Mapping of IP phones for E911

• US 7,706,356 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sporel, Eric R., Olshansky, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US11/318,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.13, 379/88.21, 379/93.03, 379/45, 379/106.01, 379/201.06, 379/201.1, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 455/456.5, 709/224
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A system including a first network configured to receive IP device data from an IP device and to provide one or more IP addresses of the IP device based on the IP device data; a second network comprising: a second network location database configured to store physical location information, and a second network location server configured to receive the one or more IP addresses of the IP device from the first network, and query the second network location database to determine physical location information of the IP device based on the one or more IP addresses.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first network configured to receive IP device data from an IP device and to provide a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the IP device based on the IP device data, wherein the plurality of IP addresses includes an internal IP address internal to the first network and an external IP address external to the first network, the first network comprising;

a first network location server configured to determine whether the IP device has changed its location based on the plurality of IP addresses; and

a second network comprising;

a second network location database configured to store physical location information, and

a second network location server configured to receive, from the first network, the plurality of IP addresses of the IP device based on the determination by the first network location server, and query the second network location database to determine physical location information of the IP device based on the internal IP address or the external IP address, wherein the physical location information of the IP device is provided to a service bureau, which is external to both the first network and the second network, for storage.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network location server is configured to receive the physical location information from the second network location server and update the first network location database based on the physical location information.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a switch configured to provide communications between the first network and the second network, wherein the second network location server determines the location of the IP device based on the location of the switch.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a router configured to provide communications between the first network and the second network, wherein the second network location server determines the location of the IP device based on the location of the router.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second network is one of an enterprise based network or a broadband access network.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of an IP device from a first network, wherein the first network includes a first network location server and wherein the plurality of IP addresses includes an internal IP address internal to the first network and an external IP address external to the first network;

querying a location database using the plurality of IP addresses;

receiving location information from the location database, wherein the location information correlates to the internal IP address or the external IP address;

determining whether physical location of the IP device can be identified based on the location information; and

transmitting the location information for updating the location information stored at a service bureau, which is external to the first network.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting the physical location of the IP device to the first network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first network forwards the location of the IP device to a service bureau.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the querying a location database includes providing the internal IP address or the external IP address of the IP device to the location database.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving location information includes receiving the location of a switch from the location database, wherein the switch correlates to the internal IP address or the external IP address of the IP device for determining the physical location of the IP device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the location information is the physical location of the IP device.

12. A method for updating location information of an IP device at a first network, the method comprising:

receiving IP device data information from the IP device, the IP device data including registration information and a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, wherein the plurality of IP addresses includes an internal IP address internal to the first network and an external IP address external to the first network;

determining whether the IP device has changed locations based on the plurality of IP addresses;

transmitting at least one IP address of the plurality of IP addresses to a second network having a network location server when the IP device has changed locations, wherein the at least one IP address of the plurality of IP addresses correlates to a network location of the IP device and the received registration information;

receiving location information from the network location server, wherein the location information correlates to the internal IP address or the external IP address associated with the IP device and assists in determining a current physical location of the IP device; and

communicating the location information to a service bureau, which is external to both the first network and the second network, for updating the location information of the IP device stored at the service bureau.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving location information includes receiving switch information from the network, wherein the switch information assists in determining the location of the IP device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information is a physical location of a switch or a router.

15. A system including a first network and a second network, the system comprising:

a second network location database configured to store physical location information correlated to network location information;

a second network location server connected to the second network location database and the first network having a first network location server, the second network location server configured to receive a plurality of IP addresses of an IP device from the first network wherein the plurality of IP addresses includes an internal IP address internal to the first network and an external IP address external to the first network, supply the internal IP address or the external IP address to the second network location database, receive location information from the second network location database wherein the location information includes physical location information of the IP device, determine whether the physical location of the IP device can be identified based on the location information, and communicate with the first network location server based on the determination so that the first network location server can assist in locating the IP device, and

wherein the location information is used for updating the location information stored at a service bureau, which is external to both the first network and the second network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the location information includes at least one of:

physical location and identity of a switch, or a physical location and identity of a router.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the location information includes an emergency number identifier.