Systems and Methods for Providing Updated Mobile Station Location Estimates to Emergency Services Providers

• US 20120021716A1
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuller, Marvin U. Jr., Davis, John P. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A wireless communication system, including apparatuses and methods, for handling emergency calls from wireless communication devices to emergency services providers and for automatically providing updated location estimates for the wireless communication devices to during such emergency calls absent any request therefor. The updated location estimates are generally provided in response to a detected occurrence of a triggering event within the wireless communication system. In the exemplary embodiments, such triggering events include the passage of a pre-determined threshold period of time and the handover of an emergency call between cells or sectors of the wireless communication system in response to movement of the wireless communication device from which the emergency call is being made. Further, according to at least one exemplary embodiment, the wireless communication system may selectively limit the provision of updated location estimates based on whether movement of a wireless communication device is substantial or insubstantial.

Claims

1. A method, for processing an emergency call between a wireless communication device and a public safety answering point, comprising:

detecting, at a wireless communication network, whether a triggering event associated with the emergency call has occurred, wherein the triggering event includes handover of the emergency call from a first subdivision of the wireless communication network to a second subdivision of the wireless communication network; and

in response to detecting that the triggering event has occurred, determining whether a triggering condition associated with the emergency call is satisfied, wherein the triggering condition includes a current value of a previously-initiated count-up timer being greater than a pre-determined threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether the triggering condition is satisfied is performed in a determination step; and

the method further comprises, in response to determining that the triggering condition is not satisfied, returning to the determining step.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises initializing the count-up timer; and

detecting whether the triggering event has occurred is performed after initializing the count-up timer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, in response to determining that the triggering condition is satisfied, whether an automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled for the public safety answering point.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature, when enabled, provides for provisioning of updated location estimates to the public safety answering point automatically and not in response to a request for updated location estimate.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

initializing a count-up timer in an initializing step; and

returning to the initializing step in response to determining that the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has not been enabled for the public safety answering point.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, in response to determining that the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled for the public safety answering point:

obtaining updated location information for the wireless communication device; and

transmitting the updated location information to the public safety answering point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to (i) a time period and (ii) whether movement of the wireless communication device is substantial or unsubstantial.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to a time period related to a desired time frequency with which position updates should be provided to the public safety answering point.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to a value distinguishing between:

(I) insubstantial movement of the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless device is presumed to be moving rapidly in and out of subdivisions of the wireless communication network; and

(II) substantial movement of the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless device is presumed to not be moving rapidly in and out of subdivisions of the wireless communication network.

11. A method, for processing an emergency call between a wireless communication device and a public safety answering point, comprising:

determining whether an automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled; and

in response to determining that the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled, obtaining updated location information for the wireless communication device, including obtaining an estimated location of the wireless device;

wherein the estimated location includes a statistically-generated number corresponding to a number of meters from an intersection of an estimated latitude and an estimated longitude, the number of meters representing a distance within which the wireless device is likely to be present according to a pre-determined percentage of confidence.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting, at a wireless communication network, whether a triggering event associated with the emergency call has occurred, wherein the triggering event includes handover of the emergency call from a first subdivision of the wireless communication network to a second subdivision of the wireless communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, in response to detecting that the triggering event has occurred, whether a triggering condition associated with the emergency call is satisfied, wherein the triggering condition includes a current value of a previously-initialized count-up timer being greater than a pre-determined threshold value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled is performed in response to determining that the triggering condition is satisfied.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the updated location information to the public safety answering point, in response to (a) determining that the automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled and (b) obtaining updated location information for the wireless communication device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, in response to determining that the triggering condition is satisfied, whether an automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled for the public safety answering point.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to (i) a time period and (ii) whether movement of the wireless communication device is substantial or unsubstantial.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to at least:

detect, at a wireless communication network, whether a triggering event associated with an emergency call has occurred, wherein the triggering event includes handover of the emergency call from a first subdivision of the wireless communication network to a second subdivision of the wireless communication network; and

determine, in response to detecting that the triggering event has occurred, whether a triggering condition associated with the emergency call is satisfied, wherein the triggering condition includes a current value of a previously-initiated count-up timer being greater than a pre-determined threshold value, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to whether movement of the wireless communication device is substantial or unsubstantial.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the pre-determined threshold value corresponds to a value distinguishing between:

(I) insubstantial movement of the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless device is presumed to be moving rapidly in and out of subdivisions of the wireless communication network; and

(II) substantial movement of the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless device is presumed to not be moving rapidly in and out of subdivisions of the wireless communication network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine, in response to determining that the triggering condition is satisfied, whether an automatic provision of updated location estimates feature has been enabled for a public safety answering point.