCD 100 via multiple communications means, and CAM 300 may optionally alter one of the communications sent by MCD 100 so as to include additional information. An example of such altered communication occurs when a voice call is placed from MCD 100 and a SMS or data message (identifying the geographic location of MCD 100) is also sent - being aware of both the voice call and the SMS or data message, CAM 300 can generate an intermittent text-to-speech (TTS) audio signal containing updated geographic location information and mix it into the original voice call audio signal before passing the transmission to ESAP 400.

FIG. 2 illustrates preferred embodiment of a system including CAM 300 supported by WWAN 200. As illustrated, MCD 100 initiates the formation of an emergency

communications channel within WWAN 200. CAM 300 is directly supported by WWAN 200 and can receive location information from a network location facility 210 of WWAN 200, as well as the contents of the emergency communication originated by MCD 100.

In select preferred embodiments of the system illustrated in FIG. 2, CAM 300 replaces emergency communications routing equipment at WWAN 200 and selects ESAP 400 based on rough location information provided by the network location facility 210, such as a cellular tower identifier and antenna lobe used by MCD 100. However, other preferred embodiments of CAM 300 do not replace emergency communications routing equipment and do not select ESAP 400.

Referring again to the preferred embodiment of the present system of FIG. 2, CAM 300 selects communications means and a communications module compatible with and supported by ESAP 400 establishing a communications channel between CAM 300 and ESAP 400.

Location information may be sent once or more than once by network location facility 210. In select embodiments of the current system, more than one location facility 210 derives location information in multiple ways such that location information at the beginning of an emergency communication may not be presented in the same form as more accurate location

measurements that may follow. Within the scope of the present system, communications originated by MCD 100 may be passed through, altered, or replaced entirely by CAM 300. In certain preferred embodiments, CAM 300 can select a communications means and a human language and transmit location information to ESAP 400. CAM 300 may obtain at least some of these selections because of communications from the various facilities of the WWAN 200, or by the setting of default values. A non-limiting example of such an arrangement is for a wireless telecommunications network in a monolingual geographic region that only mandates ESAPs 400 provide voice call support, CAM 300 can be set to always select text-to-speech communications in a preselected language.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the system including an implementation of CAM 300 supported by ESAP 400. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a MCD 100 initiates an emergency communications channel within WWAN 200. WW AN 200 routes the emergency

communication to ESAP 400 where the communication is received by CAM 300.

Subsequently, CAM 300, being directly supported by ESAP 400, provides compatibility by accepting various communications using communications means that are not supported by the existing ESAP terminal equipment, and by adapting these means to the existing, legally mandated communications means and terminal equipment resident within ESAP 400. One non-limiting example of the utility of such an arrangement would be within the United States where various municipalities may wish to deploy CAM 300s in order to support SMS emergency communications within ESAPs that presently have equipment to support legally mandated Baudot TTY signaling and that do not wish to upgrade each ESAP operator's terminal equipment. Free and commercial automated speech recognition systems and automated natural language text translation systems are widely available. It is anticipated that one or more of these systems will be optionally incorporated into select preferred embodiments of CAM's 300 automated human language translator 823 - allowing unidirectional or bidirectional human language translation between users of MCD 100 and operators of ESAPs 400.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the system including an implementation of CAM 300 in communication with an Emergency Communications Indication Program (ECIP) 1 10 executable by MCD 100. As illustrated in FIG. 4, ECIP 110 receives event signals from or polls for changes in the state of an operating system of MCD 100. Upon sensing an emergency communication has been initiated by a user of MCD 100, program 110 initiates one or more SMS or data communications to CAM 300 indicating the request for emergency

communications by MCD 100 along with geographic location information of MCD 100. Using at least one communications module to communicate with ESAP 400, CAM 300 proceeds as the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 - selecting ESAP 400, communications means, and human language. For select preferred embodiments of the system illustrated in FIG. 4, Emergency Communications Indication Program (ECIP) 110 may exist within an MCD 100 that runs an operating system such as Google Android™ wherein it is possible for programs to obtain permission to monitor dialed numbers and sent SMS messages. In such environments, program 1 10 may be able to indicate emergency communications in response to

communications requests destined for any endpoint, e.g., Emergency Communications Destination 500 can be an endpoint of CAM 300. In other preferred embodiments of the system as illustrated in FIG. 4, the operating system of MCD 100 does not allow ECIP 1 10 to monitor individual communications requests but does permit notification when the user has initiated a request to a supported emergency communications endpoint, e.g., a call to the 911 emergency exchange. For such preferred embodiments, an emergency communications destination 500 can be considered to be the emergency services call routing facility of WWAN 200, and within such an embodiment two emergency communications channels, one originated by the MCD 100 and another originated by CAM 300 on behalf of MCD 100 are generally terminated at ESAP 400.

FIG. 5 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the system including CAM 300 that is implemented as a program executable within MCD 100 with access to alter the audio streams of an active emergency call. In response to a request for emergency communications by the user of MCD 100, CAM 300 selects communications means and modules such as those shown in the preferred embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 , with the exception of delegating the responsibility of selecting ESAP 400 to WWAN 200. In select embodiments, CAM 300 resides within the networking protocol stack of MCD 100 and is operable to intercept outgoing audio signals in the pulse-code-modulated (PCM) domain before the outgoing audio signals are compressed by the vocoder, and for intercepted signals, transparently convert between the user- selected communications means and those legally mandated by the geographic region occupied by MCD 100. In other preferred embodiments of the system, CAM 300 can be implemented as a combination of programs, such as a first program with privileged access to outgoing PCM audio streams not limited to audio device drivers or customizations or plugins within software audio mixers and a second program with access to feed information to the first program as well as access to location information and to the exposed software interfaces of the networking protocol stack such that the combination of programs is capable of providing CAM

functionalities including but not limited to TTS and TTY signaling, converting between SMS messaging attempts and voice dialing attempts, and between SMS message contents and the characters encoded within TTY signaling. In still another preferred embodiment of the system, CAM 300 may be limited to TTS communications means. A non-limiting example of such an arrangement is a CAM 300 program executable by an MCD 100 running the Apple iOS™ operating system in communication with the Siri™ voice recognition and text-to-speech (TTS) system, wherein CAM 300 receives a notification of an emergency communications request (either from the operating system as a result of a user-intiated voice call or SMS to a common knowledge emergency dialing code such as "911", or from Siri™ as a result of having recognized a user's vocalized requests for emergency communications) and responds by:

obtaining a geographic location of MCD 100, selecting a corresponding human language, communicating a language identifier and a text to a Text-TO-Speech software, receiving a Siri™ TTS PCM audio signal output, and communicating the TTS PCM audio signal to a program with access to the outgoing audio streams in order to replace a portion of or by mixing the caller voice audio with the TTS audio. Many equivalent arrangements exist for implementing CAM 300, such as including CAM 300 as a program code within a voice assistant program executed entirely within the MCD 100, or by implementing CAM 300 as a separate program communicating with a voice recognition or TTS system program code implemented partially or entirely on a remote internet server in communication with MCD 100. In select preferred embodiments, equivalent means of implementing CAM 300 may delegate the various responsibilities of CAM 300 to one or more programs executable by MCD 100, such as delegating the selection of language and text based on geographic location to a TTS program. Further, in select preferred embodiments, certain implementations the program or programs acting as CAM 300 may obtain geographic location in a variety of ways not limited to subscribing to operating system notifications, polling the operating system, by reading the information from a geographic location sensor such as a GPS sensor and by performing further calculations on the results, or by referencing an electronic memory or a record stored in a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the system including CAM 300 communicating an internet address and access credentials to an operator at ESAP 400. CAM 300 receives access credentials, location information, and a caller identity from MCD 100 over a communications channel that supports the transfer of such information, such as TTY, internet packet data, SMS message, or other communications channel acceptable in the art. Upon selection of a communications module and the establishment of communications between

CAM 300 and the selected ESAP 400, CAM 300 communicates at least an internet address of an Internet Emergency Information Server (IEIS) 700 and the access credentials to the operator of ESAP 400. In response to this communication, the operator may use a web browser 600 to access IEIS 700. For select preferred embodiments, IEIS 700 may require a caller identity number as well as an access token in order to authorize access to emergency information. In these cases, caller identity may be derived from the caller identity associated with voice calls or SMS messages originated by MCD 100, or caller identity may be derived from information contained within the contents of the message originated by MCD 100. For select preferred embodiments, derived caller identity information identifies CAM 300 to ESAP 400.

Using preferred embodiments of the current system, FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary call establishment message sequence of communications of emergency SMS message contents to an ESAP that is not compatible with the SMS. Origination of an emergency SMS message by MCD 100 begins with the transmission of an SMS Submit message to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) of WWAN 200. The SMS Submit messages destined for ESAPs 400 can be altered for assisting WWAN's 200 differentiation of an emergency SMS from non-emergency SMS, e.g., by changing the service center address (SCA) to a number designated for emergency SMS messages. The SMS Submit message may contain a protocol identifier (PID) that causes the short message is to be processed using protocols such as those illustrated in FIG. 7. In other preferred embodiments, the destination address (DA) field can utilize a reserved emergency dialing code to indicate that the message is to be sent to ESAP 400. Subsequent to the transmission of the SMS Submit message, WW AN 200 uses one of a number of acceptable SMS exchange protocols to communicate the SMS message to the SMSC which will inspect the DA field and determine the appropriate routing such that the message is delivered to the CAM 300. WWAN 200 then returns an SMS delivered message to the MCD 100. In select preferred embodiments, CAM 300 sends a request to the WWAN 200 requesting the location of the subscriber MCD 100 that originated the message, e.g., location information is requested for the entity matching the originating address (OA) field of the SMS. When the location information is received by CAM 300, CAM 300 performs a look up for the rerouting number necessary to establish a voice channel with the ESAP 400 serving the geographic location of MCD 100. After CAM 300 establishes the voice channel, a TTY communications module of CAM 300 is used to transmit TTY modem signals to ESAP 400. TTY modem signals may include the contents of the original SMS message in addition to other information not limited to detailed location information that the network may supply to CAM 300 after a successful location measurement request using such non-limiting means as the radio resource location protocol (RRLP) request and response as illustrated in FIG. 7 - however, due to the unavailability of certain characters in certain supporting character encoding schemes, modification of the encoded characters can be required. Although the messaging sequence illustrated in FIG. 7 describes an SMS message originated by MCD 100, such an arrangement can also support bidirectional communications, wherein a TTY message originated by ESAP 400 is sent as an SMS message to MCD 100, e.g., CAM 300 can decode TTY responses received from ESAP 400 and form SMS messages using the TTY data as the SMS message contents, with the SMSC being responsible for normal SMS delivery activities, and where, optionally, CAM 300 utilizes TTY to report SMS delivery back to the ESAP 400.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary call establishment message sequence of an emergency call containing SMS message contents within TTY or TTS signaling. As illustrated, user interaction with MCD 100 generates an SMS Submit request containing either a known SCA or an SMS destined for a known dialing code designating the message as an emergency communication. CAM 300 implemented as a program executable within MCD 100 detects the emergency SMS message request and requests from the operating system an identifier signifying the geographic location of MCD 100. If CAM 300 determines the geographic region's ESAPs do not support SMS messaging, CAM 300 initiates the emergency call establishment process with WW AN 200. Once a connection has been established with an ESAP 400, CAM 300 generates a TTY modem signal or TTS audio signal that is utilized either as the call audio signal or mixed with input from a microphone of MCD 100. In select preferred embodiments of the system, the TTY or TTS signal could include part Or all of the original SMS message. In other select a preferred embodiments, the TTY modem signal carries at least an internet address or uniform resource identifier (URI) as well as an access code, password, or other access credentials and a message indicating that emergency information can be retrieved on the internet using the combination of the address and previously identified credentials. Subsequent to reception of the TTY or TTS message by an operator at ESAP 400, the operator may open a web browser 600 and enter in the address that allows operator to access an authorization interface of an internet emergency information server (IEIS) 700. IEIS 700 prompts the operator for at least the caller identity number to distinguish among the many possible emergencies that are simultaneously occurring, and optionally prompts the operator for access credentials included within the TTY or TTS message. Within the scope of the current system, due to location submission program 120 of MCD 100, IEIS 700 receives periodic updates regarding the geographic location of MCD 100. The web browser interface can display geographic location textually or graphically and can periodically update the display to reflect changes in the reported geographic location of MCD 100. In select preferred embodiments, IEIS 700 can display a picture or textual description of the MCD 100 user's appearance, name and other identity information, descriptions of that user's physical characteristics, known medical conditions and information regarding the MCD 100 user's domicile or work address. In still another embodiment of the current system, location submission program 120 could be in communication with or integrated within the CAM 3030, and in such cases program 120 may submit other information on a regular or streaming basis to IEIS 700, not limited to the contents of the voice, SMS or TTY communication.

Within the ambit of the current system, delivery of IEIS 700 address and optional access credential information can also be delivered by TTS or in combination with TTY signaling. When TTS and TTY are used in combination, it may be necessary to use one in sequence with the other or to use both at substantially the same time with the addition of an audio signal filtering operation that prevents speech audio frequencies from interfering with TTY signaling frequencies.

As described herein, emergency information may include static information such as personal details, user configurable information such as emergency contact details, and dynamically gathered information that rely on sensor information acquired from sensors in communication with MCD 100, where the sensors include but are not limited to one or more of the following: biometric sensors, geographic position sensors, accelerometric or shock sensors, audio inputs, still image and video inputs, and network or local device time keeping

instruments.

Within the scope of the current system, emergency communications are any

communication containing content that may be useful to emergency respondents. Either individually or in combination, examples of emergency content include but are not limited to: the existence of an emergency situation, the location of a MCD 100 used to communicate an emergency situation, the rate of travel of a MCD 100 used to communicate the emergency situation, the accuracy of location or rate of travel information provided, the likely type of emergency situation, the reported type of emergency situation, descriptions of the user of MCD 100 involved in the emergency situation including name, identification, and physical features, metadata describing the user of MCD 100 such as customer IDs that may be used to look up some or all of the information describing the user of MCD 100 in an internet addressable computer system or database remote from MCD 100.

As described herein, geographic locations are textual or data representations of real locations. Examples of geographic locations include but are not limited to: coordinate representations, grid representations, civic addresses, identifiers or human language names associated with a defined region.

Within the scope of the current system, it should be noted that references to bidirectional recognition or decoding, such as speech recognition or TTY decoding, are exemplary types of audio signals that may be recognized and converted by the CAM to and from ESAP compatible communications means; other non-limiting examples of such audio signals include dual-tone (DTMF) fax and/or modem signals.

With respect to the current Application, the words "sensing" and "detecting," when used in relation to requests for emergency communications are interchangeable. These references can refer to electronic detection, as in the case of detecting a ring signal on a plain old telephone service (POTS) line or to logical detection processes that may be the result of a completion of the handshaking for a particular type of digital communication protocol at a communications input, or the result of receiving a formatted message via such a protocol.

Logical detection may be a single-state process, such as detecting an SMS has been received at the SMS communications input 813 as shown in FIG. 9, or logical detection may be a multistep process, such as detecting that a new voice call is being received at input 812, and then subsequently detecting that the call audio contains TTY signaling. Due to the nature of detecting communications at CAM 300 communications inputs, communications request indication input 810, location input 811, voice communications input 821, SMS

communications input 813 and packet data input 814 may be any combination of physically distinct inputs and or logically distinct inputs, and that communication request indication input 810 can be a result of a logical process of detection occurring at one of the other

communications inputs.

Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of CAM (300) compatible with the current system. Among other things, CAM 300 includes: a

Communications Request Indication Input component 810 for sensing a Communications Request Indication; a Location Input component 81 1 for sensing the geographic location of MCD 100; a Voice Communication Input component 812 for sensing voice communications; a SMS Communications Input component 813 for detecting SMS communications; and a Packet Data Input component 814 for detecting Packet Data Communications. CAM 300 is also provided with optional ESAP Number Data Source component 820, optional ESAP

Communications Method Data Source component 821, optional ESAP Language Data Source component 822 and optional Automated Human Language Translator component 823. As indicated above, CAM 300 also includes TTS Communications Module 830, TTY

Communications Module 831 and SMS Communications Module 832. In accordance with the present system, preferred embodiments of CAM 300 include Communications Controller 800 and Communications Router 802.

Within the scope of the current system, data source components may be individual records or queryable data sets within one or more databases, and may be located within local or physically remote non-volatile or volatile memories. Data source components may also be combined; one non-limiting example of such a combination is a single database which can be queried using geographic location, with results including the geographically relevant ESAP number as ESAP Number Data Source component 820, the compatible ESAP communications means as ESAP Communications Method Data Source component 821, and/or the ESAP language or languages as Language Data Source component 822 ESAP numbers.

In accordance with the Articles of the Patent Cooperation Treaty, preferred embodiments of the current system invention have been disclosed and enabled.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1) A system for providing emergency communications compatibility between mobile computing devices (100) and emergency services answering points (400); said system comprising one or more mobile computing devices (100), one or more emergency services answering points (400) remote from said mobile computing devices (100), and a communications adaptation module (300) in communication with one or more of said emergency services answering points (400) and at least one of said mobile computing devices (100); said communications adaptation module (300) operable to select, in response to an indication of a request for emergency communications initiated by said mobile computing device (100), one or more communications modules compatible with at least one of said emergency services answering points (400) serving a geographic location of said mobile computing device (100) and to communicate emergency information to said emergency answering point (400) using one or more of said communications modules, wherein said communications modules are selected from the group of TTS communications module (830), TTY communications module (831), SMS communications module (832) and/or Internet communications module (833).

2) The system of claim 1, wherein said emergency information communicated to one of said emergency services answering points (400) comprises a location of said mobile computing device (100).

3) The system of claim 1, wherein said emergency information further comprises an internet address for accessing an Internet emergency information server (700).

4) The system of claim 1, wherein said communications adaption module (300) further comprises one or more of the following:

a) a communications request indication input component (810) for sensing a communications request indication;

b) a geographic location component (811) for said mobile computing device

(100);

c) a voice communication input component (812) for detecting voice communications;

d) a SMS communications input component (813) for detecting SMS communications; and

e) a packet data communications input component (814) for detecting packet data communications.

5) The system of claim 4, wherein said communications adaptation module (300) further comprises a communications router (802) operable to exchange communications in formats associated with said communications input components (812, 813, 814) and formats associated with any of said communications modules (830, 831, 832, and 833).

6) The system of claim 5, wherein said communications adaptation module (300) further comprises an automated human language translator (823) capable of translating between human languages exchanged with any of said communications inputs components (812, 813, 814) and human languages associated with said emergency service answering points (400).

7) The system of claim 4, wherein said emergency information further comprises the contents of communications received at one or more of said communications inputs components (812, 813, 814).

8) The system of claim 4, wherein said communications request indication input component (810) receives said communications request in response to a wireless wide area network (200) detecting a communication from said mobile computing device (100) to:

a) establish a voice call;

b) submit an SMS message, and/or

c) transmit an Internet data packet to an emergency communications destination known to said wireless wide area network (200).

9) The system of claim 4, wherein said mobile computing device (100) further comprises an emergency communications indication program (110); said communications indication program (110) communicating a request for emergency communications to said communications request indication input component (810) when said mobile computing device (100) to requests:

a) establishment of a voice call;

b) submission an SMS message; and/or

c) transmission of internet packet data to an emergency communications destination (500) known to said emergency communications indication program (110).

10) The system of claim 1, wherein said emergency information further comprises one or more access credentials required to access data stored on an internet emergency information server (700).

1 1) The system of claim 10, wherein said data comprises a description of the owner/licensee of said mobile computing device (100).

12) The system of claim 10, wherein said data comprises a location of said mobile computing device (100).

13) The communications adaptation module (300) of claims 4 or 10, wherein said communications adaptation module (300) is physically remote from said mobile computing device (100).