VoIP 911 address locator service

• US 20070147345A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lowmaster, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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

Abstract

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device and method of operation of the VoIP device are provided. A local telephone number serving a location of the VoIP device is stored in a database of a VoIP service provider. A fixed address is associated with the local telephone number. The local telephone number is provided to an Automatic Location Information database associated with an emergency response system.

Claims

1. A method for providing location information of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device, the method comprising:

storing a local telephone number serving a location of the VoIP device in a database of a VoIP service provider, the local telephone number having a fixed address associated therewith; and

providing the local telephone number to an Automatic Location Information (ALI) database associated with an emergency response system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the local telephone number into a memory of the VoIP device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the local telephone number is stored after the local telephone number has been entered using at least one of the VoIP device or a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the VoIP device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address stored in the VoIP service provider database, and

when the VoIP device has been moved to the new location, storing a new local telephone number of the different fixed address into at least one of the VoIP service provider database or in a memory of the VoIP device, and providing the new local telephone number to the ALI database.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, when the VoIP device has been moved, displaying the new local telephone number and requesting confirmation that the new local telephone number is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the fixed address from a reverse lookup directory using the local telephone number.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, in at least one of the VoIP service provider database or in a memory of the VoIP device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, on at least one of a display of the VoIP device or on a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising when the VoIP device has been moved, storing the new local telephone number and the different fixed address in at least one of the VoIP service provider database or the VoIP device memory.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

entering the new local telephone number and the different address using at least one of the VoIP device or a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider;

displaying the new local telephone number and the different address; and

requesting confirmation that at least one of the new local telephone number and the different address is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number and the different address in the VoIP service provider database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the stored telephone number;

determining whether the fixed address entered matches the look up address; and

when the fixed address matches the look up address, using the fixed address as the fixed address stored in the VoIP service provider database, and when the fixed address does not match the look up address, storing the look up address as the fixed address in the VoIP service provider database.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising when the fixed address does not match the look up address, displaying the look up address on at least one of a display of the VoIP device or the specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the local telephone number to the ALI database when an emergency number is called using the VoIP device.

14. A computer readable medium containing instructions for providing location information of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device, the computer readable medium comprising:

a routine for storing a local telephone number serving a location of the VoIP device into a database of the VoIP service provider, the local telephone number having a fixed address associated therewith; and

a routine for providing the local telephone number to an Automatic Location Information (ALI) database associated with an emergency response system.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the routine for providing the local telephone number to the ALI database comprises a routine for providing the local telephone number to the ALI database when an emergency number is called using the VoIP device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a routine for storing the local telephone number into a memory of the VoIP device.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the local telephone number is stored after the local telephone has been entered using at least one of the VoIP device or a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a routine for determining whether the VoIP device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address stored in the VoIP service provider database, and:

when the VoIP device has been moved to the new location, a routine for storing a new local telephone number of the different fixed address in the VoIP service provider database and a routine for providing the new local telephone number to the ALI database.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising, when the VoIP device has been moved, a routine for displaying the new local telephone number and a routine for requesting confirmation that the new local telephone number is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a routine for determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the local telephone number.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising a routine for storing the look up address in at least one of the VoIP service provider database or in a memory of the VoIP device.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, further comprising a routine for displaying the look up address on at least one of a display of the VoIP device or on a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising when the VoIP device has been moved, a routine for storing the new local telephone number and the different fixed address in the VoIP service provider database.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, further comprising:

a routine for accepting the new local telephone number and the different address entered using at least one of the VoIP device or a specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider;

a routine for displaying the new local telephone number and the different address; and

a routine for requesting confirmation that at least one of the new local telephone number and the different address is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number and the different address in the VoIP service provider database.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

a routine for determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the stored telephone number;

a routine for determining whether the fixed address entered matches the look up address; and

when the fixed address matches the look up address, a routine for using the fixed address as the fixed address stored in the VoIP service provider database, and when the fixed address does not match the look up address, a routine for storing the look up address as the fixed address in the VoIP service provider database.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, further comprising when the fixed address does not match the look up address, a routine for displaying the look up address on at least one of a display of the VoIP device or the specific end user web page of the VoIP service provider.

27. A method for obtaining location information from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device, the method comprising:

obtaining a local telephone number associated with the VoIP device from a database of a VoIP service provider, the local telephone number having a fixed address associated therewith; and

providing the local telephone number to an Automatic Location Information (ALI) database associated with an emergency response system.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising displaying the fixed address and the local telephone number to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) agent when an emergency number is called using the VoIP device.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising when the VoIP device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address, obtaining a new local telephone number of the different fixed address from at least one of the VoIP service provider database or a memory of the VoIP device when an emergency number is called and providing the local telephone number to the ALI database associated with the emergency response system.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising confirming the local telephone number is correct for the VoIP device prior to providing the local telephone number to the ALI database.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining the fixed address using the local telephone.