House number normalization for master street address guide (MSAG) address matching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9413889-B2
Application number	US-23248408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2008
Priority date	Sep 18, 2007
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A technique and apparatus to allow a determination of an MSAG-valid address by use of normalized house numbers included in address entries in an MSAG Address data store, to facilitate the simple match of an input civic/postal address against entries in a MSAG data store based on the use of a normalization of the house numbers. The house number normalization allows for an easy lexicographical determination as to whether or not the input civic/postal house number falls with the range of house numbers in the MSAG data store. The inventive process and apparatus pre-stores normalized house number fields in an MSAG address data store, and then normalizes house numbers in a civic/postal address associated with an emergency call. The normalized numbers in the input civic/postal address associated with the emergency call are then lexicographically matched with normalized entries in an MSAG address data store.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges for build into a physical MSAG database;
converting an upper limit and a lower limit to each of said plurality of USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges to a non-USPS standard format;
storing said non-USPS standard format civic/postal address ranges into said physical MSAG database;
receiving an emergency call from a mobile device together with an associated USPS standard format civic/postal address;
converting said associated USPS standard format civic/postal address into said non-UPSP standard format, wherein said non-UPSP standard format comprises:
converting each non-alphanumeric character in a street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address to instead comprise a space character,
replacing consecutive space characters in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address with a single space character,
removing a leading space and a trailing space in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address, and
padding each group of consecutive digits in said USPS standard format civic/postal address with at least one leading character such that a resultant street number portion of said non-USPS standard format civic/postal address is of a fixed common length;

lexicographically matching said converted, non-USPS standard format civic/postal address to a non-USPS standard format address range entry pre-stored in said physical MSAG database; and
directing said emergency call from said mobile device to a proper physical public safety answering point (PSAP) terminal responsible for said USPS standard format civic/postal address based on said lexicographically matched, converted, non USPS standard format civic/postal address.

2. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1 , wherein:
said fixed common length is 10 characters.

3. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one leading character comprises:
a zero character.

4. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1 , wherein said converting said associated USPS standard format civic/postal address further comprises:
converting said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address to upper case characters.

5. The method of directing an emergency call to an emergency terminal responsible for a civic/postal address received with the emergency call according to claim 1 , wherein:
said non-alphanumeric character in said street number portion of said USPS standard format civic/postal address is a punctuation character.

Assignees

• Geldenbott Gerhard
• Hines Gordon John
• Martin Jeffrey Thomas
• Backus Abe
• Telecomm Systems Inc

Inventors

• Geldenbott Gerhard
• Hines Gordon John
• Martin Jeffrey Thomas
• Backus Abe

Classifications

• H04M2242/30

  Determination of the location of a subscriber · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04M2242/04

  for emergency applications · CPC title

• H04W76/50

  for emergency connections · CPC title

• H04M3/5116 Primary

  for emergency applications · CPC title