System and method for delivering short message service text to call centers

1. A wireless emergency system comprising:

a mobile switching center that receives an emergency text message of a caller from the caller's mobile communications device;

a short message service center that receives the emergency text message from the mobile switching center; and

a gateway in communication with the short message service center to route the emergency text message to a responsive public safety answering point, the gateway including:

(i) a transcoder that exchanges text messages with the short message service center and exchanges TTY tone messages with the responsive public safety answering point, the transcoder bi-directionally translating between text message and TTY tone message formats, and

(ii) a table of communication sessions with a telephone number of the caller for each existing communication session,

wherein the gateway is configured to access the table to determine whether an incoming text message is an initial message or is otherwise part of an existing communication session with a public safety answering point, such that the gateway:

(a) routes TTY tone messages corresponding to an initial message to a responsive public safety answering point based on the caller's present location determined dynamically, and

(b) instead routes TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.

2. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway receives the emergency text message from the short message service center and transmits a reply text message to the caller that corresponds to a tone message received from the responsive public safety answering point.

3. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway identifies the responsive public safety answering point from among a plurality of public safety answering points based on location information of the caller, the location information including a cell site and sector of the caller.

4. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway includes a pseudo automatic number identifier manager that maintains a plurality of pseudo automatic number identifiers, each of a plurality of public safety answering points being assigned a pool of pseudo automatic number identifiers, and assigns a pseudo automatic number identifier to the caller from the pool assigned to the responsive public safety answering point.

5. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway verifies a communication session with the responsive public safety answering point by sending a preprogrammed message and receiving an authorization message.

6. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway provides location information in response to a location query from the responsive public safety answering point.

7. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway receives a picture or video message from the caller and transmits a retrieval code or URL to the responsive public safety answering point thereby enabling a user at the public safety answering point to retrieve the picture or video message via an Internet communication.

8. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway includes an Internet server that receives a picture or video message from a caller and stores the picture or video message to be retrieved by the responsive public safety answering point.

9. The wireless emergency system according to claim 1 wherein the TTY tone messages are Baudot or ASCII tone messages.

10. A gateway for routing a text message comprising:

a text message receiver that receives an emergency text message of a caller from a short message service center;

a transcoder that exchanges text messages with the short message service center and exchanges TTY tone messages with a responsive public safety answering point, the transcoder bi-directionally translating between text message and TTY tone message formats;

a text message transmitter that transmits a reply text message to the caller that corresponds to a TTY tone message received from the responsive public safety answering point; and

a table of communication sessions with a telephone number of the caller for each existing communication session, wherein the gateway is configured to access the table to determine whether an incoming text message is an initial message or is otherwise part of an existing communication session with a public safety answering point, such that TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session are routed to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.

11. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway identifies the responsive public safety answering point from among a plurality of public safety answering points based on location information of the caller.

12. The gateway according to claim 11 wherein the location information includes a cell site and sector of the caller.

13. The gateway according to claim 10 further comprising a pseudo automatic number identifier manager that maintains a plurality of pseudo automatic number identifiers, each of the plurality of public safety answering points being assigned a pool of pseudo automatic number identifiers, and assigns a pseudo automatic number identifier to the caller from the pool assigned to the responsive public safety answering point.

14. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway verifies a communication session with the responsive public safety answering point by sending a preprogrammed message and receiving an authorization message.

15. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway receives a location query from the responsive public safety answering point.

16. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway receives a picture or video message from the caller and transmits the picture of video message to the responsive public safety answering point.

17. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway further comprises an Internet server that receives a picture or video message from the caller and stores the picture or video message to be retrieved by the responsive public safety answering point.

18. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the wherein the tone messages are in TTY format as Baudot or ASCII tone messages.

19. The gateway according to claim 10 wherein the gateway exchanges a plurality of messages between the mobile switching center and the responsive public safety answering point.

20. A method for routing a text message comprising:

receiving an emergency text message of a caller;

determining whether the emergency text message is an initial message or is otherwise part of an existing communication session with a public safety answering point by accessing a table of telephone numbers associated with existing communication sessions;

generating an emergency tone message corresponding to the emergency text message using TTY tones; and

sending the emergency tone message to a responsive public safety answering point,

wherein, if the emergency text message is an initial message, the corresponding emergency tone message is routed based on the caller's present location determined dynamically and if the emergency text message is part of an existing communication session, the corresponding emergency tone message is routed to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.

21. The method according to claim 20 further comprising:

receiving a reply tone message from the responsive public safety answering point;

generating a reply text message corresponding to the reply tone message; and

sending the reply text message to the caller.

22. The method according to claim 20 wherein the responsive public safety answering point is selected from among a plurality of public safety answering points based on location information of the caller, the location information including a cell site and sector of the caller.

23. The method according to claim 20 further comprising:

maintaining a plurality of pseudo automatic number identifiers, each of the plurality of public safety answering points being assigned a pool of pseudo automatic number identifiers; and

assigning a pseudo automatic number identifier to the caller from the pool assigned to the responsive public safety answering point.

24. The method according to claim 20 further comprising verifying a communication session by sending a preprogrammed message and receiving an authorization message.

25. The method according to claim 20 wherein the responsive public safety answering point is operable to query the location information of the caller.

26. The method according to claim 20 wherein the emergency text message includes a picture or video.

27. A wireless messaging system comprising:

a means for receiving text messages of a caller intended for a call center; and

a gateway means in communication with the receiving means for routing selected text messages to a call center as a TTY tone message wherein the gateway means is further configured to access a table of telephone numbers associated with existing communication sessions to determine whether an incoming text message is an initial message or is otherwise part of an existing communication session with a public safety answering point, such that TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session are routed to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.

28. The wireless messaging system according to claim 27 , wherein the gateway means further comprises means for receiving a picture or video message from the caller and transmitting the picture or video message to the call center.

29. The gateway of claim 10 , further comprising a conversation manager.

30. The gateway of claim 10 , wherein the conversation manager determines whether an incoming text message is an initial message or is otherwise part of an existing communication session with a public safety answering point, such that TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session are routed to the public safety answering point handling that communication session.

31. The gateway of claim 10 , wherein the gateway is configured:

(a) to route TTY tone messages corresponding to an initial message to a responsive public safety answering point based on the caller's present location determined dynamically, and

(b) instead route TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.

32. The wireless messaging system of claim 27 , wherein the gateway means further includes a means for routing TTY tone messages corresponding to an initial message to a responsive public safety answering point based on the caller's present location determined dynamically, and instead routing TTY tone messages corresponding to an incoming text message that is part of an existing communication session to the public safety answering point handling the existing communication session.