Method and system for handling a network-identified emergency session

• US 7,623,840 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kauppinen, Risto, Poikselka, Miikka
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/448,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/521, 455/445, 455/417, 455/421, 455/450, 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• 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

The invention relates to a method and system for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment and one or more network entities involved in establishing an emergency session. When the user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to a network entity indicating an identifier, e.g. the call number or logical name of a called entity, one of said network entities analyses the received identifier. When detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information is returned to the user equipment for informing the latter that the initiated session is an emergency session. The user equipment thereupon initiates the execution of an emergency session. Thus, even when the user equipment is unable to detect, by itself, that the intended session is an emergency session, the network will inform the user equipment on the emergency session for ensuring appropriate handling thereof.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message from a user equipment to initiate a session, said message indicating an identifier of a called entity;

an analyzer configured to analyze the identifier and to detect a request for an initiation of an emergency session; and

a sender configured to send information to the user equipment that the session to be initiated is an emergency session,

configured to

inform an emergency center or another apparatus that an emergency session is to be established when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, and

to send the information to the user equipment or another apparatus only after receipt of a response from the emergency center.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to determine location information of the user equipment, and wherein the sender is configured to send the location information to one of other network elements.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to initiate an emergency packet data protocol context for the emergency session.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information sent by the sender comprises a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing the emergency session.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a call state control function.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message from a user equipment containing an identifier of a called entity for initiating a session;

an analyzer configured to analyze the identifier, and to detect that the session to be initiated is an emergency session;

a sender configured to send information to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a re-initiation message from the user equipment, the re-initiation message comprising the information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus comprises a proxy-call state control function.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a sender configured to send a message to a call controlling network element, said message indicating an identifier of a called entity;

a receiver configured to receive, from the call controlling network element, information indicating that an emergency session is being initiated, wherein the apparatus is configured to re-initiate the session by sending a message to the call controlling network element, the message comprising the information.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, configured to at least one of:

initiate the emergency session using a packet data protocol context,

be a user equipment.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information in the message sent to the network element comprises a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing the emergency session.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a sender configured to send a message to a network entity to initiate a session, the message indicating an identifier of a called entity;

a receiver configured to receive, when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information informing the apparatus that the initiated session is an emergency session; and

an initiator configured to initiate execution of an emergency session upon receipt of said information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the initiator further comprises an obtainer configured to obtain location information of the apparatus, and to send the location information to a network entity.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transmitter is configured to send the message including a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing an emergency session.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the sender is configured to send an acknowledgement message to a call controlling network element in response to the receiver receiving the information informing the apparatus that the initiated session is an emergency session.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the initiator is configured to execute a new emergency session upon receipt of the information, wherein the new emergency session is configured to provide additional network resources for an emergency call.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a sender configured to send a message to a network entity for initiating a session, the message indicating an identifier of a call entity;

a receiver configured to receive, when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, information informing the apparatus that the initiated session is the emergency session; and

a sender configured to send an acknowledgement message to a call controlling network element in response to receiving the information informing the apparatus that the initiated session is an emergency session.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the emergency session is initiated using a packet data protocol context.

18. A method, comprising:

sending a message to a call controlling network element, said message indicating an identifier of a called entity;

receiving, from the call controlling network element, information indicating that an emergency session is being initiated; and

re-initiating the session by sending a message to the call controlling network element, the message comprising the information.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the emergency session is initiated using a packet data protocol context.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the information in the message sent to the network element comprises a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing the emergency session.

21. A method, comprising:

sending a message to a network entity to initiate a session, the message indicating an identifier of a called entity;

receiving, when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session; and

initiating execution of an emergency session upon receipt of said information.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

obtaining location information of the user equipment; and

sending the location information to a network entity.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said sending comprises sending the message comprising a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing an emergency session.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

sending an acknowledgement message to a call controlling network element in response to receiving the information regarding the initiated session is an emergency session.

25. The method according to in claim 21, further comprising:

executing a new emergency session upon receipt of the information, wherein the new emergency session is configured to provide additional network resources for an emergency call.

26. A method, comprising:

sending a message to a network entity for initiating a session, the message indicating an identifier of a call entity;

receiving, when the session to be initiated is an emergency session, information informing a user equipment that the initiated session is the emergency session; and

sending an acknowledgement message to a call controlling network element in response to receiving the information informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the emergency session is initiated using a packet data protocol context.