Automated 911 Verification System for Emergency Routing Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current 911 emergency services lack a method for subscribers to verify the accuracy of their associated information and the location of the emergency response center without committing a misdemeanor or disrupting emergency services, especially with the complexities introduced by telephone number portability and the use of mobile phones.

Innovation Solution

A special dialing code, *911, is introduced to route calls to an automated system within the 911 response center, allowing subscribers to access information about the response center and associated data without occupying emergency communications capacity, using either an answering machine or IVR system to provide routing information and subscriber-specific details.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a subscriber places a 911 call to verify service status, then they can obtain information about response center location and accuracy of associated information, but they commit a misdemeanor and occupy emergency communications capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesubscriber verification capabilityVSAvoidlegal violation and resource occupation

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the 911 call handling into two distinct paths: regular 911 calls are routed to emergency response centers, while verification calls using the special code *911 are routed to an automated answering system. This segmentation allows verification functionality without compromising emergency service resources or violating laws against false 911 calls.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An automated answering system acts as an intermediary between subscribers seeking verification and the 911 service infrastructure. This intermediary provides verification information about response center location and subscriber data accuracy without requiring direct connection to emergency response centers, thus avoiding resource occupation and legal issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If traditional 911 routing based on area or exchange code is used, then call routing is straightforward, but telephone number portability and overlay area codes make routing problematic and may route calls to incorrect response centers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall routing simplicityVSAvoidcall routing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The verification system provides feedback to subscribers about the actual routing of their 911 calls, including the location of the response center that would handle their call. This feedback mechanism allows subscribers to verify whether their calls are being routed to the correct local response center or potentially to centers in other states, enabling them to identify and report routing errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If 911 information is gathered from third-party databases, then data collection is efficient, but subscribers have no way to verify or update their personal information accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata collection efficiencyVSAvoidsubscriber verification and update capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The automated answering system enables subscribers to self-verify their 911-associated information by calling the verification code and receiving information about their registered address and response center associations. Subscribers can identify inaccuracies in the third-party database information and initiate updates without requiring direct access to database administrators or emergency response center personnel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8811573B2Method and system for verifying the status of 911 emergency telephone services

Publication Date: 2014.08.19 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

A method and system allow a subscriber to test emergency 911 telephone services routed from the subscriber's location over a network to a response center. An alternative dialing code (*911) is provided for testing, and when a call placed by a subscriber to the alternative dialing code is received in the network, the network identifies the response center to which a 911 call placed from the subscriber's location is routed. An answering device is provided with status information with respect to the identified response center, and calls placed by the subscriber to the alternative dialing code are routed to the answering device, whereby when a subscriber places a call to the alternative dialing code, the answering device will supply the subscriber with status information with respect to the identified response center that receives a 911 call from the subscriber's location.