DETERMINING A LOCATION OF A DEVICE FOR CALLING VIA AN ACCESS POINT

• US 20150271855A1
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Livingood, Jason D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for determining a physical location for a voice over packet (VoP) device engaging in voice communication via an access point. Associations between one or more physical locations and access points may be stored in a profile associated with the VoP device or a user. If the VoP device is connected to a particular access point, the profile and associations may be used to determine a current physical location for the VoP device, and for voice communications involving the VoP device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a profile corresponding to a user, wherein the profile comprises associations between a plurality of physical locations and access points from which a voice over packet (VoP) device may participate in voice communications;

receiving, via a first access point and from the VoP device, a request for a requested voice communication, wherein the request comprises an identification of the first access point;

selecting, based on the profile and the identification of the first access point, one of the plurality of physical locations to associate with the requested voice communication; and

indicating the selected one of the plurality of physical locations as a current physical location of the VoP device for the requested voice communication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the request for the requested voice communication, determining that the VoP device has connected to the first access point;

determining, based on the profile, a determined physical location, of the plurality of physical locations, associated with the access point; and

prompting the user to confirm that the user is located at the determined physical location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the user is not located at the determined physical location, and in response, prompting the user to provide an updated physical location to be associated with the first access point for voice communication.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising updating the profile to comprise an association between the updated physical location and the first access point, and wherein the updated physical location is the selected one of the plurality of physical locations that is indicated as the current physical location of the VoP device for the requested voice communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical locations comprise street addresses.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification of the first access point is a network address of an access point via which the VoP device is connected to a network.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving spoken address information from the user, and conducting speech-to-text conversion on the spoken address information to obtain the updated physical location.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a request to provision a voice over packet (VoP) device for voice calling via an access point;

receiving, from the VoP device, a physical address to be associated with the VoP device for voice calling via the access point;

verifying the physical address; and

in response to verification of the physical address, provisioning the VoP device for voice calling via the access point, and storing, in a profile associated with the VoP device, information associating the physical address with the access point for voice calling by the VoP device via the access point.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing, in the profile associated with the VoP device, information identifying a plurality of access point identifiers associated with the VoP device, and for each access point identifier, an identification of an associated physical address for voice calling via the access point.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of access point identifiers comprises network addresses.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of access point identifiers comprises nicknames.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a request to provision the VoP device for voice calling via a second access point;

receiving, from the VoP device, a second physical address to be associated with the VoP device for voice calling via the second access point;

verifying the second physical address; and

in response to verification of the second physical address, provisioning the VoP device for voice calling via the second access point, and storing, in the profile associated with the VoP device, information associating the second physical address with the second access point for voice calling by the VoP device via the second access point.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the verifying the physical address further comprises prompting a user of the VoP device to confirm the physical address.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the verifying the physical address further comprises obtaining a trace route using a network address of the access point.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the verifying the physical address further comprises:

determining that the access point does not have an associated physical address in the profile associated with the VoP device; and

determining whether any hop in the trace route has an associated physical address in the profile.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, from a voice over packet (VoP) device, a first physical location entry received from the VoP device as an identification of a physical location of the VoP device for voice calls involving a wireless access point;

denying the first physical location entry in response to determining that the first physical location entry has an error;

receiving a second physical location entry from the VoP device;

confirming that the second physical location entry does not have an error; and

associating, in a profile associated with the VoP device, the second physical location entry with the VoP device for voice calls involving the wireless access point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the associating further comprises storing the second physical location entry in the profile, and wherein the profile associates, for a VoP device, a plurality of physical locations with a corresponding plurality of wireless network access points from which the VoP device may participate in voice calls.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the denying the first physical location entry is due to a user error in inputting the first physical location entry.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising associating a user-supplied nickname with the second physical location entry for voice calls involving the wireless access point.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first physical location entry comprises a street address.