System and method for managing communication services provided to a mobile terminal using a temporary wireless directory number

• US 20080070554A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rollender, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A system and method are provided for managing emergency services received by a mobile terminal having a temporary wireless directory number (TDN). The system includes an emergency call register (ECR) network and a disaster recovery call center (DRCC). The DRCC authorizes the mobile terminal to receive emergency services and provides service information for managing the emergency services to the ECR network if the mobile terminal is authorized to receive the emergency services.

Claims

1. A method of managing emergency services with respect to a mobile terminal comprising:

receiving a call from the mobile terminal;

receiving a temporary directory number (TDN) for the mobile terminal and network information from a network;

authorizing the mobile terminal to receive emergency services based on the call and the network information;

providing service information for managing the emergency services if the authorizing step authorizes the mobile terminal to receive the emergency services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network information includes at least one of a number of TDNs available, an indication of network congestion, a number of received TDN requests and expected duration of component outages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service information includes a start time and a time duration of the emergency services.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the authorizing step authorizes the mobile terminal to receive the emergency services beginning at the start time and until the time duration is exceeded.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

instructing the network to stop providing the emergency services to the mobile terminal when the time duration is exceeded and to disassociate the TDN with the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the network to stop providing the emergency services to the mobile terminal when a time duration is exceeded and to disassociate the TDN with the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the network to stop providing the emergency services to the TDN assigned to the mobile terminal when an incoming call is connected to the mobile directory number (MDN) of the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing service information provides service information to the network in response to a query from the network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining billing information from the mobile terminal during the call; and

billing the emergency services received by the mobile terminal based on the billing information.

10. A system of managing emergency services with respect to a mobile terminal comprising:

an emergency call register (ECR) network receiving authorization to provide emergency services to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal having an associated temporary wireless directory number (TDN); and

a disaster recovery call center (DRCC) having a dialable number (DN), authorizing the mobile terminal to receive the emergency services, and providing service information to the ECR network to manage the emergency services using the TDN if the emergency services are authorized.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the emergency call network comprises:

a mobile switching center assigning the TDN to the mobile terminal in response to a call received from the mobile terminal directed to the DN of the DRCC; and

at least one emergency call register receiving identification information from the mobile switching center, creating a disaster call recovery registration, and receiving the service information from the DRCC to provide the emergency services if the mobile terminal is authorized to receive the emergency services.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one emergency call register creates the disaster call recovery registration from the identification information and the disaster call recovery registration includes the assigned TDN and the paging identity (PGID) of the mobile terminal.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the DRCC authorizes the mobile terminal to receive the emergency services based on a call from the mobile terminal and network information received from the ECR network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the network information includes at least one of a number of TDNs available, an indication of network congestion, a number of received TDN requests and expected duration of component outages.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the service information includes a start time and a time duration for the emergency services.

16. A method of managing emergency services with respect to a mobile terminal comprising:

monitoring a first terminating switch having a local routing number (LRN) and serving the mobile terminal;

determining if the first terminating switch is functioning properly based the monitoring step; and

requesting that the LRN of the first terminating switch in a number portability database of a communication network be replaced by a temporary directory number (TDN) if the first terminating switch is determined to not function properly.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the emergency services to the mobile terminal using the TDN if the LRN is replaced with the TDN in the number portability database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the providing step provides the emergency services to the mobile terminal through a second terminating switch.