Location support for emergency calls

• US 9,736,633 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• 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:
  US15/201,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20170006418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• 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:

in response to a request to access a public service, obtaining, by a mobile device from a location subsystem of the mobile device, a first location estimate, the first location estimate being associated with a first uncertainty value and a first reliability value;

determining by the mobile device that, within a first time threshold, the first uncertainty value does not satisfy a first uncertainty threshold or the first reliability value does not satisfy a first reliability threshold;

in response to the determining, obtaining, by the mobile device from the location subsystem, a second location estimate, the second location estimate being associated with a second uncertainty value and a second reliability value; and

in response to determining by the mobile device that, within a second time threshold, the second uncertainty value satisfies a second uncertainty threshold and the second reliability value satisfies a second reliability threshold, providing, by the mobile device, the second location estimate to the public service,

wherein the second uncertainty threshold is lower than the first uncertainty threshold, and the second reliability threshold is lower than the first reliability threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the public service is an emergency service, 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, wherein obtaining the first location estimate comprises:

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

in response, enabling the location subsystem.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the location estimate of the mobile device is determined based on 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 providing the location to the public service includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite request that includes a header in which the second location estimate is encoded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

providing the location to the public service includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) update request that includes a header in which the second location estimate is encoded.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising, after both the first time threshold and the second time threshold passed, disabling the location subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that, prior to receiving the request to access the public service, the location subsystem of the mobile device was in a disabled state.

8. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

in response to a request to access a public service, obtaining, from a location subsystem of the mobile device, a first location estimate, the first location estimate being associated with a first uncertainty value and a first reliability value;

determining that, within a first time threshold, the first uncertainty value does not satisfy a first uncertainty threshold or the first reliability value does not satisfy a first reliability threshold;

in response to the determining, obtaining, from the location subsystem, a second location estimate, the second location estimate being associated with a second uncertainty value and a second reliability value; and

in response to determining that, within a second time threshold, the second uncertainty value satisfies a second uncertainty threshold and the second reliability value satisfies a second reliability threshold, providing the second location estimate to the public service,

wherein the second uncertainty threshold is lower than the first uncertainty threshold, and the second reliability threshold is lower than the first reliability threshold.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the public service is an emergency service, the mobile device is connected to the public service through an E911 system, a T911 system, a 112 system, or a 119 system.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein obtaining the first location estimate comprises:

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

in response, enabling the location subsystem.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein:

the location estimate of the mobile device is determined based on 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.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein providing the location to the public service includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite request that includes a header in which the second location estimate is encoded.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein:

providing the location to the public service includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) update request that includes a header in which the second location estimate is encoded.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, the operations comprising, after both the first time threshold and the second time threshold passed, disabling the location subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that, prior to receiving the request to access the public service, the location subsystem of the mobile device was in a disabled state.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

in response to a request to access a public service, obtaining, by a mobile device from a location subsystem of the mobile device, a first location estimate, the first location estimate being associated with a first uncertainty value and a first reliability value;

determining by the mobile device that, within a first time threshold, the first uncertainty value does not satisfy a first uncertainty threshold or the first reliability value does not satisfy a first reliability threshold;

in response to the determining, obtaining, by the mobile device from the location subsystem, a second location estimate, the second location estimate being associated with a second uncertainty value and a second reliability value; and

in response to determining by the mobile device that, within a second time threshold, the second uncertainty value satisfies a second uncertainty threshold and the second reliability value satisfies a second reliability threshold, providing, by the mobile device, the second location estimate to the public service,

wherein the second uncertainty threshold is lower than the first uncertainty threshold, and the second reliability threshold is lower than the first reliability threshold.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the public service is an emergency service, the mobile device is connected to the public service through an E911 system, a T911 system, a 112 system, or a 119 system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein obtaining the first location estimate comprises:

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

in response, enabling the location subsystem.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the location estimate of the mobile device is determined based on 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.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing the location to the public service includes sending a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite request that includes a header in which the second location estimate is encoded.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising, after both the first time threshold and the second time threshold passed, disabling the location subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that, prior to receiving the request to access the public service, the location subsystem of the mobile device was in a disabled state.