Ooma awarded patent for 911 feature

PALO ALTO, CA - Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

Ooma®, Inc., the leader in smart home and business communication systems, announced its 911 Alerts feature has received patent approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The feature, available to all Ooma subscribers, delivers real-time text and email alerts to users whenever 911 is dialed from their Ooma home phone number.

To activate the 911 Alerts feature, Ooma subscribers enter up to three email addresses and/or mobile phone numbers in the “My Ooma” online control panel. Once the emergency notifications are set, Ooma automatically alerts designated recipients during emergencies – making it possible for you, your spouse, parents, children, etc. to know the moment 911 is called from your home.

“Time is of the essence during emergency situations and people don’t always have the ability to alert friends and family members during those critical moments,” said Jim Gustke, Vice President of Marketing at Ooma. “Our patented Ooma 911 Alert feature provides an additional layer of communication and peace of mind for our customers by automatically alerting those closest to them when a call for emergency services has been made.”

The 911 Alerts message includes the first and last name on the Ooma account, account phone number, and address sent to the emergency dispatch center. It can also be configured at setup to include a custom message.

Chris Dailey, an IT specialist from West Point, Utah, recently purchased an Ooma Telo and activated the 911 Alerts feature thinking it would be helpful for when his children were older. He benefitted from the service sooner than expected when a man crashed his car during a police chase and hid in various homes throughout Chris’ neighborhood.

“I heard about the incident while at work and had been in contact with my wife several times. I then received a text message from Ooma informing me that 911 had been dialed from my home. Turns out the last home the fugitive had tried to hide in was ours. The 911 Alert arrived so quickly, I was halfway home before my wife was off the phone with the 911 operator. Several of my neighbors were amazed at how quickly I was able to respond to the situation, thanks to Ooma. Luckily, the fugitive was apprehended shortly thereafter and my family was safe.”

The patent granted to Ooma is U.S. Pat. No. 8,515,021, titled “System and Method for Providing Personalized Reverse 911 Service.” This patent legally protects Ooma’s 911 Alerts feature from patent infringement.