Method, apparatus and computer program product for providing emergency service validation

• US 8,787,870 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sporel, Eric R., Palmer, Okeno R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMMONDS, MARCUS C
• Application Number:
  US11/960,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20090163171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,407 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 4554141-4142, 455/435.1, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• 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 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call 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 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An apparatus for providing emergency service validation may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receiving a message associated with a registration event of a device to a communication session. The message may include a parameter having information indicative of a location of the device at a time of the registration. The processor may also be configured to determine whether the location of the device at the time of the registration corresponds to a location where an emergency service dispatch is supportable.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first network device, a message associated with a registration event of a device to a communication session, the message including;

a parameter having information indicative of a geographic location of the device at a time of the registration event,

information indicating a time when the message is received, and

information identifying a type of the device;

providing, by the first network device, the message to a second network device;

receiving, by the first network device, a communication from the second network device,

the communication indicating whether the geographic location of the device, at the time of the registration event, corresponds to a geographic location where an emergency service dispatch is supportable, and a determination of whether the geographic location of the device corresponds to the geographic location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable being based on the parameter, the information indicating the time when the message is received, and the information identifying the type of the device; and

suspending, based on the communication from the second network device, a user account, associated with the device, until another geographic location of the device corresponds to the geographic location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable, when the geographic location of the device at the time of the registration event does not correspond to the geographic location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable.

2. The method of claim 1, where receiving the message comprises:

receiving a message associated with a request for registration for an Internet Protocol-based communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, where receiving the message comprises:

receiving parameters including an internal address or an external address associated with the device, the parameters being added to the message by a network component monitoring communication related to registration of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, where the determination of whether the geographic location of the device corresponds to the geographic location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable is further based on a comparison of the geographic location of the device at the time of the registration event with a location of the device at a time of a previously validated registration event.

5. The method of claim 4, where the comparison is based on a comparison of an external address to a stored external address from the previously validated registration event.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to receive a message associated with a registration event of a first device to a communication session, the message including;

a parameter associated with information indicative of a location of the first device at a time of the registration,

information indicating a time when the message is received, and

information identifying a type of the first device;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processing logic, cause the processing logic to provide the message to a second device;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to receive a communication from the second device,

the communication indicating a determination of whether the location of the first device, at the time of the registration event, corresponds to a location where an emergency service dispatch is supportable, and

the determination being based on the parameter, the information indicating the time when the message is received, and the information identifying the type of the first device; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to suspend a user account, associated with the first device, until the location of the first device corresponds to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable when the location of the first device at the time of the registration event does not correspond to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, where the message is associated with a request for registration for an Internet Protocol based communication session.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, where the one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to receive the message include one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to receive parameters including an internal address and an external address associated with the first device,

the parameters being added to the message by a network component monitoring communication related to registration of the first device.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, where the one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to determine whether the location of the first device, at the time of the registration event, corresponds to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable include one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to compare the location of the first device at the time of the registration with a location of the first device at a time of a previously validated registration event.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, where the one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to compare the location of the first device at the time of the registration with the location of the first device at the time of the previously validated registration event include one or more instructions that cause the at least one processor to compare an external address to a stored external address from the previously validated registration event.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a message associated with a registration event of a first device to a communication session, the message including;

parameters having information indicative of a location of the first device at a time of the registration event,

the parameters including information indicative of a type of the first device, the time of the registration event, and at least one of an external Internet protocol (IP) address of the first device or a source IP address of the first device;

provide the message to a second device;

receive a communication from the second device,

the communication indicating a determination of whether the location of the first device at the time of the registration event corresponds to a location where an emergency service dispatch is supportable, and

the determination being based on the parameters; and

suspend a user account associated with the first device until the location of the first device corresponds to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable when the location of the first device at the time of the registration event does not correspond to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable.

12. The system of claim 11, where the message is associated with a request for registration for an Internet Protocol-based communication session.

13. The system of claim 11, where the parameters are to be added to the message by a network component monitoring communication related to registration of the first device.

14. The system of claim 11, where, when determining whether the location of the first device at the time of the registration corresponds to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable, the one or more processors are to:

compare the location of the first device at the time of the registration with a location of the first device at a time of a previously validated registration event.

15. The system of claim 14, where, when comparing the location of the first device at the time of the registration with the location of the first device at the time of a previously validated registration event, the one or more processors are to:

compare the external IP address of the first device to a stored external address from the previously validated registration event.

16. A system comprising:

a first network device to;

receive a message associated with a registration event of a device to a communication session;

generate, based on the message, a plurality of parameters including information indicative of a location of the device at a time of the registration event,

the plurality of parameters including;

information indicating a time when the message is received, and

information identifying a type of the device;

communicate the plurality of parameters to a second network device to determine, based on the plurality of parameters, whether the location of the device at the time of the registration event corresponds to a location where an emergency service dispatch is supportable, and

suspend, based on a communication from the second network device, a user account associated with the device until the location of the device corresponds to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable when the location of the device at the time of the registration event does not correspond to the location where the emergency service dispatch is supportable.

17. The system of claim 16, where the plurality of parameters further include at least one of:

an external Internet protocol (IP) address of the device, or

a source IP address of the device.