Telephone emergency response system and method

• US 20050123102A1
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Benjamin V., Beason, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,968,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An emergency system and method includes a gateway; a switch in communication with the gateway and a controller; and a database in communication with the gateway. The database includes first routing information for establishing a first communication link; second routing information for establishing a second communication link; and location data associated with the communication device. The method includes retrieving the first routing information; retrieving the second routing information; retrieving location data associated with the communication device; and establishing at substantially the same time, a first communication link between the communication device and the controller and a second communication link between the gateway and the controller such that information that is transmitted via the first and second communication links arrives at the controller at substantially the same time.

Claims

1. An emergency system, comprising:

a gateway;

a switch in communication with the gateway, wherein the switch is configured to recognize an emergency call from a communication device and to obtain identification information from the device and provide the identification information to the gateway;

a controller in communication with the switch and the gateway;

a database in communication with the gateway;

wherein the database comprises;

first routing information for establishing a first communication link between the device and the controller;

second routing information for establishing a second communication link between the gateway and the controller, wherein the second routing information is correlated to the first routing information; and

location data associated with the communication device;

wherein upon receiving the identification information from the switch, the gateway retrieves the first routing information from the database and provides the first routing information to the switch, the gateway retrieves the second routing information from the database and using the second routing information establishes a second communication link with the controller, and the gateway retrieves the location data from the database; and

wherein the switch establishes a first communication link with the controller at substantially the same time as the second communication link is established with the controller and information transmitted though the first communication link arrives at the controller at substantially the same time as the location data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication link to the controller is a voice telephone link.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the voice telephone link comprises any one of a wireline and wireless voice telephone link.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication link to the controller is a packet data link.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the packet data link is a TCP/IP link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication link is established over a first network and the second communication link is established over a second network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first network is a public switched telephone network.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second network is the Internet.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises information for determining the location coordinates of the communication device, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device.

10. A method of delivering first and second communications associated with an emergency call from a communication device, comprising:

receiving identification information associated with a communication device at a switch;

providing the identification information to a gateway in communication with the switch;

retrieving, by the gateway, first routing information from a database for establishing a first communication link between the device and a controller;

establishing a first communication link between the device and the controller;

retrieving, by the gateway, second routing information from the database for establishing a second communication link between the gateway and the controller, wherein the second routing information is correlated to the first routing information;

retrieving, by the gateway, location data associated with the communication device; and

establishing a second communication link between the gateway and the controller at substantially the same time as the first communication link is established between the communication device and the controller, wherein information is transmitted via the first communication link and the location data transmitted via the second communication link arrives at the controller at substantially the same time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the first communication link to the controller further comprises establishing a voice telephone link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein establishing the voice telephone link comprises establishing any one of a wireline and wireless voice telephone link.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the second communication link further comprises establishing a packet data link.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein establishing the packet data link further comprises establishing a TCP/IP link.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing the first and second communications links further comprises establishing the first communication link over a first network and establishing the second communication link over a second network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein establishing the first communication link over the first network further comprises establishing the first communication link over a public switched telephone network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein establishing the second communication link over the second network further comprises establishing the second communication link over the Internet.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving, by the gateway, location coordinates information for determining the location of the communication device, wherein the communication is a wireless communication device.

19. An emergency system, comprising:

telecommunication gateway means;

means for processing an emergency call placed by a communication device, the means for processing in communication with the telecommunications gateway means and in communications with controller means, the means for processing being configured to recognize an emergency call from the communication device and to obtain identification information from the device and to provide the identification information to the telecommunication gateway means;

means for storing information in communication with the telecommunication gateway means;

wherein the means for storing comprises;

first routing information for establishing a first communication link between the device and the controller means;

second routing information for establishing a second communication link between the telecommunication gateway means and the controller means, wherein the second routing information is correlated to the first routing information; and

location data associated with the communication device;

wherein upon receiving the identification from the means for processing, the telecommunications gateway means retrieves the first routing information from the means for storing;

wherein the telecommunication gateway means retrieves the second routing information from the means for storing;

wherein a first communication link is established between the communications device and the controller means at substantially the same time as a second communication link is established between the communication gateway means and the controller means; and

wherein information transmitted via the first and second communication links arrives at the controller means at substantially the same time.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for storing further comprises information for determining the location coordinates of the communication device, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device.