Granted Patent B2

US 8,649,801 · App. 13/147,677 · Granted Feb 11, 2014

Abstract

Claims (39)

1. A method by which location information associated with a subscriber unit is communicated to a service that requires location information of the subscriber unit, the method comprising:

the subscriber unit transmitting a message;

a first network component connected to the subscriber unit receiving the message;

the first network component analyzing the received message to determine whether the message is addressed to the service;

upon determining that the message is addressed to the service, the first network component determining location information identifying a geographical location of the subscriber unit;

the first network component inserting the location information into the message;

the first network component transmitting the message having the inserted location information to the service;

presenting by displaying or announcing, by the subscriber unit information identifying the geographical location of the subscriber unit, the information identifying the geographical location comprising at least one of a room number, a building number, geographical related coordinates, a name of a city in which the geographical location is within, and a name of a street on which the geographical location is on;

after display or announcement of the information identifying the geographical location of the subscriber unit, providing a subscriber associated with the subscriber unit the option to perform at least one member of the group consisting of:

a) confirming the accuracy of the information identifying the geographical location,

b) repeating its display or announcement, and

c) identifying the information identifying the geographical location as inaccurate through a respective input at the subscriber unit.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the first network component storing at least one piece of information about a geographical location of the subscriber unit from a network admission control in response to receiving the message from the subscriber unit and wherein the first network component is a router.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the subscriber unit is a telephone, a notebook, an internet phone, a desktop computer, or a communication terminal unit and wherein the first network component is a router and wherein the first network component determines the location information via communications with a network access control switch.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information determined by the first network component is different from a network address of the subscriber unit and is independent of the network address of the subscriber unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information is identical for multiple subscriber units that are spatially adjacent to each other.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information is in a format adapted to the service.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locking the subscriber unit from the service after receipt of the input at the subscriber unit identifies the information identifying the geographical location as inaccurate.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the presenting by displaying or announcing occurs after the first network component registers a change of network structure.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the subscriber unit is locked such that the service is unavailable to the subscriber unit until the first network component receives correct location information identifying a correct geographical location of the subscriber unit.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

upon a determination that the message is not directed to a service that requires location information, removing the location information inserted within the message prior to the message being sent to the service.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a network access control switch assigning the location information to the subscriber unit.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a location mapping service converts the location information into a location identifier having a format acceptable to the service.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the subscriber unit registering in a network of the first network component.

14. A method for a subscriber unit's communication with a service that requires the subscriber unit's location information, comprising:

sending the service a message from the subscriber unit, said message containing information about the subscriber unit's location;

storing at least one piece of information about the subscriber unit's location in at least one network component;

making the at least one piece of information available by a network component;

presenting by displaying or announcing, by the subscriber unit at least one piece of information about the subscriber unit's location stored in the network component;

after display or announcement of the at least one piece of information about the subscriber unit's location stored in the network component, providing a subscriber the option to perform at least one member of the group consisting of:

a) confirming accuracy of the information,

b) repeating its display or announcement, and

c) identifying the information as inaccurate; and

locking a subscriber unit with respect to at least one service that requires information about the subscriber unit's location, if after a display or announcement of the at least one piece of information about the subscriber unit's location stored in a component of the network, a subscriber has marked this information as incorrect through a respective input at the subscriber unit.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the presenting, by displaying or announcing of the at least one piece of information about the subscriber unit's location stored in a network component occurs after the network component has registered a change of network structure.

Assignments (11)