EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE CALLING FOR VOICE OVER IP COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

• US 20100172345A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VoIP-Pal.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digifonica (International) Limited (VoIP-Pal.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bjorsell, Johan Emil Viktor, Sobolyev, Maksym
• Granted Patent: US 8,537,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42331 Direct inward dialling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• 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

In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a process for handling emergency calls from a caller in a voice over IP system. The process involves receiving a routing request message including a caller identifier and a callee identifier. The process also involves setting an emergency call flag active in response to the callee identifier matching an emergency call identifier pre-associated with the caller. The process further involves producing an emergency response center identifier in response to the emergency call identifier. The process also involves determining whether the caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated direct inward dialing (DID) identifier. The process further involves producing a direct inward dialing (DID) identifier for the caller by associating a temporary DID identifier with the caller identifier when the emergency call flag is active and it is determined that the caller has no pre-associated DID. The process also involves producing a routing message including the emergency response center identifier and the temporary DID identifier for receipt by a routing controller operable to cause a route to be established between the caller and the emergency response center.

Claims

1. A process for handling emergency calls from a caller in a voice over IP system, the method comprising:

receiving a routing request message including a caller identifier and a callee identifier;

setting an emergency call flag active in response to said callee identifier matching an emergency call identifier pre-associated with the caller;

producing an emergency response center identifier in response to said emergency call identifier;

determining whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated direct inward dialing (DID) identifier;

producing a direct inward dialing (DID) identifier for said caller by associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier when said emergency call flag is active and it is determined that said caller has no pre-associated DID identifier;

producing a routing message including said emergency response center identifier and said temporary DID identifier for receipt by a routing controller operable to cause a route to be established between the caller and said emergency response center.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein setting said emergency call flag active comprises retrieving a dialing profile associated with the caller and setting said emergency call flag active when the contents of an emergency call identifier field of said dialing profile match said callee identifier.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein determining whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated DID identifier comprises searching a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and determining that said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when said record associating a DID identifier with said caller is found.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein associating a pre-assigned DID identifier with said caller identifier comprises copying said pre-associated DID identifier from said DID record to a DID identifier buffer.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein producing said routing message comprises causing the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

6. The process of claim 2 wherein determining whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated DID identifier comprises searching a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and determining that said caller identifier is not associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when a record associating a DID identifier with said caller is not found.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier comprises associating with said caller identifier a DID identifier from a pool of pre-determined DID identifiers.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein associating said DID identifier from said pool comprises associating a temporary DID record with said caller, said temporary DID record having a DID identifier field populated with said DID identifier from said pool.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein associating said DID identifier from said pool comprises copying said DID identifier from said temporary DID record to a DID identifier buffer.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein producing said routing message comprises causing the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

11. The process of claim 8 further comprising canceling said temporary DID record after a pre-defined period of time.

12. The process of claim 2 wherein producing said emergency response center identifier comprises obtaining an emergency response center identifier from an emergency response center field of said dialing profile associated with said caller.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein obtaining comprises copying an emergency response center identifier from said dialing profile associated with said caller to a routing message buffer such that the emergency response center identifier is included in the routing message.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein producing said routing message comprises causing said routing message to specify a maximum call time for said emergency call, said maximum call time exceeding a duration of an average non-emergency telephone call.

15. An apparatus for handling emergency calls from a caller in a voice over IP system, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a routing request message including a caller identifier and a callee identifier;

setting means for setting an emergency call flag active in response to said callee identifier matching an emergency call identifier pre-associated with the caller;

means for producing an emergency response center identifier in response to said emergency call identifier;

means for determining whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated direct inward dialing (DID) identifier; and

means for producing a direct inward dialing (DID) identifier for said caller including;

means for associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier in response to said emergency call flag being active and said caller not being pre-associated with a direct inward dialing identifier; and

means for producing a routing message including said emergency response center identifier and said temporary DID identifier or said pre-assigned DID identifier for receipt by a routing controller operable to cause a route to be established between the caller and said emergency response center.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for accessing a database of dialing profiles associated with respective subscribers to said system, each of said dialing profiles including an emergency call identifier field and an emergency call center field and wherein said setting means comprises means for retrieving a dialing profile associated with the caller and for setting said emergency call flag active when the contents of said emergency call identifier field of said dialing profile match said callee identifier.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising database accessing means for accessing a database including direct inward dialing (DID) records associated with at least some subscribers to said system, each of said direct inward dialing records comprising a system username and a direct inward dialing number, and wherein said determining means comprises searching means for a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and wherein said determining means is operably configured to determine that said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when said record associating a DID identifier with said caller is found.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a DID identifier buffer and wherein said means for associating a pre-assigned DID identifier with said caller identifier comprises means for copying said pre-associated DID identifier from said DID record to said DID identifier buffer.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said means for producing said routing message comprises means for causing the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising database accessing means for accessing a database including direct inward dialing records associated with at least some subscribers to said system, each of said direct inward dialing records comprising a system username and a direct inward dialing number and wherein said determining means comprises searching means for searching a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and wherein said determining means is operably configured to determine that said caller identifier is not associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when a record associating a DID identifier with said caller is not found.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising means for accessing a pool of pre-determined DID identifiers and wherein said means for associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier comprises means for associating a DID identifier from said pool of pre-determined DID identifiers with said caller identifier.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said means for associating said DID identifier from said pool comprises means for associating a temporary DID record with said caller, said temporary DID record having a DID identifier field populated with said DID identifier from said pool.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for associating comprises means for copying said DID identifier from said temporary DID record to a DID identifier buffer.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for producing said routing message comprises means for causing the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising means for canceling said temporary DID record after a period of time.

26. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said means for producing said emergency response center identifier comprises means for obtaining an emergency response center identifier from an emergency response center field of said dialing profile associated with said caller.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising a routing message buffer and wherein said means for obtaining comprises means for copying the contents of said emergency response center field of said dialing profile associated with said caller to the routing message buffer such that said contents of said emergency response center field are included in said routing message.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said means for producing said routing message comprises means for causing said routing message to include a maximum call time for said emergency call, said maximum call time exceeding a duration of an average non-emergency telephone call.

29. An apparatus for handling emergency calls from a caller in a voice over IP system, the apparatus comprising a processor circuit operably configured to:

receive a routing request message including a caller identifier and a callee identifier;

set an emergency call flag active in response to said callee identifier matching an emergency call identifier pre-associated with the caller;

produce an emergency response center identifier in response to said emergency call identifier;

determine whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated direct inward dialing (DID) identifier;

produce a direct inward dialing (DID) identifier for said caller by associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier when said emergency call flag is active and it is determined that said caller has no pre-associated DID identifier; and

produce a routing message including said emergency response center identifier and said temporary DID identifier for receipt by a routing controller operable to cause a route to be established between the caller and said emergency response center.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to retrieve a dialing profile associated with the caller and set said emergency call flag active when the contents of an emergency call identifier field of said dialing profile match said callee identifier.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to search a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and determine that said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when said record associating a DID identifier with said caller is found.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to copy said pre-associated DID identifier from said DID record to a DID identifier buffer.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to cause the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

34. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to search a database for a DID record associating a DID identifier with said caller and determine that said caller identifier is not associated with a pre-associated DID identifier when a record associating a DID identifier with said caller is not found.

35. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to associate with said caller identifier a DID identifier from a pool of pre-determined DID identifiers.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to associate a temporary DID record with the caller, said temporary DID record having a DID identifier field populated with said DID identifier from said pool.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to copy said DID identifier from said temporary DID record to a DID buffer.

38. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to cause the contents of said DID identifier buffer to define said DID identifier in said routing message.

39. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to cancel said temporary DID record after a period of time.

40. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to obtain an emergency response center identifier from an emergency response center field of said dialing profile associated with said caller.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 further comprising a routing message buffer and wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to copy an emergency response center identifier from said dialing profile associated with said caller to said routing message buffer such that said emergency response center identifier is included in said routing message.

42. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to cause said routing message to include a maximum call time for said emergency call, said maximum call time exceeding a duration of an average non-emergency telephone call.

43. A computer readable medium encoded with codes for directing a processor circuit to handle emergency calls from callers in a voice over IP system, said codes directing said processor circuit to:

receive a routing request message including a caller identifier and a callee identifier;

set an emergency call flag active in response to said callee identifier matching an emergency call identifier pre-associated with the caller;

produce an emergency response center identifier in response to said emergency call identifier;

determine whether said caller identifier is associated with a pre-associated direct inward dialing (DID) identifier;

produce a direct inward dialing (DID) identifier for said caller by associating a temporary DID identifier with said caller identifier when said emergency call flag is active and it is determined that said caller has no pre-associated DID identifier; and

produce a routing message including said emergency response center identifier and said temporary DID identifier for receipt by a routing controller operable to cause a route to be established between the caller and said emergency response center.