Arrangement for communicating between public safety answering points and an automatic location identifier database

• US 6,104,784 A
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Robbins, Christopher F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/174,365
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/49, 379/96, 379/142, 379/201, 379/207, 379/265, 379/266, 379/211, 379/127, 379/37, 379/94
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0457 Connection protocols

Abstract

Emergency service calls, such as 911 calls, are routed to specially trained operators at public service answering points (PSAPs). A PSAP switch, a special focus private branch exchange (PBX), is provided for interconnecting incoming PSAP calls to a PSAP position staffed by a PSAP operator. The PSAP position comprises a telephone facility for talking to the caller, and a PC for accessing and displaying data about the caller, i.e., the caller'"'"'s address, and any special characteristics such as a caller'"'"'s disability, etc. An ISDN, (Inte-grated Services Digital Network), line connects a tandem access switch used for routing PSAP calls with the PSAP switch. The ISDN facility is used for conveying information about the caller for display at the PC of the answering PSAP position. Advantageously, this arrangement provides an integrated system for communicating both the voice of the caller, and the data describing the caller to a PSAP operator. In order to use the ISDN facility for receiving the information about the caller, a multi-point capability of the ISDN facility is used to permit a PC to access the D-channel of the ISDN facility. Advantageously, no separate data facility is required for this purpose.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) service comprising:

a plurality of PSAP positions; and

a PSAP switch for connecting incoming emergency calls to one of said PSAP positions;

each PSAP position comprising at least one telephone station, and at least one PC (personal computer);

said telephone station for receiving a voice call;

said PC for receiving and displaying ALI (Automatic Line Identification data for said voice call;

said PSAP switch for receiving an ANI (automatic number identification), number for each incoming voice call;

one of said PCs for requesting ALI information for a received ANI number;

wherein at least one of said PCs is connected via an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) station to an ISDN facility, connecting said PSAP switch to an Access Tandem Switch for accessing an ALI database, by a multi-point capability for accessing a D-channel of said ISDN facility.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a local area network for interconnecting PCs of said PSAP switch, and for transmitting ALI data, from said at least one PC for receiving said ALI data, to a PC of an answering PSAP position;

wherein a D-channel of an ISDN connection between said PSAP switch and said tandem access switch carries ALI data received by said tandem access switch from said ALI database to said PSAP switch.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one PC is further for transmitting ALI data for incoming administrative calls to one of said PSAP positions.

4. A method of providing PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) service comprising the steps of:

receiving a PSAP call, including ANI (Automatic Number Identification) data, at an access tandem switch;

connecting said PSAP call to a PSAP switch comprising a plurality of PSAP positions, each PSAP position including a PC (Personal Computer) and a telephone station;

in said PSAP switch, offering said call to a plurality of PSAP positions;

transmitting said ANI data for said call to one of the PCs, the server CP, of said PSAP switch;

said server PC requesting ALI (Automatic Location Identifier) data corresponding to said ANI data;

an ALI database supplying said ALI data to said server PC;

responsive to receipt of an answer signal from one of said plurality of PSAP positions, connecting said PSAP call to the one PSAP position; and

transmitting said ALI data from said server PC to a PC of the connected answering PSAP position for display at that PC;

wherein the step of requesting said ALI data comprises the steps of;

transmitting said request from said server PC to a PC connected to an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) ISDN station; and

transmitting said request from said ISDN station to a multi-point facility for transmission over an ISDN line to an access tandem switch for accessing said ALI data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

receiving another call from a switch other than an access tandem switch; and

processing said other call in the same manner as said PSAP call, using said ANI data of said other call.