System and method for responding to service requests and facilitating communication between relevant parties

Abstract

Various systems, methods, and computer program products for responding to service requests and facilitating communication between relevant parties are provided. The system may receive a request from a user, obtain a user location, identify a service provider such as an emergency response center based on the location, facilitate coordination of response efforts, and provide a page that is shared between various parties such as the user, contacts of the user, an operator, and a responder. The various parties may provide to the system inputs such as video to capture what is currently happening. The page may be updated with the inputs, include a status of the service request such as whether responders have been dispatched, and include a current location of the responders and other users. Using the page, various parties may obtain real-time situational awareness of an event that culminated in the service request and communicate with other users.

1 . A computer device for making a service request and communicating with relevant parties related to the service request, the computer device comprising:
 one or more processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions to:
 display a user interface comprising a selectable plurality of service request options; 
 receive a selection of at least one of the selectable plurality of service request options; 
 generate the service request based on the received selection; 
 cause the service request to be communicated to a remote device via a network; 
 receive, from the remote device, a page comprising information related to the service request and at least some information from a service provider that was identified based on a location of the user device; 
 obtain, from a user of the computer device, information relating to the service request; and 
 cause, via the page received from the remote device, the information relating to the service request to be provided to a service provider, which was identified based on the received selection. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein to cause the information relating to the service request to be provided to the service provider, the one or more processors further programmed to:
 receive the information relating to the service request at the computer device;   cause the information relating to the service request to be communicated to the remote device; and   receive, from the remote device, an updated page that includes the at least one input.   
     
     
         3 . The computer device of  claim 1 , the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 receive video, image, or audio input at the user device that documents a scene related to the service request;   communicate the video, image, or audio input to the remote device; and   receive from the remote device an updated page that includes the video, image, or audio input.   
     
     
         4 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the service request comprises an emergency request, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 prompt for authentication information;   receive the authentication information via the user interface; and   determine whether the authentication information was authenticated.   
     
     
         5 . The computer device of  claim 4 , the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 route the emergency request to an emergency call center responsive to a determination that the authentication information was not authenticated.   
     
     
         6 . The computer device of  claim 1 , the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 obtain information that indicates a location of the computer device; and   cause the information that indicates the location to be communicated to the remote device via the network.   
     
     
         7 . The computer device of  claim 6 , wherein to obtain the information that indicates the location of the computer device, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 receive an input from the user that indicates the location.   
     
     
         8 . The computer device of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit;   wherein to obtain the information that indicates the location of the computer device, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:   receive GPS coordinates from the GPS unit.   
     
     
         9 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein to receive the page from the remote device, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 receive the page via a Short Message Service text message.   
     
     
         10 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein to display the user interface comprising the selectable plurality of service request options, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 display, in the user interface, a first service request option that, when selected, causes a first type of service request to be requested; and   display, in the user interface, a second service request option that, when selected, causes a second type of service request to be requested, the second type being different than the first type.   
     
     
         11 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein to display the user interface comprising the selectable plurality of service request options, the one or more processors further programmed with the one or more computer program instructions to:
 display, in the user interface, a first service request option that, when selected, causes the service request to be requested along with an indication of a first level of severity of the service request; and   display, in the user interface, a second service request option that, when selected, causes the service request to be requested along with an indication of a second level of severity of the service request, the second level being different than the first level.   
     
     
         12 . A method for making a service request and communicating with relevant parties related to the service request, the method being implemented on a computer device comprising one or more processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, program the computer device to perform the method, the method comprising:
 displaying, by the computer device, a user interface comprising a selectable plurality of service request options;   receiving, by the computer device, a selection of at least one of the selectable plurality of service request options;   generating, by the computer device, the service request based on the received selection;   causing, by the computer device, the service request to be communicated to a remote device via a network;   receiving, by the computer device, from the remote device, a page comprising information related to the service request and at least some information from a service provider that was identified based on a location of the user device;   obtaining, by the computer device, from a user of the computer device, information relating to the service request; and   causing, by the computer device, via the page received from the remote device, the information relating to the service request to be provided to a service provider, which was identified based on the received selection.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein causing the information relating to the service request to be provided to the service provider comprises:
 receiving, by the computer device, the information relating to the service request at the computer device;   causing, by the computer device, the information relating to the service request to be communicated to the remote device; and   receiving, from the remote device, an updated page that includes the at least one input.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, by the computer device, video, image, or audio input at the user device that documents a scene related to the service request;   communicating, by the computer device, the video, image, or audio input to the remote device; and   receiving, by the computer device, from the remote device an updated page that includes the video, image, or audio input.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the service request comprises an emergency request, the method further comprising:
 prompting, by the computer device, for authentication information;   receiving, by the computer device, the authentication information via the user interface; and   determining, by the computer device, whether the authentication information was authenticated.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , the method further comprising:
 routing, by the computer device, the emergency request to an emergency call center responsive to a determination that the authentication information was not authenticated.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 obtaining, by the computer device, information that indicates a location of the computer device; and   causing, by the computer device, the information that indicates the location to be communicated to the remote device via the network.   
     
     
         18 . The computer device of  claim 17 , wherein obtaining the information that indicates the location of the computer device comprises:
 receiving, by the computer device, an input from the user that indicates the location.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein obtaining the information that indicates the location of the computer device comprises:
 receiving, by the computer device, Global Position System (GPS) coordinates from a GPS unit of the computer device.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein receiving the page from the remote device comprises:
 receiving, by the computer device, the page via a Short Message Service text message.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein displaying the user interface comprising the selectable plurality of service request options comprises:
 displaying, by the computer device, in the user interface, a first service request option that, when selected, causes a first type of service request to be requested; and   displaying, by the computer device, in the user interface, a second service request option that, when selected, causes a second type of service request to be requested, the second type being different than the first type.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein displaying the user interface comprising the selectable plurality of service request options comprises:
 displaying, by the computer device, in the user interface, a first service request option that, when selected, causes the service request to be requested along with an indication of a first level of severity of the service request; and   displaying, by the computer device, in the user interface, a second service request option that, when selected, causes the service request to be requested along with an indication of a second level of severity of the service request, the second level being different than the first level.