Interaction between an adjunct positioning system and a radiocommunication system

• US 6,826,394 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1997
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Koorapaty, Havish, Koilpillai, R. David, Raith, Alex K., Bottomley, Gregory E., Ramesh, Rajaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US08/839,861
• Time in Patent Office: 2,779 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/415, 455/445, 455/452-453, 455/464, 455/456, 455/343, 455/67.1, 455/38.3, 455/422, 455/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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 provide for interaction between an adjunct system whose primary function is to provide terminal unit location information and the radiocommunication system. For example, the location information generated by the adjunct system can be used by the radiocommunication system for other purposes, e.g., dynamic channel allocation.

Claims

1. A radiocommunication system comprising:

means for receiving signals transmitted by a remote unit;

means for identifying emergency calls to produce an emergency indicator;

means for transmitting a traffic channel assignment message a number of times; and

means for increasing said number of times in response to said emergency indicator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for identifying emergency calls evaluates an emergency field in an access message received by said receiving means.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for identifying emergency calls evaluates a dialed number to determine whether to produce said emergency indicator.

4. A method for using position information generated by an adjunct system in a radiocommunication system comprising the steps of:

receiving an emergency call;

determining if traffic in said radiocommunication system has exceeded a predetermined threshold;

if so, determining if said emergency call was generated by a remote unit having approximately a same location as a predetermined number of earlier received emergency calls; and

if so, reducing a priority associated with said emergency call.

5. A method for using position information generated by an adjunct system in a radiocommunication system comprising the steps of:

receiving, from said adjunct system, position information associated with a plurality of mobile units operating in said radiocommunication system; and

using, by said radiocommunication system, said position information to perform dynamic channel allocation, wherein channels are allocated to fixed transceivers within said radiocommunication system for assignment to support connections between said fixed transceivers and said mobile units.

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

identifying a call as an emergency call; and

transmitting a traffic channel assignment message a plurality of times in response to said identifying step so as to allow an adjunct positioning system to locate a remote unit associated with said emergency call.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of identifying further comprises the steps of:

identifying, in said remote unit, said call as said emergency call; and

failing to transmit on an assigned traffic channel in response thereto so as to cause said step of transmitting.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of identifying further comprises the steps of:

identifying, in a base station, a call as said emergency call.

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

identifying, in said system, a call as said emergency call;

transmitting, from said system, an indication to a mobile unit which is associated with said emergency call to transmit with at least one of;

maximum power, continuous transmission and unencrypted data; and

wherein said indication commands said mobile unit to transmit with each of maximum power, continuous transmission and unencrypted data.