System & methods for providing location signals/indicators when 911 dialed

• US 20050169438A1
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Binning, Valerie
• Granted Patent: US 7,068,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses that operate with different communications devices, different users, and/or different communications networks to generate, enable, and/or transmit an Emergency Locator Signal to a communications address of the residential communications network. According to embodiments, the transmitted Emergency Locator Signal communicates with the residential communications network to identify a location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device (or alternate selected communications device) at a geographic location of an Emergency Communications Address. Thereafter, the location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device is communicated to emergency response personnel to better locate a victim in proximity to the calling party'"'"'s communications device.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a communications network for communicating a communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to an emergency response communications address, the communications network comprising an Emergency Locator DataServer for storing an Emergency Locator Profile;

an Emergency Locator Application communicating with the communications network, the Emergency Locator Application generating an Emergency Locator Signal, the Emergency Locator Signal comprising an identifier of a communications address of the residential communications network,

wherein the communications network communicates the Emergency Locator Signal to a residential communications network to identify a location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device at a geographic location of an Emergency Communications Address.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party'"'"'s communications device includes position locating transmission means.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communications network communicates the Emergency Locator Signal to a communications address in communication with the position locating transmission means, the Emergency Locator Signal activating the position locating transmission means.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the communications network communicates the Emergency Locator Signal to a communications address in communication with the position locating transmission means, the Emergency Locator Signal deactivating the position locating transmission means.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the communications network communicates the Emergency Locator Signal to a communications address in communication with the position locating transmission means, the Emergency Locator Signal further controlling the position locating transmission means.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the position locating transmission means comprises a Global Positioning System, the Global Positioning System communicating with an emergency response positioning system to identify the location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device at the geographic location of the Emergency Communications Address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network, a mobile switching telephone communications network, and a satellite communications network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprising a world wide electronic data communications network having an emergency Locator user interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the Emergency Locator Profile comprises at least one of (i) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (ii) the communications address of the residential communications network, (iii) a communications device associated with the communications address of the residential communications network, (iv) an identifier of a house location of the communications device, (v) a parameter for activating position locating transmission means of the communications device, (vi) a parameter for deactivating position locating transmission means, and (vii) a parameter for monitoring the position locating transmission means.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the calling party'"'"'s communications device comprises the communications device associated with the communications address of the residential communications network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party'"'"'s communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

12. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

an Emergency Locator Module stored on the computer-readable medium, the Emergency Locator Module stored in a memory device, the Emergency Locator Module generating an Emergency Locator Signal and initiating communication of the Emergency Locator Signal to a communications address of the residential communications network, wherein the Emergency Locator Signal communicates with the residential communications network to identify a location of a calling party'"'"'s communications device at a geographic location of an Emergency Communications Address.

13. A communications method, comprising:

processing an incoming communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to an emergency response communications address;

associating at least one of an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal and an enhanced emergency response identification signal with the incoming communications signal;

associating an Emergency Locator Profile with the at least one of an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal and an enhanced emergency response identification signal; and

generating a Emergency Locator Signal,

wherein the Emergency Locator Signal communicates with a residential communications network to identify a location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device at a geographic location of an Emergency Communications Address.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

using at least one of the Emergency Locator Profile, an instruction transmitted from the calling party'"'"'s communications device, and an instruction transmitted from the emergency response communications address to generate the Emergency Locator Signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the Emergency Locator Profile comprises at least one of (i) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (ii) the communications address of the residential communications network, (iii) a communications device associated with the communications address of the residential communications network, (iv) an identifier of a house location of the communications device, (v) a parameter for activating position locating transmission means of the communications device, (vi) a parameter for deactivating position locating transmission means, and (vii) a parameter for monitoring the position locating transmission means.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

communicating the Emergency Locator Signal to the communications address of the residential communications network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of:

communicating the identifier of the house location of the communications device to the communications network; and

communicating the identifier of the house location of the communciatinos device to the emergency response communications address.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of:

activating the position locating transmission means of the communications device;

associating the transmitted position location transmission means with a residential room location of the communications device;

communicating the residential room location of the communications device to the communications network; and

communicating the residential room location of the communciations device to the emergency response communications address.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising at least one of:

deactivating the position location transmission means; and

monitoring the position location transmission means.

20. An emergency locator communications method, comprising:

receiving a communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to a communications network; and

using the communication signal to generate an Emergency Locator Signal, the Emergency Locator Signal comprising at least one of (i) an originating communications address associated with a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (ii) the communications address of the residential communications network, (iii) a communications device associated with the communications address of the residential communications network, (iv) an identifier of a house location of the communications device, (v) a parameter for activating position locating transmission means of the communications device, (vi) a parameter for deactivating position locating transmission means, and (vii) a parameter for monitoring the position locating transmission means,

wherein the Emergency Locator Signal communicates with a residential communications network to identify a location of the calling party'"'"'s communications device at a geographic location of an Emergency Communications Address, and

wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network and a mobile switching telephone communications network.