Patent ID: 7548537

Claim:
A method implemented by a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) system comprising the steps of: generating first information about a first location of a first VOIP telephone, where the first information includes three dimensional geographic coordinates of the first VOIP telephone; transmitting said first information and information identifying the associated VOIP telephone to a database accessible by the VOIP system; storing a plurality of records in the database where each record includes a location of a corresponding area of a building where each area is limited to being only on one floor of the building and is defined by corresponding three dimensional geographic coordinates, each record containing a text description of the area of the building including the floor of the building containing the area, the first information not containing location information related to the floor of the building; assigning the first VOIP telephone at the first location to a first record based on the floor of the building on which the first VOIP telephone resides being on the same floor as the area of the first record and the proximity of the first location to the area of the first record; comparing a current location of the first VOIP telephone with locations stored in records in the database; determining a second record with its corresponding area location closest to the current location of the first VOIP telephone on the same floor as contained in the first record; linking the identifying information of the VOIP telephone with the second record, so that the text description of the location associated with the first VOIP telephone can be identified and retrieved for use during a 911 call request by the first VOIP telephone from the second record.