Method and system for allowing incoming emergency communications on a disabled device

• US 9,167,605 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Moodbidri, Neeta, Ranjan, Nilesh, Chapman, Simon, Dunn, Timothy N., Hall, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US13/646,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042, 455410-411, 4554141-4144, 455458-460, 4554121-4122, 37920901-21003, 37911401-11429, 379/143, 379/45, 379 8801- 8828
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• 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 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A system and method to allow a disabled device to receive an incoming communication after the termination of an emergency communication session with a service provider. A disabled device is a device having a portion of its service plan that allows the device to send or receive communications either temporarily or permanently disabled. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications during a defined period of time after the emergency communication session. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications from numbers or URIs contained in a repository of allowed numbers. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications if the service provider initiating the communication enters an authenticated routing key or passcode.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication session between a disabled telecommunications device and an emergency responder in response to a termination of an emergency communication session between the disabled telecommunications device and a service provider, the method comprising:

detecting an establishment of an emergency communication session between a disabled telecommunications device and a service provider, wherein the emergency communication session was initiated by a disabled telecommunications device;

receiving a request from an emergency responder to establish a second communication session between the emergency responder and the disabled telecommunications device, the request to establish the second communication session occurring after the termination of the emergency communication session between the service provider and the disabled telecommunications device;

determining an elapsed time between the emergency communication session and the request to establish the second communication session;

authorizing the establishment of the second communication session if the elapsed time is less than a threshold amount of time; and

denying the establishment of the second communication session if the elapsed time is greater than the threshold amount of time, wherein the denial is performed by a network element of the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time is measured from the start of the emergency communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time is measured from the end of the emergency communication session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the end of the emergency communication session is a result of at least one of:

the disabled telecommunications device terminating the emergency communication session, the service provider terminating the emergency communication session, or network difficulties terminating the emergency communication session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency communication session is a voice, video, Instant Messaging (IM), Short Message Service (SMS), or multimedia session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication session is a voice, video, Instant Messaging (IM), Short Message Service (SMS), or multimedia session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time is determined by a timer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time is determined by comparing a time stamp associated with the emergency communication session and a time of the request to establish a second communication session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing the establishment of the second communication session includes enabling charging for communication resources consumed during the second communication session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency communication session is a 911 call and the service provider is a (Public Safety Answering Point) PSAP.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency responder and the service provider are the same parties.

12. A system for reestablishing a communication session between a disabled telecommunications device and a service provider in response to a termination of the communication session, the system comprising:

means for detecting a termination of an emergency communication session between a disabled telecommunications device and a service provider, the emergency communication session having been initiated by the disabled telecommunications device;

means for measuring a time from the termination of the emergency communication session and a request to initiate a second communication session with the disabled telecommunications device, the request being initiated by the service provider;

means for authorizing the establishment of the second communication session between the disabled telecommunications device and the service provider after the termination of the emergency communication session, the second communication session being authorized if the request to initiate the second communication session is received within a threshold time following the termination of the emergency communication session; and

means for denying the establishment of the second communication session between the disabled telecommunications device and the service provider after the termination of the emergency communication session, the second communication session being denied if the request to initiate the second communication session is received after a threshold time following the termination of the emergency communication session, the denial being performed by a network element of the service provider.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the termination of the emergency communication session is a result of at least one of:

the disabled telecommunications device terminating the emergency communication session, the service provider terminating the emergency communication session, or network difficulties terminating the emergency communication session.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the emergency communication session is selected from the group consisting of a voice session, a video session, an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a Short Message Service (SMS) session, and a multimedia session.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the second communication session is selected from the group comprising is selected from the group consisting of a voice session, a video session, an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a Short Message Service (SMS) session, and a multimedia session.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for measuring time is a timer.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for measuring time stores a time stamp associated with the emergency communication session and compares the stored time stamp with a time of the request to establish a second communication session.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for charging for communication resources consumed during the second communication session.