SMS Gateway Tone Conversion for Emergency Call Centers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency call systems are designed for voice calls and do not support SMS communications, making it difficult and costly to upgrade them to accommodate 'text-to-9-1-1' functionality, especially for emergency situations where texting is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a gateway to interconnect the SMS system with emergency call systems, allowing SMS messages to be sent as tone messages, enabling communication with public safety answering points (PSAPs) using existing infrastructure without requiring upgrades to the call centers, by translating SMS text messages into tone messages that can be received as audio calls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If emergency call systems are upgraded to support SMS communications, then text-to-9-1-1 functionality is enabled, but system complexity and upgrade costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an SMS gateway as an intermediary component that bridges the existing voice-based emergency call system and the SMS messaging network. The gateway receives SMS messages intended for emergency services, converts them into voice-compatible formats (such as TTY tones or synthesized speech), and routes them through the existing PSAP infrastructure. This approach enables SMS functionality without requiring core system upgrades, as the gateway handles all translation and adaptation functions externally.
Solution Approach 2:
The SMS gateway is designed to handle multiple communication formats and protocols, serving as a universal interface between diverse messaging systems and the legacy emergency call infrastructure. It can process standard SMS messages, convert them to TTY-compatible tones, generate synthesized voice messages, and route different types of emergency communications through a single platform, thereby enabling multi-functionality without proliferating separate specialized systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If SMS messages are converted to tone messages for TTY systems, then compatibility with existing PSAP infrastructure is maintained, but information loss may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway dynamically changes the parameter representation of message information based on the target system's capabilities. For TTY-compatible output, it converts text messages into sequences of audible tones (such as Baudot or V.21 modulation) that encode the same information in a format suitable for TTY devices. The conversion process preserves the semantic content by mapping characters to standardized tone sequences, ensuring that the information can be accurately reconstructed at the receiving end without permanent loss.
3Speed
If voice calls are used for emergency communication, then real-time interaction is achieved, but accessibility for non-speaking users is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The SMS gateway serves as an accessibility intermediary that enables non-speaking users to communicate with emergency services through text-based SMS messages. The gateway receives these text messages and converts them into formats that can be processed by the voice-based PSAP system, such as TTY tones or synthesized speech announcements to the call taker. This allows users who cannot speak to access emergency services through their preferred text-based interface while maintaining compatibility with the existing voice-oriented emergency response infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless emergency system that includes a mobile switching center, a short message service center that receives an emergency text message of a caller from the mobile switching center, and gateway in communication with the short message service center to route the emergency text message to a responsive public safety answering point as a tone message.