Mobile device wireless identifier assignment for emergency calls

• US 9,936,364 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: De Leo, Michael, Linsner, Marc, Mclaughlin, Bryan M., Girimaji, Jagdish, Myles, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US14/601,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An emergency caller location system uses enterprise Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) location systems to provide more accurate location information on an emergency caller. A cellular telephone modifies its WLAN identifier, such as its Media Access Control (MAC) address, in response to a user initiating an emergency call. The MAC address is modified based on an identifier known to the cellular network, such as the phone number, subscriber name, International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), and/or International Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID). The cellular telephone may additionally modify the probe timer of the WLAN interface to enhance the ability of the WLAN location system to determine the location of the device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a user device;

receiving user input requesting an emergency call;

initiating the emergency call via a cellular telephone network interface using at least one cellular identifier that is known to a cellular telephone network and causing the cellular telephone network to determine a rough geographical area of the user device;

determining an emergency wireless network identifier based on the at least one cellular identifier known to the cellular telephone network;

turning on a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface on the user device if it is not otherwise turned on;

transmitting a probe request, from the user device, with the emergency wireless network identifier to a WLAN controller of a location aware wireless computer network via a wireless connection established by the WLAN interface, causing the cellular telephone network to determine location coordinates in the rough geographical area of the user device by querying the location aware wireless computer network and enabling the cellular telephone network to forward the more accurate location information to an appropriate Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) for the user device

determining whether a wireless data session initiated via the WLAN interface prior to the emergency call is maintained during the emergency call; and

terminating the wireless data session while maintaining a connection with the location aware wireless computer network by changing a wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface to the emergency wireless network identifier when the wireless data session is determined to not have been maintained.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface when the wireless data session is determined to have been maintained.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to the terminating, resuming the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the emergency network identifier and a credential previously obtained with the wireless network identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe request includes the emergency wireless network identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular identifier comprises at least one of a telephone number, a subscriber name, an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or an International Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe request is transmitted in accordance with a probe timer, and the probe timer is modified in response to receiving the user input requesting an emergency call.

20. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface while broadcasting the wireless network identifier and the emergency wireless network identifier.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a cellular telephone network interface configured to communicate data with a cellular telephone network, the apparatus identified by at least one cellular identifier that is known to the cellular telephone network and cause the cellular telephone network to determine a rough geographical area of the apparatus;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface configured to establish a wireless connection and communicate with a WLAN controller of a location aware wireless computer network; and

a processor configured to;

initiate an emergency call via the cellular telephone network interface using the at least one cellular identifier in response to a user input requesting an emergency call, so that the cellular telephone network determines the rough geographical area of the apparatus;

determine an emergency wireless network identifier based on at least one cellular identifier known to the cellular telephone network;

turn on the WLAN interface if it is not otherwise turned on;

transmit a probe request, via the WLAN interface, to the WLAN controller of the location aware wireless computer network, the probe request including the emergency wireless network identifier and causing the cellular telephone network to determine location coordinates in the rough geographical area of the apparatus by querying the location aware wireless computer network and enabling the cellular telephone network to forward the more accurate location information to an appropriate Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) for the apparatus

determine whether a wireless data session initiated via the WLAN interface prior to the emergency call is maintained during the emergency call; and

terminate the wireless data session while maintaining a connection with the location aware wireless computer network by changing a wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface to the emergency wireless network identifier when the wireless data session is determined to not have been maintained.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

maintain the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface when the wireless data session is determined to have been maintained.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, subsequent to the terminating, the processor is further configured to:

resume the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network via the WLAN interface using the emergency network identifier and a credential previously obtained with the wireless network identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the probe request includes the emergency wireless network identifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to further instruct the WLAN interface to transmit the probe request according to a probe timer, and to modify the probe timer in response to the user input requesting an emergency call.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cellular identifier comprises at least one of a telephone number, a subscriber name, an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or an International Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID).

13. A system comprising:

a user device configured to;

receive user input requesting an emergency call;

initiate the emergency call with a cellular telephone network using at least one cellular identifier that is known to the cellular telephone network and cause the cellular telephone network to determine a rough geographical area of the apparatus;

determine an emergency wireless network identifier based on at least one cellular identifier known to the cellular telephone network;

turn on a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface on the user device if it is not otherwise turned on; and

transmit, via the WLAN interface, a probe request with the emergency wireless network identifier; and

a location aware wireless computer network including a WLAN controller configured to;

receive the probe request via a wireless connection established with the WLAN interface of the user device;

determine location coordinates of the user device within the rough geographical area; and

respond to a query from the cellular telephone network with the location coordinates, causing the cellular telephone network to forward the more accurate location information to an appropriate Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) for the user device

wherein the user device is further configured to;

determine whether a wireless data session initiated via the WLAN interface prior to the emergency call is maintained during the emergency call;

terminate the wireless data session while maintaining a connection with the location aware wireless computer network by changing a wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface to the emergency wireless network identifier when the wireless data session is determined to not have been maintained.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user device is further configured to:

maintain the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface when the wireless data session is determined to have been maintained.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein, subsequent to the terminating, the user device is configured to resume the computer data session initiated with the location aware wireless computer network using the emergency network identifier and a credential previously obtained with the wireless network identifier.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the probe request includes the emergency wireless network identifier.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the user device is configured to transmit the probe request according to a probe timer, and to modify the probe timer in response to the user input requesting an emergency call.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the cellular identifier comprises at least one of a telephone number, a subscriber name, an International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or an International Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID).

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the user device is further configured to:

maintain the wireless data session with the location aware wireless computer network using the wireless network identifier associated with the WLAN interface while broadcasting the wireless network identifier and the emergency wireless network identifier.