VoIP Caller Location via Clearinghouse Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
VoIP emergency calls often fail to accurately convey the caller's location to public safety answering points (PSAPs) due to the flexible nature of VoIP telephones, which can connect to different ISPs and locations, leading to potential delays or failures in providing aid.
Innovation Solution
A clearinghouse system that maps IP addresses to ISPs, queries the ISP for the associated location, and communicates this location to the VoIP service provider or PSAP, ensuring accurate location translation regardless of the ISP used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If VoIP telephones are allowed to connect to any ISP and location, then flexibility and mobility are improved, but location accuracy for emergency services deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a clearinghouse as an intermediary component between the VoIP telephone and the PSAP. This clearinghouse receives location data from multiple ISPs, standardizes the location information, and provides it to emergency services. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by enabling VoIP phones to connect to any ISP while ensuring accurate location information is captured and transmitted to emergency services through the clearinghouse's location determination and standardization process.
2Device complexity
If location information is manually provided by the caller, then system complexity is reduced, but reliability of location data deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having the VoIP telephone and its associated network infrastructure automatically provide location information to the clearinghouse without requiring manual input from the caller. The system automatically captures location data from the call setup message, queries the clearinghouse for the associated physical location, and transmits this information to the PSAP. This automatic process maintains low system complexity while significantly improving location data reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the PSAP relies on the telephone number association with home address, then simplicity of location determination is maintained, but accuracy of location information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the clearinghouse pre-establish and maintain a database that maps IP addresses to physical locations before emergency calls occur. When a VoIP phone places an emergency call, the system queries the clearinghouse with the source IP address from the call setup message, and the clearinghouse immediately provides the pre-determined physical location. This pre-prepared location data eliminates the need for manual location determination while ensuring high accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A clearinghouse is used to determine caller location for VoIP calls. The clearinghouse maintains (i) a first correlation between a first IP address and a first ISP and (ii) a second correlation between a second IP address and a second ISP. The clearinghouse receives the first IP address from a VoIP service provider (VSP). The first IP address is a source address of a request from a VoIP telephone to set up a call, received by the VSP from the first ISP. The clearinghouse references the first correlation and queries the first ISP with the first IP address. The clearinghouse then receives from the first ISP a location associated with the first IP address. The clearinghouse transmits this location to an entity such as the VSP or, for a 911 call, perhaps a PSAP. The clearinghouse may select the PSAP based at least in part on the location.