Method to implement E911 services in IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)

• US 8,396,445 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crawford, Dwayne, Khan, Richard L., Lu, Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSARIO, NELSON M
• Application Number:
  US12/484,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20100233991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 379/37, 379/45
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A system and method that facilitates processing and/or routing of emergency call in an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) for VoIP (Voice over IP) subscribers is provided. Specifically, an E911 profile is generated, for example, by an application server, for each VoIP subscriber based in part on current location information associated with the subscriber, such as, the subscriber'"'"'s IP address. The E911 profile is pushed to the HSS (Home Subscriber Server) of the IMS. The E911 profile can then be stored in the HSS and can be queried by an E-CSCF (Emergency Call Session Control Function) during emergency call processing. Moreover, when an emergency call is received from the subscriber, the E-CSCF can retrieve the E911 profile associated with the subscriber from the HSS and route the call to an appropriate PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) based on an analysis of the information in the E911 profile.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

determining a change in an internet protocol address of a user equipment based on registration data received from the user equipment during a connection of the user equipment to a communication network, in response to determining that the interne protocol address does not match a home internet protocol address associated with the user equipment, comparing the internet protocol address with a set of internet protocol addresses associated with a set of respective tenant locations, wherein the user equipment is subscribed to a business account associated with the set of respective tenant locations, determining that the user equipment is located at a tenant location of the set of respective tenant locations in response to a determination that the internet protocol address matches a first internet protocol address of the set of internet protocol addresses, and in response to the determining that the user equipment is located at the tenant location, updating profile data associated with the user equipment, including assigning a temporary telephone number to the user equipment, wherein the temporary telephone number includes a predefined telephone number assigned to the tenant location, assigning an emergency services routing number to the user equipment, and assigning a location routing functionality indicator to the user equipment, wherein the profile data is utilized to facilitate a routing of an emergency call, received from the user equipment, to a public safety answering point device, wherein the operations further comprise;

determining that the user equipment is nomadic in response to a determination that the internet protocol address does not match the home internet protocol address and the set of internet protocol addresses, and in response to the determining that the user equipment is nomadic;

assigning a null value to the temporary telephone number and the emergency services routing number, and assigning a value to the location routing functionality indicator indicative that a location routing function device is to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the internet protocol address with the home internet protocol address.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the user equipment is at a home location associated with the user equipment in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, and

in response to the determining that the user equipment is at the home location, assigning a null value to the temporary telephone number, assigning a predefined value to the emergency services routing number, and assigning a value to the location routing functionality indicator indicative that a location routing function device is not to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transmission of a calling telephone number associated with the user equipment to the public safety answering point device, in response to the temporary telephone number being determined to have been assigned the null value and the location routing functionality indicator being determined to have been assigned the value.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the user equipment is at a home location associated with the user equipment in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, and

in response to the determining that the user equipment is at the home location, assigning a null value to the temporary telephone number, assigning a null value to the emergency services routing number, and assigning a value to the location routing functionality indicator indicative that a location routing function device is to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the profile data in a data store within the communication network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location routing function device is queried to retrieve the emergency services routing number in response to a determination that the emergency call is received and that the location routing functionality indicator is assigned the value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location routing function device is queried to retrieve data indicative of an emergency services query key that is transmitted to the public safety answering point device in response to a determination that the location routing functionality indicator is assigned the value.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transmission of the predefined telephone number to the public safety answering point device, in response to the assigning the temporary telephone number to the user equipment.

10. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a change in an internet protocol address of a user equipment based on registration data received from the user equipment during registration of the user equipment with a communication network;

subsequent to determining that the internet protocol address does not match a home internet protocol address associated with the user equipment, determining, by the system, that the user equipment is located at a tenant location in response to the internet protocol address being determined to match a first internet protocol address of a set of internet protocol addresses associated with a set of respective tenant locations including the tenant location, wherein the user equipment is subscribed to a business account associated with the set of respective tenant locations;

in response to the determining that the user equipment is located at a tenant location, generating, by the system, profile data for the user equipment including;

assigning a temporary telephone number to the user equipment, wherein the temporary telephone number includes a predefined telephone number assigned to the tenant location,

assigning an emergency services routing number to the user equipment, and

assigning a location routing functionality indicator to the user equipment; and

directing, by the system, profile data to a data store within the communication network, wherein the profile data is utilized to facilitate routing an emergency call, received from the user equipment, to a public safety answering point device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, generating by the system, the profile data, including;

selecting a null value as the temporary telephone number,

selecting a predefined value as the emergency services routing number, and

selecting as the location routing functionality indicator, a value that indicates that a location routing function device is not to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, generating by the system, the profile data, including;

assigning a null value to the temporary telephone number and the emergency services routing number, and

selecting as the location routing functionality indicator, a value that indicates that a location routing function device is to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to determining that the internet protocol address does not match the home internet protocol address and the set of internet protocol addresses, generating by the system, the profile data, including;

selecting a null value as the temporary telephone number and the emergency services routing number, and

selecting as the location routing functionality indicator, a value that indicates that a location routing function device is to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

14. A method, comprising:

in response to determining that an emergency call is received from a user equipment receiving, by a system comprising a processor, profile data of the user equipment from a data store within a communication network, wherein the profile data is generated by an application server based on determining that an internet protocol address associated with the user equipment, received during registration of the user equipment with the communication network, does not match a home internet protocol address associated with the user equipment and based on determining that the internet protocol address matches a first internet protocol address of a set of internet protocol addresses associated with a set of respective tenant locations that are associated with a business account subscribed to by the user equipment;

analyzing, by the system, the profile data to determine a predefined telephone number associated with a tenant location of the respective tenant locations; and

facilitating, by the system, routing of the emergency call based in part on the analyzing, including employing the predefined telephone number as a temporary telephone number to facilitate emergency call processing.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to determining that a location routing function indicator in the profile data is set, querying, by the system, a location routing function device to retrieve data indicative of an emergency services routing number that is employed to facilitate the routing.

16. A tangible computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a change in an internet protocol address of a user equipment based on registration data received from the user equipment during a connection of the user equipment to a communication network;

in response to determining that the internet protocol address does not match a home internet protocol address associated with the user equipment, comparing the internet protocol address with a set of internet protocol addresses associated with a set of respective tenant locations, wherein the user equipment is associated with a business account related to the set of respective tenant locations;

determining that the user equipment is located at a tenant location of the set of respective tenant locations in response to the internet protocol address being determined to match a first internet protocol address of the set of internet protocol addresses; and

in response to the determining that the user equipment is located at the tenant location, determining profile data associated with the user equipment, including;

assigning a temporary telephone number to the user equipment, wherein the temporary telephone number includes a predefined telephone number assigned to the tenant location,

assigning an emergency services routing number to the user equipment, and

assigning a location routing functionality indicator to the user equipment,

wherein the profile data is utilized to facilitate routing an emergency call, received from the user equipment, to a public safety answering point device.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

directing the profile to a data store within the communication network.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, determining the profile data, including;

selecting a null value as the temporary telephone number,

selecting a predefined value as the emergency services routing number, and

selecting as the location routing functionality indicator, a value that indicates that a location routing function device is not to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the internet protocol address matches the home internet protocol address, determining the profile data, including;

selecting a null value as the temporary telephone number and the emergency services routing number, and

selecting as the location routing functionality indicator, a value that indicates that a location routing function device is to be queried subsequent to receiving the emergency call.