System and method for managing emergency requests

• US 9,215,734 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• 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): Ajayi, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/937,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• 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 network component is provided. The network component including a component configured such that the network transmits a response message containing an indicator indicating that a first message is an emergency-related request, and such that the network receives a second message containing information associated with a user equipment (UE).

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network component configured to;

receive from a user equipment (“

UE”

) a Session Initiation Protocol (“

SIP”

) request message for a dialog that is an emergency-related request;

update header information of the SIP request message for a dialog;

forward the SIP request message for a dialog toward a Public Safety Answering Point (“

PSAP”

);

send to the UE a SIP response message in response to the SIP request message, the SIP response message containing a P-Asserted-Identity header field with an indicator indicating that the SIP request message for a dialog, sent by the UE, is an emergency-related request, that the network component is part of a trust domain, and that the UE should include location information in a response to the SIP response message; and

receive from the UE, in response to the SIP response message, a SIP request message within the dialog, the SIP request message within the dialog containing emergency-related information associated with the UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises a UE identity.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises a UE location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises UE access network information.

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

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SIP response message is one of a SIP 1xx or 200 (OK) response.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SIP request message within the dialog is one of:

a SIP ACK;

a SIP PRACK,

a SIP target refresh;

a SIP UPDATE; and

a SIP RE-INVITE request.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the SIP request message is a SIP INVITE request.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the UE identity is a globally routable user agent uniform resource identifier (GRUU).

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a geolocation header field of the SIP request message within the dialog includes a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) that points to the UE location.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a message body of the SIP request message within the dialog includes geographical location information of the UE as a PIDF location object.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a contact header field of the SIP request message within the dialog includes a public GRUU value associated with a public user identity.

13. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the UE access network information is included in a P-Access-Network-Info header field in the SIP request message within the dialog and comprises one of a location identifier, a cell identifier or an identity of an WLAN access node.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE is not contained in the SIP request message for a dialog.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicating that a SIP request message for a dialog is an emergency-related request comprises a Uniform Resource Name (“

URN”

).

29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a PSAP function.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates 911.

14. A method for a network component to manage emergency-related information, comprising:

receiving from a user equipment (“

UE”

) a Session Initiation Protocol (“

SIP”

) request message for a dialog that is an emergency-related request;

updating header information of the SIP request message for a dialog;

forwarding the SIP request message for a dialog toward a Public Safety Answering Point (“

PSAP”

);

sending from the network component to the UE a SIP response message in response to the SIP request message, the SIP response message containing a P-Asserted-Identity header field with an indicator indicating that a SIP request message for a dialog, sent by the UE, is an emergency-related request, that the network component is part of a trust domain, and that the UE should include location information in a response to the SIP response message; and

receiving from the UE, in response to the SIP response message, a SIP request message within the dialog, the SIP request message within the dialog containing emergency-related information associated with the UE.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises a UE identity.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises a UE location.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE contained in the SIP request message within the dialog comprises UE access network information.

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

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the SIP response message is one of a SIP 1xx or 200 (OK) response.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the SIP request message within the dialog is one of:

a SIP ACK,

a SIP PRACK,

a SIP target refresh;

a SIP UPDATE, and

a SIP RE-INVITE request.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the SIP request message is a SIP INVITE request.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the UE identity is a globally routable user agent uniform resource identifier (GRUU).

23. The method of claim 16, wherein a geolocation header field of the SIP request message within the dialog includes a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) that points to the UE location.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein a message body of the SIP request message within the dialog includes geographical location information of the UE as a PIDF location object.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein a contact header field of the SIP request message within the dialog includes a public GRUU value associated with a public user identity.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the UE access network information is included in a P-Access-Network-Info header field in the SIP request message within the dialog and comprises one of a location identifier, a cell identifier or an identity of an WLAN access node.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein the emergency-related information associated with the UE is not contained in the SIP request message for a dialog.

32. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator indicating that a SIP request message for a dialog is an emergency-related request comprises a Uniform Resource Name (“

URN”

).

33. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator indicates a PSAP function.

34. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator indicates 911.

35. A tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions executable by a processor of a computing device to cause said device to implement the method of claim 14.