Silent dialing for emergency calls
Techniques for automatically initiating the transmission of a silent emergency message via a mobile computing device are provided. A mobile device may receive a plurality of indications of a plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device being pressed over a time interval. Based on the plurality of indications, the mobile computing device may determine that two or more external buttons have been pressed in a fixed sequence over the time interval. In response to determining that the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in the fixed sequence, the mobile computing device may silently transmit a message to a computing device associated with an emergency contact, without activating a display screen of the device or making sounds.
1. A computer-implemented method for avoiding initiating accidental or unintentional transmission of a silent emergency message via a mobile computing device, comprising:
receiving, at the mobile computing device, a plurality of indications of a plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device being pressed over a time interval;
determining, by the mobile computing device, that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmitting, by the mobile computing device, a message to a computing device associated with an emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the pre-set fixed sequence, wherein the pre-set fixed sequence comprises:
an indication that a first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a first time; and
an indication that a second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a second time, the second time being within a predetermined time interval after the first time.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence further comprises an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a third time, the third time being after the second time.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of:
(i) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the first time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a first particular number of times during a first time interval within the time interval, the first time interval following the first time;
(ii) the indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the second time is an indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a second particular number of times during a second time interval within the time interval, the second time interval following the second time; or
(iii) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the third time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a third particular number of times during a third time interval within the time interval, the third time interval following the third time.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein each of the first particular number of times, the second particular number of times, and the third particular number of times is a plurality of times.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein time passing between the first time interval and the second time interval does not exceed 3 seconds, and wherein time passing between the second time interval and the third time interval does not exceed 3 seconds.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency contact is an emergency dispatch center associated with a current location of the mobile computing device.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency contact is a contact previously selected by a user of the mobile computing device.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence is a first pre-set fixed sequence and the emergency contact is a first emergency contact, the computer-implemented method further comprising:
determining, by the mobile computing device, that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a second pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmitting, by the mobile computing device, a second message to a computing device associated with a second emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the second pre-set fixed sequence.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more external buttons include a power button.
10. A mobile computing device for avoiding initiating accidental or unintentional transmission of a silent emergency message, the mobile computing device comprising:
two or more external buttons;
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile computing device to:
receive a plurality of indications of a plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device being pressed over a time interval;
determine that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmit a message to a computing device associated with an emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the pre-set fixed sequence, wherein the pre-set fixed sequence comprises:
an indication that a first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a first time; and
an indication that a second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a second time, the second time being within a predetermined time interval after the first time.
11. The mobile computing device of claim 10 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence further comprises an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a third time, the third time being after the second time.
12. The mobile computing device of claim 11 , wherein at least one of:
(i) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the first time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a first particular number of times during a first time interval within the time interval, the first time interval following the first time;
(ii) the indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the second time is an indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a second particular number of times during a second time interval within the time interval, the second time interval following the second time; or
(iii) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the third time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a third particular number of times during a third time interval within the time interval, the third time interval following the third time.
13. The mobile computing device of claim 10 , wherein the emergency contact is an emergency dispatch center associated with a current location of the mobile computing device.
14. The mobile computing device of claim 10 , wherein the emergency contact is a contact previously selected by a user of the mobile computing device.
15. The mobile computing device of claim 10 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence is a first pre-set fixed sequence and the emergency contact is a first emergency contact, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the mobile computing device to:
determine that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a second pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmit a second message to a computing device associated with a second emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the second pre-set fixed sequence.
16. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions for avoiding initiating accidental or unintentional transmission of a silent emergency message that, when executed by at least one processor of a mobile computing device, cause the mobile computing device to:
receive a plurality of indications of a plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device being pressed over a time interval;
determine that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmit a message to a computing device associated with an emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the pre-set fixed sequence, wherein the pre-set fixed sequence comprises:
an indication that a first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a first time; and
an indication that a second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a second time, the second time being within a predetermined time interval after the first time.
17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence further comprises an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at a third time, the third time being after the second time.
18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 ,
wherein at least one of:
(i) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the first time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a first particular number of times during a first time interval within the time interval, the first time interval following the first time;
(ii) the indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the second time is an indication that the second button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a second particular number of times during a second time interval within the time interval, the second time interval following the second time; or
(iii) the indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed at the third time is an indication that the first button of the mobile computing device has been pressed a third particular number of times during a third time interval within the time interval, the third time interval following the third time.
19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the message includes a current location of the mobile computing device.
20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the pre-set fixed sequence is a first pre-set fixed sequence and the emergency contact is a first emergency contact, and wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the mobile computing device to:
determine that two or more external buttons of the plurality of external buttons of the mobile computing device have been pressed in a second pre-set fixed sequence over the time interval based upon the plurality of indications; and
silently transmit a second message to a computing device associated with a second emergency contact in response to determining the two or more external buttons of the mobile computing device having been pressed in the second pre-set fixed sequence.