Methods and apparatus to provide enhanced 911 (E911) services for nomadic users

• US 8,599,718 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Velazquez, Leonardo, Lenhart, Sandra C., Gopal, Sudha, Rys, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): MITCHELL, DANIEL D
• Application Number:
  US11/768,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,352 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus provide enhanced 911 (E911) services for nomadic users are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) device and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the VoIP device, detecting when the VoIP device is outside an access network based on the MAC address and the IP address, prompting a user of the VoIP device to provide geographic location information for the VoIP device when the VoIP device is outside the access network, and updating enhanced 911 (E911) information for the VoIP device based on the geographic location information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting when a voice over Internet protocol device is inside an access network by determining the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if a media access control address of the voice over Internet protocol device was previously associated with an Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device;

when the media access control address was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device, determining the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if the Internet protocol address is listed in a database of Internet protocol addresses associated with the access network;

prompting a user of the voice over Internet protocol device to provide geographic location information for the voice over Internet protocol device when both (1) the media access control address was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address and (2) when the Internet protocol address is not listed in the database of Internet protocol addresses; and

updating enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol device based on the geographic location information.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is outside the access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is not communicatively coupled to a voice over Internet protocol service network via the access network, the voice over Internet protocol service network to provide a voice over Internet protocol service to the voice over Internet protocol device.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the access network is operated by a service provider operating the voice over Internet protocol service network.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is communicatively coupled to the voice over Internet protocol service network via a second access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is outside the access network, and wherein the Internet protocol address is assigned by the second access network.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the second access network is operated by a different service provider.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein updating enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol endpoint is performed without prompting the user of the voice over Internet protocol device to provide the geographic location information.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is communicatively coupled to a voice over Internet protocol service network via the access network, the voice over Internet protocol service network to provide a voice over Internet protocol service to the voice over Internet protocol device.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising adding the Internet protocol address and the geographic location information to the database of Internet protocol addresses.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the Internet protocol address is listed in the database of Internet protocol addresses comprises performing a lightweight directory access protocol query.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising updating enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol endpoint automatically based on the media access control address and the Internet protocol address when the Internet protocol address is listed in the database of Internet protocol addresses.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the database of Internet protocol addresses includes known roaming locations.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the Internet protocol address and the media access control address are received during a voice over Internet protocol device registration.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving the geographic location information from the voice over Internet protocol device.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the geographic location information is received via at least one of an interactive voice response system or a web-based interface.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol endpoint enables determination of a geographic location of the voice over Internet protocol device.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting when a voice over Internet protocol device is inside an access network by determining a voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if a media access control address of the voice over Internet protocol device was previously associated with an Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device;

when the media access control address of the voice over Internet protocol device was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device, determining the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if the Internet protocol address is listed in a database of Internet protocol addresses associated with the access network;

prompting a user of the voice over Internet protocol device to provide geographic location information for the voice over Internet protocol device when both (1) the media access control address was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address and (2) when the Internet protocol address is not listed in the database of Internet protocol addresses; and

updating enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol device based on the geographic location information.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a protocol messaging interface including a session initiation protocol interface.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is outside the access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is not communicatively coupled to a voice over Internet protocol service network via the access network, the voice over Internet protocol service network to provide a voice over Internet protocol service to the voice over Internet protocol device.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is communicatively coupled to the voice over Internet protocol service network via a second access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is outside the access network, and the Internet protocol address is assigned by the second access network.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the access network and the second access network are operated by different service providers.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise updating E911 information for the voice over Internet protocol endpoint automatically based on the media access control address and the Internet protocol address when the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network without prompting the user of the voice over Internet protocol device to provide the geographic location information.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network when the voice over Internet protocol device is communicatively coupled to a voice over Internet protocol service network via the access network, the voice over Internet protocol service network to provide a voice over Internet protocol service to the voice over Internet protocol device.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising a lightweight directory access protocol server interface.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising an interface to provide at least one of an interactive voice response system or a web-based interface.

25. A tangible machine readable storage device comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a logic circuit to at least:

detect when a voice over Internet protocol device is inside an access network by determining the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if a media access control address of the voice over Internet protocol device was previously associated with an Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device;

when the media access control address was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address that is currently associated with the voice over Internet protocol device, determine the voice over Internet protocol device is inside the access network if the Internet protocol address is listed in a database of Internet protocol addresses associated with the access network;

prompt a user of the voice over Internet protocol device to provide geographic location information for the voice over Internet protocol device when both (1) the media access control address was not previously associated with the Internet protocol address and (2) when the Internet protocol address is not listed in the database of Internet protocol addresses; and

update enhanced 911 information for the voice over Internet protocol device based on the geographic location information.