Pooling numbers for E911 calls from unnamed endpoints

• US 7,127,044 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Chavez, David L., Becker, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US10/882,984
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/90.01, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• 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 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48

Abstract

A system for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider is provided. The system includes (a) an input 118 and 122 operable to receive, from a registered communication device 112 and 114, an emergency contact and (b) an agent 146 operable to (i) determine whether the communication device 112 and 114 has a corresponding assigned extension; (ii) when the communication device 112 and 114 has no corresponding assigned extension, assign, from a set 150 of unassigned extensions, an extension to the communication device 112 and 114; and (iii) forward at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension to emergency personnel.

Claims

1. A method for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider, comprising:

(a) receiving, from a registered communication device, an emergency contact;

(b) determining whether the communication device has a corresponding assigned extension;

(c) when the communication device has no corresponding assigned extension, assigning, from a set of unassigned extensions at least one of which is not an emergency location information number, an extension to the communication device, wherein the assigned extension is not an emergency location information number; and

(d) forwarding, to emergency personnel, at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step (b) is performed before the receiving step (a), wherein, after the assigning step (c) the features accessible by the communication device are limited to call origination and call answering, and wherein the assigned extension is not a Direct Inward Dialing extension.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) determining when a selected time interval has expired; and

(f) when the selected time interval has expired, unassigning the assigned extension from the communication device and returning the unassigned extension to the set of unassigned Sextensions, wherein the set of unassigned extensions are prohibited from being entered into an administration field.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

(g) initiating a timer to track the expiration of the selected time interval, wherein the timer is initiated when the current contact to the emergency personnel is terminated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the assigning step (c), the assigned extension is associated with a calling device identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the calling device identifier is at least one of a switch host name, a port number, Uniform Resource Identifier, an IP address, and a Media Access Control or MAC address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension is the assigned extension.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension is the extension different from the assigned extension.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the extension different from the assigned extension is an Emergency Location Information Number or a location identification number, wherein the communication device state is at least one of unmerged x-port, TTI station, dissassociated station, and unnamed registered station, and wherein, in response to the outgoing emergency contact, an incoming contact is received from emergency personel and the incoming contact is at least one of forwarded and bridged to the extension assigned in step (c).

10. The method of claim 1, after the contact with emergency personnel is terminated, further comprising:

(e) receiving an incoming contact from emergency personnel;

(f) when the incoming contact is received within a selected time after termination of the earlier contact, forwarding the incoming contact to the assigned extension.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device, after assignment of the extension, has the same Class of Restriction and/or call permissions as the communication device had immediately before the assignment.

12. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the steps of claim 1.

13. A logic circuit operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

14. A system for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider, comprising:

(a) an input operable to receive, from a registered communication device, an emergency contact; and

(b) an agent operable to (i) determine whether the communication device has a corresponding assigned extension;

(ii) when the communication device has no corresponding assigned extension, assign, from a set of unassigned extensions at least one of which is not an emergency location information numbers, an extension to the communication device; and

(iii) forward at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension to emergency personnel, wherein the assigned extension is not an emergency location information number.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent performs the determining operation before the receiving operation, wherein, after the assigning step (c) the features accessible by the communication device are limited to call origination and call answering, and wherein the assigned extension is not a Direct Inward Dialing extension.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent is further operable to (iv) determine when a selected time interval has expired and (v) when the selected time interval has expired, unassign the assigned extension from the communication device and return the unassigned extension to the set of unassigned extensions and wherein the set of unassigned extensions are prohibited from being entered into an administration field.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a timer to track the expiration of the selected time interval, wherein the timer is initiated when the current contact to the emergency personnel is terminated.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein, in the assigning operation, the agent associates the assigned extension with a calling device identifier.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the calling device identifier is at least one of a switch host name, a port number, Uniform Resource Identifier, an IP address, and a Media Access Control or MAC address.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension is the assigned extension.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the assigned extension and an extension different from the assigned extension is the extension different from the assigned extension.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the extension different from the assigned extension is an Emergency Location Information Number or a location identification number, wherein the communication device state is at least one of unmerged, x-port, TTI station, dissassociated station, and unnamed registered station, and wherein, in response to the outgoing emergency contact, an incoming contact is received from emergency personel and the incoming contact is at least one of forwarded and bridged to the extension assigned in step (c).

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent is further operable, after the contact with emergency personnel is terminated, to direct an incoming contact from emergency personnel to the assigned extension, when the incoming contact is received within a selected time after termination of the earlier contact and wherein the communication device, after assignment of the extension, has the same Class of Restriction and/or call permissions as the communication device had immediately before the assignment.

24. A method for providing emergency location information to an emergency service provider, comprising:

(a) first receiving, from a registered communication device, an emergency contact;

(b) second determining whether the communication device has a corresponding assigned extension;

(c) when the communication device has no corresponding assigned extension, assigning, from a set of unassigned extensions at least one of which is not an emergency location information number, an extension to the communication device, wherein the assigned extension is not an emergency location information number;

(d) forwarding, to emergency personnel, emergency location information number corresponding to the location of the communication device;

(e) initiating a timer to track the expiration of the selected time interval, wherein the timer is initiated when the current contact to the emergency personnel is terminated;

(f) determining when a selected time interval has expired; and

(g) when the selected time interval has expired, unassigning the assigned extension from the communication device and returning the unassigned extension to the set of unassigned extensions, wherein the set of unassigned extensions are prohibited from being entered into an administration field, wherein the communication device state is at least one of unmerged, x-port, TTI station, dissassociated station, and unnamed registered station, wherein, when in response to the outgoing emergency contact an incoming contact is received from emergency personel, the incoming contact is at least one of forwarded and bridged to the assigned extension assigned, and wherein the communication device, after assignment of the extension, has at least one of the same or lower Class of Restriction and/or the same or fewer call permissions as the communication device had immediately before the assignment.