System and Method for Supporting Emergency Services in Home Cells

• US 20110171925A1
• Filed: 01/12/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Carpenter, Paul Marcus, Hole, David Philip, Islam, M. Khaledul, Fong, Mo-Han, Wijayanathan, Maiyuran, Kim, Young Ae, Wirtanen, Jeffrey William, Faccin, Stefano M., Dwyer, Johanna L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• 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 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) including one or more processors configured to cause the UE to prepare to reselect to a macro cell responsive to the UE placing an emergency call in a femtocell, wherein preparing to reselect is performed in addition to the emergency call.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

one or more processors configured to cause the UE to prepare to reselect to a macro cell responsive to the UE placing an emergency call in a femtocell, wherein preparing to reselect is performed in addition to the emergency call.

2. The UE of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to request a network component to hand over the emergency call to the macro cell if the macro cell is found.

3. The UE of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to request a network component to hand over the emergency call to the macro cell if the emergency call is dropped by the femtocell.

4. The UE of claim 1 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search is triggered by the UE.

5. The UE of claim 1 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search is triggered by an indication received from the femtocell.

6. The UE of claim 1 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search includes cells not in a neighbour cell list of a serving cell.

7. The UE of claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to prioritize reselection of macro cells that are in a same routing area, location area, tracking area or public land mobile network.

8. The UE of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to disable reading of system information blocks and to disable known connections to known femtocells during the emergency call, unless an exception is provided.

9. The UE of claim 8 wherein the exception comprises receiving an indication from the femtocell, the indication indicating that the femtocell supports emergency calls.

10. The UE of claim 8 wherein the exception comprises the UE determining that no alternative cell exists which could be reported in a measurement report.

11. A method implemented in a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor, the method comprising:

preparing to reselect to a macro cell responsive to the UE placing an emergency call in a femtocell, wherein preparing to reselect is performed in addition to the emergency call.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

requesting a network component to hand over the emergency call to the macro cell if the macro cell is found.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

requesting a network component to hand over the emergency call to the macro cell if the emergency call is dropped by the femtocell.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search is triggered by the UE.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search is triggered by an indication received from the femtocell.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein preparing to reselect comprises performing a background search for the macro cell, and wherein the background search includes cells not in a neighbour cell list of a serving cell.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

prioritizing reselection of macro cells that are in a same routing area, location area, tracking area or public land mobile network.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

disabling reading of system information blocks; and

disabling known connections to known femtocells during the emergency call, unless an exception is provided.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the exception comprises receiving an indication from the femtocell, the indication indicating that the femtocell supports emergency calls.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the exception comprises the UE determining that no alternative cell exists which could be reported in a measurement report.