SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONTACT INFORMATION OF AN OUT OF AREA MOBILE DEVICE TO A REVERSE 911 DATABASE

• US 20100099376A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: RAY, AMAR N., Chakravarthy, Cadathur V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A system and method for registering the contact information of mobile devices with a service 911 service is presented. In one embodiment, a mobile switching center receives the contact information of a mobile device. If the mobile switching center determines that the mobile device is not located within a particular wireless sub-network, such as, but not limited to, a wireless sub-network associated with an area code registered to the mobile device, the mobile switching center generates a reverse 911 registration text message and transmits the reverse 911 registration text message to the mobile device. A user of the mobile device may then transmit the reverse 911 registration text message to a local reverse 911 database to have the contact information associated with the mobile device added to the local reverse 911 database.

Claims

1. A method for providing contact information associated with an out of area mobile device to a reverse 911 database, the method comprising:

receiving the contact information associated with a mobile device at a mobile switching center;

determining whether the mobile device is within a particular wireless sub-network;

responsive to the mobile device not being within the particular wireless sub-network, generating a text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database; and

transmitting the text message to the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device is added to the reverse 911 database in response to the reverse 911 database receiving the text message from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a local reverse 911 database contact information for communicating with the local reverse 911 database; and

incorporating the local reverse 911 database contact information in the text message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the local reverse 911 database contact information comprises determining an IP address of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the text message to the local reverse 911 database over an IP-based packet switching network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the local reverse 911 database contact information comprises determining a mobile directory number of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the text message to the local reverse 911 database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the contact information associated with the mobile device at the mobile switching center comprises acquiring a mobile directory number of the mobile device and an identifier associated with a base transceiver station communicating with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the mobile device is within the particular wireless sub-network comprises determining whether the mobile device is within a wireless sub-network of an area code associated with the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to the mobile device being within the particular wireless sub-network, terminating the method.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database includes incorporating a predefined text message, the contact information of the mobile device, and the local reverse 911 database contact information into the text message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically displaying the text message on a display of the mobile device in response to the mobile device receiving the text message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the text message in response to the user not responding to the text message within a specified period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the text message includes a request for additional user provided information.

12. A method for providing contact information associated with a mobile device to a reverse 911 database, the method comprising:

receiving, by the mobile device, a text message that includes the contact information associated with the mobile device and a calling number of a local reverse 911 database;

transmitting the text message to the local reverse 911 database in response to a user initiated send command to add the contact information associated with the mobile device to the local reverse 911 database; and

receiving reverse 911 alert messages that are sent using the local reverse 911 database.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, from a user of the mobile device, additional information to add to the text message prior to the user initiated send command.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving an acknowledgement that the contact information associated with the mobile device was successfully added to the local reverse 911 database.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the user initiated send command within a specified time period.

16. A data processing system comprising:

a memory in communication with a processing unit, the memory containing computer usable program code; and

the processing unit operable to execute the computer usable program code to;

receive the contact information associated with a mobile device at a mobile switching center;

determine whether the mobile device is within a particular wireless sub-network;

generate a text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database in response to the mobile device not being within the particular wireless sub-network; and

transmit the text message to the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device is added to the reverse 911 database in response to the reverse 911 database receiving the text message from the mobile device.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to:

determine a local reverse 911 database contact information for communicating with the local reverse 911 database; and

incorporate the local reverse 911 database contact information in the text message.

18. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine a mobile directory number of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the text message to the local reverse 911 database.

19. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine an IP address of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the text message to the local reverse 911 database over an IP-based packet switching network.

20. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine whether the mobile device is within a wireless sub-network of an area code associated with the mobile device.