Method and system for routing emergency communications

• US 20050243973A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Laliberte, Donald R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided to locate, route, and/or otherwise process an emergency communications signal from a VoIP communication device equipped with a location positioning system and an emergency communications computer software product. The software identifies an emergency communications address, activates the location positioning system, and communicates location coordinates and other emergency information with the emergency communications signal to a communications network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the following steps:

receiving a communications address from a voice-over internet protocol communications device;

associating the communications address with a database of at least one emergency communications address to determine if the communications address is an emergency communications address;

if the communications address is an emergency communications address, then;

using a positioning system to determine the location co-ordinates of the voice-over internet protocol communications device,

associating the location co-ordinates and an emergency communications profile with an emergency communications signal of the voice-over internet protocol communications device, the emergency communications profile including at least one of (1) emergency data, (2) an emergency data communications address for accessing the emergency data, and (3) at least one emergency communications address,

accessing the emergency data communications address and associating the emergency data with the emergency communications signal,

communicating the emergency communications signal to at least one communications network, wherein the communications network detects, decodes, and matches the location co-ordinates to a public safety access provider for the emergency communications address, and

connecting the emergency communications signal to the public safety answering point of the emergency communications address.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the emergency communications signal to at least one communications network comprises communicating the emergency communications signal to a telecommunications network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the emergency communications signal to at least one communications network comprises communicating the emergency communications signal to a data network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of connecting the emergency communications signal to the public safety answering point of the emergency communications address comprises connecting the emergency communications signal to an emergency telephonic communications address of the public safety answering point.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of connecting the emergency communications signal to the public safety answering point of the emergency communications address comprises connecting the emergency communications signal to an emergency internet protocol communications address of the public safety answering point.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the voice-over internet protocol device comprises at least one of a wireless communications device, a voice-over internet protocol phone, a computer, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, and a digital signal processor.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the emergency data communications address and associating the emergency data with the emergency communications signal comprises accessing a remote database and associating the emergency data stored on the remote database with the emergency communications signal.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if the emergency data is stored in a remote database, then associating the emergency communications signal with a communications link to access and retrieve the emergency data,

accessing and retrieving the remotely stored emergency data and associating the remotely stored emergency data with the emergency communications signal.

9. A communications system, comprising:

a communications device having a position locating system and an emergency communications module stored in memory, the emergency communications module accessing a database of emergency communications profile wherein the emergency profile comprises at least one of (1) an emergency service communications address, (2) emergency data, and (3) an emergency data communications address for accessing the emergency data; and

a communications interface having the means to communicate an emergency communication signal between the communications device and a communications network, wherein the emergency communication signal comprises at least (1) one location co-ordinate of the position locating system, (2) an emergency service communications address, (3) a communications signal, (4) the emergency data, and (5) the emergency data communications address for accessing the emergency data.

10. The communications system of claim 9, further comprising:

the communications network having the means to analyze the emergency communications signal to select a public safety answering point, and further having means to communicate the emergency communications signal to the selected public safety answering point.

11. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the communications interface comprises a voice and data switch, the voice and data switch establishing a communications connection with at least one of a telecommunications network and a data network.

12. The communications system of claim 11, the data network further communicating the emergency communications signal with the telecommunications network.

13. The communications system of claim 11, the telecommunications network further communicating the emergency communications signal with the data network.

14. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the communications interface comprises at least one of a wireless communications transceiver and a wired communications port.

15. The communications system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communications interface communicates communications signals, the communications signals comprising at least one of:

voice-over internet protocol telephone frequencies, cellular telephone frequencies, satellite telephone frequencies, 2.4-2.5 GHz, infrared frequencies.

16. The communications system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communications interface communicates communications signals, the communications signals further comprising any frequency signal in the electromagnetic spectrum.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

an emergency communications module stored on the computer-readable medium, the emergency communications module detecting an emergency communications address, activating a positioning system to determine location co-ordinates, associating the location co-ordinates and an emergency communications profile with an emergency communications signal, and communicating the emergency communications signal to at least one communications network, the emergency communications profile including at least one of (1) emergency data, (2) an emergency data communications address, and (3) at least one emergency communications address.

18. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable medium is stored in a voice-over internet protocol wireless communications device.

19. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable medium is stored in a computer system.