METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN COMMUNICATING SHORT MESSAGES OF THE EMERGENCY TYPE FROM MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• US 20070173224A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Buckley, Adrian, Harris, Ian, Sokondar, Eniko
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for use by mobile communication devices for communicating short messages of the emergency type via wireless communication networks are disclosed. In one illustrative example, a first message center address associated with a home message center and a second message center address associated with an emergency message center are stored in memory of the mobile device. The memory may be a removable memory module, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), for the mobile device. A user input request for communicating a short message is received through a user interface of the mobile device. If the user input request is identified as being for an emergency message, the second message center address is read from the memory and provided in a message center address field of the short message. The short message having the second message center address in the message center address field is then transmitted by the mobile device to the wireless network. The network identifies the second message center address in the message center address field and, in response, causes the short message to be sent to the emergency message center which is local to the network. This way, when the mobile device is visiting a non-home wireless network, the short message is routed to the appropriate local emergency message center. The mobile device may receive the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless network and store it in association with a wireless network identification for use when operating in the wireless network. In an alternative technique, an indicator (e.g. a Transport Protocol-ID) of the short message is set to indicate that the short message is an emergency message in lieu of providing the second destination message in the message center address field.

Claims

1. A method for use by a mobile communication device in communicating a short message of the emergency type via a wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of:

providing memory for storing a first message center address associated with a home message center and a second message center address associated with an emergency message center;

receiving, through a user interface, a user input request for communicating a short message;

if the user input request is identified as being for an emergency message;

reading the second message center address from the memory and providing the second message center address in a message center address field of the short message; and

causing the short message with the second message center address in the message center address field to be transmitted via the wireless communication network for communication to the emergency message center.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the user input request is identified as being for a non-emergency message;

reading the first message center address from the memory and providing the first message center address in a message center address field of the short message; and

causing the short message with the first message center address in the message center address field to be transmitted for communication via the wireless communication network to the home message center.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of providing the memory for storing the first message center address and the second message center address comprises providing a removable memory module in the mobile communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network; and

storing the second message center address received over the broadcast channel in the memory which comprises a removable memory module.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

receiving the second message center address over a broadcast channel of a wireless communication network;

storing the emergency message center address in association with a wireless network identification of the wireless communication network in the memory.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

each time the mobile communication device operates with a new one of a plurality of wireless communication networks;

receiving the second message center address over a broadcast channel of a wireless communication network; and

storing the second message center address in association with a wireless network identification of the wireless communication network in the memory.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying whether the user input request is for the emergency message by;

comparing a message destination with a list of predefined message destinations;

if the message destination matches a predefined message destination of the list, identifying that the user input request is for the emergency message; and

if the message destination fails to match all predefined message destinations of the list, identifying that the short message is a non-emergency message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying whether the user input request is for the emergency message by identifying whether an emergency function provided in the user interface is selected.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the wireless network, the short message having the second message center address in the message center address field; and

providing a message center address corresponding to the emergency message center in the short message for routing the short message to the emergency message center.

11. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors and adapted for communications with a wireless communication network;

a user interface coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

communicate with memory which stores a first message center address associated with a home message center and a second message center address associated with an emergency message center;

receive, through the user interface, a user input request for communicating a short message;

if the user input request is identified as being for an emergency message;

read the second message center address from the memory and providing the second message center address in a message center address field of the short message; and

causing the short message with the second message center address in the message center address field to be transmitted to the wireless communication network via the wireless transceiver for communication to the emergency message center.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

if the user input request is identified as being for a non-emergency message;

read the first message center address from the memory and providing the first message center address in a message center address field of the short message; and

cause the short message with the first message center address in the message center address field to be transmitted for communication via the wireless transceiver to the home message center.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the memory comprises a removable memory module in the mobile communication device.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network; and

store the second message center address received over the broadcast channel in the memory which comprises a removable memory module.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network;

store the emergency message center address in association with a wireless network identification of the wireless communication network in the memory.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

each time the mobile communication device operates with a new one of a plurality of wireless communication networks;

receive the second message center address over a broadcast channel of the wireless communication network; and

store the second message center address in association with a wireless network identification of the wireless communication network in the memory.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

identify whether the user input request is for the emergency message by;

comparing a message destination with a list of predefined message destinations;

if the message destination matches a predefined message destination of the list, identifying that the user input request is for the emergency message; and

if the message destination fails to match all predefined message destinations of the list, identifying that the user input request is for a non-emergency message.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

identify whether the user input request is for the emergency message by identifying whether an emergency function provided in the user interface is selected.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive, by the wireless network, the short message having the second message center address in the message center address field; and

provide a message center address corresponding to the emergency message center in the short message for routing the short message to the emergency message center.

21. A method for use by a mobile communication device in communicating a short message of the emergency type via a wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving, through a user interface, a user input request for communicating a short message;

providing a message center address corresponding to a home message center in a message center address field of the short message;

if the user input request is identified as being for an emergency message;

setting an indicator in the short message to indicate that the short message is an emergency message;

if the user input request is identified as being for a non-emergency message;

setting the indicator in the short message to indicate that the short message is not an emergency message; and

causing the short message to be transmitted to the wireless communication network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indicator in the short message comprises a Transport Protocol Identifier (TP-ID).

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

identifying whether the user input request is for the emergency message by;

comparing a message destination of the short message with a list of predefined message destinations;

if the message destination matches a predefined message destination of the list, identifying that the user input request is for the emergency message; and

if the message destination fails to match all predefined message destinations of the list, failing to identify that the short message is for the emergency message.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

identifying whether the user input request is for the emergency message by identifying whether an emergency function provided in the user interface is selected.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the wireless network, the short message having the indicator set to indicate that the short message is an emergency message; and

providing a message center address corresponding to an emergency message center in the short message for routing the short message to the emergency message center.

26. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors and adapted for communications with a wireless communication network;

a user interface coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

communicate with memory which stores a first message center address receiving, through a user interface, a user input request for communicating a short message;

providing a message center address corresponding to a home message center in a message center address field of the short message

if the user input request is identified as being for an emergency message;

setting an indicator in the short message to indicate that the short message is an emergency message;

if the user input request is identified as being for a non-emergency message;

setting the indicator in the short message to indicate that the short message is not an emergency message; and

causing the short message to be transmitted to the wireless communication network.

27. The mobile communication device of claim 26, wherein the indicator in the short message comprises a Transport Protocol Identifier (TP-ID).

28. The mobile communication device of claim 26, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

identify whether the user input request is for the emergency message by;

comparing a message destination of the short message with a list of predefined message destinations;

if the message destination matches a predefined message destination of the list, identifying that the user input request is for the emergency message; and

if the message destination fails to match all predefined message destinations of the list, identifying that the user input request is for a non-emergency message.

29. The mobile communication device of claim 26, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

identify whether the user input request is for the emergency message by identifying whether an emergency function provided in the user interface is selected.

30. A method for use by a network node in communicating a short message of the emergency type from a mobile communication device through a wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a short message having a destination address in a destination address field, a message center address in a message center address field which corresponds to a home message center, and an indicator in an indicator field which indicates whether the short message is an emergency message;

causing the short message to be routed to the home message center based on the message center address if the indicator indicates that the short message is a non-emergency message; and

causing the short message to be routed to an emergency message center different from the home message center if the indicator indicates that the short message is an emergency message.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indicator in the short message comprises a Transport Protocol Identifier (TP-ID).

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the network node comprises a mobile switching center.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the network node comprises a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN).

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

identifying an emergency message center address of the emergency message center in a table for routing the short message to the emergency message center if the indicator indicates that the short message is an emergency message.