Patents by Inventor Pat Merritt
Pat Merritt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9992333Abstract: Methods for operating a call center. In one example implementation, a call center maintains personal profiles of a number of clients of a service provided by the call center. At least some of the personal profiles include contact information for one or more entities designated by the respective clients for receiving information about the respective clients. A text-based electronic emergency notification message is received via an electronic network from a communication device associated with a particular one of the clients. The personal profile of the particular client includes contact information for one or more entities designated by the particular client for receiving information about the particular client from the call center. A notification that the communication device associated with the particular client received the text-based electronic emergency notification message is forwarded to one or more of the entities designated in the personal profile of the particular client.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2016Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: GreatCall, Inc.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Publication number: 20170111502Abstract: Methods for operating a call center. In one example implementation, a call center maintains personal profiles of a number of clients of a service provided by the call center. At least some of the personal profiles include contact information for one or more entities designated by the respective clients for receiving information about the respective clients. A text-based electronic emergency notification message is received via an electronic network from a communication device associated with a particular one of the clients. The personal profile of the particular client includes contact information for one or more entities designated by the particular client for receiving information about the particular client from the call center. A notification that the communication device associated with the particular client received the text-based electronic emergency notification message is forwarded to one or more of the entities designated in the personal profile of the particular client.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2016Publication date: April 20, 2017Applicant: GreatCall, Inc.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Patent number: 9538006Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages. In an example scenario, a call center identifies a text-based message sent from a mobile communication device, detects that the text-based message is an emergency notification message, determines the geographical location of the mobile communication device, and sends at least some of the information contained in the text-based message to one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2015Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: GreatCall, Inc.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Publication number: 20160065737Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages. In an example scenario, a call center identifies a text-based message sent from a mobile communication device, detects that the text-based message is an emergency notification message, determines the geographical location of the mobile communication device, and sends at least some of the information contained in the text-based message to one or more other communication devices in proximity to the geographical location of the mobile communication device.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2015Publication date: March 3, 2016Applicant: GREATCALL, INC.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Patent number: 9185217Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In an example scenario, a call center maintains personal profiles of a number of clients, including contact information for persons or other entities designated by the clients to receive information about the clients. The call center receives from a device associated with a particular client of the call center that the client's device has received a text-based emergency notification message. The call center notifies one or more of the designated entities. The notification may include the content of the emergency notification message, and may include an audio version of the notification message. An indication or the notification message may also be placed in a database accessible to one or more of the designated persons or entities.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2014Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: GREATCALL, INC.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Publication number: 20150110255Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In an example scenario, a call center maintains personal profiles of a number of clients, including contact information for persons or other entities designated by the clients to receive information about the clients. The call center receives from a device associated with a particular client of the call center that the client's device has received a text-based emergency notification message. The call center notifies one or more of the designated entities. The notification may include the content of the emergency notification message, and may include an audio version of the notification message. An indication or the notification message may also be placed in a database accessible to one or more of the designated persons or entities.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 31, 2014Publication date: April 23, 2015Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt, Krijn van der Raadt
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Patent number: 8995950Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In one example, a mobile communications device receives a text-based emergency alert message, converts at least some of the message content into an audio format, and then audibly plays the message. Such a system may enable additional persons to receive emergency notifications who otherwise may not receive them, for example, persons with visual impairments, or persons using communications devices that are unable to display text. In another example arrangement, a response center receives a text-based message, recognizes that a particular remote communications device is not capable of displaying the text-based message, derives from the content of the text-based electronic notification message data or signals that render at least some of the content of the text-based electronic notification message into an audio format, and transmits the data or signals to the communications device.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2014Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: GreatCall, Inc.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt
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Publication number: 20140287711Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In one example, a mobile communications device receives a text-based emergency alert message, converts at least some of the message content into an audio format, and then audibly plays the message. Such a system may enable additional persons to receive emergency notifications who otherwise may not receive them, for example, persons with visual impairments, or persons using communications devices that are unable to display text. In another example arrangement, a response center receives a text-based message, recognizes that a particular remote communications device is not capable of displaying the text-based message, derives from the content of the text-based electronic notification message data or signals that render at least some of the content of the text-based electronic notification message into an audio format, and transmits the data or signals to the communications device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2014Publication date: September 25, 2014Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt
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Patent number: 8768291Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In one example use, a mobile communications device receives a text-based message, determines that the message is an emergency alert message, and forwards at least some of the content of the message to a computer system. The computer system derives, from the content of the text-based message, data or signals that render at least some of the content of the text-based electronic message into an audio format, and transmits the data or signals to the remote communications device, which then audibly plays the message. Such a system may enable additional persons to receive emergency notifications who otherwise may not receive them, for example, persons with visual impairments, or persons using communications devices that are unable to display text.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2011Date of Patent: July 1, 2014Assignee: GreatCall, Inc.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt
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Publication number: 20130109340Abstract: Systems and methods for handling emergency notification messages such as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) alerts. In one example use, a mobile communications device receives a text-based message, determines that the message is an emergency alert message, and forwards at least some of the content of the message to a computer system. The computer system derives, from the content of the text-based message, data or signals that render at least some of the content of the text-based electronic message into an audio format, and transmits the data or signals to the remote communications device, which then audibly plays the message. Such a system may enable additional persons to receive emergency notifications who otherwise may not receive them, for example, persons with visual impairments, or persons using communications devices that are unable to display text.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2011Publication date: May 2, 2013Applicant: GREATCALL, INC.Inventors: Dean Williams, Pat Merritt