Method and system for setting up emergency services calls to an emergency services network

• US 7,437,143 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Williams, Stephen Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, SHANNON
• Application Number:
  US11/064,368
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/521, 455/404.2, 455/455, 455/426
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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 method and system for setting up an emergency services call (ESC) to an emergency services network (ESN), where the method involves receiving a request to set up an ESC between a calling device and an ESN, determining whether the calling device is a fixed device or a mobile device, setting up the ESC to a wireless telephone number of the ESN if the calling device is a fixed device, and setting up the ESC to a wireless telephone number of the ESN if the calling device is a mobile device. In the case of the calling device being a fixed device, an ESC conversation is sent to the wireless telephone number of the ESN via a wireless air interface, and location determination information for determining the location of the calling device is sent to a landline signaling interface of the ESN using out-of-band signaling.

Claims

1. A method for setting up an emergency services call (ESC), the method comprising:

receiving a request to set up an ESC, wherein the received request comprises a request to set up an ESC between a wireless communication device that originates the request and an emergency services network (ESN) that services a location where the wireless communication device is located;

making a determination of whether the wireless communication device is a mobile wireless communication device or a fixed wireless communication device;

if the determination is that the wireless communication device is a fixed wireless communication device, then setting up the ESC to a wireless telephone number at the ESN; and

if the determination is that the wireless communication device is a mobile wireless communication device, then setting up the ESC to a landline telephone number at the ESN.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ESN has a plurality of wireless telephone numbers, wherein setting up the ESC to the wireless telephone number involves (i) setting up the ESC to a given one of the plurality of wireless telephone numbers, and (ii) if setting up the ESC to the given one of the plurality of wireless telephone numbers is not successful, then setting up the ESC to another one of the plurality of wireless telephone numbers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein setting up the ESC to the wireless telephone numbers involves sequentially attempting to set up the ESC to wireless telephone numbers of the plurality of wireless telephone numbers until a successful connection is established.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a location correlator that correlates the ESC to the location of the device; and

communicating the location correlator to the ESN for use in determining the location of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating the location correlator to the ESN involves transmitting the location correlator to the ESN as caller-identification information for the ESC.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the location correlator is selected from the group consisting of (i) an emergency services routing key, and (ii) automatic number identification data.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating the location correlator to the ESN involves:

associating the location correlator with the wireless telephone number at the ESN; and

transmitting the location correlator and the wireless telephone number to the ESN using out-of-band signaling.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the location correlator is selected from the group consisting of (i) an emergency services routing key, and (ii) automatic number identification data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the wherein the out-of-band signaling comprises signaling selected from the group consisting of (i) Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) signaling, and (ii) Session Initiation Protocol for Telephones (SIP-T) signaling.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein setting up the ESC to the wireless telephone number involves:

paging the ESN over an air-interface paging channel;

directing a base station controller to assign an air interface traffic channel for use by the ESN; and

connecting the ESC to the ESN over the assigned air interface traffic channel.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the device is a mobile device or a fixed device comprises (i) requesting a remote apparatus to determine whether the device is mobile or fixed, and (ii) responsively receiving, from the remote apparatus, a response indicating whether the device is mobile or fixed.

12. An emergency services network (ESN) that routes an emergency services call (ESC), placed by a wireless communication device, to a given agent station of the ESN, the ESN comprising:

a wireless telephone interface that is assigned a wireless telephone number, wherein the wireless telephone interface is operable to receive an ESC from a wireless network switch via an air interface;

an ESN switch that is assigned a landline telephone number, wherein the ESN switch connects to the wireless network switch via a first wired connection and to the wireless telephone interface via a second wired connection, and wherein the ESN switch is operable to receive an ESC from the wireless network switch via the first wired connection;

one or more agent stations; and

a call distribution processor,

wherein the wireless network switch receives a particular ESC placed by a wireless communication device and determines whether the wireless communication device that placed the particular ESC is a fixed wireless communication device or a mobile wireless communication device,

wherein if the wireless network switch determines that the wireless communication device is a fixed wireless communication device, then the ESN receives the particular ESC at the wireless telephone interface,

wherein if the wireless network switch determines that the wireless communication device that placed the particular ESC is a mobile wireless communication device, then the ESN receives the particular ESC at the ESN switch via the wired connection to the wireless network switch, and

wherein the call distribution processor routes the particular ESC from the wireless telephone interface or the ESN switch to a given agent station of the one or more agent stations.

13. The emergency services network of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more other wireless telephone interfaces each assigned a respective wireless telephone number, wherein each of the one or more other wireless telephone interfaces is available for setting up a respective emergency services call with a respective wireless communication device.

14. The emergency services network of claim 13, wherein the wireless telephone interface and the one or more other wireless telephone interfaces are coupled to a common antenna.

15. The emergency services network of claim 12, further comprising:

a signaling interface operable to receive call setup information associated with the particular ESC and to provide the received call setup information to the call distribution processor,

wherein the call distribution processor (i) queries a location-determination platform to determine, based on the received call setup information, a location of the wireless communication device that placed the particular ESC, (ii) receives from the location-determination platform a message that indicates the location of the wireless communication device, and (iii) thereafter passes the location of the device to the given agent station.

16. The emergency services network of claim 15, wherein the call setup information is received, at the signaling interface, in the form of a signal selected from the group consisting of (i) a signaling system no. 7 (SS7) signal, and (ii) a session initiation protocol for telephones (SIP-T) signal.

17. The emergency services network of claim 15, wherein the call setup information comprises an emergency services routing key.

18. The emergency services network of claim 12, wherein the ESN switch connects to the wireless telephone interface via a digital signal zero (DSO) link.

19. The emergency services network of claim 12,

wherein the ESN switch interfaces to an Internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the ESN switch (i) sends to a location-determination platform via the IP network a request to determine a location of the wireless communication device that placed the ESC, and (ii) receives from the location-determination platform a message that indicates the location of the wireless communication device, and

wherein the location of the device is passed to the given agent station.

20. The emergency services network of claim 12, wherein the wireless network switch comprises a mobile switching center and a base station controller.