REAL-TIME OVER THE TOP 9-1-1 CALLER LOCATION DATA

• US 20160337831A1
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rave Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rave Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Piett, William Todd, Serra, Matthew A., Marceau, Brett Wilfred
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call. A computing device at a data store establishes a connection with a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP). The connection is established upon receipt of an emergency call at the computing device at the PSAP from a calling device via a first communications channel. The calling device is associated with a unique identifier. The computing device at the data store receives location data for the calling device, where the calling device streams the location data to the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call. The computing device at the data store makes the location data for the calling device available to the computing device at the PSAP using the unique identifier.

Claims

1. A computerized method of determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the method comprising

establishing, by a computing device at a data store, a connection with a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP), wherein the connection is established upon receipt of an emergency call at the computing device at the PSAP from a calling device via a first communications channel and wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier;

and

receiving, by the computing device at the data store, location data for the calling device, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call; and

making, by the computing device at the data store, the location data for the calling device available to the computing device at the PSAP using the unique identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising making, by the computing device at the data store, the location data for the calling device available to a remote computing device associated with emergency personnel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications channel is a public switched telephone network and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications channel includes at least in part a packet-based data network established for completing emergency calls, and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency call is initiated at the calling device by dialing an emergency number, by accessing an emergency function in a software application, upon expiration of a safety timer, or upon physical proximity of the calling device to an emergency event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device at the PSAP automatically retrieves the location data for the calling device from the computing device at the data store upon receipt of the emergency call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device at the data store automatically transmits the location data for the calling device to the computing device at the PSAP upon receiving the location data from the calling device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device at the data store sends a message to the calling device to request initiation of the location data streaming.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is sent to the calling device in response to the emergency call detected by the computing device at the PSAP.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is sent to the calling device when the calling device has terminated the location data streaming but the location data is still desired by the computing device at the PSAP.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking, by the computing device at the data store, movement of the calling device over time using the location data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location data includes data to estimate a location of the calling device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the data store, the calling device upon receiving streamed location data from the calling device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the data store, the computing device at the PSAP prior to making location data available to the computing device at the PSAP.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the data store, the remote computing device prior to making location data available to the remote computing device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining, by the computing device at the data store, the streamed location data with reference location data to improve the accuracy of the streamed location data.

17. A system for determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the system comprising a computing device at a data store that is configured to

establish a connection with a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP), wherein the connection is established upon receipt of an emergency call at the computing device at the PSAP from a calling device via a first communications channel and wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier;

and

receive location data for the calling device, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call; and

make the location data for the calling device available to the computing device at the PSAP using the unique identifier.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to make the location data for the calling device available to a remote computing device associated with emergency personnel.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first communications channel is a public switched telephone network and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first communications channel includes at least in part a packet-based data network established for completing emergency calls, and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the emergency call is initiated at the calling device by dialing an emergency number, by accessing an emergency function in a software application, upon expiration of a safety timer, or upon physical proximity of the calling device to an emergency event.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the PSAP automatically retrieves the location data for the calling device from the computing device at the data store upon receipt of the emergency call.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store automatically transmits the location data for the calling device to the computing device at the PSAP upon receiving the location data from the calling device.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store sends a message to the calling device to request initiation of the location data streaming.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the message is sent to the calling device in response to the emergency call detected by the computing device at the PSAP.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the message is sent to the calling device when the calling device has terminated the location data streaming but the location data is still desired by the computing device at the PSAP.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to track movement of the calling device over time using the location data.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the location data includes data to estimate a location of the calling device.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to authenticate the calling device upon receiving streamed location data from the calling device.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to authenticate the computing device at the PSAP prior to making location data available to the computing device at the PSAP.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to authenticate the remote computing device prior to making location data available to the remote computing device.

32. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to combine the streamed location data with reference location data to improve the accuracy of the streamed location data.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to

compare updated location data received from the calling device with previously-received location data;

and

automatically make the updated location data available to the computing device at the PSAP if the updated location data indicates one or more of a material change in the location of the calling device, an improvement in accuracy of the location of the calling device, or is more recent than the previously-received data.

34. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage device, for determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a computing device at a data store to

establish a connection with a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP), wherein the connection is established upon receipt of an emergency call at the computing device at the PSAP from a calling device via a first communications channel and wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier;

and

receive location data for the calling device, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call, and

make the location data for the calling device available to the computing device at the PSAP using the unique identifier.

35. A computerized method of determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the method comprising

receiving, by a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP), an emergency call from a calling device via a first communications channel, wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier;

and

retrieving, by the computing device at the PSAP, location data for the calling device from a computing device at a data store using the unique identifier, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the computing device at the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising displaying, by the computing device at the PSAP, a location of the calling device based upon the retrieved location data.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising making, by the computing device at the PSAP, the location data for the calling device available to a remote computing device associated with emergency personnel.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the first communications channel is a public switched telephone network and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the emergency call is initiated at the calling device by dialing an emergency number, by accessing an emergency function in a software application, upon expiration of a safety timer, or upon physical proximity of the calling device to an emergency event.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the computing device at the PSAP automatically retrieves the location data for the calling device from the computing device at data store upon receipt of the emergency call.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the computing device at the data store automatically transmits location data for the calling device to the computing device at the PSAP upon receiving the location data from the calling device.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein the computing device at the data store sends a message to the calling device to request initiation of the location data streaming.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the message is sent to the calling device in response to the emergency call detected by the computing device at the PSAP.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the message is sent to the calling device when the calling device has terminated the location data streaming but the location data is still desired by the computing device at the PSAP.

45. The method of claim 35, further comprising tracking, by the computing device at the PSAP, movement of the calling device over time using the location data.

46. The method of claim 35, wherein the location data includes data to estimate a location of the calling device.

47. The method of claim 35, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the data store, the calling device upon receiving streamed location data from the calling device.

48. The method of claim 35, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the data store, the computing device at the PSAP prior to making location data available to the computing device at the PSAP.

49. The method of claim 36, further comprising authenticating, by the computing device at the PSAP, the remote computing device prior to making location data available to the remote computing device.

50. The method of claim 35, further comprising combining, by the computing device at the PSAP, the streamed location data with reference location data to improve the accuracy of the streamed location data.

51. The method of claim 35, further comprising

comparing, by the computing device at the data store, updated location data received from the calling device with previously-received location data;

and

automatically make, by the computing device at the data store, the updated location data available to the computing device at the PSAP if the updated location data indicates one or more of a material change in the location of the calling device, an improvement in accuracy of the location of the calling device, or is more recent than the previously-received data.

52. A system for determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the system comprising

a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP);

a calling device coupled to the computing device at the PSAP via a first communications channel; and

a computing device at a data store coupled between the calling device and the computing device at the PSAP via a second communications channel;

the computing device at the PSAP configured to

receive an emergency call from a calling device via a first communications channel, wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier; and

retrieve location data for the calling device from the computing device at the data store using the unique identifier, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the computing device at the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is further configured to display a location of the calling device based upon the retrieved location data.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is further configured to make the location of the calling device available to a remote computing device associated with emergency personnel.

55. The system of claim 52, wherein the first communications channel is a public switched telephone network and the second communications channel is a packet-based data network.

56. The system of claim 52, wherein the emergency call is initiated at the calling device by dialing an emergency number, by accessing an emergency function in a software application, upon expiration of a safety timer, or upon physical proximity of the calling device to an emergency event.

57. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is configured to automatically retrieve the location data for the calling device from the computing device at the data store upon receipt of the emergency call.

58. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the data store is configured to automatically transmit location data for the calling device to the computing device at the PSAP upon receiving the location data from the calling device.

59. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the data store sends a message to the calling device to request initiation of the location data streaming.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein the message is sent to the calling device in response to the emergency call detected by the computing device at the PSAP.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein the message is sent to the calling device when the calling device has terminated the location data streaming but the location data is still desired by the computing device at the PSAP.

62. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is further configured to track movement of the calling device over time using the location data.

63. The system of claim 52, wherein the location data includes data to estimate a location of the calling device.

64. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to authenticate the calling device upon receiving streamed location data from the calling device.

65. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to authenticate the computing device at the PSAP prior to making location data available to the computing device at the PSAP.

66. The system of claim 53, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is further configured to authenticate the remote computing device prior to making location data available to the remote computing device.

67. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the PSAP is further configured to combine the streamed location data with reference location data to improve the accuracy of the streamed location data.

68. The system of claim 52, wherein the computing device at the data store is further configured to

compare updated location data received from the calling device with previously-received location data;

and

automatically make the updated location data available to the computing device at the PSAP if the updated location data indicates one or more of a material change in the location of the calling device, an improvement in accuracy of the location of the calling device, or is more recent than the previously-received data.

69. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage device, for determining and managing the location of a calling device during an emergency call, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a computing device at a public safety access point (PSAP) to

receive an emergency call from a calling device via a first communications channel, wherein the calling device is associated with a unique identifier;

and

retrieve location data for the calling device from a computing device at a data store using the unique identifier, wherein the calling device streams the location data to the computing device at the data store via a second communications channel upon initiation of the emergency call.