First responder communication system

• US 20070155362A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Russell Davis
• Original Assignee: Russell Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 7,813,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• 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 first responder communication system provides a digitally signed data object identifying first responders. Utilizing the digitally signed data object, a mobile cellular switching system (MCS), has a call completion protocol to verify first responder call status and permit the connection to queue. Upon emergency declaration, non-first responders are denied access to the system. The digitally signed object may be provided by a PIV card interfaced to the wireless cellular telephone. The digitally signed object is released from the PIV after a user enters a PIN using a key pad of the cellular telephone. After the valid digitally signed object has been transmitted, continued priority cell phone operations is provided for the validity time period even though the PIV has been removed from the cell phone interface.

Claims

1. A first responder communication system, comprising:

at least one cellular telephone operable to communicate with a mobile cellular switching system;

the cellular telephone having a connection to an integrated circuit card belonging to a first responder;

the integrated circuit card connection providing an authentication interface so that a first responder can issue an authentication code to the integrated circuit card using the cellular telephone;

storage in the cellular telephone for storing a digital signature issued by the integrated circuit card responsive to proper verification of the authentication code;

a transmission to the switching system of an object comprising an identifying number of the cellular telephone and the digital signature;

a call completion protocol in the switching system;

the call completion protocol being responsive to the digitally signed object;

wherein a call placed by the at least one cellular telephone is completed by the mobile cellular switching system thereby allowing the first responder to have priority access to the cell phone system in order to communicate with a called party of the call.

2. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit card is a PIV.

3. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the storage further comprises:

the cellular telephone having a data structure comprising the cellular telephone identifying number;

the data structure being accessible to the integrated circuit card for content encryption and subsequent digital signing; and

,

the data structure having the capability of storing the encrypted and digitally signed identifying number.

4. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication interface further comprises an interface with the keypad of the cellular telephone.

5. The first responder communication system according to claim 3, wherein the data structure further comprises a validity time period that indicates how long the first responder has priority access to the cell phone system.

6. The first responder communication system according to claim 5, wherein the priority access continues for the validity time period even though the integrated circuit card has been removed from the cell phone interface.

7. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a first digital signature validity checker that prevents the cell phone from making the call if the digital signature is invalid based on first signature validity criteria.

8. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile cellular switching system has a means for denying access to users who are not emergency first responders after an emergency is declared.

9. The first responder communication system according to claim 8, wherein the mobile cellular switching system has a busy signal generator that is activated during an emergency to send a busy signal to the cell phones of the users who are not emergency first responders.

10. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the call completion protocol has a FIFO queue provided for call completion of first responder initiated calls.

11. The first responder communication system according to claim 10, wherein the call completion protocol has a FIFO queue for users who are not first responders, from which call completion may be processed only when the first responder FIFO queue is empty.

12. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a second digital signature validity checker that prevents the switch from completing the call if the digital signature is invalid based on second digital signature validity criteria.

13. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is encrypted, based on a private encryption key of the first responder.

14. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein the object further comprises an emergency responder designation made available by the integrated circuit card.

15. The first responder communication system according to claim 1, wherein a public encryption key of the first responder is known to the mobile cellular switching system.

16. The first responder communication system according to claim 10, wherein a digitally signed 911 request using a PIV of a user who is not a first responder is queued at the end of the first responder FIFO queue.

17. A first responder wireless telecommunication method performed by a machine executing a program of instructions tangibly embodied in a program storage device readable by the machine, the method comprising the steps of:

providing first operable communications between a cell phone and a mobile cellular switching system;

providing second operable communications between the cell phone and a personal identity verification card;

responsive to PIN entry by a user, the second operable communications step further providing a digitally signed object which includes a validity time period, an emergency responder designation, and a cellular telephone identifying number;

the step of providing first operable communications further comprising transmitting the digitally signed object to the mobile cellular switching system; and

,

providing a call completion protocol responsive to the digitally signed object, wherein a call placed by a first responder using the cell phone has priority access within the switch in order to communicate with a called party of the call.

18. The first responder wireless telecommunication method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of performing a first validity check of the digitally signed object before the step of transmitting the digitally signed object to the mobile cellular switching system.

19. The first responder wireless telecommunication method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of performing a second validity check of the digitally signed object before the step of providing the call completion protocol responsive to the digitally signed object.

20. The first responder wireless telecommunication method according to claim 17, further comprising denying access to users who are not emergency first responders after an emergency is declared.