Method of providing a guest terminal with emergency access to a WLAN

• US 7,877,785 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Selignan, Anne-Laure
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITHERS, MATTHEW
• Application Number:
  US11/697,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of providing a terminal (10) with an emergency access over a WLAN (2) to a LAN (3), and a communication system (1) to execute this method. The LAN (3) comprises one or more access points (20) and an access control function (21) which admits data packets from users of the WLAN (2) associated with a first SSID to the LAN (3). One or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN (3) in an emergency case are defined. An emergency call is initiated by sending data packets from the terminal (10) associated with a selected emergency SSID to one of the one or more access points (20). The access control function (21) admits the data packets from the terminal (10) associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN (3). The data packets from the terminal (10) associated with the selected emergency SSID are routed, after admission to the LAN (3), to an emergency answering point (60).

Claims

1. A method of providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN comprising one or more access points and an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, whereby the method comprises the steps of:

defining one or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN in an emergency case;

initiating an emergency call by sending data packets from a terminal associated with a selected emergency SSID to one of the one or more access points;

admitting, by the access control function, the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN; and

routing the data packets associated with the selected emergency SSID, after admission to the LAN, to an emergency answering point.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

sending the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to a destination address received from a DHCP request.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

requesting, by the terminal, a particular DHCP option that will provide the terminal with an IP address of the call manager;

receiving, by the terminal, the IP address of the call manager and a port the call manager is listening on by means of DHCP; and

addressing data packets at the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID with the received IP address of the call manager and the port the call manager is listening on.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

redirecting the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID in the LAN infrastructure to a predetermined destination address by using a NAT function.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

sending the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to an arbitrary IP address; and

modifying the arbitrary IP address of the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID at a NAT server in the LAN infrastructure to the destination address of a call manager.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

addressing and/or redirecting the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to an IP address of a call manager whereby said IP address is a multicast address.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

addressing data packets at the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID with a predefined multicast address on a predefined port on which the call manager is listening; and

sending the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the predefined multicast address.

8. A method of providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN comprising one or more access points and an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, whereby the method comprises the steps of:

defining one or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN in an emergency case;

initiating an emergency call by sending data packets from a terminal associated with a selected emergency SSID to one of the one or more access points;

admitting, by the access control function, the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN; and

constantly listening, by the call manager, for an emergency request on an emergency-specific port.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

routing the data packets related to the emergency call to an emergency answering point and thereby transmitting RTP packets independently of a specific signaling scheme without coding or decoding and without framing negotiation.

10. A method of providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN comprising one or more access points and an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, whereby the method comprises the steps of:

defining one or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN in an emergency case;

initiating an emergency call by sending data packets from a terminal associated with a selected emergency SSID to one of the one or more access points;

admitting, by the access control function, the data packets associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN; and

restricting the access to the LAN to data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID with regard to service and/or bandwidth and/or destination.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

restricting the access to the LAN by applying firewall rules and/or by the use of an access control list and/or by defining one or more virtual local area networks.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

restricting the access to the LAN by setting a bandwidth contract to each terminal requesting the emergency service and/or by admitting only voice traffic.

13. A method of localizing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN comprising one or more access points and an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN carrying a first SSID to the LAN,

whereby the method comprises the steps of:

defining one or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN in an emergency case;

initiating an emergency call by sending data packets from a terminal associated with a selected emergency SSID to one of the one or more access points;

admitting, by the access control function, the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN; and

transmitting localization information about the location of the terminal to a call manager.

14. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

sending, by the terminal, a SOAP message with the localization information to a localization server or the call manager;

if the SOAP message with the localization information is sent to the localization server, polling, by the call manager, the localization server to retrieve the localization information or pushing, by the localization server, the localization information to the call manager after receiving the localization information from the terminal.

15. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

sending, by the terminal, a DHCP renew message with the localization information to a DHCP server;

sending, by the DHCP server, a SOAP message with the localization information to the localization server or the call manager;

if the SOAP message with the localization information is sent to the localization server, polling, by the call manager, the localization server to retrieve the localization information or pushing, by the localization server, the localization information to the call manager after receiving the localization information from the terminal.

16. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

associating two or more of the emergency SSIDs with different capabilities, preferably with different codecs; and

selecting an emergency SSID based on information extracted from the broadcast of one or more emergency SSIDs.

17. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

prioritizing the emergency call by using a traffic specification procedure or a preemption procedure.

18. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

broadcasting the one or more emergency SSIDs from at least one of the one or more access points;

detecting, by the terminal, at least one of the one or more broadcast emergency SSIDs;

selecting an emergency SSID from the at least one detected emergency SSID; and

associating, by the terminal, to the selected emergency SSID.

19. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

outputting, after detecting the at least one of the one or more emergency SSIDs, a notification at the terminal to inform a user of the terminal that an emergency access to the WLAN is available.

20. The method of claim 13,

wherein the method comprises the further step of:

receiving by the terminal an IP address by means of DHCP.

21. A communication system for providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN, the communication system comprising an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, wherein the communication system comprises an interface adapted to receive data packets from a terminal associated with an emergency SSID selected from the at least one detected emergency SSID, a control unit adapted to forward the data packets received from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the access control function, whereby the access control function admits the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN, and wherein the communication system is adapted to route the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID, after admission to the LAN, to an emergency answering point.

22. The communication system of claim 21,

wherein the communication system is further adapted to route the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID whereby said data packets carry a destination address received at the terminal from the communication system by means of a DHCP request.

23. The communication system of claim 21,

wherein the communication system further comprises a NAT function adapted to redirect the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID in the LAN infrastructure to a predetermined destination address.

24. The communication system of claim 21,

wherein the communication system is further adapted to route the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID whereby said data packets carry as destination address an IP address of a call manager and said IP address is a multicast address.

28. A communication system of claim 21,

wherein the communication system further comprises a sender adapted to broadcast one or more emergency SSIDs dedicated to allow access to the LAN in an emergency case to the terminal.

25. A communication system for providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN, the communication system comprising an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, wherein the communication system comprises an interface adapted to receive data packets from a terminal associated with an emergency SSID selected from the at least one detected emergency SSID, a control unit adapted to forward the data packets received from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the access control function, whereby the access control function admits the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN, and a call manager adapted to constantly listen for an emergency request on an emergency-specific port.

26. A communication system for providing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN, the communication system comprising an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, wherein the communication system comprises an interface adapted to receive data packets from a terminal associated with an emergency SSID selected from the at least one detected emergency SSID, a control unit adapted to forward the data packets received from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the access control function, whereby the access control function admits the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN, and wherein the access control function is adapted to restrict the access to the LAN to data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID with regard to service and/or bandwidth and/or destination.

27. A communication system for localizing a terminal with an emergency access over a WLAN to a LAN, the communication system comprising an access control function which admits data packets from users of the WLAN associated with a first SSID to the LAN, wherein the communication system comprises an interface adapted to receive data packets from a terminal associated with an emergency SSID selected from the at least one detected emergency SSID, a control unit adapted to forward the data packets received from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the access control function, whereby the access control function admits the data packets from the terminal associated with the selected emergency SSID to the LAN, and a localization server and/or a call manager adapted to receive localization information of the terminal and forward data related to the localization information to an emergency answering point.