Automated alert generation in response to a predetermined communication on a telecommunication device

#The present invention relates in particular to systems for cell phones to contact emergency services and to other predetermined personnel. In addition, the present invention relates more generally to emergency notification systems.

#Many people use landlines to call emergency numbers such as 911. However, cell phones are also used to call these emergency numbers. Unfortunately, calling 911 over a cell phone has its disadvantages. Specifically, when a person uses their cell phone to make a 911 call, the first thing the emergency operator does is to ask for the location of the person making the call. (This is because the calling party's phone location is quickly identifiable when using a land line). Therefore, a need exists for the emergency services to quickly and automatically pinpoint the location of the cell phone. Although systems do exist in the United States to automatically detect cell phone location, such systems are not distributed worldwide. Thus, the need to automatically transmit cell phone location to an emergency responder is lacking in many second and third world countries.

#Often times, the person making the 911 call is only able to give a very quick summary to the operator when the situation is urgent. The operator then quickly requests as much information (e.g.: medical information) as can be communicated in a short time period. To have this information automatically sent to the operator would be desirable at a minimum, and in some cases it could be life saving.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the components of the present invention in operation.

#FIG. 2 is an illustration of the desktop screen of a cell phone incorporating the present invention when not in use.

#FIG. 3 is an illustration cell phone display when used as a telephone.

#FIG. 1 illustrates the components of the present invention, being a system for automatically alerting a person's emergency contact when the person has made an emergency call, as follows.

#A mobile communication device 10 is provided. Device 10 is typically a cell phone or smart phone, but can be any device capable of making a telephone call, or VOIP (voice over internet protocol), or any other communication made to an emergency service (including, but not limited to, local police, fire, etc.). Simply put, device 10 may be any device capable of calling or contacting 911 or any other emergency number. Broadly speaking, the present invention can be used on any communication device that is aware of its own location. This may include, without limitation, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, etc. As such, the present invention has applications well beyond conventional cell phones and smart phones.

#Communication device 10 has a variety of different software modules pre-installed thereon. (It is to be understood that communication device 10 may be a cell phone, a smart phone, or any other communication device that is aware of its own location. Therefore, any reference herein to a “cell phone” is thus understood to include all of these other communication technologies). Specifically, these include at least: (a) an emergency contact software module 20 for the user to pre-identify at least one of their emergency contacts and input emergency contact information; (b) an emergency (or non-emergency) call number sensing software module 30 for sensing when the mobile communications device has called an emergency number; and (c) an emergency alert software module 40 for simultaneously alerting the at least one emergency contact that the mobile communications device has called the emergency number on the device. These three software modules work together as follows.