Privacy-related requests for an IMS emergency session

• US 8,369,824 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bakker, Jan Hendrik Lucas, Buckley, Adrian, Allen, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENSEN, NICHOLAS A
• Application Number:
  US13/244,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20120015623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 370/352, 379/45
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• 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 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

A network component is provided that includes a processor configured, upon the network component receiving an IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) emergency call from a user equipment (UE) 110, to detect in the emergency call an indicator requesting the network component to restrict presentation of private information related to the UE 110. The processor is further configured, when the indicator is present, to transmit the emergency call without at least some of the private information to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) 130.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network component configured to;

store an operator policy indicating whether to allow suppression of public user identifiers and location information within emergency requests;

receive an emergency request from a user equipment (UE);

send a response to the emergency request to the UE containing an indicator comprising a P-Asserted-Identity header field indicating that the UE had made the emergency request;

when the emergency request contains a request for privacy in relation to information associated with the UE and when the operator policy allows suppression of public user identifiers and location information within emergency requests, remove at least some of the information associated with the UE from the emergency request; and

forward the request to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network component is an emergency call session control function (E-CSCF).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises a UE identity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises a UE location.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises UE access network information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency request is a second message which is received by the network component from the UE after the network component sends the response to the emergency request to the UE containing the indicator indicating that the UE had made a previous emergency request.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the UE is unaware that the previous emergency request was related to an emergency.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency request includes the at least some of the information associated with the UE.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network component is further configured to, prior to forwarding the emergency request to the PSAP, select the PSAP based on the at least some of the information associated with the UE.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE includes location information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network component is further configured to remove a location object from the emergency request.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network component is further configured to remove a geolocation header field from the emergency request.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network component is further configured to remove from the emergency request a Globally Routable UA (User Agent) (URI) Uniform Resource Identifier (GRUU).

14. A method comprising:

storing an operator policy in network equipment indicating whether to allow suppression of public user identifiers and location information within emergency requests;

receiving an emergency request from a user equipment (UE);

sending a response to the emergency request to the UE containing an indicator comprising a P-Asserted-Identity header field indicating that the UE had made the emergency request;

when the emergency request contains a request for privacy, in relation to information associated with the UE and when the operator policy allows suppression of public user identifiers and location information within emergency requests, removing at least some of the information associated with the UE from the emergency request; and

forwarding the request to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is implemented by a network component.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the network component is an emergency call session control function (E-CSCF).

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises a UE identity.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises a UE location.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE comprises UE access network information.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency request is a second message which is received by a network component from the UE after the network component sends the response to the emergency request to the UE containing the indicator indicating that the UE had made a previous emergency request.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the UE is unaware that the previous emergency request was related to an emergency.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency request includes the at least some of the information associated with the UE.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising, prior to forwarding the emergency request to the PSAP, selecting the PSAP based on the at least some of the information associated with the UE.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least some of the information associated with the UE includes location information.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing a location object from the emergency request.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing a geolocation header field from the emergency request.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing from the emergency request a Globally Routable UA (User Agent) (URI) Uniform Resource Identifier (GRUU).