Method for indicating an emergency call availability to a mobile equipment (ME), method for establishing an emergency call

• US 8,913,980 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom North America Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG), T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom North America Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG), T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zarri, Michele, Bischinger, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/577,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20130052981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/403, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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

A method for indicating an emergency call availability to a Mobile Equipment includes: storing, at a memory device attached to the ME, information regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls in dependency of availability data, determining that the ME is in a limited service state; and indicating, by the ME, emergency call availability. The availability data indicates, for at least a first mobile telecommunications network and a second mobile telecommunications network, whether: all unauthenticated emergency calls are allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME, unauthenticated emergency calls are only allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, or unauthenticated emergency calls are not allowed.

Claims

1. A method for indicating an emergency call availability to a Mobile Equipment (ME) on a first mobile telecommunications network and on a second mobile telecommunications network, the method comprising:

storing, at a memory device attached to the ME, availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls; and

indicating, by the ME, when the ME is in a limited service state, emergency call availability based on the availability data;

wherein the first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls are not being allowed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein indicating the emergency call availability is performed based on a request received from a user of the ME.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the availability data are stored in the memory device as a table, wherein the table includes messages to be displayed dependent on the availability of emergency calls.

4. A method for establishing an emergency call for a Mobile Equipment (ME) on a first mobile telecommunications network or on a second mobile telecommunications network, the method comprising:

storing, at a memory device attached to the ME, availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls;

wherein the first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls not being allowed; and

establishing, by the ME, when the ME is in a limited service state, the emergency call on the first mobile telecommunications network or the second mobile telecommunications network based on the availability data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein establishing the emergency call is performed based on a request received from a user of the ME.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein a reselection procedure is initiated for establishing the emergency call.

7. A Mobile Equipment (ME), comprising:

a memory device attached to the ME, configured to store availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls;

wherein first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls not being allowed; and

a processor, configured to indicate, when the ME is in a limited service state, emergency call availability based on the availability data.

8. The ME according to claim 7, wherein the memory device is a firmware memory.

9. The ME according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to update the availability stored data in the memory device.

10. A Mobile Equipment (ME), comprising:

a memory device attached to the ME, configured to store availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls;

wherein first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls not being allowed; and

a processor, configured to establish, when the ME is in a limited service state, the emergency call in one of the first mobile telecommunications network and the second mobile telecommunications network based on the availability data.

11. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having compute-executable instructions stored thereon for indicating an emergency call availability to a Mobile Equipment (ME) on a first mobile telecommunications network and on a second mobile telecommunications network, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the following steps to be performed:

storing, at a memory device attached to the ME, availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls; and

indicating, when the ME is in a limited service state, emergency call availability based on the availability data;

wherein the first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls not being allowed.

12. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for establishing an emergency call for a Mobile Equipment (ME) on a first mobile telecommunications network or on a second mobile telecommunications network, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the following steps to be performed:

storing, at a memory device attached to the ME, availability data regarding the possibility of unauthenticated emergency calls;

wherein the first and second mobile telecommunications networks provide a first network service and a second network service to the ME, each of the first and the second network services comprising at least one of the group consisting of;

a Circuit Switched (CS) service, a Packet Switched (PS) service, and an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service;

wherein the availability data indicates, for each of the first network service and the second network service, an emergency calling status from a plurality of emergency calling statuses, the plurality of emergency calling statues including;

all unauthenticated emergency calls being allowed with or without an identification module inserted in the ME,

unauthenticated emergency calls only being allowed if a valid identification module is inserted in the ME, and

unauthenticated emergency calls not being allowed; and

establishing, when the ME is in a limited service state, the emergency call on the first mobile telecommunications network or the second mobile telecommunications network based on the availability data.