SMS to TTY Converter for Emergency 911 Text Messaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Many 911 emergency call services lack the equipment and funding to receive and respond to text messages from wireless mobile communication devices, which are essential for individuals unable to make verbal calls due to disabilities, safety concerns, or network delays.

Innovation Solution

An emergency message handling system that converts SMS text messages from mobile devices into TTY format for delivery to emergency call services, utilizing an SMS network interface, computer processing system, and TTY network interface to ensure message delivery and location information transmission, while maintaining connections and converting responses back to SMS format.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If 911 emergency call services do not have TTY equipment, then they can maintain simple infrastructure and lower costs, but they cannot receive or respond to text messages from disabled or safety-concerned callers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to receive text messagesVSAvoidequipment infrastructure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (emergency message handling system with SMS network interface, computer processing system, and TTY network interface) that converts SMS messages into TTY format and delivers them to PSAPs. This mediator enables text message capability without requiring PSAPs to directly handle SMS protocols, thus improving adaptability while controlling infrastructure complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the emergency message handling function into separate components: SMS reception at the mobile network level, conversion to TTY format in the emergency message handling system, and delivery to PSAPs. This segmentation allows PSAPs to maintain simple infrastructure while gaining text message capability through the intermediary conversion system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If PSAPs purchase TTY equipment to handle text messages, then they can communicate with disabled and safety-concerned callers, but they incur additional funding requirements and equipment costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetext message communication capabilityVSAvoidequipment funding and resources

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By positioning the SMS-to-TTY conversion function as an intermediary service provided by the emergency message handling system rather than requiring PSAPs to purchase and maintain TTY equipment, the system enables text message communication capability while reducing the equipment funding and resources burden on PSAPs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the system converts all SMS messages to TTY format, then emergency message delivery is ensured, but non-emergency messages experience unnecessary conversion processing delays

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency message delivery assuranceVSAvoidmessage processing delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different processing quality to different message types: emergency SMS messages (identified by destination number 911) undergo conversion to TTY format for reliable delivery, while non-emergency messages are processed directly without conversion. This local differentiation ensures emergency message reliability while minimizing processing delays for non-emergency traffic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary identification of emergency messages by their destination number before processing. By pre-classifying messages as emergency or non-emergency based on the destination number, the system can apply appropriate processing (TTY conversion only for emergencies) and avoid unnecessary conversion delays for non-emergency messages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8929849B1Text messaging 911 calls using PSAP TTY functionality

Publication Date: 2015.01.06 CELLCO PARTNERSHIP INC

AI summary

An emergency message handling system may manage emergency SMS text messages sent by wireless mobile communication devices, such as to 911. Each message may be sent to an emergency call service having a TTY messaging system. The emergency message handling system may include an SMS network interface, a computer processing system, and a TTY network interface. The SMS network interface may be configured to receive the emergency SMS text messages. The computer processing system may include an SMS-To-TTY message converter configured to convert each of the emergency SMS text messages into TTY format. The TTY network interface may be configured to deliver each of the converted emergency SMS text messages in TTY format to the TTY messaging system of the emergency call service to which the emergency SMS text message was sent. Emergency TTY messages from the emergency call service to the wireless mobile communication device may similarly be delivered to the TTY network interface, converted by a TTY-To-SMS message converter in the computer processing system into SMS format, and sent by the SMS network interface to the wireless mobile communication device.