Patent ID: 8014341

Claim:
In a system comprising (i) a calling mechanism operable in a calling mechanism on-hook state and operable in a calling mechanism off-hook state, and (ii) an intermediary device operable in an intermediary device on-hook state and operable in an intermediary device offhook state, a method comprising: switching the calling mechanism to the calling mechanism off-hook state, and responsively switching the intermediary device to the intermediary device off-hook state; thereafter, using the calling mechanism to dial an emergency number, and responsively establishing a communication via the intermediary device between a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and the calling mechanism; after establishing the communication and before the intermediary device sends a civic address along with a parameter type value to identify that the civic address is being communicated to the PSAP, switching the calling mechanism to the calling mechanism on-hook state; and after switching the calling mechanism to the calling mechanism on-hook state, sending the civic address from the intermediary device to the PSAP, and thereafter switching the intermediary device to the intermediary device on-hook state, wherein the civic address includes a predetermined number of bytes of data, a first number of bytes representing a street number and street name, a second number of bytes representing a street type, a third number of bytes representing a postal mailing code, wherein the civic address includes twenty-one bytes of data, wherein the first number of bytes are fourteen bytes of data of the twenty-one bytes of data that represent the street number and street name, wherein the second number of bytes are two bytes of data of the twenty-one bytes of data that represent the street type, wherein the third number of bytes are five bytes of data of the twenty-one bytes of data that represent the postal mailing code, and wherein sending the civic address includes sending the fourteen bytes first, then the two bytes of data, and then the five bytes of data.