Telecommunication Systems, Inc.

Telecommunications Systems, Inc.

John Gordon Hines

Jonathan Alan Croy

Yinjun Zhu

Richard Lee Dickinson

Gerhard Geldenbott

Victor C Burton

Jon Croy

Darrin Johnson

Roger Stuart Marshall

Kathleen Lendvay

An emergency services key (e.g., ESQK or ESRK) is guaranteed to be available from a limited size ESQK pool. A plurality of ESQKs are grouped into a pool of emergency service keys 'ESQK Pool ID', each including anywhere from 1 to N number of ESQKs. Each ESQK preferably has a 'Timestamp', information relating to the specific emergency E911 call (&#x201c;Call Data ID&#x201d;), a guard timer, and an optional hold timer. The ESQK having a Call Data ID=&#x201c;NULL&#x201d;, and having the oldest Timestamp, is chosen for selection. If no such ESQK has both Call Data ID=NULL and the oldest Timestamp is found, then the ESQK with merely the oldest Timestamp is selected. The timestamp is reset to a current time plus a guard timer, or hold timer if desired.

Extended efficient usage of emergency services keys

An emergency call (e.g., a 911 call, an alarm company call) forwarded by a telematics call center is routed over the switched PSTN to a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call server, where the switched call is converted to a session initiating protocol (SIP) packetized IP call for presentation to an emergency services gateway, which reconverts the call to TDM and connects to a selective router via dedicated circuits, gaining full access to the Enhanced 911 network. This provides a PSAP receiving a call from a telematics call center or other call center with all features available in an Enhanced 911 network, e.g., callback number of the 911 caller, and location of the 911 caller. Location of the caller is provided using a VoIP positioning center (VPC).

Enhanced E911 network access for call centers

A switched emergency call (e.g., a 911 call, an alarm company call) forwarded by a telematics call center is converted into a session initiation protocol (SIP) packetized phone call at the call center, and routed over an IP network, for presentation to an emergency services gateway, which connects to a selective router via dedicated circuits, gaining full access to the Enhanced 911 network. This provides a PSAP receiving a call from a telematics call center or other call center with all features available in an Enhanced 911 network, e.g., callback number of the 911 caller, and location of the 911 caller. Location of the caller is provided using a VoIP positioning center (VPC), queried from the call center. In this way, the switched emergency call is converted into a SIP packetized phone call and routed without further passage through the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Enhanced E911 network access for a call center using session initiation protocol (SIP) messaging

An emergency services key (e.g., ESQK or ESRK) is guaranteed to be available from a limited size ESQK pool, such that an available ESQK is always selected and associated with an ongoing emergency call with no measurable impact to existing calls, even if all ESQK pool members are marked as unavailable. A plurality of ESQKs are grouped into a pool of emergency service keys 'ESQK Pool ID', each including anywhere from 1 to N number of ESQKs. Each ESQK preferably has a 'Timestamp', and information relating to the specific emergency E911 call (&#x201c;Call Data ID&#x201d;). The ESQK having a Call Data ID=&#x201c;NULL&#x201d;, and having the oldest Timestamp, is chosen for selection. If no such ESQK has both Call Data ID=NULL and the oldest Timestamp is found, then the ESQK with merely the oldest Timestamp is selected.

Efficient usage of emergency services keys

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices are invited to a conference bridge based on a pre-defined criteria for the conference bridge (e.g., passengers on a plane. The conference invite messages are transmitted using Internet Protocol, which they may or may not accept. The invited VoIP users may be determined based on their physical proximity to the initial caller and other pre-determined characteristics. A VoIP soft switch includes conference bridges that eliminate the conventional requirement that they dial the phone number of another specific VoIP communications device. Instead, location information relating to the initial VoIP user is passed to the VoIP conference bridge, either from the user's VoIP communication device or from their respective location server. Location and other information is then compared by the VoIP soft switch against other VoIP devices, to find potential VoIP conference participants.

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) multi-user conferencing

An area event handler informs when a target mobile enters or leaves a network covering a pre-defined target area, and re-aims an original area event request. When the event occurs, the mobile sends a location report to an initiator of the request. A PLMN list with estimated geographic coverage areas is stored in a Home GMLC, and sent to each relevant mobile. When a mobile enters new network coverage, it uses this list for network access selection. When the Home GMLC discovers that the currently visited PLMN does not serve the original target area, it modifies the area event to the that mobile, so that the Home GMLC will be notified when the target mobile once again enters a PLMN that serves the original target area. Then, after being so notified, the Home GMLC re-sends the original area event location service request to the target mobile.

Mobile based area event handling when currently visited network does not cover area

ESQK and/or ESRK (ESxK) number pool exhaustion and reuse errors are eliminated by replacing the ESxK identifier with an emergency services pseudo key (ESPK) identifier. A positioning center (MPC/VPC) replaces an ESxK received with a query with a ESPK in a return message. The ESPK is either a unique 10-digit number or unique alpha-numeric identifier that can be used to re-query the source of dynamic ALI data. The ESPK may be generated using, e.g., unique prefixing, suffixing, or randomizing. The ESPK is a non-constrained, unique identifier that preferably remains unique for the call instance over an extended period of time. The ESPK is used for any subsequent ALI request for the call. Each time a positioning center receives a query with ESPK, it is directly associated with, and returns, the updated location for the original emergency call, regardless of whether or not the original ESxK was reallocated to another emergency call.

Automatic location identification (ALI) emergency services pseudo key (ESPK)

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) emergency calls to an Emergency Response Center (ERC) are handled through a VoIP conference bridge on a VoIP service provider's soft switch. The soft switch works with a VoIP positioning center (VPC) to obtain location information, which is compared against a PSAP database to find an initial best-appropriate PSAP for the location of the emergency caller. The PSAP is issued an Invite message to join the conference, establishing an emergency call. Third parties such as police, ambulance may be issued Invite messages to join the conference. Cold transfers are avoided by Inviting participants to join a single emergency conference rather than passing an emergency call from party to party (e.g., from PSAP to police to ambulance, etc.) The PSAP, other emergency responders, and even the initial VoIP emergency caller may leave and rejoin the VoIP conference without dropping the conference between the others.

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

John Gordon Hines