Abstract:
A method to enable a subscriber to enter his or her address directly into a regional ALI database for use if and when the subscriber makes a 9-1-1 call. After a subscriber establishes telephony service in a new location, the subscriber connects to a processing system that can update a regional ALI that serves the subscriber&#39;s location. The subscriber is prompted to enter his or her telephone number and location information, optimally starting with the broadest location information (e.g., state) down to the narrowest (e.g., specific number street on a street). If the location information does not match a location recognized by MSAG, the subscriber is presented with one or more alternatives that are recognized by MSAG. When data entry is complete, the processing system stores the updated information and, advantageously, delivers the updated information to the ALI that serves the emergency service zone where the TN is now located.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This Patent Application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/732,466, entitled “System and Method for User Population of Emergency Services Database Records,” which was filed on Nov. 1, 2005, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is directed to providing accurate location information to public safety answering points, and, more specifically, to a system and method for direct subscriber population of emergency services database records that ensures that the format of the subscriber-entered data is usable by automatic location information databases and public safety answering points.  
         [0003]     When abbreviated emergency services dialing (“9-1-1” in the U.S. and Canada) was first introduced, the emergency services operator had to ask the caller for, among other things, the location that the caller was calling from and a call-back telephone number. If the caller was unable to communicate this basic information to the operator, (because, for example, the caller was injured or does not speak the language), then help could not be dispatched.  
         [0004]     To alleviate this problem, enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) was developed. In E9-1-1, the telephone number of the calling telephone is delivered with the call to the local public safety answering point (PSAP). The PSAP queries a regional Automatic Location Information (ALI) database using the calling telephone number as a key. The ALI database returns a record containing the street address and, in some cases, other information associated with the calling telephone number. The operator at the PSAP that takes the call is then presented with the calling telephone number and the street address associated with the calling telephone number. Such information aids the operator to call the telephone back in case the call is cut off for any reason and aids the operator in guiding help to the address of the caller.  
         [0005]     To provide E9-1-1 capabilities for landline telephone subscriber in the current art, the physical address of the subscriber and the call-back number of the telephone must be provisioned in the appropriate ALI database in order to deliver that address to the PSAP. From the PSAP perspective, the address delivered must be in Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) format. For landline telephony, management and reconciliation of a subscriber&#39;s address so that the address is MSAG valid has been performed by the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILEC&#39;s), competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC&#39;s) or a contractor, such as Intrado (the assignee of the present invention).  
         [0006]     The above-described system works very well in landline-based telephony, because telephone number and address changes occur slowly over time and in a manner easily tracked by the ILEC&#39;s or CLEC&#39;s. Today, however, there is a new line-based telecommunications system that is not based on landline telephony. Specifically, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony provides voice and data telecommunications without using the landline telephony infrastructure. Each VoIP telephone, however, has a 10-digit telephone number (TN) that is dialable from virtually any other VoIP, wireless or landline telephone.  
         [0007]     In VoIP telephony, a subscriber can simply plug a VoIP telephone into a data network, such as the Internet and register the VoIP telephone with a VoIP service provider (VSP). The subscriber can then make and receive telephone calls with the full feature set subscribers expect. Further, a VoIP telephone can be unplugged and moved to any location that has an Internet connection. Additionally, wireless VoIP telephones are currently being developed and deployed. Wireless VoIP telephones can be used anywhere there is a wireless data access point (e.g., hotels, office buildings, coffee shops, etc.) As a result, many people are switching to VoIP telephony for convenience, technology or cost reasons.  
         [0008]     With the movement of consumers to VoIP technology, VSP&#39;s and Wireless carriers that provide fixed or wireless VoIP 9-1-1 service (respectively) must provide each subscribers&#39; civic address in order to maintain regional ALI databases in a manner consistent with E9-1-1 practice. Currently, the VSP obtains the subscriber&#39;s civic address and then send it to Intrado over a machine-machine interface. Intrado then converts this address to a MSAG-valid format and provides updates to the regional ALI databases.  
         [0009]     The problem with this approach is that the subscriber-provided civic address and the PSAP-ready address in MSAG format may not easily translate and there is a high error rate when performing the translation, which results in an error record. A human is then required to manually resolve the subscriber&#39;s civic address to its correct MSAG-valid address. Until this manual reconciliation occurs, the PSAP will not receive the VoIP subscriber&#39;s address during an emergency call. Effectively, the subscriber only has Basic 9-1-1 service, not Enhanced.  
         [0010]     Therefore, a problem in the art is that there is no simple, efficient system for maintaining an emergency services database for movable telephones.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     This problem is solved and a technical advance is achieved in the art by a system and method that enables a subscriber to enter his or her address electronically, which is then validated against the official Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) and then delivered to the regional ALI system that serves the location of the subscriber. As a result, there is a high probability of the subscriber&#39;s address being available to the PSAP upon a 9-1-1 call, which effects nearly universal E9-1-1 service. To allow the greatest opportunity for direct subscriber 9-1-1 address entry, a Web-based application is provided by this invention that walks the subscriber through the process of entering their 9-1-1 address.  
         [0012]     In accordance with one aspect of this invention, when a subscriber establishes telephony service in a new location, the subscriber connects to a processing system that can update a regional ALI that serves the subscriber&#39;s location. The subscriber is prompted to enter his or her telephone number (TN) or other unique identifier appropriate for the subscriber&#39;s network (e.g., MAC address, URI, etc.). Alternatively, the subscriber&#39;s TN or other identifier is captured or passed to the processing system. The subscriber is then prompted for location information, optimally starting with the broadest location information (e.g., state) down to the narrowest (e.g., specific number street on a street). If the location information does not match a location recognized by MSAG, the subscriber is presented with one or more alternatives that are recognized by MSAG. When data entry is complete, the processing system stores the updated information and, advantageously, geo-codes the location just entered. The emergency services number for the location is then determined and is delivered to the ALI that serves the emergency service number where the TN is now located. Further advantageously, the geo-coded location is presented to the subscriber on a map so that the subscriber may verify his or her location.  
         [0013]     Additionally, this invention provides for a plurality of “alias” names for communities, streets and street numbers. For example, a street may be known by a route name a street name, or both (e.g., Route 38 and Roosevelt Road) but may be designated differently by the MSAG (e.g., Main Street). All known aliases of a name are selectable in accordance with this aspect of this invention, and are then changed into the MSAG-valid name. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     A more complete understanding of this invention may be obtained from a consideration of this specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a communications network in which an exemplary embodiment of this invention operates;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a first screen shot of a data entry screen in accordance with one aspect of this invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a second screen shot of another data entry screen in accordance with another aspect of this invention; and  
         [0018]     FIGS.  4 A-C comprise a flowchart of operations of an exemplary embodiment of this invention in the context of the communications network of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a communications network  100  in which an exemplary embodiment of this invention operates. Certain aspects that are typical of a communications network but not essential to the description of this invention are not illustrated for the sake of clarity. This invention is described in the context of a registering the address of a VoIP telephony device. One skilled in the art will realize that this invention may be used in the area of landline telecommunications and even wireless telecommunications after studying this specification.  
         [0020]     Communications network  100  generally includes a service provider IP network  102  and an emergency services zone (ESZ)  104 . Service provider IP network  102  provides VoIP telephony services to telephone  106  via modem  107  at subscriber premises  108 . Subscriber premises also includes a means to access a data network, represented here by personal computer (PC)  109 . Telephone  106 , modem  107  and PC  109  are exemplary. One skilled in the art will realize that all of these items may be one unit, two units or more. Additionally, telephone  106  may be a POTS telephone plugged into modem  107 , as is known in the art. VoIP telephone  106  as used herein means any device that can communicate on service provider IP network via voice, data or, preferably both.  
         [0021]     Alternatively, a VoIP wireless device  110  may be connected to service provider IP network  102  via access point  112 . VoIP wireless device  110  may be a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, or any other wireless device that can send and receive voice, data or preferably both. VoIP wireless device  110  and access point  112  are known in the art and are therefore not further described. For purposes of brevity, “VoIP telecommunications device” is used to mean VoIP telephone  106 , VoIP wireless device  110  or both.  
         [0022]     ESZ  104  comprises a plurality of public safety answering points, represented by public safety answering point (PSAP)  120  and PSAP  122 . PSAP&#39;s  120  and  122  each serve a geographical region within an ESZ, as is known in the art. Each PSAP  120 ,  122  within the ESZ  104  is also connected to regional ALI  124 . Regional ALI  124  comprises a database that stores every TN (or other unique identifier) within the region and an address or location associated with every TN. ESZ  104  is well known in the art and therefore not described further.  
         [0023]     In order to operate in service provider IP network  102 , VoIP communications devices must be registered with service provider IP network  102 . To this end, whenever the subscriber of a VoIP communications device first initiate contact with service provider IP network  102 , the VoIP communications device contacts service provider registration server  130 . Service provider registration server  130  receives information from VoIP telephone  102  or VoIP wireless device  110 . Such information includes the device&#39;s TN, MAC address, URI or any unique identification that globally identifies the VoIP communications device. Service provider registration server  130  stores this information in service provider registration database  132  for use in service provider IP network  102 . The information in service provider registration database  132  is used by routers, soft switches, etc., so that VoIP communications devices may communicate on service provider IP network  102 , including placing and receiving telephone calls.  
         [0024]     As part of registration, and in contradiction to the prior art, service provider registration server  130  passes the call on to address entry and verification server  140 , in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention. Advantageously, service provider registration server  130  pass the TN, MAC address, or other unique identifier that the subscriber registered to address entry and verification server  140 . Address entry and verification server  140 , as will be described further, below, interacts with the subscriber registering the VoIP communications device to obtain the location of the VoIP communications device. Address entry and verification server  140  presents the subscriber with a series of menus from which the subscriber selects the location of the VoIP communications device. Advantageously, the menus start with the broadest areas (e.g., country or state) and works down to as precise a location as possible (e.g., street number, apartment number, hotel room number, etc.).  
         [0025]     Alternatively, address entry and verification server  140  may include an interactive voice recognition (IVR) system  146 , either as part of address entry and verification server  140  (as illustrated) or as a separate unit. IVR system  146  interacts with the subscriber and receives input verbally as is known in the art. Further alternatively, address entry and verification server  140  may include a dual-tone, multi-frequency (DTMF) detector  148 . DTMF detector may be part of IVR system  146  or may be a separate unit. DTMF detector  148  accepts input from the subscriber as touch-tone signaling. In this manner, the subscriber does not necessarily have to have access to a computer or web-enabled device.  
         [0026]     Once the address for the TN is obtained, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, the address is geo-coded and its ESN are determined. The TN (or other identifier), address, ESN and other data are stored in subscriber database  142  and delivered to the regional ALI database in the emergency services network that serves the location (address) of the VoIP communications device. In this exemplary embodiment, address entry and verification server  140  delivers the TN and address to regional ALI  124 , which serves emergency services network  106 .  
         [0027]     For an address to be usable at PSAP&#39;s  120  and  122  in emergency services network  106 , the address must be stored in a recognized format in regional ALI  124 . In accordance with this embodiment of this invention, address entry and verification server  140  cooperates with Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) database  144  to produce an MSAG-valid address. An MSAG-valid address is one that includes the correct spellings of community and street names, valid streets in a community, valid street numbers on a particular street, etc. Such MSAG-valid addresses are currently the only addresses permitted by ILEC&#39;s, CLEC&#39;s or both to be stored in regional ALI  124 . MSAG database  144 , as is known in the art, contains all known, valid street addresses in the United States.  
         [0028]     Therefore, in accordance with this invention, address entry and verification server  140  takes the subscriber&#39;s input for the broadest region and obtains data for further menus from MSAG database  144 . If all or part of a subscriber&#39;s address is not located in MSAG database  144 , then a list of potential valid entries is presented to the subscriber. If the subscriber still cannot find part of the address, then the interactive session is sent to an error handling system  150 , which may include a live operator, to resolve the discrepancy. In this manner, new streets, subdivisions, etc. may be determined at an earlier stage than currently possible. Once the new location is verified, it can then be entered into MSAG database  144  for future use.  
         [0029]     Turning now to  FIG. 2 , an entry screen in accordance with an aspect of this invention is illustrated generally at  200 . In accordance with this invention, the address entry application is list driven. The application generates a record for the subscriber, which includes the TN or other identifier. If the TN or other identifier is not delivered when the application begins, the subscriber is prompted for the VoIP communications device&#39;s TN (not shown). Furthermore, address entry screen may display the TN or other identifier, request verification of the TN or other identifier, or, advantageously, both.  
         [0030]     The application first prompts the subscriber for his or her State  202  (out of  51  possible, including the District of Columbia) in a drop down list. After the State selection is made, a list of counties  204  for that State (as determined from MSAG database  144 ) is presented. The subscriber selects his or her county form drop-down list  204 .  
         [0031]     Next, the application prompts the subscriber for his or her community  206 , from a list of communities in the county. Advantageously, the subscriber selects the first letter or number of the community, which shortens the list presented at drop-down list  208 . The subscriber selects his or her community in civic or postal format. If the civic or postal format is an alias of an MSAG-valid community, the application substitutes the MSAG-valid community name.  
         [0032]     Once the community is selected, a list of MSAG-valid street names  210  that exist in the community is presented. Advantageously, the subscriber first selects the first letter or number of the street name to limit the drop-down selection presented in drop-down list  212 . As with communities, the street names  212  are presented in their civic/postal format with the application mapping the correct MSAG street name via MSAG database  144 . Any such mapping of civic/postal format to MSAG-valid format is perform transparently to the subscriber.  
         [0033]     Additionally, any street directional prefix  214  and/or Suffix (i.e., N, S, E, W, NW, NE, SW, SE)  216  can be selected. Besides the valid MSAG street names, aliases for the streets are also presented as valid choices (Alias: Route 53 MSAG street name: Bryant Ave.). After completing street name selection, the subscriber then enters his or her street number  218  in free-form format and submits hs or her form by clicking on button  220 . The subscriber may also elect to reset the form  222  and start over at any time. The street number is compared against MSAG-valid street number ranges. Upon successfully submitting the form, the subscriber is informed that he or she has successfully entered their 9-1-1 valid address. Advantageously, a map is displayed to the subscriber showing the entered location in the context of the community.  
         [0034]     If at any time the subscriber cannot resolve his or her address, the subscriber may click on the “Address Not Found” button  224 . Processing then moves to Error Screen  300  of  FIG. 3 . On error screen  300 , the subscriber enters his or her street number  302 , street name  204 , community  306 , county  208  and state  310 . The subscriber then submits  312  the entered address or resets  314  the page and start over. This address is then sent to error handling  150  ( FIG. 1 ) for reconciliation. Such reconciliation may be performed manually by a human performing a data lookup or by contacting the subscriber.  
         [0035]     Turning now to FIGS.  4 A-C, a flow chart of operations performed as address entry and verification server  140  is shown. Processing starts in  FIG. 4A  in circle  400  and moves to action box  402 , where the subscriber registers his or her VoIP communications device with service provider registration server  130 . Process then moves to address entry and verification server  140 , where address entry screen  200  is presented to the subscriber in action box  404 .  
         [0036]     Processing next moves to action box  406 , where the subscriber selects a state from drop-down menu  202 . In action box  408 , address entry and verification server  140  retrieves the MSAG-valid counties for the selected state. Next, the subscriber selects a county from drop-down menu  204  in action box  410 . In action box  412 , address entry and verification server  140  retrieves communities for the selected county from MSAG database  144 . Next, in action box  414 , the subscriber selects a community from drop-down menu  208 .  
         [0037]     Processing proceeds to action box  416 , where address entry and verification server  140  retrieves street names for the selected community from MSAG database  144 . In action box  418 , the subscriber selects a street name from drop-down list  214 . Processing continues through connector A to  FIG. 4B .  
         [0038]     Turning now to  FIG. 4B , processing enters through connector A and moves to action box  420 , where the subscriber optionally selects a street prefix, a street suffix or both. Processing continues to decision diamond  422 , where address entry and verification server  140  determines whether the selected street name is an alias for an MSAG-valid street name. If it is, then processing moves to action box  424 , where the MSAG-valid street name is substituted for the alias.  
         [0039]     Processing proceeds to action box  426  from decision diamond  422 , if the entered street name is not an alias and from action box  424 , where the subscriber enters the street number in entry form  218 . In decisional diamond  428 , a determination is made whether the street number is within MSAG range. If it is not, then the subscriber may be presented with an MSAG-valid range in action box  430  and processing returns to action box  426 .  
         [0040]     When an MSAG-valid street number is selected, as determined in decision diamond  428 , then processing moves to action box  432 , where the subscriber submits the address by clicking on submit button  220 . In decision diamond  434 , a determination is made whether the entered address is an MSAG-valid address. If it is not, then processing moves to action box  436 , where the subscriber is prompted to start over, or moves through connector B, where the subscriber starts again at action box  404 . If the entered address is MSAG valid, as determined in decision diamond  434 , then processing moves through connector C to  FIG. 4C .  
         [0041]     Turning now to  FIG. 4C , processing enters through connector C and moves to action box  438 , where the geo-coordinates (X/Y coordinates) are computed. Processing continues to action box  440 , where the emergency services zone that serves the new address and the regional ALI are determined. In action box  442 , the new record is delivered to the regional ALI as determined in action box  440 . The record is also stored in subscriber database  142 , in action box  444 . Processing ends in circle  444 .  
         [0042]     Of course, at any time prior to clicking on submit button  220 , the subscriber may click on reset button  222 , which causes processing to move back to action box  404 . Additionally, if the subscriber does not find an MSAG-valid entry in any of the fields, the subscriber may click on the address not found button  224 , which moves the subscriber to error screen  300  ( FIG. 3 ).  
         [0043]     It is to be understood that the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that many variations of the above-described embodiments can be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the data entry menus may be presented in a verbal manner, as is known in the art, and selections made using dual-tone, multi-frequency signaling. Further, data entry may be accomplished via interactive speech recognition. It is therefore intended that such variations be included within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.