Method and apparatus for providing answer in emergency event

• US 10,070,475 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Zou, Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/323,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20170150546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 455436, 4554041, 455566, 4555521, 455428, 455423, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method (100) for providing an answer to a first User Equipment, UE, (210, 310) of a calling user in an emergency event taking place in an environment where a second UE (220, 320) of a called user resides. The method comprises: obtaining (S110) activity data in relation to the second UE (220, 320) from one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event; receiving (S120) a failure notification indicating that a call originated from the first UE (210, 310) towards the second UE (220, 320) has failed; evaluating (S130) a status of the called user based on the activity data; generating (S140) a message based on the evaluated status of the called user; and transmitting (S150) the message to the first UE (210, 310).

Claims

1. A method for providing an answer to a first User Equipment (UE) of a calling user in an emergency event taking place in an environment where a second UE of a called user resides, the method executed by a network node in communication with at least the first UE and comprising:

obtaining activity data in relation to the second UE from one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event;

receiving a failure notification indicating that a call originated from the first UE towards the second UE has failed;

evaluating, in response to the failure notification, a status of the called user based on the activity data;

generating a message based on the evaluated status of the called user; and

transmitting the message to the first UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity data is indicative of a communication-related action and/or a location of the second UE after the emergency event occurs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating comprises:

evaluating whether the called user has survived the emergency event; and

wherein the message is generated only when it is evaluated that the called user has survived the emergency event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein it is evaluated that the called user has survived the emergency event when the activity data contains at least one data record associated with a manual action or a location change.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the call is a circuit switched call; and

the failure notification is received from a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) associated with the emergency event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the call is a multimedia telephony call in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network; and

the failure notification is received from a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) node associated with the emergency event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity data comprises data records associated with at least one of:

an incoming call, an outgoing call, an incoming Short Message Service (SMS) message, an outgoing SMS message, a data session, a cell identification, a location area identification, a routing area identification, and a tracking area identification.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the activity data comprises at least one data record in relation to the second UE obtained by the one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event during a non-emergency data collection procedure executed after the emergency event.

9. An apparatus for providing an answer to a first User Equipment (UE) of a calling user in an emergency event taking place in an environment where a second UE of a called user resides, the apparatus in communication with at least the first UE and comprising:

processing circuitry;

memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the apparatus is operable to;

obtain activity data in relation to the second UE from one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event;

receive a failure notification indicating that a call originated from the first UE towards the second UE has failed;

evaluate, in response to the failure notification, a status of the called user based on the activity data;

generate a message based on the evaluated status of the called user; and

transmit the message to the first UE.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the activity data is indicative of a communication-related action and/or a location of the second UE after the emergency event occurs.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions are such that:

the evaluating comprises evaluating whether the called user has survived the emergency event; and

the generating comprises generating the message only when the evaluation is that the called user has survived the emergency event.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are such that the evaluating comprises evaluating that the called user has survived the emergency event when the activity data contains at least one data record associated with a manual action or a location change.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the call is a circuit switched call; and

the instructions are such that the receiving the failure notification comprises receiving the failure notification from a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) associated with the emergency event.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the call is a multimedia telephony call in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network; and

the instructions are such that the receiving the failure notification comprises receiving the failure notification from a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) node associated with the emergency event.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the activity data comprises data records associated with at least one of:

an incoming call, an outgoing call, an incoming Short Message Service (SMS) message, an outgoing SMS message, a data session, a cell identification, a location area identification, a routing area identification, and a tracking area identification.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the activity data comprises at least one data record in relation to the second UE obtained by the one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event during a non-emergency data collection procedure executed after the emergency event.

17. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer program product for providing an answer to a first User Equipment (UE) of a calling user in an emergency event taking place in an environment where a second UE of a called user resides, the computer program product comprising software instructions which, when run on one or more processing circuits of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to:

obtain activity data in relation to the second UE from one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event;

receive a failure notification indicating that a call originated from the first UE towards the second UE has failed;

evaluate, in response to the failure notification, a status of the called user based on the activity data;

generate a message based on the status of the called user; and

transmit the message to the first UE.