Emergency wireless location system including a wireless transceiver

• US 8,010,079 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Holding, Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: TruePosition Incorporated
• Inventors: Anderson, Robert J., Mia, Rashidus S., Ward, Matthew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/648,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-4566, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 379/45, 379/37, 379/67.1, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A wireless location system may include geolocation of a wireless device connected to Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) adapter. The VoIP adapter may include a wireless transceiver or a wireless location determining receiver that facilitates the location of a wireless device connected to the VoIP adapter. The wireless transceiver or the location determining receiver may provide location information to an emergency dispatcher.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use as a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) adaptor at a user location and in facilitating emergency services, comprising:

a first interface for communicating signals to and from a telephone;

a second interface for communicating signals to and from an Internet Protocol (IP) network;

a processor operatively coupled to said first and second interfaces; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium, operatively coupled to said processor, comprising instructions for causing the processor to detect a user'"'"'s initiation of an emergency call by said telephone, and automatically obtain location information and provide said location information to an emergency services operator, said instructions including at least one of (i) instructions for automatically obtaining location information when the apparatus is turned on, and (ii) instructions for automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected;

said instructions for providing said location information to an emergency services operator including instructions for connecting the emergency call to a PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) via the IP network with a Pseudo-ANI in place of the calling number;

said instructions for providing said location information to an emergency services operator further including instructions for providing location information including at least one of a calibrated offset and a computed offset.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said first interface is configured to interface to a single telephone.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said first interface is configured to interface to multiple telephones.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said first interface includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising instructions for mapping location information, including latitude and longitude information, to a street address, and for providing said street address to a PSAP.

6. A method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, comprising:

within an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver within said interface in response to the detection of said emergency call; and

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator, wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected;

wherein the step of providing said location information to an emergency services operator comprises connecting the emergency call to a PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) via the IP network with a Pseudo-ANI in place of the calling number while a parallel call setup is launched on a wireless network to provoke a location estimation by a commercial wireless network.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said interface is configured to interface to a single telephone.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said interface is configured to interface to multiple telephones.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said interface includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver for communication with a WLAN telephone.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising mapping location information, including latitude and longitude information, to a street address, and for providing said street address to a PSAP.

11. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein said interface comprises a first interface for communicating signals to and from said telephone;

a second interface for communicating signals to and from said IP network;

a wireless transceiver;

a processor operatively coupled to said wireless transceiver and to said first and second interfaces; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium, operatively coupled to said processor, comprising instructions for causing the processor to detect the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone, and to actuate the wireless transceiver in response to the detection of said emergency call.

12. A method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, comprising:

within an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver within said interface in response to the detection of said emergency call;

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator, wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected; and

providing location information including a calibrated offset.

13. A method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, comprising:

within an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver within said interface in response to the detection of said emergency call;

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator, wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected; and

providing location information including a computed offset.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, said method involving an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and comprising:

within said interface, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver in response to the detection of said emergency call; and

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator, wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected; and

wherein the step of providing said location information to an emergency services operator comprises connecting the emergency call to a PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) via the IP network with a Pseudo-ANI in place of the calling number while a parallel call setup is launched on a wireless network to provoke a location estimation by a commercial wireless network.

15. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said interface is configured to interface to a single telephone.

16. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said interface is configured to interface to multiple telephones.

17. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said interface includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver for communication with a WLAN telephone.

18. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, further comprising instructions for mapping location information, including latitude and longitude information, to a street address, and for providing said street address to a PSAP.

19. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer readable medium is contained within said interface, and said interface further comprises a first interface for communicating signals to and from said telephone;

a second interface for communicating signals to and from said IP network;

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor operatively coupled to said wireless transceiver and to said first and second interfaces.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, said method involving an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and comprising:

within said interface, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver in response to the detection of said emergency call;

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected; and

providing location information including a calibrated offset.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method for facilitating emergency services in connection with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call, said method involving an interface between a telephone and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and comprising:

within said interface, detecting the initiation of an emergency call by said telephone;

actuating a wireless transceiver in response to the detection of said emergency call;

automatically obtaining location information using said wireless transceiver and providing said location information to an emergency services operator wherein the step of automatically obtaining location information includes at least one of (i) automatically obtaining location information when the interface is turned on, and (ii) automatically obtaining location information when the emergency call is detected; and

providing location information including a computed offset.