Methods and systems for locating VOIP terminals for improved 911 service

• US 20070013516A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilkin, George, Freitag, Gregory, Zahn, David, Pfleging, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• 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: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Systems and methods are presented for providing updated VoIP terminal location information to emergency call service providers, in which RFID tags are positioned at various locations within an enterprise and coded with unique tag data. A database is provided with a mapping of RFID tag data and tag locations in the enterprise, and the VoIP phone terminals are equipped or otherwise connected with RFID tag readers. The VoIP phones read the tag data upon initiation of a 911 or other an emergency call and report the tag data to a network server that determines the VoIP phone location according to the tag data and provides the phone location to the emergency call service provider.

Claims

1. A method for determining the location of a voice-over-IP (VoIP) terminal for improved emergency call services, the method comprising:

reading RFID tag data from at least one RFID tag using an RFID reader operatively associated with the VoIP terminal; and

determining the VoIP terminal location based on RFID tag data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the VoIP terminal location to an emergency call service provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined and provided to the emergency call service provider when an emergency call is initiated from the VoIP terminal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined and provided to the emergency call service provider when the VoIP terminal is connected to a network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is read and the VoIP terminal location is determined when an emergency call is initiated from the VoIP terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is read and the VoIP terminal location is determined when the VoIP terminal is connected to a network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is read and the VoIP terminal location is determined when a network element requests the location of the VoIP terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the RFID tag data comprises reading RFID tag data from a plurality of RFID tags using the RFID reader of the VoIP terminal, and wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined based on the RFID tag data from the plurality of RFID tags.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising reading signal strengths for the plurality of RFID tags using the RFID reader of the VoIP terminal;

wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined based on the RFID tag data and the signal strengths read from the plurality of RFID tags.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a database with a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of RFID tags, each database entry including a globally unique ID (GUID) programmed in a given RFID tag and geographic location information indicating the location of the given RFID tag.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the VoIP terminal location based on RFID tag data comprises searching the database to find an entry having a GUID matching the RFID tag data and obtaining the geographic location information from the entry.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of RFID tags, individual RFID tags being programmed with geographic location information indicating the location of the RFID tag, wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined based on the location indicated by the RFID tag data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is read using an RFID reader integrated in the VoIP terminal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is read using an RFID reader integrated in a network structure connected to the VoIP terminal and to the network.

15. A method for providing a mapping of VoIP phone numbers and locations in an enterprise, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of RFID tags at different locations within an enterprise, the RFID tags being programmed with a globally unique ID (GUID);

providing a database with a plurality of entries corresponding to the plurality of RFID tags, each database entry including a globally unique ID (GUID) programmed in a given RFID tag and geographic location information indicating the location of the given RFID tag;

installing a plurality of VoIP terminals in the enterprise;

reading RFID tag data from at least one of the RFID tags using RFID readers of the VoIP terminals; and

determining the locations of the VoIP terminals in the enterprise based on the RFID tag data read by the VoIP terminals and based on the geographic location information in the database.

16. A system for determining the location of a voice-over-IP (VoIP) terminal in an enterprise, the system comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags located at different locations within the enterprise;

a VoIP terminal having means for reading RFID tag data from at least one of the RFID tags; and

means for determining the VoIP terminal location based on the RFID tag data.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for providing the VoIP terminal location to an emergency call service provider.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the VoIP terminal location is determined and provided to the emergency call service provider when an emergency call is initiated from the VoIP terminal, when the VoIP terminal is connected to a network, or when a network element requests the location of the VoIP terminal.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the VoIP terminal comprises means for reading RFID tag data and signal strengths from a plurality of RFID tags, and wherein the means for determining the VoIP terminal location determines the VoIP terminal location based on the RFID tag data and the signal strengths read from the plurality of RFID tags.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining the VoIP terminal location comprises a database with a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of RFID tags, each database entry including a globally unique ID (GUID) programmed in a given RFID tag and geographic location information indicating the location of the given RFID tag.

21. A VoIP terminal, comprising:

a network interface providing operative connection of the VoIP terminal to a network;

a telephone apparatus operative to provide telephone service to a user through the network;

means for reading RFID tag data from at least one of the RFID tags; and

means for providing the RFID tag data to a network element.

22. The VoIP terminal of claim 21, wherein the VoIP terminal reads the RFID tag data and provides the RFID tag data to the network element when an emergency call is initiated from the VoIP terminal, when the VoIP terminal is connected to a network, or when a network element requests the location of the VoIP terminal.