Emergency call service termination

• US 8,060,056 B1
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zeller, Victoria L., Rozier, Hilah A., Freiermuth, Mark S., Walker, Sharon K., Hines, Thomas Edward III
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Timothy
• Application Number:
  US11/566,477
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 379/37
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A communication network comprises a device configured to place a call for an emergency service, a call processing system in communication with the device and configured to receive and process the call to route the call to a public service answering point (PSAP), initiate a location determination process, and terminate the call, and a location provisioning system configured to execute the location determination process to determine the location of the device, wherein the location provisioning system comprises a plurality of sub systems, and wherein the call processing system communicates with only a first sub system of the plurality of sub systems to initiate the location determination process and communicates with the first sub system and a second sub system of the plurality of sub systems to terminate the call.

Claims

1. A communication network comprising:

a device configured to place a call for an emergency service;

a call processing system in communication with the device and configured to receive and process the call to route the call to a public service answering point (PSAP), initiate a location determination process, and terminate the call;

a location provisioning system configured to execute the location determination process to determine a location of the device and provide an emergency service key for the call to the call processing system and the PSAP, wherein the location provisioning system comprises a plurality of redundant sub systems configured to determine the location of the device and share a pool of keys;

a first sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems configured to select a first key from the shared pool of keys to provide as the emergency service key, wherein the selection of the first key from the shared pool of keys restricts the first key from the shared pool of keys for subsequent use by the first sub system and a second sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems;

the call processing system configured to communicate with only the first sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems to initiate the location determination process and communicate with the first sub system and the second sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems to terminate the call; and

in response to the communication from the call processing system to terminate the call, the first sub system and the second sub system are configured to release the first key back into the shared pool of keys for subsequent use.

2. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the call processing system transfers a key request to the first sub system to initiate the location determination process and wherein the first sub system returns the first key to the call processing system in response to the key request and wherein the call processing system transfers the emergency service key to the PSAP.

3. The communication network of claim 2 wherein the PSAP queries the location provisioning system with the emergency service key to obtain the location of the device.

4. The communication network of claim 3 wherein the first sub system reserves the first key from use on other calls.

5. The communication network of claim 4 wherein the second sub system reserves the first key from use on the other calls.

6. The communication network of claim 5 wherein the call processing system transmits a first termination message to the first sub system to terminate the call.

7. The communication network of claim 6 wherein the first sub system releases the first key for use on the other calls in response to the first termination message.

8. The communication network of claim 7 wherein the call processing system transmits a second termination message to the second sub system to terminate the call.

9. The communication network of claim 8 wherein the second sub system releases the first key for use on the other calls in response to the second termination message.

10. A method of operating communication network, the method comprising:

in a device, placing a call for an emergency service;

in a call processing system in communication with the device, receiving and processing the call to route the call to a public service answering point (PSAP), initiating a location determination process, and terminating the call;

in a location provisioning system, executing the location determination process to determine the location of the device and provide an emergency service key for the call to the call processing system and the PSAP, wherein the location provisioning system comprises a plurality of redundant sub systems configured to determine the location of the device, and wherein a first sub system and a second subsystem of the plurality of redundant sub systems share a pool of keys;

in the first sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems, selecting a first key from the shared pool of keys to provide as the emergency service key, wherein selecting the first key from the shared pool of keys restricts the first key from the shared pool of keys for subsequent use by the first sub system and the second sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems;

in the call processing system, communicating with only the first sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems to initiate the location determination process and communicating with the first sub system and the second sub system of the plurality of redundant sub systems to terminate the call; and

in the first sub system and the second sub system, releasing the first key back into the shared pool of keys for subsequent use in response to the communication from the call processing system to terminate the call.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising, in the call processing system, transferring a key request to the first sub system to initiate the location determination process, receiving from the first sub system the first key in response to the key request and transferring the emergency service key to the PSAP.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the PSAP querying the location provisioning system with the emergency service key to obtain the location of the device.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the first sub system reserving the first key from use on other calls.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the second sub system reserving the first key from use on the other calls.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the call processing system transmitting a first termination message to the first sub system to terminate the call.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the first sub system releasing the first key for use on the other calls in response to the first termination message.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the call processing system transmitting a second termination message to the second sub system to terminate the call.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the second sub system releasing the first key for use on the other calls in response to the second termination message.