Relay apparatus and relay method

• US 7,519,356 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Inamura, Hiroshi, Miki, Toshio, Miyake, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; John J
• Application Number:
  US11/254,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20060105738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/558, 455/415, 455/414.1, 4554121- 2, 455/411, 455/445, 455/9, 455/11.1, 455/217, 455/435.1, 455/446, 455/422.1, 455/557, 379/37
• US Class Current: 455/415
• 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

Plural terminal devices are arranged under a relay apparatus. The relay apparatus includes a mobile communication network connection unit, a packet switching network connection unit, and an emergency call determination unit. The emergency call determination unit determines whether or not the calls originated from the terminal devices are emergency calls, and when the calls are the emergency calls, connects the emergency calls to the mobile communication network connection unit. When the calls are the emergency calls, the mobile communication network connection unit connects the emergency calls to the mobile communication network by issuing thereto a notice on an identification number of the relay apparatus, the identification number being stored in an IC card attached to the relay apparatus.

Claims

1. A relay apparatus under which plural terminal devices are arranged, comprising:

a mobile communication network connection unit which connects, to a mobile communication network, calls originated from the terminal devices;

a packet switching network connection unit which connects, to a packet switching network, the calls originated from the terminal devices;

an emergency call determination unit which determines whether or not the calls originated from the terminal devices are emergency calls, and when the calls are the emergency calls, connects the emergency calls to the mobile communication network connection unit;

a call origination history storage unit which stores a call origination history of the terminal devices and identification numbers of the terminal devices in association with each other;

a call origination history management unit which specifies the terminal device which has originated the call to an emergency report center by referring to the call origination history for a call from the emergency report center as a connection destination of the emergency calls; and

a terminal device connection unit which connects, to the terminal device specified by the call origination history management unit, the call originated from the emergency report center,

wherein when the calls are the emergency calls, the mobile communication network connection unit connects the emergency calls to the mobile communication network by transmitting an identification number of the relay apparatus to the mobile communication network, the identification number being stored in an IC card attached to the relay apparatus.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the terminal device connection unit cannot connect the call, which has been originated from the emergency report center, to the terminal device specified by the call origination history management unit, the terminal device connection unit connects, to all the other terminal devices controlled under the relay apparatus, the call originated from the emergency report center.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mobile communication network connection unit issues a notice on identification numbers of the terminal devices together with identification number of the relay apparatus.

4. A relay method of connecting calls originated from plural terminal devices arranged under a relay apparatus to a mobile communication network or a packet switching network, comprising:

determining whether or not a call originated from the terminal devices is an emergency call;

connecting the emergency call to the mobile communication network by transmitting an identification number of the relay apparatus, stored in an IC card attached to the relay apparatus, to the mobile communication network when the call is the emergency call;

storing a call origination history of the terminal devices and identification numbers of the terminal devices in association with each other in a call origination history storage unit;

specifying the terminal device which has originated the emergency call by referring to the call origination history for a call from the emergency report center as a connection destination of the emergency call; and

connecting the call originated from the emergency report center to the specified terminal device.