Patent ID: 6697630
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: G01S,H04W

Abstract:
A method for automatically locating mobile units in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising:connecting a telephone call from a cellular customer to a cellular service, said customer being in communication with a plurality of cell towers, each of said cell towers having a plurality of identifiable cell tower faces for handling signals to and from a wireless telephone; transmitting from said cell towers to said cellular service provider a Pseudo Automatic Number Identification for each of the cell towers, each of said Pseudo Automatic Number Identifications corresponding to the cell tower face in communication with said customer; identifying a Directory Number for said customer and the location of said cell towers in said network; comparing the electromagnetic signal footprint, including field strength aspects, of said customer's call to stored field strength characteristics associated with each of said Pseudo Automatic Number Identifications; ascertaining the coordinates of a location polygon for each of said cell towers in communication with said customer, each of said location polygons subsuming the location of said customer; determining a reduced location polygon, said reduced location polygon being a subset of coordinates defining an overlapping region between said location polygons; connecting said wireless telephone customer to an emergency dispatch center designated for handling calls emanating from a region subsuming said reduced location polygon when said customer has designated the call as an emergency call; and transmitting to said emergency dispatch center said Director Number and the coordinates of said reduced location polygon.