Patent ID: 8195121

Claim:
A method of providing text-based public service help to subscribers of mobile telecommunications services, wherein the subscribers operate mobile telecommunications devices within a wireless network, and wherein the wireless network is coupled to multiple geographically separated Public Service Answering Points (PSAPs), the method comprising: determining whether a received text-based message is a request for public service help, wherein the request for public service help is selected from a plurality of different types of requests for public service help, wherein the received text-based message is associated with a user-input numeric or alphanumeric string, wherein the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is a mobile phone short code having more than 3 digits or characters, wherein the received text-based message and the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string are received from a mobile telecommunications device, wherein the determining includes identifying whether the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is substantially similar to a previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string, and wherein neither the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string nor the previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string are a phone number; obtaining geographic location information associated with a geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device; based on the obtained geographic information, identifying a one of the multiple geographically separated PSAPs that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device; and forwarding the text-based message to the one PSAP that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device, wherein the obtained geographic information is embedded in the text-based message forwarded to the one PSAP.