Location information to identify known location for internet phone

• US 20080293432A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Craig C., Stewart, William Kam
• Application Number:
  US11/807,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20080293432A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A mobile phone includes the ability to place calls using a voice over Internet protocol. Location information is provided from the phone itself which can be used to identify the location of the mobile phone.

Claims

1. A mobile phone, comprising:

an audio circuit configured to receive and provide audio information;

a network transceiver configured to transfer data between the mobile phone and a network access point;

a global positioning circuit configured to provide information relating to a location of the mobile phone;

a processing circuit configured to

place a phone call, the phone call using the audio circuit to transfer voice data,

transfer voice data during the phone call to one or more of a multiplicity of network access points using the network transceiver, and

use data from the global positioning circuit to provide location information relating to the phone call to a remote device; and

a housing configured to contain the audio circuit, the network transceiver, and the processing circuit.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the housing has a volume of up to about 2550 cubic centimeters.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide location information for a limited set of calls.

4. The mobile phone of claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is configured to automatically provide location information during emergency calls.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit is sufficient to accurately identify a location of the mobile phone to within about 10 feet.

6. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit comprises information relating to a location of the mobile phone based on data from the global positioning circuit and data from an additional source.

7. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine the location of the mobile phone, and wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit includes the determined location.

8. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone does not include a cellular transceiver.

9. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to transfer voice data during the phone call to one or more of a multiplicity of network access points using an Internet Protocol.

10. A system using the mobile phone of claim 1, comprising:

the mobile phone;

the remote device, the remote device being a first remote device, the first remote device configured to receive location information from the mobile phone, process the location information, and provide location information to a second remote device in a format identifiable by the second remote device, the second remote device being remote from the mobile phone and the first remote device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information transferred from the mobile phone to the first remote device is not in a format identifiable by the second remote device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second remote device is configured to obtain location information relating to the location of the mobile phone from sources other than the mobile phone.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second remote device is configured to obtain location information relating to the location of the mobile phone from sources other than the mobile phone based on one or more access points used to place the phone call.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first remote device is configured to obtain location information relating to the location of the mobile phone from sources other than the mobile phone based on one or more cell towers usable accessible by a cellular transceiver contained within the housing of the mobile phone.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the second remote device is a part of an emergency contact system.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the second remote device is a mobile phone.

17. A mobile phone, comprising:

an audio circuit configured to receive and provide audio information;

a network transceiver configured to transfer data between the mobile phone and a network access point;

a processing circuit configured to

place a phone call, the phone call using the audio circuit to transfer voice data,

transfer voice data during the phone call to one or more of a multiplicity of network access points using the network transceiver, and

receive data relating to a location of the mobile phone, and

use the data relating to the location of the mobile phone to provide location information relating to the phone call to a remote device; and

a housing configured to contain the audio circuit, the network transceiver, and the processing circuit.

18. A mobile phone, comprising an audio circuit;

and a processing circuit having a voice over Internet Protocol mode that allows voice communication using the audio circuit, the voice over Internet Protocol mode allowing a user to roam, the processing circuit configured to provide location information relating to a location of the mobile phone to a remote device during a voice session established in the voice over Internet Protocol mode.

19. The mobile phone of claim 18, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide location information for a limited set of calls, and is configured to automatically provide location information during emergency calls.

20. The mobile phone of claim 18, wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit is sufficient to accurately identify a location of the mobile phone to within about 10 feet.

21. The mobile phone of claim 18, wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit comprises information relating to a location of the mobile phone based on data from a global positioning circuit of the mobile phone and data from an additional source.

22. The mobile phone of claim 18, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine the location of the mobile phone, and wherein the location information provided by the processing circuit includes the determined location.

23. The mobile phone of claim 18, wherein the mobile phone does not include a cellular transceiver.

24. A method for identifying the location of a phone communication using a voice over Internet protocol, comprising:

receiving a phone call from the mobile phone using a voice over Internet protocol; and

receiving location information from the mobile phone representative of the location of the mobile phone.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising identifying the location of the mobile phone using the location information received from the mobile phone, and sending location information based on the identified location.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein sending location information comprises sending location information to an emergency call service.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein identifying the location of the mobile phone comprises identifying the location of the mobile phone using information not received from the mobile phone.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein identifying the location of the mobile phone comprises identifying the location of the mobile phone primarily using information received from the mobile phone.

29. A method for placing an emergency call while a phone is in a voice over Internet protocol mode, comprising:

providing phone options in a voice over Internet protocol mode;

identifying a phone number to be dialed in the voice over Internet protocol mode as an emergency service phone number; and

dialing the phone number using a cellular transceiver based on the determination.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising identifying the location of the mobile phone in response to dialing the phone Number.