911 location updating for an enterprise using VOIP telephones

• US 7,548,537 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pfleging, Rachel M., Pfleging, Gerald W., Wilkin, George P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar; Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US11/119,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20060245570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/40, 379/45, 379/49, 379/389, 340/539.18, 719/213, 719/219, 719/220, 370/352, 455/404.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

An exemplary method automatically identifies the location of a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephone relative to the structure of a building upon the VOIP telephone making a 911 call. The identity of the VOIP telephone is transmitted to a database accessible by the VOIP system upon a 911 call origination. Records have been previously created and stored in the database that link each VOIP telephone located in or associated with a building to a text based description of an area of the building. A node instructs the database to find the stored record associated with the VOIP telephone. The identity of the VOIP telephone and the text based location information of the location of the VOIP telephone relative to the structure of the building are transmitted to the 911 call center. This enables a 911 call center operator to immediately discern the location of the 911 caller relative to the structure of the building.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) system comprising the steps of:

generating first information about a first location of a first VOIP telephone, where the first information includes three dimensional geographic coordinates of the first VOIP telephone;

transmitting said first information and information identifying the associated VOIP telephone to a database accessible by the VOIP system;

storing a plurality of records in the database where each record includes a location of a corresponding area of a building where each area is limited to being only on one floor of the building and is defined by corresponding three dimensional geographic coordinates, each record containing a text description of the area of the building including the floor of the building containing the area, the first information not containing location information related to the floor of the building;

assigning the first VOIP telephone at the first location to a first record based on the floor of the building on which the first VOIP telephone resides being on the same floor as the area of the first record and the proximity of the first location to the area of the first record;

comparing a current location of the first VOIP telephone with locations stored in records in the database;

determining a second record with its corresponding area location closest to the current location of the first VOIP telephone on the same floor as contained in the first record;

linking the identifying information of the VOIP telephone with the second record, so that the text description of the location associated with the first VOIP telephone can be identified and retrieved for use during a 911 call request by the first VOIP telephone from the second record.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

initiating a 911 call from the first VOIP telephone;

automatically generating and transmitting a query to the database in response to the 911 call initiation from the first VOIP telephone;

identifying in the database the second record and the corresponding text description linked to the first VOIP telephone;

transmitting a message to a 911 call destination containing the identity of the first VOIP telephone and at least the text description.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating first information about the location of a VOIP telephone comprises generating the first information by a VOIP telephone that is adapted to acquire global positioning satellite (GPS) information of the location of the VOIP telephone.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the VOIP telephone contains a GPS module that acquires the GPS information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

storing in the database identification of telecommunication numbers of local personnel located at the building;

automatically sending a message to the telecommunication numbers upon the origination of a 911 call from a VOIP telephone, the message alerting the local personnel of the origination of a 911 call.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of conferencing the local personnel onto the voice channel carrying the 911 call origination.

7. A voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) system comprising:

means for generating first information about a first location of a first VOIP telephone, where the first information includes three dimensional geographic coordinates of the first VOIP telephone;

means for transmitting said first information and information identifying the associated VOIP telephone to a database accessible by the VOIP system;

means for storing a plurality of records in the database where each record includes a location of a corresponding area of a building where each area is limited to being only on one floor of the building and defined by corresponding three dimensional geographic coordinates, each record containing a text description of the area of the building including the floor of the building containing the area, the first information not containing location information related to the floor of the building;

means for assigning the first VOIP telephone at the first location to a first record based on the floor of the building on which the first VOIP telephone resides being on the same floor as the area of the first record and the proximity of the first location to the area of the first record;

means for comparing current location of the first VOIP telephone with locations stored in records in the database;

means for determining a second record with its corresponding area location closes to the current location of the first VOIP telephone on the same floor as contained in the first record;

means for linking the identifying information of the VOIP telephone with the second record, so that the text description of the location associated with the first VOIP telephone can be identified and retrieved for use during a 911 call request by the first VOIP telephone from the second record.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

means for initiating a 911 call froni thea first VOIP telephone;

means for automatically generating and transmitting a query to the database in response to the 911 call initiation from the first VOIP telephone;

means for identifying the second record and the corresponding text description linked to the first VOIP telephone;

means for transmitting a message to a 911 call destination containing the identity of the first VOIP telephone and at least the text description.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for generating first information about the location of a VOIP telephone comprises means for generating the first information by a VOIP telephone that is adapted to acquire global positioning satellite (GPS) information of the location of the VOIP telephone.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the VOIP telephone contains a GPS module that acquires the GPS information.

11. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

means for storing in the database identification of telecommunication numbers of local personnel located at the building;

means for automatically sending a message to the telecommunication numbers upon the origination of a 911 call from a VOIP telephone, the message alerting the local personnel of the origination of a 911 call.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for causing the conferencing the local personnel onto the voice channel carrying the 911 call origination.