Method for communicating indoor location to an emergency service system

• US 7,991,382 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gunasekara, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisner; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/937,292
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method for communicating location to an emergency service system. A wireless communication device (WCD) such as a cell phone attains a GPS location fix when outdoors and then uses a compass and pedometer to determine its direction(s) and distance(s) of travel reaching a position inside a building. When a user of the WCD places an emergency call, the WCD conveys an indication of its indoor location in a signaling message to an emergency service center, and an intermediation system such as an IMS system translates the indoor location indication to a textual description of a portion of the building (e.g., room, cubicle, zone, etc.) that encompasses the indicated location. An emergency service operator can thus receive the building portion description, to facilitate emergency service response. Further, a similar process can then be repeated during the call, to provide an updated building portion description to the operator.

Claims

1. A method of conveying location of a cellular wireless communication device (WCD) to an emergency service system comprising a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), the WCD including a GPS receiver, a compass, a pedometer, and a wireless transceiver, the method comprising:

the WCD applying the GPS receiver to receive GPS satellite signals, and the WCD using the received signals to determine GPS location coordinates of the WCD;

the WCD thereafter entering a building and detecting that the WCD is unable to receive GPS satellite signals, and, responsive to being unable to receive GPS satellite signals, the WCD then using the compass and pedometer to establish at least one direction of travel of the WCD and at least one distance of travel of the WCD;

while in the building, the WCD receiving a user request to initiate an emergency service call, and the WCD responsively using the wireless transceiver to transmit via an air interface and radio access network serving the WCD, into a packet-switched network, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INVITE message carrying (a) the GPS location coordinates and (b) indications of the at least one determined direction of travel of the WCD and the at least one determined distance of travel of the WCD;

a network server (i) receiving the transmitted SIP INVITE message, (ii) reading the GPS location coordinates and indications of at least one determined direction of travel and at least one determined distance of travel from the SIP INVITE message, (iii) using the at least one determined direction of travel and at least one determined distance of travel to update the GPS location coordinates so as to establish indoor location coordinates, (iv) referencing mapping data to translate the indoor location coordinates into a building portion descriptor that describes a portion of a building where the indoor location coordinates reside in the building, and (v) transmitting the SIP INVITE message, including the building portion descriptor, along to the emergency service system,

wherein the SIP INVITE message invokes establishment of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) session between the PSAP and the WCD,

whereby building portion descriptor is presented to a human PSAP operator and thereby facilitates emergency response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the GPS receiver to receive the GPS satellite signals and using the received signals to determine GPS location coordinates of the WCD is an instance of the WCD periodically attaining of GPS location fix.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPS location coordinates comprise latitude and longitude coordinates, and wherein the updated location coordinates comprise latitude and longitude coordinates.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the WCD generating the SIP INVITE message carrying the UPS location coordinates and indications of the at least one determined direction of travel of the WCD and the at least one determined distance of travel of the WCD.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the SIP INVITE message passing to an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Call Session Control Function (CSCF) and thereafter to the network server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the RTP session, while the WCD is still in the building:

the WCD using the compass and pedometer to establish at least one further direction of travel of the WCD and at least one further distance of travel of the WCD;

the WCD using the wireless transceiver to transmit via the air interface and radio access network serving the WCD, into the packet-switched network, a SIP UPDATE message carrying the at least one further direction of travel and at least one further distance of travel;

the network server (i) receiving the transmitted SIP UPDATE message, (ii) reading the at least one further direction of travel and at least one further distance of travel from the SIP UPDATE message, (iii) using the at least one further direction of travel and at least one further distance of travel to update the indoor location coordinates so as to establish updated indoor location coordinates, (iv) referencing the mapping data to translate the updated indoor location coordinates into an updated building portion descriptor, and (v) transmitting the SIP UPDATE message, including the updated building portion descriptor, along to the emergency service system,

wherein the updated building portion descriptor is presented to the human PSAP operator and thereby further facilitates emergency response.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising using Geographic Markup Language (GML) to provide the at least one further direction of travel and at least one further distance of travel in the SIP UPDATE message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining the mapping data at the network server, wherein the mapping data correlates location coordinates with building portion descriptors.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the building comprises a portion selected from the group consisting of a room and an office-cubicle.