Using a clearinghouse to determine caller location for VoIP calls

• US 8,289,958 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Sathiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Wutchung
• Application Number:
  US11/325,892
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.54, 370/378, 370352-356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.2, 379/142.1, 379/142.01, 709216-219, 709223-227, 711 1- 6, 711/202, 711/205
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications

Abstract

A clearinghouse is used to determine caller location for VoIP calls. The clearinghouse maintains (i) a first correlation between a first IP address and a first ISP and (ii) a second correlation between a second IP address and a second ISP. The clearinghouse receives the first IP address from a VoIP service provider (VSP). The first IP address is a source address of a request from a VoIP telephone to set up a call, received by the VSP from the first ISP. The clearinghouse references the first correlation and queries the first ISP with the first IP address. The clearinghouse then receives from the first ISP a location associated with the first IP address. The clearinghouse transmits this location to an entity such as the VSP or, for a 911 call, perhaps a PSAP. The clearinghouse may select the PSAP based at least in part on the location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a clearinghouse maintaining in data storage a plurality of correlations, each correlation being between a given internet service provider (ISP) and a respective range of one or more internet protocol (IP) addresses, wherein the plurality of correlations comprises a first correlation between a first ISP and a first range of one or more IP addresses, the first range comprising a first IP address, and wherein the clearinghouse is separate and distinct from every ISP in the plurality of correlations, such that none of the correlations comprises an ISP that comprises the clearinghouse;

the clearinghouse receiving the first IP address from a first voice-over-IP (VoIP) service provider (VSP), wherein the first IP address is a source IP address of a first request to set up a first call, the first VSP having received the first request from a first VoIP telephone at least in part via the first ISP, wherein the first VSP is separate and distinct from the first ISP, such that the first ISP does not comprise the first VSP, and wherein the first VSP is also separate and distinct from the clearinghouse, such that the first VSP does not comprise the clearinghouse;

responsive to receiving the first IP address, the clearinghouse referencing the plurality of correlations to identify that the first ISP is associated with the first IP address, and responsively querying the first ISP with the first IP address;

as a result of querying the first ISP with the first IP address, the clearinghouse receiving from the first ISP an indication of a first physical location of the first VoIP telephone, wherein the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone is associated with the first IP address; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone, the clearinghouse transmitting the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone to a first entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity is the first VSP.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the call is an emergency-services call, the method further comprising the first VSP transmitting the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone to a public safety answering point (PSAP).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the first VSP routing the first call to the PSAP.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the first VSP selecting the PSAP based at least in part on the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call is an emergency-services call, and wherein the first entity is a public safety answering point (PSAP).

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the clearinghouse selecting the PSAP based at least in part on the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the clearinghouse receiving a correlation-update message; and

responsive to receiving the correlation-update message, the clearinghouse updating at least one correlation in the plurality of correlations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call is an emergency-services call.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first ISP receiving the first IP address from the clearinghouse; and

responsive to receiving the first IP address, the first ISP referencing at least one correlation maintained in data storage by the first ISP to identify that the first IP address is associated with the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone, and responsively transmitting the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone to the clearinghouse.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the first physical location of the first VoIP telephone represents at least one of a street address, an intersection, a landmark, a building, a house, an apartment, a condominium, a housing unit, an office, a cubicle, a room, a floor, a city, a state, a zip code, a county, a country, a town, a village, a municipality, a latitude, a longitude, a height, an altitude, and a set of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of correlations further comprises a second correlation between a second ISP and a second range of one or more IP addresses, the second range comprising a second IP address, the method further comprising:

the clearinghouse receiving the second IP address from the first VSP, wherein the second IP address is a source IP address of a second request to set up a second call, the first VSP having received the second request from the first VoIP telephone at least in part via the second ISP;

responsive to receiving the second IP address, the clearinghouse referencing the plurality of correlations to identify that the second ISP is associated with the second IP address, and responsively querying the second ISP with the second IP address;

as a result of querying the second ISP with the second IP address, the clearinghouse receiving from the second ISP an indication of a second physical location of the first VoIP telephone, wherein the second physical location of the first VoIP telephone is associated with the second IP address; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the second physical location of the first VoIP telephone, the clearinghouse transmitting the indication of the second physical location of the first VoIP telephone to a second entity, wherein the second entity is selected from the group consisting of the first entity and an entity other than the first entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearinghouse comprises a server.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of correlations further comprises a second correlation between a second ISP and a second range of one or more IP addresses, the second range comprising a second IP address, the method further comprising:

the clearinghouse receiving the second IP address from a second VSP, wherein the second IP address is a source IP address of a second request to set up a second call, the second VSP having received the second request from a second VoIP telephone at least in part via the second ISP;

responsive to receiving the second IP address, the clearinghouse referencing the plurality of correlations to identify that the second ISP is associated with the second IP address, and responsively querying the second ISP with the second IP address

as a result of querying the second ISP with the second IP address, the clearinghouse receiving from the second ISP an indication of a physical location of the second VoIP telephone, wherein the physical location of the second VoIP telephone is associated with the second IP address; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the physical location of the second VoIP telephone, the clearinghouse transmitting the indication of the physical location of the second VoIP telephone to a second entity, wherein the second entity is selected from the group consisting of the first entity and an entity other than the first entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearinghouse identifying that a given ISP is associated with a given IP address comprises the clearinghouse determining that the given IP address is in the range of IP addresses correlated with the given ISP.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first VSP is not an ISP.

17. A clearinghouse comprising:

a network interface;

a processor; and

data storage comprising (i) a plurality of correlations, each correlation being between a given internet service provider (ISP) and a respective range of one or more internet protocol (IP) addresses, wherein the plurality of correlations comprises a first correlation between a first ISP and a first range of one or more IP addresses, the first range comprising a first IP address, and wherein the clearinghouse is separate and distinct from every ISP in the plurality of correlations, such that none of the correlations comprises an ISP that comprises the clearinghouse and (ii) instructions executable by the processor to;

receive the first IP address from a voice-over-IP (VoIP) service provider (VSP), wherein the first IP address is a source IP address of a request to set up an emergency-services call, the VSP having received the request from a VoIP telephone at least in part via the first ISP, wherein the VSP is separate and distinct from the first ISP, such that the first ISP does not comprise the VSP, and wherein the VSP is also separate and distinct from the clearinghouse, such that the VSP does not comprise the clearinghouse;

responsive to receiving the first IP address, reference the plurality of correlations to identify that the first ISP is associated with the first IP address and responsively query the first ISP with the first IP address;

as a result of querying the first ISP with the first IP address, receive from the first ISP an indication of a physical location of the VoIP telephone, wherein the physical location of the VoIP telephone is associated with the first IP address; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the physical location of the VoIP telephone, transmit the indication of the physical location of the VoIP telephone to a network entity.

18. The clearinghouse of claim 17, wherein the network entity is the VSP.

19. The clearinghouse of claim 17, wherein the network entity is a public safety answering point (PSAP).

20. The clearinghouse of claim 19, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions to select the PSAP based at least in part on the indication of the physical location of the VoIP telephone.

21. The clearinghouse of claim 17, wherein the indication of the physical location of the VoIP telephone represents at least one of a street address, an intersection, a landmark, a building, a house, an apartment, a condominium, a housing unit, an office, a cubicle, a room, a floor, a city, a state, a zip code, a county, a country, a town, a village, a municipality, a latitude, a longitude, a height, an altitude, and a set of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.