Emergency call completion for VoIP based on location of call originator

• US 20050175166A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage Business Inc (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Network LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Holder, Louis, Welenson, Gregory L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/901 Virtual networks or virtual private networks

Abstract

Emergency calls placed from telephone devices connected to a data network are completed to the appropriate public safety answering point (PSAP). In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for completing an emergency call comprises receiving a call from a device on a data network, the call destined for an emergency service, the device having a physical location, obtaining a telephone number of an emergency call center that handles emergency calls for the physical location of the device, and routing the call to the emergency call center using the telephone number.

Claims

1. A method for completing an emergency call, comprising:

receiving a call from a device on a data network, the call destined for an emergency service, the device having a physical location;

obtaining a telephone number of an emergency call center that handles emergency calls for the physical location of the device; and

routing the call to the emergency call center using the telephone number.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call is placed by dialing 911.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is obtained using a telephone number of the device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is a physical telephone number on a switched telephone network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data network comprises the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call comprises information identifying a telephone number of the device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

delivering information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device to the emergency call center via the data network.

10. A system for completing an emergency call, comprising:

an apparatus connected to a data network operable to receive a call from a device on the data network, the call destined for an emergency service, the device having a physical location, the apparatus further operable to obtain a telephone number of an emergency call center that handles emergency calls for the physical location of the device and to route the call to the emergency call center using the telephone number.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the call is placed by dialing 911.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is obtained using a telephone number of the device.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is a physical telephone number on a switched telephone network.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the data network comprises the Internet.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the call comprises information identifying a telephone number of the device.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further operable to deliver information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device to the emergency call center via the data network.

19. A method for completing a call, comprising:

receiving a call from a device having a geographically arbitrary originating telephone number, the device having a physical location;

mapping the geographically arbitrary originating telephone number to a geographically significant telephone number based on the physical location of the device; and

routing the call to the geographically significant telephone number.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the call is placed by dialing 911.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is obtained using a telephone number of the device.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the telephone number of the emergency call center is a physical telephone number on a switched telephone network.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the data network comprises the Internet.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein the call comprises information identifying a telephone number of the device.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the call comprises information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device.

27. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

delivering information identifying the physical location of the device and a telephone number of the device to the emergency call center via the data network.