Method and system for handling a network-identified emergency session

• US 20070097967A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kauppinen, Risto, Poikselka, Miikka
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment and one or more network entities involved in establishing an emergency session. When the user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to a network entity indicating an identifier, e.g. the call number or logical name of a called entity, one of said network entities analyses the received identifier. When detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information is returned to the user equipment for informing the latter that the initiated session is an emergency session. The user equipment thereupon initiates the execution of an emergency session. Thus, even when the user equipment is unable to detect, by itself, that the intended session is an emergency session, the network will inform the user equipment on the emergency session for ensuring appropriate handling thereof.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A network element, comprising:

a transmitting unit for initiating a communication session by transmitting a message to a network entity, wherein the message indicates and identifier of a call entity;

a receiving unit for receiving a response from a network entity, said response informing the network element that the initiated session is an emergency session after the network entity as analyzed the received identifier as requiring an emergency sessions;

wherein the receiving unit receives the information after the network entity has informed an emergency center regarding the existence of the emergency session, and wherein said information thereby establishes a communication between the network element and an emergency center.

34. A network element as recited in claim 33, further comprising:

an execution unit for executing the emergency session upon receipt of the information from the network entity.

35. A network element according to claim 33, wherein the execution unit transmits location information of the network element to the network entity.

36. A network element according to claim 34, wherein the execution unit activates an emergency packet data protocol context for the emergency session.

37. A network element according to claim 33, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive information which includes a parameter indicating an address of the network entity with which the emergency session is to be established.

38. A network element, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a message from a user equipment, wherein the message indicates an identifier of a call entity;

an analyzing unit for analyzing the received message and identifier;

a transmitting unit for transmitting information to the user equipment indicating that the initiated session is an emergency session.

39. A network element as recited in claim 38, wherein said a network element comprises a proxy-call state control function (P-CSCF).

40. A network element as recited in claim 38, wherein a receiving unit is configured to receive an emergency session re-initiation message.

41. A network element, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a message from a user equipment, said message indicating an identifier of a call entity;

an analyzing unit for analyzing the received identifier;

a transmitting unit for transmitting, when the analyzing unit detects that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, information to be sent to an emergency center, with the information informing the emergency center of an emergency session to be established,

wherein the information to be sent to the emergency center will initiate a notification to the user equipment.

42. A network element is recited in claim 41, wherein the receiving unit, analyzing unit, and transmitting unit are configured to establish the emergency session between the user equipment and the emergency center.

43. A network element is recited in claim 41, wherein the network element comprises a proxy-call state control function.

44. A network element, comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving a message from a user equipment, said message indicating an identifier of a call entity;

an analyzing unit for analyzing the received message and identifier;

a transmitting unit for transmitting, when detected that an emergency session is to be initiated, information to the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session, and for informing an emergency center that the emergency session is to be established;

wherein said a transmitting unit returns the information from the user equipment after receiving a response from the emergency center,

wherein the network element thereby establishes the emergency center between the user equipment and the emergency center.

45. A network element as recited in claim 44, wherein the network element is configured to activate an emergency packet data protocol for the session.

46. A network element as recited in claim 44, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the message to the user equipment including a parameter indicating an address of an entity to be addressed for establishing the emergency session.

47. A user equipment, comprising:

a transmitting unit for transmitting a message to a call controlling network element, said message initiating a session by indicating an identifier of a call entity;

a receiving unit for receiving returned information from the call controlling network element, said returned information containing instructions from the call controlling network to initiate an emergency session,

wherein said transmitting unit is configured to re-initiate the emergency session by resending the information to the call controlling network.

48. A user equipment according to claim 47, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit a message to a control controlling network element which comprises a proxy-call state control function.

49. A user equipment, comprising:

a sending unit configured to send a message to a network entity to initiate a session, the message indicating an identifier of a call entity;

a receiving unit configured to receive, when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, and information informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session;

said user equipment further comprising

an initiating unit configured to initiate execution of an emergency session upon receipt of said information.

50. The user equipment is recited in claim 49, when the initiating unit further comprises an obtaining unit configured to obtain location information of the user equipment, and to send the location information to a network entity.

51. The user equipment is recited in claim 49, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to send the message including a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing an emergency session.

52. A user equipment is recited in claim 49, wherein the sending unit is configured to send and acknowledgement message to a call controlling network element in response to the receiving unit receiving the information informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

53. A user equipment is recited in claim 49, wherein the initiating unit is configured to execute a new an emergency session upon receipt of the information, wherein the new emergency session provides additional network resources for an emergency call.