IP Library Granted Patent US 12,513,241
Granted Patent B2
US 12,513,241 · App. 18/430,266 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Facilitating a remote emergency call during a video conference

Inventors: Walter F. C. Anderson (Santa Cruz, CA); Aaron Coffman (Denver, CO); Benjamin Joseph DeStephen (Hilliard, OH)
Assignee: Zoom Communications, Inc.
H04M3/5116H04M3/42357
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,513,241
App. No.
18/430,266
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An emergency call is initiated on behalf of a remote user by another software user who determines that the remote software user is experiencing an emergency event. During a real-time communication, a remote emergency alert is received from a first client device associated with a first user. The remote emergency alert identifies a second user associated with a second client device while the first client device and the second client device are in communication via real-time communication software. Based on location information determined for the second client device responsive to the remote emergency alert, an emergency call is initiated with a public safety answering point local to the second client device for indicating an emergency event associated with the second user to the public safety answering point on behalf of the second user.

Claims (40)

1 . A method, comprising:

determining, while video of a first device is output to a second device during a video conference, an emergency event associated with a user of the first device; and

facilitating, based on the emergency event and while output of the video of the first device to the second device continues, a call to a public safety answering point local to the first device, wherein the user of the first device and a user of the second device are moved to a private channel of the video conference based on the call.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein facilitating the call to the public safety answering point local to the first device comprises:

indicating the emergency event to the public safety answering point on behalf of the user of the first device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein facilitating the call to the public safety answering point local to the first device comprises:

causing a client application running at the first device to initiate the call.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the emergency event associated with the user of the first device comprises:

receiving an alert from the second device based on a selection, at the second device, of the user of the first device within a participant list of the video conference.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the emergency event associated with the user of the first device comprises:

detecting the emergency event based on the video of the first device.

6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

transmitting, to the first device, a prompt for accepting or declining an alert associated with the emergency event.

7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining location information for the first device based on the emergency event; and

signaling the location information to the public safety answering point.

8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:

identifying the public safety answering point based on one or more of network information associated with the first device or an application programming interface call from the first device to external software.

9 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, while video of a first device is output to a second device during a video conference, an emergency event associated with a user of the first device; and

facilitating, based on the emergency event and while output of the video of the first device to the second device continues, a call to a public safety answering point local to the first device, wherein the user of the first device and a user of the second device are moved to a private channel of the video conference based on the call.

10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein facilitating the call to the public safety answering point local to the first device comprises:

causing a client application running at the first device to initiate the call; and

causing, via a client application running at the second device, the second device to connect to the call.

11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein location information used to identify the public safety answering point is determined based on one or more of network information identified at the first device or an application programming interface call from the first device to external software.

12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the call is initiated based on an acceptance of a prompt transmitted to the first device or a threshold period of time elapsing without the prompt being declined.

13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the emergency event is indicated to the public safety answering point on behalf of the user of the first device.

14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein an alert associated with the emergency event is received based on a selection of the user of the first device within a participant list of the video conference.

15 . A system, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored in the one or more memories to:

determine, while video of a first device is output to a second device during a video conference, an emergency event associated with a user of the first device; and

facilitate, based on the emergency event and while output of the video of the first device to the second device continues, a call to a public safety answering point local to the first device, wherein the user of the first device and a user of the second device are moved to a private channel of the video conference based on the call.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the emergency event is based on one of a selection of the user of the first device within a participant list of the video conference or the video of the first device.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein a prompt transmitted to the first device to accept or decline the emergency event is accepted on behalf of the user of the first device based on a threshold period of time elapsing without a response to the prompt being received from the first device.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to:

determine, while the video of the first device remains output to the second device, the public safety answering point based on the emergency event.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to:

identify the public safety answering point based on location information associated with the first device.

20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the call is initiated using a client application running at the first device.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 7, 2025
From: ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: ZOOM COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 069839/0593 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: ANDERSON, WALTER F. C.; COFFMAN, AARON; DESTEPHEN, BENJAMIN JOSEPH
To: ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 066561/0643 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17515210 · Oct 29, 2021
Related Publication 20240171678A1 · May 23, 2024
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