House number normalization for master street address guide (MSAG) address matching

• US 9,413,889 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Geldenbott, Gerhard, Hines, Gordon John, Martin, Jeffrey Thomas, Backus, Abe
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLAIR, KILE O
• Application Number:
  US12/232,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 707/692, 379/45, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/521
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 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

Abstract

A technique and apparatus to allow a determination of an MSAG-valid address by use of normalized house numbers included in address entries in an MSAG Address data store, to facilitate the simple match of an input civic/postal address against entries in a MSAG data store based on the use of a normalization of the house numbers. The house number normalization allows for an easy lexicographical determination as to whether or not the input civic/postal house number falls with the range of house numbers in the MSAG data store. The inventive process and apparatus pre-stores normalized house number fields in an MSAG address data store, and then normalizes house numbers in a civic/postal address associated with an emergency call. The normalized numbers in the input civic/postal address associated with the emergency call are then lexicographically matched with normalized entries in an MSAG address data store.

Claims

1. A method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges for build into a physical MSAG database;

converting an upper limit and a lower limit to each of said plurality of USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges to a non-USPS standard format;

storing said non-USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges into said physical MSAG database;

receiving an emergency call from a mobile device together with an associated USPS standard format civic/postal address;

converting said associated USPS standard format civic/postal address into said non-UPSP standard format, wherein said non-UPSP standard format comprises;

converting each non-alphanumeric character in a street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address to instead comprise a space character,

replacing consecutive space characters in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address with a single space character,

removing a leading space and a trailing space in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address, and

padding each group of consecutive digits in said USPS standard format civic/postal address with at least one leading character such that a resultant street number portion of said non-USPS standard format civic/postal address is of a fixed common length;

lexicographically matching said converted, non-USPS standard format civic/postal address to a non-USPS standard format address range entry pre-stored in said physical MSAG database; and

directing said emergency call from said mobile device to a proper physical public safety answering point (PSAP) terminal responsible for said USPS standard format civic/postal address based on said lexicographically matched, converted, non USPS standard format civic/postal address.

2. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said fixed common length is 10 characters.

3. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1, wherein said at least one leading character comprises:

a zero character.

4. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1, wherein said converting said associated USPS standard format civic/postal address further comprises:

converting said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address to upper case characters.

5. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1, wherein:

said non-alphanumeric character in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address is a punctuation character.