Fault routing of an emergency communication

• US 9,854,091 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaushal, Arvind, Boone, Jon, Sherman, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): La, Phong
• Application Number:
  US14/164,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• 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 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42187 Lines and connections with preferential service
• 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

Aspects of the disclosure relate to routing of an emergency communication under fault conditions. Routing can be implemented in a packet-switching (PS) network that provides voice service. For a network node of the PS network, availability to route the emergency communication through a specific emergency service routing number (ESRN) can be determined and, in response to the network node being unavailable, administrative data associated with the ESRN can be accessed. In addition, an identifier associated with the administrative data can be updated (e.g., created or modified) with data indicative of the device that originated the emergency communication. The administrative data and the resulting identifier can be delivered to a second network node that can route the emergency communication to an emergency service network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

delivering, from a first network node to a second network node, a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message to establish a communication session with a user device that originated the communication session, the first SIP message comprising an emergency service routing number (ESRN) and a first trunk group number associated with a public safety answering point (PSAP), the first trunk group number being related to the ESRN;

receiving, at the first network node, a second SIP message from the second network node, the second SIP message having a second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number;

determining, based on the second SIP message having the second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number, the second network node is unavailable for the ESRN;

in response to the second network node being unavailable for the ESRN, querying, at the first network node, a database for data associated with the communication session;

in response to the second network node being unavailable for the ESRN, generating, at the first network node, a first identifier associated with the data;

updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with a second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session; and

delivering, by the first network node, the updated first identifier to the second network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering, by the first network node, the updated first identifier to the second network node comprises delivering a session initiation message with the data to the second network node, wherein the data comprises a number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with the second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session comprises configuring a metadata tag to convey the second identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SIP message is a SIP INVITE message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second SIP message is a SIP INVITE message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SIP message and the second SIP message are both SIP INVITE messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with the second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session comprises updating the first identifier to be a device number associated with the user device that originated the communication session.

8. A method, comprising:

delivering, from a first network node to a second network node, a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message to establish a communication session with a user device that originated the communication session, the first SIP message comprising an emergency service routing number (ESRN) and a first trunk group number associated with a public safety answering point (PSAP), the first trunk group number being related to the ESRN;

receiving a second SIP message from the second network node, the second SIP message having a second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number;

determining, based on the second SIP message having the second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number, the second network node is unavailable for the ESRN;

in response to the second network node being unavailable, querying, at the first network node, a database for data associated with the communication session;

in response to the second network node being unavailable for the ESRN, generating, at the first network node, a first identifier associated with the data;

updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with a second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session; and

delivering, by the first network node, the updated first identifier to a third network node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein delivering, by the first network node, the updated first identifier to the third network node comprises delivering a session initiation message with the data to the third network node.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with the second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session comprises configuring a metadata tag to convey the second identifier.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein updating, at the first network node, the first identifier with the second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session comprises updating the first identifier to be a device number associated with the user device that originated the communication session.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing processor executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

deliver a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message to a first network node to establish a communication session with a user device that originated the communication session, the first SIP message comprising an emergency service routing number (ESRN) and a first trunk group number associated with a public safety answering point (PSAP), the first trunk group number being related to the ESRN;

receive a second SIP message from the first network node, the second SIP message having a second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number;

determine, based on the second SIP message having the second trunk group number different from the first trunk group number, the first network node is unavailable for the ESRN;

query a database for data associated with the communication session;

in response to the second network node being unavailable for the ESRN, generate a first identifier associated with the data;

update the first identifier with a second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session, wherein the update yields an updated identifier; and

deliver the updated identifier to the first network node.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to deliver the updated identifier to the first network nodes comprises delivering a session initiation message with the data to the first network node, wherein the data comprises a 10-digit contingency routing number (CRN), and wherein the one or more processors are configured, by the computer-executable instructions, to query the database for data associated with an emergency service routing number (ESRN) in response to the first network node being unavailable for routing a communication.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first SIP message is a SIP INVITE message.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second SIP message is a SIP INVITE message.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first SIP message and the second SIP message are both SIP INVITE messages.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first network node comprises a call management server (CMS).

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a call management server (CMS) and the first network node comprises a session border controller (SBC).

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the database comprises an intelligent routing database (IRDB).

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to update the first identifier with the second identifier of the user device that originated the communication session further comprise processor executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to configure a metadata tag to convey the second identifier.