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  Emergency report terminal deviceRelated Patent Categories: Telecommunications, Transmitter And Receiver At Separate Stations, Having Diverse Art DeviceThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070224941. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This is a Continuation Application of Ser. No. 10/758,221, filed on Jan. 16, 2004. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT [0002] The present invention relates to an on-vehicle emergency report terminal device for placing a phone call in an emergency to an emergency report center via a cellular phone network in order to transfer the positional information about the call originator's vehicle and establish voice communication to convey the information about the emergency. [0003] Previously known, on-vehicle emergency report terminal device is used in the event of a traffic accident or sudden illness to place a phone call via a cellular phone network to an emergency report center automatically or by performing a simple manual operating procedure, transfer positional information, and request a police, fire department, or other emergency vehicle. When such an emergency report terminal device is used, the user can establish voice communication with the emergency report center through the use of a cellular phone and convey the information about the accident. The technology used for the above operation is disclosed, for instance, by Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-187510. [0004] In the event of a traffic accident, sudden illness, or other emergency, the conventional emergency report terminal device established a telephone line connection by originating a call via a cellular phone line. When the telephone line connection was established, the conventional emergency report terminal device performed a data communication process by transmitting the vehicle's unique number, the emergency report terminal device's unique number, the current positional information, the date/time of current positional information acquisition, the information about the route traveled by the vehicle, the dates/times of traveled route point recordings, the cause of triggering an emergency report communication process, and the phone number (local phone number) of the cellular phone used for telephone call origination. The local phone number is phone number data that the emergency report terminal device acquired from the cellular phone by issuing a local phone number request to the cellular phone. The emergency report center performed an emergency report communication process, for instance, by acquiring the positional information from the emergency report terminal device, and then disconnected the line. If it was necessary to talk with the vehicle's user who performed the emergency report communication process after line disconnection, the emergency report center called the local phone number of the cellular phone, which was transmitted at the time of data communication, and established a voice call line connection to obtain the information about the current situation. When the emergency report system described above was used after line disconnection to acquire the information about the situation or request any additional information, it was able to originate a call to establish voice communication and collect additional information because it knew the local phone number of the cellular phone used for reporting. [0005] However, the emergency report terminal device for the conventional emergency report system performed an emergency report communication process by use of a cellular phone that was built in the emergency report terminal device. Therefore, a wireless communication device was required as a cellular phone that was capable of establishing data communication and performing a voice communication process. In addition, it was necessary to use an incoming voice channel for outputting the voice from the cellular phone to a loudspeaker and an outgoing voice channel for outputting the voice picked up by a microphone to the cellular phone. Further, if handsfree voice communication was to be effected, the use of an echo cancel circuit or other voice circuit was needed. The use of such a voice communication circuit enlarged the size of the emergency report terminal device and incurred an increase in the cost. In addition, in a situation where a contract was signed with a communications provider who provided telephone line connection for cellular phones, the service for providing both the data communication and voice communication functions was more expensive than the service for providing a data communication process only. That was why the widespread use of the emergency report system was discouraged. Further, since the cellular phone built in the emergency report terminal device was used for voice communication, the user had to stay in the vehicle to maintain voice communication. If the user left the vehicle that was endangered, the user could not maintain voice communication. [0006] The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing conventional problems, and provides an emergency report terminal device and system for simplifying the structure of a wireless communication device that calls an emergency report center in an emergency report system and enabling the user to maintain voice communication with the emergency report center even when the user has to stay away from the user's vehicle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] To achieve the abovementioned object, the emergency report terminal device according to the present invention, which is mounted in a vehicle, calls an emergency report center via a cellular phone network by performing an emergency report communication process in the event of an emergency, transfers positional information about the vehicle, and establishes voice communication to convey the information about the emergency. This emergency report terminal device includes built-in wireless communication means for performing the emergency report communication process and control means for transmitting a phone number of a cellular phone to the emergency report center when data is transmitted by the built-in wireless communication means. Due to this configuration, the wireless communication means built in the emergency report terminal device need not be equipped with a voice communication circuit. Since the wireless communication means is simplified in this manner, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the emergency report terminal device. In addition, the contract to be signed with a cellular phone communications provider can be limited to a data communication process. As a result, the basic charge to be paid to the communications provider is lower than in a case where voice communication is provided. Further, the emergency report center knows the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user, and can therefore communicate with the user even when the user is away from the vehicle. [0008] The emergency report terminal device according to the present invention also transfers to the emergency report center the data including the vehicle's unique number, the emergency report terminal device's unique number, the current positional information, date/time of acquisition of the current positional information, information about a route traveled by the vehicle, dates/times of traveled routepoint recordings, and information about one or more causes of triggering an emergency report communication process. The use of this configuration not only provides the foregoing advantage but also enables the emergency report center to acquire the information about an accident. [0009] In addition, the emergency report terminal device according to the present invention includes operating input means for acquiring the phone number of the abovementioned cellular phone. The use of this configuration not only allows the emergency report terminal device to immediately transmit the phone number of the cellular phone to the emergency report center in the event of an emergency, but also enables the emergency report center to use the phone number of the cellular phone for the purpose of directly contacting the user when it is necessary to talk with the user to grasp the situation. [0010] Further, the emergency report terminal device according to the present invention includes means for acquiring the phone number of the cellular phone when the cellular phone is connected to the emergency report terminal device. The use of this configuration not only enables the emergency report terminal device to acquire the phone number of the user's cellular phone, but also makes it possible to immediately transmit the phone number of the cellular phone to the emergency report center in the event of an emergency. As a result, the emergency report center can acquire the phone number of the cellular phone and directly contact the user when it is necessary to talk with the user to grasp the situation. [0011] Furthermore, the emergency report terminal device according to the present invention includes means for notifying a user of inability to acquire the cellular phone number of the cellular phone when the phone number of the cellular phone cannot be acquired. The use of this configuration can not only prevent the user from forgetting to register the cellular phone number but also prompt the user to properly register the user's cellular phone number. [0012] Moreover, the present invention is an emergency report system in which the emergency report terminal device mounted in a vehicle performs an emergency report communication process via a cellular phone network to call an emergency report center in the event of an emergency, transfer positional information about the vehicle, and establish voice communication to convey the information about the emergency. The emergency report terminal device includes built-in wireless communication means for performing the emergency report communication process and control means for transmitting a phone number of a cellular phone possessed by a user in the vehicle to the emergency report center when data is transmitted by the built-in wireless communication means. The emergency report center uses the phone number of the cellular phone, which is transmitted from the emergency report terminal device, to place a call to the user and establishes voice communication to obtain the information about a situation in which an emergency report has been made. The use of this configuration obviates the necessity for adding a voice communication circuit to the wireless communication means built in the emergency report terminal device. Due to the use of simple wireless communication means, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the emergency report terminal device. Further, when the contract to be signed with a cellular phone communications provider is limited to a data communication process, the basic charge to be paid to the communications provider is lower than in a case where voice communication is provided. Furthermore, the emergency report center knows the phone number of a cellular phone possessed by the user, and can therefore communicate with the user even when the user is away from the vehicle. [0013] As described above, the emergency report terminal device according to the present invention is mounted in a vehicle to perform an emergency report communication process in the event of an emergency to transmit the positional information about the vehicle to the emergency report center via a cellular phone network, and establish voice communication to convey the information about the encountered emergency situation. The emergency report terminal device includes built-in wireless communication means for performing the emergency report communication process and control means for transmitting the phone number of the cellular phone possessed by the user in the vehicle to the emergency report center when data is transmitted by the built-in wireless communication means. The use of the above configuration obviates the necessity for adding a voice communication circuit to the wireless communication means built in the emergency report terminal device. Since the wireless communication means is simplified in this manner, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the emergency report terminal device. Further, when the contract to be signed with a cellular phone communications provider is limited to a data communication process, the basic charge to be paid to the communications provider is lower than in a case where voice communication is provided. Furthermore, even when the vehicle from which an emergency report has been issued is endangered and the user has to stay away from the vehicle, an excellent. advantage provided by the present invention makes it possible to establish proper voice communication between the user and the emergency report center. [0014] The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an emergency report system according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an emergency report terminal device according to the above embodiment; and [0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sequence that is followed when the emergency report terminal device according to the above embodiment acquires a phone number from a cellular phone. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0018] One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of an emergency report system according to the present embodiment. The emergency report system includes a center system 1, an emergency report terminal device 21, which is mounted in a vehicle 2, and a cellular phone 28, which is possessed by a user in the vehicle 2. A fixed-line telephone communications provider 4 who operates and manages a telephone line 3 and a cellular phone communications provider 6 who operates and manages a cellular phone network 5 are involved in the operation of the emergency report system. [0019] The center system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an emergency report center that manages an emergency report communication process. The emergency report communication process, which uses a wireless communication device separate from the cellular phone 28, is performed by the emergency report terminal device 21. Thanks to the emergency report communication process performed by the emergency report terminal device 21, relevant information including the unique information about the vehicle 2 and the information about the user is obtained to confirm that the user is registered with the emergency report system. Further, the positional information transmitted from the vehicle 2 identifies the location at which the emergency report communication process was performed. In addition, the phone number of the user's cellular phone 28, which is transmitted from the vehicle 2, is acquired to establish voice communication via the cellular phone 28 for the purpose of obtaining the information about the emergency situation that the user is in. As a result, the information about an accident is obtained to transmit an appropriate rescue request to a police department, fire department, or other rescue organization. The cellular phone communications provider 6 provides and operates a cellular phone service. More specifically, the cellular phone communications provider 6 dials a call from the cellular phone to a target telephone terminal or from the target telephone terminal to the cellular phone to establish a connection to the cellular phone network 5, and provides a service for distributing data and establishing voice communication. The fixed-line telephone communications provider 4 provides and operates a telephone call service. More specifically, the fixed-line telephone communications provider 4 establishes a line connection by dialing a call from a certain telephone terminal or the telephone line 3 to a target telephone terminal, and provides a service for data distribution and voice communication. Continue reading... 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