Patent ID: 8380162

Claim:
A computerized system for responding to electronic messages that request assistance, the system comprising: a processor; a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory holding processor instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computerized system to: receive a communication from a first person, the communication including a request for assistance; identify one or more potential assisting persons who are in position to render assistance to the first person and who are not official emergency response personnel, the one or more identified potential assisting persons including at least one person not previously associated with the first person; and transmit an electronic notification message to at least one of the one or more potential assisting persons, the electronic notification message indicating that the first person has requested assistance, wherein the electronic notification message comprises information about a likely location of the first person, the likely location determined at least in part based on location information collected by the system from devices not associated with the first person, showing within a defined area where people are likely to be.