Customer Premises Equipment Configured to Place Emergency Calls Using Data Networks

• US 20090214001A1
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schwartz, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 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 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network

Abstract

Customer premises equipment may include a memory, a modem/router, and a communications device at a customer premises. The memory may be configured to store an address for a public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises. The modem/router may be configured to provide a data connection between the customer premises equipment at the customer premises and a data network. The communication device may be configured to detect a request for an emergency call being placed from the customer premises equipment, to retrieve the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises from the memory responsive to detecting the request for the emergency call, and to establish a voice communication through the modem/router between the customer premises equipment and the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises after retrieving the address for the public safety answering point.

Claims

1. Customer premises equipment at a customer premises, the customer premises equipment comprising:

a memory at the customer premises, wherein the memory is configured to store an address for a public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises;

a modem/router at the customer premises wherein the modem/router is configured to provide a data connection between the customer premises equipment at the customer premises and a data network;

a communication device at the customer premises and coupled to the modem/router, wherein the communications device is configured to detect a request for an emergency call being placed from the customer premises equipment, to retrieve the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises from the memory responsive to detecting the request for the emergency call, and to establish a voice communication through the modem/router between the customer premises equipment and the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises after retrieving the address for the public safety answering point.

2. Customer premises equipment according to claim 1 wherein establishing the voice communication comprises establishing the voice communication using the address retrieved from the memory at the customer premises.

3. Customer premises equipment according to claim 2 wherein establishing the voice communication comprises establishing the voice communication over the data connection between the customer premises equipment and the data network.

4. Customer premises equipment according to claim 2 wherein the voice communication between the customer premises equipment and the public safety answering point is established using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

5. Customer premises equipment according to claim 1 wherein establishing the voice communication comprises,

attempting to establish the voice communication over the data connection between the customer premises equipment and the data network, and

after attempting to establish the voice communication over the data connection, establishing the voice communication over a public switched telephone network line at the customer premises.

6. Customer premises equipment according to claim 1 wherein the communications device is further configured to provide a location of the customer premises to a public safety answering point directory database before detecting the request for the emergency call, to receive the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises at the customer premises equipment from the public safety answering point directory database over the data network, and to store the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises in the memory at the customer premises.

7. Customer premises equipment according to claim 6 wherein the communications device is further configured to accept user entry of the location of the customer premises at the customer premises equipment before providing the location of the customer premises.

8. Customer premises equipment according to claim 6 wherein the communications device is further configured to transmit a request for a location of the customer premises over the data network to a network location database before providing the location of the customer premises, and to receive the location of the customer premises at the customer premises equipment from the network location database over the data network.

9. Customer premises equipment according to claim 1 wherein the communications device is further configured to detect a request for a non-emergency call being placed from the customer premises equipment, and to establish a voice communication through the modem/router from the customer premises equipment over the data network responsive to detecting the request for the non-emergency call.

10. Customer premises equipment according to claim 1 wherein detecting the request for an emergency call comprises detecting an emergency code wherein the emergency code and the address for the public safety answering point are different.

11. Customer premises equipment at a customer premises, the customer premises equipment comprising:

a modem/router configured to provide a data connection between the customer premises equipment at the customer premises and a data network;

a communications device configured to provide a location of the customer premises to a public safety answering point directory database through the modem/router, to receive an address for a public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises at the customer premises equipment from the public safety answering point database over the data network through the modem/router, and to store the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises in memory at the customer premises.

12. Customer premises equipment according to claim 11 wherein the communications device is further configured to accept user entry of the location of the customer premises at the customer premises equipment before providing the location of the customer premises wherein providing the location comprises transmitting the location over the data network.

13. Customer premises equipment according to claim 12 wherein providing the location of the customer premises is initiated responsive to accepting user entry of the location of the customer premises.

14. Customer premises equipment according to claim 11 wherein the communications device is further configured to transmit a request for a location of the customer premises over the data network to a network location database before providing the location of the customer premises, and to receive the location of the customer premises at the customer premises equipment from the network location database over the data network.

15. Customer premises equipment according to claim 14 wherein the communications device is further configured to detect a disruption of the data connection followed by providing the data connection, wherein the request for the location of the customer premises is transmitted responsive to the disruption of the data connection followed by providing the data connection.

16. Customer premises equipment according to claim 11 wherein the communications device is further configured to detect a request for an emergency call being placed from the customer premises equipment, to retrieve the address for the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises from the memory at the customer premises responsive to detecting the request for the emergency call, and to establish a voice communication between the customer premises equipment and the public safety answering point corresponding to the customer premises using the address retrieved from the memory at the customer premises after retrieving the address for the public safety answering point.

17. Customer premises equipment according to claim 16 wherein establishing the voice communication comprises establishing the voice communication over the data connection between the customer premises equipment and the data network.

18. Customer premises equipment according to claim 16 wherein the voice communication between the customer premises equipment and the public safety answering point is established using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

19. Customer premises equipment according to claim 16 wherein detecting the request for an emergency call comprises detecting an emergency code wherein the emergency code and the address for the public safety answering point are different.

20. Customer premises equipment according to claim 11 wherein providing the location comprises providing a street address of the customer premises from the customer premises equipment to the public safety answering point directory database.