VoIP 911 address locator service

• US 9,100,237 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lowmaster, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, Wutchung
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, STEPHANIE L
• Application Number:
  US11/316,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20070147345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,512 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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: 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

Abstract

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device and method of operation of the VoIP device are provided. A local telephone number serving a location of the VoIP device is stored in a database of a VoIP service provider. A fixed address is associated with the local telephone number. The local telephone number is provided to an Automatic Location Information database associated with an emergency response system.

Claims

1. A method for storing a local telephone number for a voice over Internet protocol device of a user, the method comprising:

detecting, by a processor, a network connection event of the voice over internet protocol device of the user;

sending, by the processor, a request to the voice over internet protocol device for the user to provide the local telephone number;

receiving, by the processor, in response to the request the local telephone number serving a location, wherein the local telephone number is received from the voice over internet protocol device, wherein the local telephone number has been entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

storing, by the processor, the local telephone number in a database of a voice over internet protocol service provider, wherein the local telephone number is associated with a fixed address of the location that is also the location of the voice over internet protocol device, wherein the local telephone number is not a number of the voice over internet protocol device and not associated with the user, wherein the local telephone number is stored after the local telephone number has been entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

determining, by the processor, the fixed address from a reverse lookup directory using the local telephone number;

storing, by the processor, the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider;

providing, by the processor, the local telephone number to an automatic location information database associated with an emergency response system;

determining whether the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider;

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to the new location, storing a new local telephone number of the different fixed address into the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider; and

providing the new local telephone number to the automatic location information database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the local telephone number into a memory of the voice over internet protocol device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, displaying the new local telephone number and requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, on a display of the voice over internet protocol device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, storing the new local telephone number and the different fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

entering the new local telephone number and the different address using the voice over internet protocol device;

displaying the new local telephone number and the different address; and

requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number and the different address are correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the stored telephone number;

determining whether the fixed address entered matches the look up address; and

when the fixed address matches the look up address, using the fixed address as the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider, and when the fixed address does not match the look up address, storing the look up address as the fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

when the fixed address does not match the look up address, displaying the look up address on a display of the voice over internet protocol device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the local telephone number to the automatic location information database when an emergency number is called using the voice over internet protocol device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for providing storing a local telephone number for a voice over Internet protocol device of a user, the operations comprising:

detecting a network connection event of the voice over internet protocol device of the user;

sending a request to the voice over internet protocol device for the user to provide the local telephone number;

receiving, in response to the request, the local telephone number serving a location, wherein the local telephone number is received from the voice over internet protocol device,

storing the local telephone number in a database of a voice over internet protocol service provider, wherein the local telephone number is associated with a fixed address that is also the location of the voice over internet protocol device, wherein the local telephone number is not a number of the voice over internet protocol device and not associated with the user, wherein the local telephone number is stored after the local telephone number has been entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

determining the fixed address from a reverse lookup directory using the local telephone number;

storing the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider;

providing the local telephone number to an automatic location information database associated with an emergency response system;

determining whether the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider; and

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to the new location, storing a new local telephone number of the different fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider and providing the new local telephone number to the automatic location information database.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the providing the local telephone number to the automatic location information database comprises providing the local telephone number to the automatic location information database when an emergency number is called using the voice over internet protocol device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the local telephone number into a memory of the voice over internet protocol device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, displaying the new local telephone number and requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the look up address on a display of the voice over internet protocol device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, storing the new local telephone number and the different fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

accepting the new local telephone number and the different address entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

displaying the new local telephone number and the different address; and

requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number and the different address are correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the stored telephone number;

determining whether the fixed address entered matches the look up address; and

when the fixed address matches the look up address, using the fixed address as the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider, and when the fixed address does not match the look up address, storing the look up address as the fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the fixed address does not match the look up address, displaying the look up address on a display of the voice over internet protocol device.

19. An apparatus for storing a local telephone number for a voice over internet protocol device of a user, comprising:

a processor;

and a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

detecting a network connection event of the voice over internet protocol device of the user;

sending a request to the voice over internet protocol device for the user to provide the local telephone number;

receiving, in response to the request, the local telephone number serving a location, wherein the local telephone number is received from the voice over internet protocol device, wherein the local telephone number has been entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

storing the local telephone number in a database of a voice over internet protocol service provider, wherein the local telephone number is associated with a fixed address that is also the location of the voice over internet protocol device, wherein the local telephone number is nota number of the voice over internet protocol device and not associated with the user, wherein the local telephone number is stored after the local telephone number has been entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

determining the fixed address from a reverse lookup directory using the local telephone number;

storing the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider;

providing the local telephone number to an automatic location information database associated with an emergency response system;

determining whether the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to a new location more proximate to a different fixed address than the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider;

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved to the new location, storing a new local telephone number of the different fixed address into the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider; and

providing the new local telephone number to the automatic location information database.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the local telephone number into a memory of the voice over internet protocol device.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, displaying the new local telephone number and requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number is correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the fixed address, determined from the reverse lookup directory, on a display of the voice over internet protocol device.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the voice over internet protocol device has been moved, storing the new local telephone number and the different fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise:

accepting the new local telephone number and the different address entered using the voice over internet protocol device;

displaying the new local telephone number and the different address; and

requesting a confirmation that the new local telephone number and the different address are correct prior to storing the new local telephone number.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a look up address from a reverse lookup directory using the stored telephone number;

determining whether the fixed address entered matches the look up address; and

when the fixed address matches the look up address, using the fixed address as the fixed address stored in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider, and when the fixed address does not match the look up address, storing the look up address as the fixed address in the database of the voice over internet protocol service provider.