Universal emergency number ELIN based on network address ranges

• US 20050007999A1
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Becker, Gary, Moon, Sung H., Liston, Robert F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider is provided. The method, in one implementation, includes the steps of (a) providing a plurality of sets (e.g., ranges) of OSI Layer 3 or Network Layer addresses; (b) receiving an emergency call from a calling device having an OSI Layer 3 or Network Layer address; (c) mapping the calling address against the plurality of sets of addresses to determine an ELIN for the calling address; and (d) forwarding the ELIN to a public safety answer point. Each set of addresses comprises a plurality of addresses, and a plurality of ELINs corresponds to the plurality of sets of addresses. In each set of addresses, a corresponding one of the plurality of ELINs is typically common to a plurality of addresses.

Claims

1. A method for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider, comprising:

providing at least one set of Network Layer addresses, the at least one set of Network Layer addresses comprising at least one Network Layer address, and at least one ELIN corresponding to the at least one set of Network Layer addresses; and

upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, mapping a selected Network Layer address against the at least one set of Network Layer addresses to determine an ELIN for the selected Network Layer address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in each set of addresses, a corresponding one of the plurality of ELINs is common to a plurality of addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is the registration of a communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is the receipt of an emergency call and further comprising:

forwarding the ELIN identified in the mapping step to a public safety answering point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sets of addresses is a range of address that defines a corresponding subnetwork.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each address in a selected set of addresses has a common ELIN and further comprising:

forwarding an ELIN corresponding to the selected Network Layer address to a public safety answering point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the addresses in the at least one set of addresses is an address in a distributed processing network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least some of the addresses are IP addresses.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected address is an address in a data processing network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected address is an IP address.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a currently assigned ELIN for the calling address; and

comparing the currently assigned ELIN against the ELIN identified in the mapping step.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, when the currently assigned ELIN is identical to the ELIN identified in the mapping step, not performing the forwarding step.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, when the currently assigned ELIN is different from the ELIN identified in the mapping step, performing the forwarding step.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, when there is not currently assigned ELIN, performing the forwarding step.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, when there is no corresponding ELIN for the set of addresses including the calling address, not performing the forwarding step.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the currently assigned ELIN is assigned when a communication device registers.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is the receipt of a first communication directed to an emergency service provider'"'"'s public safety answering point and further comprising, when the first communication is terminated before the emergency service provider'"'"'s public safety answering point staff has collected all the information that they need, receiving a second communication to the ELIN and alerting the address that initiated the first communication and the ELIN of the second communication.

18. A computer readable medium containing instructions to perform the steps of claim 1.

19. A logic circuit configured to perform the steps of claim 1.

20. A communication system for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider, comprising:

a memory comprising at least one set of Network Layer addresses, the at least one set of Network Layer addresses comprising at least one Network Layer address, and at least one set of ELINs comprising at least one ELIN, the at least one set of ELINs corresponding to the at least one set of Network Layer addresses; and

an emergency locating agent operable, upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, to map a selected Network Layer address against the at least one set of Network Layer addresses to determine an ELIN in the corresponding at least one set of ELINs for the selected Network Layer address.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each set of addresses contains more members than a corresponding set of ELINs.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined event is the registration of a communication device associated with the selected address.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

an input operable to receive an emergency call from a calling address

and wherein the selected address is the calling address and wherein the agent is operable to (b) forward the ELIN identified in the mapping step to a public safety answering point.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one set of addresses is a range of addresses that defines a corresponding subnetwork.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein each address in a selected set of addresses has a common ELIN, and the agent is further operable to forward the ELIN corresponding to the selected Network Layer address to a public safety answering point.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein at least some of the addresses in the at least one set of addresses is an address in a distributed processing network.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least some of the addresses are IP addresses.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the selected address is an address in a data processing network.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the selected address is an IP address.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the agent is further operable to (c) determine a currently assigned ELIN for the calling address and (d) compare the currently assigned ELIN against the ELIN identified in the mapping step.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein, when the currently assigned ELIN is identical to the ELIN identified in the mapping step, the agent does not performs the forwarding function but sends to the public safety access point the currently assigned emergency location extension.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein, when the currently assigned ELIN is different from the ELIN identified in the mapping step, the agent performs the forwarding function.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein, when there is not currently assigned ELIN, the agent performs the forwarding step.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein, when there is no corresponding ELIN for the set of addresses including the calling address, the agent does not perform the forwarding step.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the currently assigned ELIN is assigned when a communication device registers.

36. A memory of a communication system, comprising:

an emergency location table comprising;

a plurality of sets of Layer 3 addresses, each set of Layer 3 addresses comprising a plurality of Layer 3 addresses; and

a plurality of ELINs corresponding to the plurality of sets of Layer 3 addresses.

37. The memory of claim 36, wherein each set of Layer 3 addresses contains more members than a corresponding set of ELINs.

38. The memory of claim 36, wherein, in each set of addresses, a corresponding one of the set of ELINs is common to a plurality of addresses.

39. The memory of claim 36, wherein each of the sets of addresses is a range of addresses that defines a corresponding subnetwork.

40. The memory of claim 36, wherein each address in a selected set of addresses has a common ELIN.

41. The memory of claim 36, wherein at least some of the addresses in each of the plurality of sets of addresses is an address in a distributed processing network.

42. The memory of claim 36, wherein the at least some of the addresses are IP addresses.

43. The memory of claim 36, further comprising:

a subnet identifier for each set of addresses.

44. A method for handling dropped emergency calls, comprising:

(a) receiving a first communication to one of an emergency service provider and a public safety answering point;

(b) determining an ELIN;

(c) forwarding the ELIN to the one of an emergency service provider and public safety answering point;

(d) receiving a second communication from the one of the emergency service provider and public safety answering point; and

(e) directing the second communication to an address associated with the communication device originating the first communication and to the ELIN identified in step (b).