Expedited bandwidth request for emergency services for wireless clients

• US 7,746,897 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stephenson, David Sheldon, Olson, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Vincent P
• Assistant Examiner(s): BALAOING, ARIEL A
• Application Number:
  US11/395,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.2, 455/521, 370/468, 370/348, 370/230, 370/338, 370/444
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• 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

Methods, apparatuses, and systems directed to reliably providing emergency services to wireless clients. In one embodiment, a wireless client determines if an attempt to transmit an emergency message exists. If so, the wireless client determines if one or more wireless access points support expedited bandwidth capabilities. If so, the wireless client notifies one of the wireless access points that the wireless client has an expedited bandwidth request.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for requesting over-the-air (OTA) bandwidth for an emergency call, the computer executable instructions when executed operable to cause a processor to:

access one or more wireless, link layer network management frames transmitted by a first wireless access point to determine whether Quality of Service and expedited bandwidth services are supported;

access an OTA bandwidth request corresponding to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call, wherein the OTA bandwidth request is embodied in a wireless link layer network management frame;

generate an information element (IE) comprising one or more emergency codes that each identify an emergency aspect of the call;

attach the IE to the OTA bandwidth request for communication to the first wireless access point with the OTA bandwidth request, the IE facilitating preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request;

access a reassociation request generated in response to a roaming event and intended for a second wireless access point;

determine, in response to the reassociation request, whether the VoIP call is currently active; and

if the VoIP call is currently active, attach the IE to the reassociation request prior to transmission to the second wireless access point.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the OTA bandwidth request is a traffic stream QoS (ADDTS) request.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions are further operable to cause the processor to append the IE to the OTA bandwidth request to attach the IE to the OTA bandwidth request.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether a first responder associated with a public safety organization is placing the call.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether a member of an enterprise security team is placing the VoIP call.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether the VoIP call is an E911 call.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless access point is operable to communicate with one or more devices remote from the wireless access point according to 802.11.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request comprises providing reserved OTA bandwidth to the VoIP call.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request comprises providing OTA bandwidth allocated to particular services to the VoIP call.

10. A method for requesting over-the-air (OTA) bandwidth for an emergency call, the method comprising:

accessing one or more wireless, link layer network management frames transmitted by a first wireless access point to determine whether Quality of Service and expedited bandwidth services are supported;

accessing an OTA bandwidth request corresponding to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call, wherein the OTA bandwidth request is embodied in a wireless link layer network management frame;

generating an information element (IE) comprising one or more emergency codes that each identify an emergency aspect of the VoIP call;

attaching the IE to the OTA bandwidth request for communication to the first wireless access point with the OTA bandwidth request, the IE facilitating preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request;

accessing a reassociation request generated in response to a roaming event and intended for a second wireless access point;

determining, in response to the reassociation request, whether the VoIP call is currently active; and

if the VoIP call is currently active, attaching the IE to the reassociation request prior to transmission to the second wireless access point.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the OTA bandwidth request is a traffic stream QoS (ADDTS) request.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein attaching the IE to the OTA bandwidth request comprises appending the IE to the OTA bandwidth request.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether a first responder associated with a public safety organization is placing the VoIP call.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether a member of an enterprise security team is placing the VoIP call.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the emergency codes identifying an emergency aspect of the VoIP call indicates whether the VoIP call is an E911 call.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless access point is operable to communicate with one or more devices remote from the wireless access point according to 802.11.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request comprises providing reserved OTA bandwidth to the VoIP call.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the preferential treatment of the OTA bandwidth request comprises providing OTA bandwidth allocated to particular services to the VoIP call.

19. A system for requesting over-the-air (OTA) bandwidth for an emergency call, the system comprising:

an endpoint operable to access one or more wireless, link layer network management frames transmitted by a first wireless access point to determine whether an emergency services capability is supported, establish a wireless, link layer connection with the first wireless access point, generate an OTA bandwidth request corresponding to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call, wherein the OTA bandwidth request is a wireless, link layer network management frame, generate an information element (IE) comprising one or more emergency codes that each identify an emergency aspect of the call, attach the IE to the OTA bandwidth request, and communicate the OTA bandwidth request and the IE attached to the OTA bandwidth request to a wireless access point, generate a reassociation request in response to a roaming event intended for a second wireless access point, determine whether the call is currently active, and if the call is currently active, attach the IE to the reassociation request prior to transmission to the second wireless access point; and

the first and second wireless access points, each operable to transmit one or more wireless, link layer network management frames advertising a QoS and emergency services capability, establish a wireless, link layer connection with the endpoint, receive the OTA bandwidth request and the IE attached to the OTA and give preferential treatment to the OTA bandwidth request as a result of one or more of the emergency codes in the IE.