Apparatus and method for reallocating communication resources to establish a priority call in a fixed wireless access communication system

• US RE42,242 E1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Solutions, Ltd. (LOXAM SAS)
• Original Assignee: Access Solutions, Ltd. (LOXAM SAS)
• Inventors: Struhsaker, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/179,437
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 455/521, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/452.1, 455/422.1, 455/437, 455/509, 455/426.1, 370/338, 370/356
• US Class Current: 455/521
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0005 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0098 Unequal error protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/06 Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for a fixed wireless access communication system, by which to initiate a call to an emergency dispatch center, or other priority call to a priority location. When communication resources are initially unavailable to permit establishment of the call, normal call set-up procedures are emulated at a subscriber station from which the call is to be originated. Communication resources are reallocated in the communication system to permit the establishment of the call is thereafter established.

Claims

1. In a multi-user FWA (fixed wireless access) communication system in which a plurality of subscriber stations are operable to communicate by way of radio links with network infrastructure to which a correspondent node is coupled, an improvement of apparatus for a selected subscriber station of the plurality of subscriber stations at which a priority call of selected call-type is selectably originated, said apparatus comprising:

a call establishment message generator coupled to receive an indication of initiation at the selected subscriber station of origination of the priority call, said call establishment message generator for generating a call establishment message for communication to the network infrastructure to initiate call set-up procedures precursing a request to establish the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the correspondent node;

a response detector coupled to receive an indication of a network-infrastructure generated response to the call establishment message generated by said call establishment message generator, said response detector for detecting whether the response to the call establishment message indicates communication resources to be available to establish the priority call; and

a call set-up emulator coupled to said response detector, said call set-up emulator operable to emulate at the selected subscriber station normal call set-up operations thereat at least for a selected period responsive to detection by said response detector of unavailability of the communication resources to establish the priority call,

wherein said correspondent node comprises an emergency dispatch center having a pseudo-universal dialing code associated therewith for originating said priority call and wherein the selected period is sufficient to determine whether the pseudo-universal dialing code has been dialed at the selected subscriber station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said call set-up emulator comprises a dial-tone generator, said dial-tone generator for generating an audio dial-tone at the selected subscriber station responsive to detection by said response detector of the unavailability of the communication resources.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said selected subscriber station comprises a telephonic station having an actuation keypad actuatable by a user to enter dialing digits associated with the correspondent node and wherein generation of the audio dial-tone by said dial-tone generator is terminated upon commencement of entry of the dialing digits.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a dialing-digit signal generator coupled to receive indications of entry of the dialing digits at the actuation keypad said dialing-digit signal generator for generating a dialing-digit indication signal for communication to the network infrastructure pursuant to the request to establish the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the correspondent node.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the correspondent node comprises an assistance center having a dialing code formed of dialing digits associated with the assistance center, wherein the call of the selected call-type comprises a priority call, and wherein the dialing-digit signal generated by said dialing-digit signal generator is of values corresponding to the dialing code associated with the assistance center when the user actuates the actuation keypad to cause entry of the dialing digits forming the dialing code associated with the assistance center.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the assistance center comprises said emergency dispatch center having said pseudo-universal dialing code associated therewith, wherein the priority call comprises an emergency call, and wherein the dialing-digit signal generated by said dialing-digit signal generator is of values corresponding to the pseudo-universal dialing code associated with the emergency dispatch center when the user actuates the actuation keypad to cause entry of the dialing digits forming the pseudo-universal dialing code.

7. In the multi-user FWA communication system of claim 1, a further improvement of apparatus for the network infrastructure, said apparatus comprising:

a call establishment message detector coupled to receive indications of receipt at the network infrastructure of the call establishment message; and

a response generator coupled to said call establishment message detector, said response generator for generating the response of the call establishment message.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a communication resource availability determiner operable responsive to detection of the call establishment message by said call establishment message detector, said communication resource availability determiner for determining whether communication resources are available to establish the priority call.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the network infrastructure is coupled to the correspondent node by way of a network backbone, and wherein said communication resource availability determiner determines both whether communication resources are available upon the network backbone to establish the priority call and whether communication resources are available upon the radio links to establish the priority call.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the selected subscriber station further sends a dialing digit indication signal to the network infrastructure and wherein said apparatus for the network infrastructure further comprises a dialing digit indication detector coupled to receive indications of receipt at the network infrastructure of the dialing digit indication signal.

11. The apparatus for the network infrastructure of claim 10 further comprising a resource reallocator coupled to said dialing digit indication detector and to said resource availability determiner, said resource reallocator selectably operable to reallocate communication resources in the multi-user FWA communication system responsive to selected values contained in the dialing digit indication signal detected by said dialing digit indication device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the correspondent node comprises said emergency dispatch center having said pseudo-universal dialing code associated therewith, wherein the dialing digit indication signal to which said dialing digit indication detector is coupled to receive indications thereof is of values corresponding to the pseudo-universal dialing code and wherein said resource allocator reallocates the communication resources to provide communication resources to establish a the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the emergency dispatch center.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the communication resources of the FWA communication system are utilized pursuant to a plurality of communication resources with a plurality of subscriber stations and wherein reallocation made by said resource reallocator include termination of selected communication resources, thereby to reallocate resources to establish the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the emergency dispatch center.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the communication sessions have priority levels associated therewith and wherein selection of termination of selected communication sessions is made responsive to the priority levels associated with the communication sessions.

15. In a multi-user FWA (fixed wireless access) communication system in which a plurality of subscriber stations are operable to communicate by way of radio links with network infrastructure to which a correspondent node is coupled, a method for a selected subscriber station of the plurality of subscriber stations to selectably originate a priority callof selected call-type , said method comprising:

receiving an indication of initiation at the selected subscriber station of origination of the priority call;

generating a call establishment message for communication to the network infrastructure to initiate call set-up procedures precursing a request to establish the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the correspondent node, wherein said correspondent node comprises an emergency dispatch center having a pseudo-universal dialing code associated therewith for said priority call;

receiving an indication of a network-infrastructure generated response to the call establishment message;

detecting whether the response to the call establishment message indicates communication resources to be available to establish the priority call; and

responsive to detection of unavailability of the communication resources to establish the priority call, emulating normal call set-up operations at the selected subscriber station at least for a selected period sufficient to determine whether the pseudo-universal dialing code has been dialed at the selected subscriber station.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating an audio dial-tone at the selected subscriber station responsive to detection by said response detector of the unavailability of the communication resources.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a dialing-digit indication signal for communication to the network infrastructure pursuant to the request to establish the priority call between the selected subscriber station and the correspondent node.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein emulation of normal call set-up operations at the selected subscriber station at least terminates in response to determination that the pseudo-universal dialing code has not been dialed at the selected subscriber station.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

terminating use of selected communication resources of the FWA communication system by one of a plurality of subscriber stations; and

reallocating said selected communication resources to establish the priority call from the subscriber selected station.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein communication sessions for the FWA communication system have priority levels associated therewith and wherein selection of said selected communication resources for termination is made responsive to the priority levels associated with the communication sessions.