Systems and methods for providing information to emergency service centers

• US 6,477,362 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1997
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Ragsdale, James, Bottomley, Gregory E., Raith, Alex K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Application Number:
  US08/844,883
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/521, 455/527, 455/517, 455/524, 455/507, 455/422, 455/561, 455/456, 455/432, 455/433, 379/37, 379/45, 379/46, 342/457, 342/357, 342/354.01
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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

Abstract

Emergency call handling may, in the near future, require terminal unit location information to be provided to emergency service centers. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide techniques which pass the mobile unit'"'"'s phone number along to an appropriate emergency service centers in addition to location information. This information can be made available to an adjunct monitoring system by either changing the mobile station identity used to package (Layer 2) an access attempt or by commanding a mobile or base station to explicitly transmit the mobile unit'"'"'s dialable number during an emergency access so that the adjunct system can read and forward this number.

Claims

1. A method for handling an emergency call in a radiocommunication system, comprising the steps of:

identifying, in a mobile unit, a call as one of an emergency call and a non-emergency call;

selecting a first mobile unit identifier if said call is an emergency call;

selecting a second mobile unit identifier if said call is a non-emergency call; and

transmitting a message from said mobile unit to said system using said selected mobile unit identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first mobile unit identifier is a mobile identification number (MIN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first mobile unit identifier is an activating mobile identification number (AMIN).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mobile unit identifier is a temporary mobile station identifier (TMSI).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first mobile unit identifier includes a dialable number associated with a mobile unit.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at an adjunct system, said selected mobile unit identifier in signaling data associated with an emergency call from said mobile unit;

determining a position of said mobile unit; and

forwarding said position and said selected mobile unit identifier from said adjunct system to an emergency service center.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of forwarding to said emergency service center, without routing through the radio communication system, said selected mobile unit identifier.

8. A method for handling an emergency call in a radiocommunication system, comprising the steps of:

identifying, in a mobile unit, a call as one of an emergency call and a non-emergency call;

retrieving a stored dialable number associated with said mobile unit if said call is an emergency call;

retrieving a temporary mobile station identifier (TMSI) if said call is a non-emergency call; and

selectively transmitting a message to said system including said dialable number or said TMSI.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

inputting, by a user of said mobile unit, said dialable number to said mobile unit; and

storing said dialable number.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting, over an air interface, said dialable number to said mobile unit; and

storing said dialable number.

11. A remote station comprising:

means for identifying a call as one of an emergency call and a non-emergency call;

means for selecting a first mobile unit identifier if said call is an emergency call; and

means for selecting a second mobile unit identifier if said call is a non-emergency call; and

means for transmitting a message from said mobile unit using said selected mobile unit identifier.