Emergency alert for voice over internet protocol (VoIP)

• US 9,390,615 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Dickinson, Richard, Mitchell, Don, Croy, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US12/923,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20110019664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/88.17, 379/88.25, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/52 Telephonic communication in combination with fax communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting
• 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 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) positioning center (VPC) is implemented in configuration with support from a text-to-voice module, emergency routing database, and VoIP switching points (VSPs) to allow a public safety access point (PSAP) or other emergency center to effectively communicate the nature of an emergency alert notification and the area of notification to the VoIP positioning center (VPC). The inventive VPC in turn determines which phones (including wireless and/or VoIP phones) are currently in the area for notification, and reliably and quickly issues the required warning to all affected wireless and VoIP phones.

Claims

1. A method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region, comprising:

receiving an emergency alert message passed to a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) positioning center (VPC) in communication with at least one automatic location identification (ALI) database;

receiving, at said VPC, a given geographic region to be alerted;

determining a target plurality of destination phones to be contacted based on a match of a digitally stored current location of each of a plurality of VoIP phones in said VPC, to said given geographic region;

passing, from said VPC, said emergency alert message to those of said target plurality of destination phones determined to have a digitally stored current location that is within said given geographic region; and

retrying an unsuccessful attempt to pass said emergency alert VoIP data to any given one of said target plurality of destination phones.

2. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 1, wherein:

said VPC determines which phones are in said target plurality of destination phones to be alerted.

3. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 2, wherein:

said VPC determines which phones are in said target plurality of destination phones to be alerted, using an emergency routing database (ERDB).

4. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of destination phones are voice over Internet Protocol (VolP) phones.

5. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 1, wherein:

said emergency alert message comprises text message data.

6. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 1, wherein:

said text message data is passed to said VPC via an Internet.

7. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 1, wherein:

said given geographic region is passed to said VPC via an Internet.

8. A method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region, comprising:

receiving an emergency alert message passed to a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) positioning center (VPC) in communication with at least one automatic location identification (ALI) database;

receiving, at said VPC, a given geographic region to be alerted;

determining a target plurality of destination phones to be contacted based on a match of a digitally stored current location of each of a plurality of VoIP phones in said VPC, to said given geographic region;

converting said received emergency alert message into emergency alert VoIP data;

passing, from said VPC, said emergency alert VoIP data to each of those of said target plurality of destination phones determined to have a digitally stored current location that is within said given geographic region; and

retrying an unsuccessful attempt to pass said emergency alert VoIP data to any given one of said target plurality of destination phones.

9. The method to alert a plurality of phones currently located within a given geographic region according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an expiration time of said received emergency alert message.