Location support for emergency calls

• US 9,386,414 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mayor, Robert, MacGougan, Glenn Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/848,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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]

Abstract

System and method for submitting a location of a mobile device to a public service for providing emergency assistance are described. A mobile device can determine that a user is making an emergency call from the mobile device. The mobile device can then enable a location determination function of the mobile device and determine a location of the mobile device. The mobile device can determine the location in multiple attempts, including, in a first time window, attempting to determine a location with low uncertainty and, if the attempt fails, determining a location with high uncertainty in a second time window. The mobile device can then submit the location to a dispatcher through a mobile network operator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a user input for requesting emergency assistance from a public service;

starting a first timer that defines a first time window, wherein, in the first time window, the mobile device attempts to determine a location of the mobile device that satisfies a first uncertainty threshold and a first reliability threshold;

upon failure to determine the location in the first time window that satisfies both the first uncertainty threshold and the first reliability threshold, starting a second timer that defines a second time window, wherein, in the second time window, the mobile device attempts to determine a location of the mobile device that satisfies a second uncertainty threshold that is easier to satisfy than the first uncertainty threshold and a second reliability threshold that is easier to satisfy than the first reliability threshold; and

upon successful determination of the location in the second time window, providing, by the mobile device, the location and a value representing the uncertainty of the location to a mobile network operator for submitting to the public service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is connected to the public service through an E911 system, a T911 system, a 112 system, or a 119 system.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising, before the mobile device attempts to determine the location, and in the first time window:

determining that each location function of the mobile device is in a disabled state; and

in response, enabling each location determination function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the location of the mobile device is determined by the mobile device using signals from one or more wireless access points;

the first reliability threshold is defined at least in part by a first number of wireless points that are observed by the mobile device, that are used by the mobile device to determine the location, and that are consistent with the determined location; and

the second reliability threshold is defined at least in part by a second number of wireless points that are observed by the mobile device, that are used by the mobile device to determine the location, and that are consistent with the determined location, the first number being greater than the second number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first time window and the second time window are closed before the mobile device submits a request for the emergency assistance to the mobile network operator, and

providing the location to the mobile network operator includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite request that includes a header in which the location and an estimated uncertainty of the location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

providing the location to a mobile network operator includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) update request that includes a header in which the location and an estimated uncertainty of the location is encoded.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising, after both the first time window and the second time window close, disabling a location function of the mobile device upon determining that, prior to receiving the user input for connecting the mobile device to a public service, the location function of the mobile device was in a disabled state.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a direction of movement and a velocity of movement of the mobile device at time the mobile device receives the user input; and

providing the direction and velocity to the mobile network operator for submission to the public service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a location of the mobile device that satisfies the first reliability threshold or the second reliability threshold comprises:

determining a satellite location of the mobile device using a satellite positioning subsystem;

determining a wireless location of the mobile device using a wireless positioning subsystem; and

determining that the location of the mobile device is the wireless location, including determining that the wireless location is accurate upon determining that the wireless location is consistent with the satellite location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the wireless location is accurate comprises determining increasing a reliability value of the wireless location to a value that satisfies the first or second reliability threshold upon determining that the wireless location is consistent with the satellite location.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a user input for requesting emergency assistance from a public service;

after the mobile device started communication with a mobile network operator through a telephony subsystem to request the emergency assistance, obtaining an estimated location of the mobile device using a location subsystem of the mobile device, wherein obtaining an estimated location comprises;

determining a wireless location, including scanning each of one or more wireless channels for a pre-specified period of time that is limited by a permissible delay for making an emergency call;

and determining the estimated location using a satellite positioning subsystem assisted by the wireless location; and

while the mobile device is in communication with the mobile network operator, and without responding to a request for location from the mobile network operator, pushing the estimated location to the mobile network operator, wherein pushing the estimated location comprises encoding geographic coordinates of the location in a header in a session initiation protocol (SIP) update operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the estimated location comprises triggering one or more available location functions of the mobile device, the one or more available location functions including at least one of a passive wireless scanning, wireless received signal strength measurements for comparison with on-device wireless signal fingerprints, global navigation satellite system location determination, or cellular identifier based location lookup.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a wireless location comprises:

determining a candidate wireless location using wireless access points detected in the scanning and a local location database storing association of locations and the detected wireless points;

determining that a degree of reliability of the candidate wireless location does not satisfy a reliability threshold;

submitting a location query to a location server for additional location information on wireless access points, wherein, in the location query, a flag for requesting locations of wireless access points neighboring the detected wireless points is set to off; and

determining the wireless location using the additional location.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein pushing the estimated location comprises receiving the request and ignoring the received request.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a mobile device, a user input for requesting emergency assistance from a public service;

starting a first timer that defines a first time window, wherein, in the first time window, the mobile device attempts to determine a location of the mobile device that satisfies a first uncertainty threshold and a first reliability threshold;

upon failure to determine the location in the first time window that satisfies both the first uncertainty threshold and the first reliability threshold, starting a second timer that defines a second time window, wherein, in the second time window, the mobile device attempts to determine a location of the mobile device that satisfies a second uncertainty threshold that is easier to satisfy than the first uncertainty threshold and a second reliability threshold that is easier to satisfy than the first reliability threshold; and

upon successful determination of the location in the second time window, providing, by the mobile device, the location and a value representing the uncertainty of the location to a mobile network operator for submitting to the public service.

16. The system of claim 15, the operations comprising, before the mobile device attempts to determine the location, and in the first time window:

determining that each location function of the mobile device is in a disabled state; and

in response, enabling each location determination function.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the location of the mobile device is determined by the mobile device using signals from one or more wireless access points;

the first reliability threshold is defined at least in part by a first number of wireless points that are observed by the mobile device, that are used by the mobile device to determine the location, and that are consistent with the determined location; and

the second reliability threshold is defined at least in part by a second number of wireless points that are observed by the mobile device, that are used by the mobile device to determine the location, and that are consistent with the determined location, the first number being greater than the second number.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first time window and the second time window are closed before the mobile device submits a request for the emergency assistance to the mobile network operator, and

providing the location to the mobile network operator includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite request that includes a header in which the location and an estimated uncertainty of the location.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a mobile device, a user input for requesting emergency assistance from a public service;

after the mobile device started communication with a mobile network operator through a telephony subsystem to request the emergency assistance, obtaining an estimated location of the mobile device using a location subsystem of the mobile device, wherein obtaining an estimated location comprises;

determining a wireless location, including scanning each of one or more wireless channels for a pre-specified period of time that is limited by a maximum permissible delay for making an emergency call;

and determining the estimated location using a satellite positioning subsystem assisted by the wireless location; and

while the mobile device is in communication with the mobile network operator, and without responding to a request for location from the mobile network operator, pushing the estimated location to the mobile network operator, wherein pushing the estimated location comprises encoding geographic coordinates of the location in a header in a session initiation protocol (SIP) update operation.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein obtaining the estimated location comprises triggering one or more available location functions of the mobile device, the one or more available location functions including at least one of a passive wireless scanning, wireless received signal strength measurements for comparison with on-device wireless signal fingerprints, global navigation satellite system location determination, or cellular identifier based location lookup.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein determining a wireless location comprises:

determining a candidate wireless location using wireless access points detected in the scanning and a local location database storing association of locations and the detected wireless points;

determining that a degree of reliability of the candidate wireless location does not satisfy a reliability threshold;

submitting a location query to a location server for additional location information on wireless access points, wherein, in the location query, a flag for requesting locations of wireless access points neighboring the detected wireless points is set to off; and

determining the wireless location using the additional location.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein pushing the estimated location comprises receiving the request and ignoring the received request.