Method and system for enabling emergency calling from nomadic VoIP extension telephones

• US 8,315,359 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bushnell, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US12/459,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20100329433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/45, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/142.04, 379/142.12, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method and system for handling calls to emergency telephone numbers by a VoIP telephone that is configured as an extension to a home telephone. The VoIP telephone is provided with a home telephone number that is different than the home telephone number. The location of the VoIP telephone is maintained in a caller ID location database and is regularly updated when necessary. Location updates are made at least when the VoIP telephone registers using a different IP address than was used for the most recent communication. The system is configured to enable the VoIP telephone to ring when a call is placed to the home telephone number. In addition, non-emergency calls from the VoIP telephone are accompanied by caller ID information associated with home telephone. In this way, VoIP telephones may be configured as extension telephones and used to make emergency calls, even when being used nomadically.

Claims

1. A method for providing emergency call services to a VoIP extension telephone, comprising:

receiving in a network a call from the VoIP extension telephone;

determining whether the call is an emergency call;

routing the call, if it is determined to be an emergency call, to a PSAP associated with a first caller ID;

routing the call, if it is determined not to be an emergency call, to its non-emergency destination associated with a second caller ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call to a PSAP comprises routing the call to an emergency access gateway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call to its non-emergency destination comprises routing the call to a telephone features server for re-assignment of caller ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call to its non-emergency destination comprises routing the call to a media gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location of the VoIP extension telephone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the VoIP extension telephone comprises sending a query to the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the query is sent to another device associated with the VoIP extension telephone subscriber.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising maintaining a record of the IP address last used for network access by the VoIP extension telephone, and wherein the location determination is performed only if the call is placed using an IP address different from the last-used IP address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second caller ID is associated with a home telephone location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first caller ID is associated with a hidden number assigned to the VoIP extension telephone.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the PSAP that the caller location associated with the call routed to the PSAP cannot be verified.

12. A method for enabling a nomadic emergency-call capability in a VoIP extension telephone, comprising:

providing the VoIP extension telephone with a home telephone number, the home telephone number associated with a home telephone;

providing the VoIP extension telephone with a hidden telephone number;

associating the hidden telephone number with the home telephone number; and

determining the current location of the VoIP extension telephone;

wherein associating the hidden telephone number with the home telephone number comprises enabling the VoIP extension telephone associated with the hidden telephone number to alert when a call is directed to the home telephone number.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the home telephone number is associated with a fixed location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the home telephone is a VoIP telephone.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the home telephone is a mobile telephone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the current location of the home telephone.

17. A system for enabling emergency calls from a VoIP telephone that is configured as an extension of a home telephone but is provided with a different telephone number than the home telephone number, the system comprising:

a telephony feature server for re-assigning caller ID information to non-emergency calls from the VoIP extension telephone so as to provide the home telephone information to the called party;

an IMS core for determining whether a call is an emergency call, routing the call to a telephony feature server if it is not, and routing the call to an emergency access gateway if it is an emergency call.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a location update server for updating a caller ID location database whenever a new location for the VoIP extension telephone is obtained.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a broadband transport network for receiving calls from the VoIP extension telephone and routing the calls to the IMS core network.