Location determination for a service request

• US 10,368,225 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer Aref, Penar, Russell Andrew, Halley, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US15/639,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554041, 455403, 379 37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Techniques for location determination for a service request are described. A service request, for instance, represents a request for emergency services. In one or more implementations, data corresponding to service request is received over a network from a communication client implemented at a client device. A registered location of the communication client and an updated location of the client device is obtained, and the updated location of the client device is compared to the registered location of the communication client. If the updated location is different than the registered location, the data of the service request is routed along with the updated location to an answering point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, over a network from a communication client implemented at a client device, data corresponding to a service request;

obtaining a registered location of the communication client, an updated location of the client device, and a reliability metric indicating a reliability of the updated location of the client device;

comparing the updated location of the client device to the registered location of the communication client to determine that the updated location is different than the registered location; and

determining whether to route the data of the service request along with the updated location to an answering point based on whether the reliability metric for the updated location is above a reliability threshold, including;

routing the data of the service request along with the updated location to the answering point based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold;

or

determining that the updated location cannot reliably be determined based on determining that the reliability metric is below the reliability threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing the data of the service request along with both the updated location and the registered location to the answering point based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the registered location is routed to the answering point for regulatory compliance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the updated location is the same as the registered location, routing the data of the service request with the registered location of the communication client to the answering point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated location of the communication client is received from the client device along with the data of the service request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated location of the client device is received from a location module implemented remote from the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the registered location comprises a business address or a home address associated with the communication client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated location is generated based on location information received from a position information system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reliability metric is determined based at least in part on the location information received from the position information system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the reliability metric is below the reliability threshold, routing the data of the service request to the answering point with an indication that the client device is not at the registered location but the updated location is unknown.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication causes the answering point to query the communication client for the updated location.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the reliability metric is below the reliability threshold, blocking the service request.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the answering point comprises a public-safety answering point, and the service request comprises an emergency service call.

14. One or more computer-readable storage devices having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by one or more processors, perform operations comprising:

maintaining a registered location of a communication client configured for execution on a client device;

obtaining position information for the client device from a position information system;

generating an updated location of the client device based at least in part on the position information, and a reliability metric for the updated location;

receiving a request for the updated location of the client device from a communication service, the request from the communication client initiated in response to a service request initiated at the client device;

determining whether to provide the updated location to the communication service based on whether the reliability metric for the updated location is above a reliability threshold, including;

sending the updated location to the communication service based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold;

or

communicating an indication to the communication service that the updated location cannot reliably be determined based on determining that the reliability metric is below the reliability threshold.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein said generating the reliability metric is based at least in part on the position information received from the position information system, the reliability metric indicating a reliability of the updated location.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the operations are performed at the client device.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold, providing the registered location of the communication client along with the updated location of the client device to the communication service in response to the request.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 14, wherein the service request comprises an emergency service call from the client device, and wherein the operations further comprise, based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold, causing the emergency call to be routed along with the updated location to a public-safety answering point.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable devices storing instruction that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

receiving, over a network from a communication client implemented at a client device, data corresponding to a service request;

obtaining a registered location of the communication client, an updated location of the client device, and a reliability metric indicating a reliability of the updated location of the client device;

comparing the updated location of the client device to the registered location of the communication client to determine that the updated location is different than the registered location; and

determining whether to route the data of the service request along with the updated location to an answering point based on whether the reliability metric for the updated location is above a reliability threshold, including;

routing the data of the service request along with the updated location to the answering point based on determining that the reliability metric is above the reliability threshold;

or

determining that the updated location cannot reliably be determined based on determining that the reliability metric is below the reliability threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the answering point comprises a public-safety answering point, and the service request comprises an emergency service call.