Abstract:
A hand-held wireless communication apparatus transmits and receives cellular radio signals that are compatible with a cellular network, and summons assistance during an emergency situation from multiple emergency response services. The apparatus comprises a lightweight and rigid housing with a cellular transmitter disposed therein. When activated, the cellular transmitter generates first outgoing cellular radio signals, such as paging messages, that contain information for a private emergency response service, and second outgoing cellular radio signals to communicate with a public emergency response service. The apparatus includes an emergency response button which is the sole means of activating the transmitter. When pressed, the emergency response button alone activates the transmitter to cause the transmitter to generate the first and second outgoing cellular radio signals. The apparatus also includes receiver means for receiving incoming cellular radio signals over the cellular network from at least one of the emergency response services, and for converting the incoming cellular radio signals into audio signals. An audio output device receives the audio signals from the receiver means and generates audible messages based on the audio signals. An audible alarm audibly alerts, and a visual alarm visually alerts individuals in the area surrounding the apparatus that an emergency situation exists.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 09/044,497 filed Mar. 19, 1998, and entitled PANIC BUTTON PHONE, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. Pat. 6,044,257. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, the present invention relates to personal wireless communication devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hand-held cellular communication device that summons help from multiple emergency response services with the push of a single button. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Emergency response numbers such as 911 are utilized to provide individuals with a quick and easy way to contact an emergency response service when an emergency situation arises. By providing a standardized method of contacting emergency personnel, these emergency response numbers are effective in reducing the amount of time necessary to respond to an emergency. In an emergency, the amount of time required to respond can often mean the difference between life and death. Response time may be further minimized by employing caller identification technology that allows an operator with the emergency response service to automatically determine the phone number of the caller without requiring the caller to provide such information. If the call was placed from a stationary telephone, the operator with the emergency response service can also determine the location of the caller. Thus, even if the user is unable to verbally request assistance, the emergency response service can still send emergency response personnel to the location from which the call was placed. 
     One of the primary shortcomings of the prior art devices for utilizing the 911 emergency response system is that a phone terminal is needed to contact the emergency response service. If the emergency situation occurs in a remote area, it is often impossible to place a call to the emergency response service. However, with the advent of cellular telephone technology it is now possible to carry a cellular telephone that allows an emergency caller to contact an emergency response service from practically anywhere. The primary drawbacks of the cellular system are the high cost of cellular service and the inability of the emergency response service to automatically determine the location of the caller. 
     Cellular devices and services have been offered that are limited to emergency use only. These devices have several buttons that allow a variety of emergency services, such as fire, medical and police, to be summoned. However, the multiple buttons and functions may cause confusion in an emergency situation. Because of the stress often associated with emergency situations, an operator of such a complex emergency communication device may fail to properly summon emergency personnel. In addition, these emergency communication devices fail to integrate the functioning of the cellular device with home alarm systems that the user of the device might have. Furthermore, the devices do not have the capability to summon individuals in the immediate area around the device that may be able to provide assistance. 
     In addition to contacting emergency response services, victims in emergency situations may wish to summon other persons for help, such as a family member, friend, or neighbor. If the victim were to try to contact these persons using a typical cellular phone, the victim would have to make several separate and sequential calls. The nature of the emergency situation may make it impossible for the victim to dial several phone numbers to contact several different individuals. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention eliminates the oversights, difficulties, and disadvantages of the prior art by providing a hand-held wireless communication apparatus for transmitting and receiving cellular radio signals that are compatible with a cellular network, and for summoning assistance in an emergency situation. The apparatus comprises a lightweight and rigid housing with a cellular transmitter disposed within the housing. When activated, the cellular transmitter generates first outgoing cellular radio signals that contain information for a private emergency response service, and second outgoing cellular radio signals to communicate with a public emergency response service. The apparatus includes an emergency response button which is the sole means of activating the transmitter. When pressed, the emergency response button alone activates the transmitter to cause the transmitter to generate the first and second outgoing cellular radio signals. The apparatus also includes receiver means disposed within the housing for receiving incoming cellular radio signals over the cellular network from at least one of the emergency response services, and for converting the incoming cellular radio signals into audio signals. An audio output device receives the audio signals from the receiver means and generates audible messages based on the audio signals. The apparatus includes an electrical power source disposed within the housing for supplying electrical power to the apparatus. 
     Preferred embodiments of the apparatus include an audible alarm for audibly alerting, and a visual alarm for visually alerting individuals in the area surrounding the apparatus that an emergency situation exists. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a security system for summoning assistance in an emergency situation. The security system includes a home security system for producing alarms in response to a variety of emergency situations, and that is capable of activation by wireless communications. The security system also includes a hand-held personal security device having a radio frequency transmitter for establishing wireless communications with the home security system if the hand-held personal security device is within communications range of the home security system when the radio frequency transmitter is activated. The device includes a home security alarm button that activates the radio frequency transmitter and causes the hand-held personal security device to establish radio communications with the home security alarm system. The device also includes a cellular transmitter that, when activated, generates first outgoing cellular radio signals that contain information for a private emergency response service. When activated, the cellular transmitter also generates second outgoing cellular radio signals to communicate with a public emergency response service. The device has an emergency response button which is the sole means of activating the transmitter. When pressed, the emergency response button alone activates the cellular transmitter to cause the cellular transmitter to generate the first and second outgoing cellular radio signals. The device further includes receiver means for receiving incoming cellular radio signals over the cellular network from at least one of the emergency response services, and for converting the incoming cellular radio signals into audio signals. An audio output device receives the audio signals from the receiver means and for generates audible messages based on the audio signals. The device has an electrical power source for supplying electrical power to the device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of an emergency phone with a flip top cover in an open position; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the emergency phone with the flip top cover in a closed position; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the emergency phone with the flip top cover in an open position; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the emergency phone; 
     FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the emergency phone; 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the emergency phone with the flip top cover in the closed position; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the emergency phone with the flip top cover in the open position; and 
     FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the emergency phone. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Shown in FIGS. 1-4 is a hand-held wireless personal communication and security apparatus, also referred to hereinafter as a combination emergency phone and pager, or phone/pager  10 . The internal components of the phone/pager  10  are contained within a lightweight and rigid housing  12 . The housing  12  is constructed of a durable material that will withstand being continuously carried in an individual&#39;s pocket or purse. 
     Preferably, a flip top cover  14  is connected to the housing  12  with a pair of hinges  16 . The flip top cover  14  folds over the lower half of the front of the rigid housing  12 . The flip top cover  14  is spring-loaded in the closed position where it is held in place by a latch. When the latch is released, the cover  14  springs open to reveal the lower half of the front of the housing  12 . FIGS. 1 and 3 show the cover  14  in the open position, and FIG. 2 shows the cover  14  in the closed position. 
     When in the closed position, the flip top cover  14  covers a single large emergency response button  20 . Thus, the flip top cover  14  helps prevent the emergency response button  20  from being accidentally pressed. When pressed, the single large button  20  activates the cellular phone component of the phone/pager  10 . To summon help in an emergency situation, a user simply opens the flip top cover  14  and presses the emergency response button  20 . As soon as the button  20  is pressed, the phone/pager  10  begins searching for a cellular telephone service provider. 
     Once a communication channel is assigned to the phone/pager  10  by a cellular telephone service provider, the phone/pager  10  automatically contacts a private emergency response service. Preferably, this private service, to which the caller has previously subscribed, maintains a list of persons to contact when the caller presses the emergency response button  20 . When cellular communications have been established between the private service and the phone/pager  10 , the phone/pager  10  transmits information to the private service indicating the identity and location of the caller. The private service then forwards this information to the persons on the contact list, and informs the persons on the list that the caller is involved in an emergency situation in a particular location. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the phone/pager  10  contacts the private emergency response service by sending a paging message to a central paging service. The paging message contains (1) an identification number that has been assigned to the phone/pager  10  from which the emergency call was made, (2) the time that the emergency call was made, (3) the telephone area code from which the emergency call was made, and, in one embodiment of the invention, (4) longitude/latitude coordinates of the location of the phone/pager  10 . Preferably, the phone/pager  10  repeatedly transmits this paging message every five minutes from the time that the emergency response button  20  is pressed. The paging service forwards the paging message to the private emergency response service. 
     After the phone/pager  10  has transmitted the identity/location information to the private emergency response service, the phone/pager  10  automatically calls a public emergency response service, such as the familiar 911 service. 
     With continued reference to FIG. 1, a radio frequency antenna  21 , mounted on the housing  12 , is used to transmit and receive the cellular communications. The antenna  21  is preferably low in profile, such as shown in FIG. 1, so that the phone/pager  10  is compact and easily stored in a pocket or purse without the possibility of damaging the antenna  21 . 
     A microphone  24  and an audio output device, such as a speaker  22 , located on the housing  12  enable the operator of the phone/pager  10  to establish full duplex voice communications with personnel at the public emergency response service. In an alternate embodiment, the audio output device includes a tethered ear piece that is placed in the ear of the operator. 
     In order to minimize the cost of the cellular service needed to support it, the cellular phone component of the phone/pager  10  is strictly limited to emergency use only. Because a cellular service provider can be sure that the cellular phone component of the phone/pager  10  will only be used in emergency situations, the service provider will typically be willing to provide the cellular service at a reduced rate. Furthermore, as previously discussed, governmental regulations prohibit cellular service providers from refusing calls to 911 emergency response services even if the caller does not subscribe to a cellular service. 
     Another one of the primary benefits of limiting use of the phone/pager  10  to contacting emergency response services is the resulting simplicity of operation. The emergency response button  20  is relatively large; preferably about 1.5 inches in diameter. Even very young children and elderly consumers can be taught how to summon emergency personnel using the emergency response button  20  of the phone/pager  10 . Additionally, the time required to summon the emergency personnel is held to an absolute minimum. Almost as soon as the button  20  is pressed, the emergency response service personnel have a verbal communications link to the scene of the emergency. Furthermore, as discussed in more detail below, the phone/pager  10  may include a locator function which uses global positioning systems (GPS) and cellular location systems to provide the location of the phone/pager  10  to the emergency response service. 
     In addition to establishing cellular contact with emergency response services, the phone/pager  10  can activate a user&#39;s home security system when an emergency situation arises near the home. As explained in greater detail below, this home security alarm function is activated when the user presses a home security alarm button  40  as shown in FIG.  1 . Because the communication range of the phone/pager  10  is limited, the phone/pager  10  can only contact the user&#39;s home security system when the phone/pager  10  is close to the home security system. Preferably, the communications range of the phone/pager  10  extends to at least 500 feet from the home security system. 
     The home security system can react to the phone/pager&#39;s signal in a number of ways. In the preferred embodiment, the home security system turns the lights of the residence on and off and activates any audible alarms that the home security system uses. Turning the house&#39;s lights on and off and sounding the home security system&#39;s audible alarms can be beneficial for a number of reasons. First, the home security system alarm will only be activated if the phone/pager  10  is used near the home. Thus, if the emergency situation involves an intruder or attacker, turning on the lights and sounding the alarms may scare the individual away. Secondly, turning on the lights and sounding the alarms will alert any individuals in or around the house that an emergency situation exist in or near the house. In addition, any of the variety of other functions typically performed by a home security system can be triggered by the signal from the phone/pager  10 . 
     In one embodiment, the phone/pager  10  includes the ability to communicate with a user&#39;s car alarm. In a manner similar to that described for contacting the user&#39;s home security system, the phone/pager  10  transmits a signal that activates the car alarm. The phone/pager  10  will only be able to signal the car alarm if the user is near the car when the phone/pager  10  is activated. Thus, the car alarm will help draw attention to the area in which the emergency situation exists. This could be especially beneficial if the emergency situation arose in a parking lot. Furthermore, if the car was just stolen, setting off the car alarm will draw attention to the thief and the stolen car. 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention includes an audible alarm, such as a siren, that alerts individuals in the immediate area to the emergency situation. The audible alarm is activated by simultaneously pressing two audible alarm buttons  26   a  and  26   b  on the sides of the phone/pager  10  as shown in FIG.  1 . As discussed in more detail hereinafter, when the buttons  26   a-b  are pressed, the audible alarm begins emitting a siren-type noise from holes  47  in the back of the housing  12 . 
     Preferably, the phone/pager  10  also includes a flashing light  30  mounted in the housing  12 , as shown in FIG.  4 . As with the audible alarm, the flashing light  30  is also activated when the buttons  26   a  and  26   b  are pressed simultaneously. Both the flashing light  30  and the noise alarm serve the same functions. On the one hand they serve to scare off attackers, and on the other hand they serve to draw attention to the individual requesting emergency assistance. Since the phone/pager  10  can be activated from anywhere that cellular service is available, the exact location of the caller may be unknown to the emergency response personnel. By drawing attention to the phone/pager  10  and its operator, the flashing light  30  and the audible alarm aid emergency response personnel in locating the operator. 
     With continued reference to FIG. 1, a set of indicator lights  32 ,  34  and  36  are preferably located on the front of the housing  12 . These lights  32 ,  34 , and  36  provide the user of the phone/pager  10  information concerning whether the phone/pager  10  is within communications range of a cellular network, whether the phone/pager  10  has been activated, and whether the power supply of the phone/pager  10 , such as a battery, is running low. Preferably, the cellular range indicator light  32  is green when a channel is assigned to the phone/pager  10  by a cellular service provider, and is red when no service is available. The activation light  36  is off when the phone/pager  10  has not been activated and turns red when the phone  10  is activated. The power supply light  34  is off when the power supply is functioning properly and turns yellow to indicate a low power condition. 
     As described above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a locator function. The locator function provides the location of the phone/pager  10  to the emergency response service at the time that the locator function is activated. The locator function may be implemented in a variety of different embodiments. For example, one embodiment involves the use of a GPS receiver. A GPS receiver utilizes signals from satellites orbiting the earth to determine the position of the receiver. When the emergency response button  20  is pressed, the GPS receiver determines the location of the phone/pager  10 . The phone/pager  10  then automatically transmits this positional information to the emergency response services. Another embodiment of the present invention uses a cellular location system to determine the position of the phone/pager  10  by triangulation. This cellular location system uses the strength of the signal from a cellular device at different cellular stations to determine the location of the cellular device. Positional information is extremely beneficial in an emergency situation because it allows the emergency response service to determine the location of the caller without requiring any input from the caller. 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of the electrical components of a preferred embodiment of the phone/pager  10  is shown. The electrical components of the phone/pager  10  are controlled by a microprocessor  44 . Power for the electrical components of the phone/pager  10  is supplied by a power supply  45 . Preferably, the power supply  45  is a DC power supply and includes replaceable batteries such as AA or AAA alkaline batteries. These types of batteries are preferred because they will allow a minimum talk time of at least 30 minutes, are relatively inexpensive, and are easily replaceable. 
     With continued reference to FIG. 5, an emergency response switch  42  changes state when the user presses the emergency response button  20 . When the microprocessor  44  detects a change of state of the emergency response switch  42 , the microprocessor  44  activates an automatic dialer  52 . Preferably, the automatic dialer  52  then sends the telephone number of the paging service to a cellular transmitter  62 . The cellular transmitter  62  generates a cellular signal including the phone number of the paging service which is broadcast from the antenna  21  to the cellular provider network. The telephone number is preferably stored in the automatic dialer  52  itself. However, in an alternate embodiment, the telephone number is stored in the memory  54 . 
     When cellular communications have been established with the paging service, the microprocessor  44  retrieves the phone/pager&#39;s identification number from the memory  54 . The microprocessor  44  also retrieves the current time from a real-time clock  43 . In the embodiment of the invention that includes the GPS receiver  64 , the microprocessor  44  retrieves the location information from the GPS receiver  64 . The microprocessor  44  then sends the phone/pager&#39;s identification number, the current time, the location information, and, preferably, the telephone area code to the cellular transmitter  62 . The cellular transmitter  62  receives this information and transmits it to the paging service. As described above, the paging service receives this information and retransmits it, in the form of a paging message, to the private emergency response service. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the automatic dialer  52 , when activated, sends the telephone number of the private emergency response service to a cellular transmitter  62 . The cellular transmitter  62  then generates a cellular signal including the phone number of the private emergency response service, and the cellular signal is broadcast from the antenna  21  to the cellular provider network. With this embodiment, the cellular transmitter  62  transmits the identification number, the current time, and the location information directly to private emergency response service. 
     After the identification/time/location information has been transmitted to the private emergency response service, the automatic dialer  52  sends the telephone number of nearest public emergency response service (such as 911) to the cellular transmitter  62 . The cellular transmitter  62  then generates a cellular signal, including the phone number of the public emergency response service, which is broadcast from the antenna  21  to the cellular provider network. Once the public emergency response service has received the call from the cellular network, full-duplex communications are established between the phone/pager  10  and the public emergency response service. 
     A cellular receiver  56  receives cellular signals from the public emergency response service and generates audio signals based on the received cellular signals. The cellular receiver  56  provides the audio signals to an input of the audio amplifier  23  where they are amplified and sent to the speaker  22 . 
     With continued reference to FIG. 5, the user communicates with the public emergency response service by speaking into a microphone  24 . The microphone  24  converts the operator&#39;s speech into electric signals that are received by the microprocessor  44 . The microprocessor  44  then sends the signals to a cellular transmitter  62  which conditions the signals and broadcast them on the antenna  21 . In an alternate embodiment, the signals are sent directly from the microphone  24  to the cellular transmitter  62 . 
     The phone/pager  10  is designed to use the cellular communications technology that provides the most comprehensive coverage possible. Using the cellular technology that provides the largest possible coverage area is desirable because it minimizes the likelihood that the operator of the phone/pager  10  will be out of cellular communications range when an emergency situations arises. While the coverage range of digital cellular service providers is constantly increasing, the largest amount of cellular coverage is still provided by service providers using analog modulation technology. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the cellular receiver  56  and cellular transmitter  62  use analog modulation technology. Furthermore, because the amount of time actually spent communicating with the phone/pager  10  will likely be very low, the cellular receiver  56  and transmitter  62  components are designed for maximum range and minimal talk times. 
     In another alternative embodiment, the phone/pager  10  is designed to scan for a digital cellular provider. If a digital cellular service provider is located, the phone/pager  10  will establish digital communications with the digital service provider. If no digital service provider is located, the phone/pager  10  then attempts to establish analog cellular communications with an analog service provider. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the phone/pager  10  includes a pager receiver  70  for receiving paging messages from a central paging service. As shown in FIG. 6, this embodiment includes a liquid crystal display (LCD)  72  on the front of the housing  12 . Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, this embodiment includes a message retrieval button  76  and a pager function control button  78 . These buttons  76  and  78  activate various functions of the phone/pager  10 , as discussed further below. 
     When a radio paging signal is sent to the phone/pager  10  from a central paging service, the antenna  21  receives the signal and provides it to the front end of the pager receiver  70 . The pager receiver  70  receives the paging signal from the antenna  21  and converts the information contained in the signal into an identification message and a paging message. The identification message contains a message identifier, such as a number, that identifies which particular pager the paging message is intended. The pager receiver  70  sends the identification message to pager control means, such as the microprocessor  44 . 
     Upon receipt of the identification message, the microprocessor  44  compares the message identifier to a pager identifier that is stored in a memory  54 , such as an electrically-erasable programmable read-only (EEPROM) device. If the message identifier matches the pager identifier, then the paging message is intended for the user of that particular phone/pager  10 . When the identifiers match, the microprocessor  44  activates a pager alert device  74 , such as an audible tone generator or mechanical vibrator. Thus, when the paging message is intended for the user of the phone/pager  10 , the pager alert device  74  notifies the user of the receipt of the paging message. 
     If the message identifier and pager identifier match, the microprocessor  44  stores the paging message in the memory  54 . In the preferred embodiment, the paging message, such as a phone number, is stored in a stack within the memory  54 . In a preferred embodiment, the microprocessor  44  also sends the paging message to the pager LCD display  72  where the message is displayed in an alphanumeric format so that the user may then read the paging message. 
     Preferably, paging messages are stored in the stack of the memory  54 , along with a time and date stamp, in the order in which they are received. If the user did not have an opportunity to respond to the paging message at the time that it was received, the user may review the messages that are stored in the memory  54 . To retrieve a message from memory  54 , the user simply presses the message retrieval button  76  which changes the state of a message retrieval switch  77 . When the microprocessor  44  detects that the message retrieval switch  77  has changed state, the microprocessor  44  retrieves the first message in the stack (the oldest message), and sends it to the display  72  along with its date and time stamp. If the user presses the message retrieval button  76  again within a certain time period, the microprocessor  44  retrieves the next message from the stack and sends it to the display  72 . By continuing to repeatedly press the message retrieval button  76 , the user can scroll through all of the messages stored in the stack. 
     If the user wants to delete a message from the stack, the user presses the pager function control button  78  while the message is displayed on the display  78 . When the user presses the function control button  78 , the state of a pager function control switch  79  is changed. When the microprocessor  44  detects that the pager function control switch  79  has changed state, the microprocessor  44  generates a prompt signal that is sent to the display  78 . The prompt signal generates an alphanumeric message on the display such as: “Save or delete message?”To save the message, the user presses the message retrieval button  76 ; to delete the message, the user presses the function control button  78 . In this situation, since the user wishes to delete the message from the memory  54 , the user presses the function control button  78 . When the user presses the function control button  78 , the function control switch  79  changes state. In this situation, when the microprocessor detects a change of state of the function control switch  79 , the microprocessor  44  deletes the message from the stack, and the most recent messages all move up one position in the stack. 
     If the user presses the message retrieval button  76  to save a message when prompted as above, the microprocessor  44  retains the message in the stack, and redisplays the message on the display  72 . The user can then press the message retrieval button  76  again to scroll to the next message in the stack as described above. 
     In the preferred embodiment, after a certain time has elapsed during which neither the message retrieval button  76  nor the function control button  78  has been pressed, the microprocessor  44  enters a standby mode. During the standby mode, the display  72  is blank. If the user presses the function control button  78  while the processor  44  is in the standby mode, the microprocessor  44  generates a prompt signal that is sent to the display  78 . The prompt signal generates an alphanumeric message on the display such as: “Audio or vibrating page alert?”To put the phone/pager  10  in an audio alert mode so that the pager alert device generates an audible alert signal when a paging signal is received, the user would press the message retrieval button  76 . To put the phone/pager  10  in an vibrating alert mode so that the pager alert device generates a vibrating alert signal when a paging signal is received, the user would press the function control button  78 . After the user makes a selection, the pager alert device  74  enters the selected alert mode and the microprocessor  44  returns again to the standby mode. 
     With continued reference to FIG. 5, the microprocessor  44  monitors the state of a pair of alarm switches  28   a  and  28   b  that change state when the user presses the alarm buttons  26   a  and  26   b.    
     When the microprocessor  44  detects that both of the alarm switches  28   a-b  have changed state, the microprocessor  44  activates the audible alarm  46 . As mentioned above, when activated, the audible alarm  46  generates a siren-like audio alarm signal. The speaker  25  converts the audio alarm signal into sound. 
     However, in a preferred embodiment, if duplex cellular communications have been established with the emergency response service, the microprocessor  44  turns off the audio alarm  46 . This feature prevents the microphone  24  from picking up the audible alarm signal from the speaker  25  and interfering with the user&#39;s communication with the emergency response service. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the microprocessor  44  monitors the state of home security alarm switch  41  which changes state when the user presses the home security alarm button  40 . When the microprocessor  44  detects that the home security alarm switch  41  has changed state, the microprocessor  44  activates the radio frequency transmitter  48 . Upon activation, the radio frequency transmitter  48  then generates a home security alarm activation signal which is broadcast on the antenna  21 . The preferred radio frequency transmitter  48  operates at 310 MHZ. The home security system receives the home security alarm activation signal and responds accordingly. As discussed above, the response preferably at least includes turning on and off the exterior lights of the house and producing an audible alarm. 
     In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, the functions of the pager receiver and the functions of the cellular receiver as described above are combined in a single cellular/pager receiver  57 . This embodiment further reduces weight, size, and power consumption by using common radio-frequency and digital components for the paging and cellular phone features. 
     With reference now to FIG. 5, the microprocessor  44  prompts a GPS receiver  64  to determine the location of the phone/pager  10  when the emergency response button  20  is pressed. Once the GPS receiver  64  has determined the coordinates of the phone/pager  10 , the GPS receiver  64  provides the coordinates to the microprocessor  44 . The microprocessor  44  then sends the coordinates to the cellular transmitter  62 . The cellular transmitter  62  sends the location coordinates to the public emergency response service by way of a cellular telephone network. The location coordinates allow the public emergency response service to dispatch emergency personnel to the location from which the call was placed, even if the caller does not know or cannot communicate the location. As discussed above, these location coordinates are also sent to the private emergency response service. 
     The microprocessor  44  also controls the set of indicator lights  32 ,  34  and  36 . As previously discussed, the indicator lights  32 ,  34  and  36  provide the operator of the phone/pager  10  status information concerning the functioning of the phone/pager  10 . These lights  32 ,  34  and  36  preferably include a cellular range indicator light  32 , a low power light  34 , and an activation light  36 . However, it is understood that a variety of different indicator lights  32 ,  34  and  36  could be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     While the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that the invention may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various changes in form, design or arrangement may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the above description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is defined in the following claims.