SUPPORT IN HSS FOR EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

• US 20120115432A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Blanco, Germán, Escribano Bullon, Berta Isabel, Maroto Gil, Beatriz
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/06 Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42144 by service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42187 Lines and connections with preferential service
• 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

A home subscriber server (HSS) and method are described herein for supporting an emergency telecommunication service (e.g., Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)). In one embodiment, the HSS and the method are adapted to selectively provide telecommunication access to subscribers of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) by associating different user priority values with different network condition statuses, where a network condition status may be a congestion level or a disaster relief emergency status.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a home subscriber server for supporting an emergency telecommunications service in a telecommunication network, the method comprising the step of:

provisioning a user table to store a user profile for a subscriber, where the user profile includes a plurality of network condition statuses, where a user priority value is associated with each network condition status, and where the one or more user priority values are associated with the emergency telecommunications service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of provisioning an emergency policy table to store a policy profile applicable for all subscribers, where the policy profile includes the plurality of network condition statuses, and where a minimum priority value is associated with each network condition status.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of determining a current network condition.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of fetching from the emergency policy table the minimum priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of receiving a registration request for the subscriber and then fetching from the user table the user priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of comparing the fetched minimum priority value to the fetched user priority value and if the fetched user priority value corresponds to a same or higher user priority than the fetched minimum priority value then allow the registration request for the subscriber otherwise reject the registration request for the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of responding to a pull query from a serving call session control function by downloading at least the user profile associated with the registered subscriber to the serving call session control function.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of responding to a pull query from an application server by downloading at least the user profile associated with a particular subscriber to the application server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile further includes a plurality of initial filter criteria, where one of the initial filter criteria is associated with each pair of the user priority values and the network condition statuses.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the current applicable network condition further comprises a step of receiving information about the current network status.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving information about the current network condition includes a step of provisioning the received current network condition by overwriting a previously received current network condition.

12. A home subscriber server for supporting an emergency telecommunications service, the home subscriber server comprising:

a user table adapted to store a user profile for a subscriber, where the user profile includes a plurality of network condition statuses, where a user priority value is associated with each network condition status, and where the one or more user priority values are associated with the emergency telecommunications service.

13. The home subscriber server of claim 12, further comprising:

an emergency policy table adapted to store a policy profile applicable for all subscribers, where the policy profile includes the plurality of network condition statuses, and where a minimum priority value is associated with each network condition status.

14. The home subscriber server of claim 13, further comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores processor-executable instructions where the processor interfaces with the memory and executes the processor-executable instructions to;

provision the user table and the emergency policy table;

determine a current network condition;

fetch from the emergency policy table the minimum priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition;

receive a registration request for the subscriber;

fetch from the user table the user priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition; and

compare the fetched minimum priority to the fetched user priority value and if the fetched user priority value corresponds to a same or higher user priority than the fetched minimum priority value then allow the registration request for the subscriber otherwise reject the registration request for the subscriber.

15. The home subscriber server of claim 12, wherein the user profile further includes a plurality of initial filter criteria, where one of the initial filter criteria is associated with each pair of the user priority values and the network condition statuses.

16. The home subscriber server of claim 12, wherein the plurality of network condition statuses includes:

a normal network condition;

a slight network congestion;

a medium network congestion;

a high network congestion; and

an emergency condition.

17. The home subscriber server of claim 12, wherein the plurality of priority values includes:

a highest priority value;

a top priority value;

a medium priority value;

a low priority value;

a bottom priority value; and

a lowest priority value.

18. A method implemented by a serving call session control function for supporting an emergency telecommunications service, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user profile for a registered subscriber, where the user profile includes a plurality of network condition statuses, where a user priority value is associated with each network condition status, and where the one or more user priority values are associated with the emergency telecommunications service;

determining a current network condition; and

deregistering the registered subscriber as a result of using the user profile to determine that the registered subscriber has an insufficient user priority value based on the current network condition.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an emergency policy profile applicable for all subscribers, where the emergency policy profile includes the plurality of network condition statuses, and where a minimum priority value is associated with each network condition status;

fetching from the emergency policy profile the minimum priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition;

fetching from the user table the user priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition;

comparing the fetched minimum priority value to the fetched user priority value and if the fetched user priority value corresponds to a lower user priority than the fetched minimum priority value then determining there is an insufficient user priority value based on the current network condition.

20. A serving call session control function for supporting an emergency telecommunications service, said serving call session control function comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores processor-executable instructions where the processor interfaces with the memory and executes the processor-executable instructions to;

receive a user profile for a registered subscriber, where the user profile includes a plurality of network condition statuses, where a user priority value is associated with each network condition status, and where the one or more user priority values are associated with the emergency telecommunications service;

receive an emergency policy profile, where the emergency policy profile includes the plurality of network condition statuses, and where a minimum priority value is associated with each network condition status;

determine a current network condition;

fetch from the emergency policy profile the minimum priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition;

fetch from the user profile the user priority value associated with the network condition status that corresponds with the current network condition;

compare the fetched minimum priority to the fetched user priority value and if the fetched user priority value corresponds to a lower user priority than the fetched minimum priority value, then determining there is an insufficient user priority value based on the current network condition, otherwise determining there is a sufficient user priority; and

deregister the registered subscriber when the registered subscriber has the insufficient user priority value based on the current network condition.