Short message service (SMS) with geographic data for user equipment (UE)

• US 10,404,858 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Hoelzle, Sean Patrick, Qu, Jing, Wilson, Patrick David, Kumar, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US16/178,103
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/185 wireless packet-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) receives a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message transferred User Equipment (UE). The SIP message has a Private Access Network Information (PANI) header with geographic data for the UE and also has a Short Message Service (SMS) message from the UE. The SMSC determines when a destination code from the SMS message indicates an emergency SMS message. When the emergency SMS message is indicated, the SMSC transfers an emergency Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) message for delivery to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) gateway. The emergency SMPP message has the geographic data for the UE and also has the emergency SMS message. The PSAP gateway selects a PSAP for the UE based on the geographic data in the SMPP message and transfers the emergency SMS message to the selected PSAP.

Claims

1. A method of operating a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) to support an emergency Short Message Service (SMS) for User Equipment (UE), the method comprising:

the SMSC receiving a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message transferred by the UE, wherein the SIP message has a Private Access Network Information (PANI) header with geographic data for the UE, and wherein the SIP message has a Short Message Service (SMS) message with a destination code;

the SMSC storing the geographic data for the UE from the PANI header in association with the UE;

the SMSC determining when the destination code from the SMS message indicates an emergency SMS message;

when the destination code indicates the emergency SMS message, the SMSC transferring an emergency Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) message for delivery to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) gateway, wherein the emergency SMPP message has the geographic data for the UE and the emergency SMS message, and wherein the PSAP gateway selects a PSAP for the UE based on the geographic data in the SMPP message and transfers emergency SMS message data and the geographic data to the selected PSAP;

the SMSC receiving another SIP message transferred by the UE, wherein the other SIP message has another PANI header with other geographic data for the UE, and wherein the other SIP message has another SMS message with another destination code;

the SMSC storing the other geographic data for the UE from the other PANI header in association with the UE;

the SMSC determining when the other destination code from the other SMS message indicates a UE location-assisted SMS message; and

when the other destination code indicates the UE location-assisted SMS message, the SMSC transferring a location-assisted SMPP message for delivery to the SMPP gateway, wherein the location-assisted SMPP message has the other geographic data for the UE and the other SMS message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the emergency SMPP message has the geographic data for the UE in a Type Length Value.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographic data comprises a wireless access point identifier for a wireless access point that serves the UE.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographic data comprises geographic coordinates for the UE.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the SMSC determining geographic coordinates for a wireless access point that serves the UE based on the geographic data in the PANI header of the SIP message and wherein the geographic data in the emergency SMPP message comprises the geographic coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the other geographic data comprises a wireless access point identifier for a wireless access point that serves the UE.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the other geographic data comprises geographic coordinates for the UE.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the SMSC determining geographic coordinates for a wireless access point that serves the UE based on the other geographic data in the other PANI header and wherein the other geographic data in the location-assisted SMPP message comprises the geographic coordinates for the wireless access point that serves the UE.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the other destination code comprises a non-emergency destination code.

10. A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) to support an emergency Short Message Service (SMS) for User Equipment (UE), the SMSC comprising:

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) interface circuitry configured to receive a SIP message that has a Short Message Service (SMS) message that was transferred by the UE and store geographic data for the UE from a Private Access Network Information (PANI) header in the SIP message;

message processing circuitry configured to determine when a destination code from the SMS message indicates an emergency SMS message;

Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) interface circuitry configured, when the destination code indicates the emergency SMS message, to transfer an emergency SMPP message that has the geographic data for the UE and the emergency SMS message for delivery to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) gateway that selects a PSAP for the UE based on the geographic data in the emergency SMPP message and transfers emergency SMS message data and the geographic data to the selected PSAP;

the SIP interface circuitry configured to receive another SIP message transferred by the UE having other geographic data for the UE in another PANI header and that has another SMS message from the UE and to store the other geographic data for the UE from the other PANI header in association with the UE; and

the message processing circuitry configured to determine when the other destination code from the other SMS message indicates a location-assisted SMS message;

the SMPP interface circuitry configured, when the other destination code indicates the location-assisted SMS message, to transfer a location-assisted SMPP message for delivery to an SMPP gateway, wherein the location-assisted SMPP message has the other geographic data for the UE and the other SMS message.

11. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the emergency SMPP message has the geographic data for the UE in a Type Length Value.

12. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the geographic data comprises a wireless access point identifier for a wireless access point that serves the UE.

13. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the geographic data comprises geographic coordinates for the UE.

14. The SMSC of claim 10 further comprising the SIP interface circuitry configured to determine geographic coordinates for a wireless access point that serves the UE based on the geographic data in the PANI header of the SIP message and wherein the geographic data in the emergency SMPP message comprises the geographic coordinates.

15. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the other geographic data comprises a wireless access point identifier for a wireless access point that serves the UE.

16. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the other geographic data comprises geographic coordinates for the UE.

17. The SMSC of claim 10 further comprising the SIP interface circuitry configured to determine geographic coordinates for a wireless access point that serves the UE based on the other geographic data in the other PANI header and wherein the other geographic data in the location-assisted SMPP message comprises the geographic coordinates for the wireless access point that serves the UE.

18. The SMSC of claim 10 wherein the other destination code comprises a non-emergency destination code.