List-based emergency calling device
View Patent ↗An emergency services automatic dialing device enables at least one number in a list of alternate numbers to be called prior to dialing an emergency services number (e.g., 911). This enables a user of a corresponding portable transceiver to try to reach someone else (e.g., a family member) before having to resort to calling emergency services (e.g., 911 for fire department, police or ambulance). The dialing device can call several numbers in a list until all the numbers are exhausted before dialing the emergency services number. Calling the list of numbers can also be overridden by pressing a button on the portable transceiver in a particular way.
1. An emergency services automatic dialing device, comprising:
a wireless receiver for receiving, from a portable transceiver, a signal indicating that a panic button has been pushed and for receiving speech from a user of the portable transceiver;
a memory for storing a list of at least one alternate number that may be called before dialing an emergency services number;
a dialer for calling the at least one alternate number in the list before dialing the emergency services number;
a detector for detecting a status of the call to the at least one alternate number in the list, wherein the dialer dials the emergency services number if the detector does not detect that a callee at the at least one alternate number in the list has indicated that the emergency services number does not need to be called;
a voice transmitter for providing speech from the user of the portable transceiver to the callee upon the callee answering a call; and
a message playback device configured to play a recorded message to the callee of the at least one alternate number in the list and configured not to play any message after the emergency services number has been called.
2. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a switch for determining if at least one number in the list should be called before dialing an emergency services number.
3. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising an override detector for controlling the dialer to ignore the setting of the switch and dial the emergency services number without first dialing any numbers from the list.
4. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the override detector comprises a detector for detecting how long a button on a radio pendant is held down before releasing the button.
5. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the override detector comprises a detector for detecting how many times a button on a radio pendant is pushed in a period of time.
6. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector detects an unhandled status of a call to a first number in the list and controls the dialer to hang-up and dial a second number in the list prior to calling the emergency services number.
7. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the unhandled status of the call to the first number comprises a status of (1) no answer, (2) busy, (3) answered but not handled or (4) rejected.
8. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a message playback device for playing a recorded message to the callee requesting the callee identify whether the emergency services number need not be called because the callee will handle the call.
9. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector detects programming of the list of at least one alternate number using DTMF tones from a telephone connected to a phone line of the emergency services automatic dialing device.
10. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector detects programming of the list of at least one alternate number using DTMF tones from a telephone connected to the emergency services automatic dialing device.
11. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dialer comprises a delay device for pausing after dialing a digit indicative of seizing an outside line before dialing remaining digits in a corresponding one of the at least one alternate number.
12. An emergency services automatic dialing device, comprising:
a wireless receiver for receiving, from a portable transceiver, a signal indicating that a panic button has been pushed and for receiving speech from a user of the portable transceiver;
a memory for storing a list of at least one alternate number that may be called in addition to dialing an emergency services number;
a dialer for calling the at least one alternate number in the list and for dialing the emergency services number and bridging together the calls to the at least one alternate number in the list and the emergency services number;
a voice transmitter for providing speech from the user of the portable transceiver to the callee upon the callee answering a call; and
a message playback device configured to play a recorded message to the callee of the at least one alternate number in the list and configured not to play any message after the emergency services number has been called.
13. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the dialer comprises circuitry for flash hooking a telephone line in order to separately dial the at least one number in the list and the emergency services number and then join together the calls to the at least one number in the list and the emergency services number.
14. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising a detector for detecting an unhandled status of a call to a first number in the list and controlling the dialer to hang-up and dial a second number in the list prior to calling the emergency services number.
15. The emergency services automatic dialing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the list of at least one alternate number comprises a list of a plurality of alternate numbers, and wherein the message playback device is configured to play a recorded message to callees of each of the plurality of alternate numbers.