METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN PROCESSING DISCONNECTED EMERGENCY CALLS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS INVOLVING MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND THE REMOTE MONITORING THEREOF

Methods and apparatus for use in processing disconnected emergency calls and other communications involving mobile communication devices, as well as the remote monitoring of such mobile communication devices, are disclosed. In one illustrative example, an emergency call with a public safety answering point entity is established by a mobile communication device via a wireless communication network. If the emergency call is disconnected, the mobile device monitors to receive an incoming call message for a continued emergency call from the public safety answering point entity. In response to receiving such incoming call message, the mobile device refrains from producing an audible alert and automatically answers the continued emergency call from the public safety answering point entity without detecting any manual answer signal via its user interface. In one specific approach, the mobile device answers the call automatically if the incoming call message is received within a time period following the disconnection and a data indication of the incoming call message indicates that the message is for the continued emergency call or automatic answering. Otherwise, if the incoming call message is received outside of the time period following the disconnection, or if the data indication fails to indicate that the incoming call message is for the continued emergency call or the automatic answering, the mobile device refrains from automatically answering the call associated with the incoming call message.