E911 location server

• US 8,582,724 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Olshansky, Robert, Eichen, Elliot G., Mitsumori, Derek, Sporel, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H
• Application Number:
  US12/575,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/351, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 379/45, 379/106.01, 379/201.06, 379/201.1, 455/456.5, 709/224
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A system including a location server configured to receive registration data from an IP device and a location database configured to store location information of the IP device, wherein the location server queries the location database to determine whether the registration data matches the location information stored at the location database.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a location server configured to monitor a register message associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) device, wherein the register message includes an internal IP address and an external IP address; and

a location database configured to store physical location information and a stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device, wherein the location server determines whether at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address of a selected message corresponds with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device;

acquires physical location information corresponding to at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address if at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address do not correspond with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device; and

provides the physical location information for use in locating the IP device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored plurality of IP addresses include a stored internal IP address and a stored external IP address from a previous register message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location database is configured to store an association between physical location information and at least a portion of an IP address.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the acquired physical location information corresponds to physical location information associated with at least a portion of the stored IP address that matches at least one of the internal IP address and at least a portion of the external IP address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the internal IP address is a public IP address and the external IP address is a private IP address.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the private IP address is provided by a Session Initiation Protocol header within the register message.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the private IP address is provided by a via header within the register message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server can provide the physical location information to a service bureau.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical location information includes an emergency number identifier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device are compared with both the internal IP address and the external IP address.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the location server determines whether at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address of a selected message corresponds with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses includes the location server determines whether both the internal IP address and the external IP address of the selected message correspond with the stored plurality of IP addresses of the IP device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the location server acquires the physical location information corresponding to at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address if both of the internal IP address and the external IP address do not correspond with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device.

13. A method comprising:

monitoring messages from an Internet Protocol (IP) device, wherein at least some of the messages provide an internal IP address and an external IP address;

determining whether at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address of a selected message corresponds with any of a stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device;

acquiring physical location information corresponding to at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address if at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address do not correspond with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device, wherein the acquired physical location information is used to assist with locating the IP device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acquired physical location information corresponds to physical location information associated with at least a portion of a stored IP address that matches at least one of the internal IP address and at least a portion of the external IP address.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the internal IP address is a public IP address and the external IP address is a private IP address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the private IP address is located in a Session Initiation Protocol header within the selected message.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the private IP address is located in a via header within the selected message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical location information includes an emergency number identifier.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 13.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising comparing the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device with both the internal IP address and the external IP address.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the determining includes determining whether both the internal IP address and the external IP address of the selected message correspond with the stored plurality of IP addresses of the IP device.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein acquiring physical location information includes acquiring physical location information associated with both the internal IP address and the external IP address that does not correspond with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device with both the internal IP address and the external IP address.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining includes determining whether both the internal IP address and the external IP address of the selected message correspond with the stored plurality of IP addresses of the IP device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein acquiring physical location information includes acquiring physical location information associated with both the internal IP address and the external IP address that does not correspond with any of the stored plurality of IP addresses associated with the IP device.

26. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that have a stored association with an IP device;

receiving a query for physical location information, wherein the query is a result of at least one of an internal IP address and an external IP address, both of which are provided by a register message originating from the IP device, not corresponding with any of the plurality of IP addresses that have the stored association with the IP device and wherein at least one of the internal IP address and the external IP address is associated with a current physical location information of the IP device; and

storing an association between the current physical location information and the IP device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising providing the current physical location for assisting with locating the IP device.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising matching at least one of the internal IP address and a portion of the external IP address with at least a portion of an IP address stored within a database entry.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the database entry includes physical location information associated with the stored IP address.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the physical location information associated with the stored IP address is, based on the match, the current physical location information of the IP device.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 26.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the query is a result of both the internal IP address and the external IP address not corresponding with any of the plurality of IP addresses that have the stored association with the IP device.

33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein both the internal IP address and the external IP address are associated with the current physical location.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the query is a result of both the internal IP address and the external IP address not corresponding with any of the plurality of IP addresses that have the stored association with the IP device.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein both the internal IP address and the external IP address are associated with the current physical location.