Method and system for handling a network-identified emergency session

• US 20040137873A1
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kauppinen, Risto, Poikselka, Mikka
• Granted Patent: US 7,116,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• 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: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• 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

The invention relates to a method and system for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment and one or more network entities involved in establishing an emergency session. When the user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to a network entity indicating an identifier, e.g. the call number or logical name of a called entity, one of said network entities analyses the received identifier. When detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information is returned to the user equipment for informing the latter that the initiated session is an emergency session. The user equipment thereupon initiates the execution of an emergency session. Thus, even when the user equipment is unable to detect, by itself, that the intended session is an emergency session, the network will inform the user equipment on the emergency session for ensuring appropriate handling thereof.

Claims

1. A method for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment and one or more network entities involved in establishing an emergency session, wherein, when said user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to a network entity indicating an identifier of a called entity, one of said network entities analyses the received identifier, and, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information is sent to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

2. A method of claim 1 comprising a further step wherein the user equipment initiates the execution of an emergency session upon receipt of said information sent to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the execution of the emergency session includes the step of obtaining location information of the user equipment and of sending the location information to one of the network entities.

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the execution of the emergency session includes the step of activating an emergency PDP context for the session.

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information returned to the user equipment is a message, preferably a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) message, which includes a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing an emergency session.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identifier of the called entity is the call number or logical name of the called entity.

7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, when the network entity detects that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an emergency center is informed on the emergency session to be established, and said information is returned to the user equipment only after receipt of a response from the emergency center, the emergency session then being established between the user equipment and the emergency center.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the network entity analysing the received identifier is a Call State Control Function (CSCF).

9. A method for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment and at least one call controlling network element involved in establishing an emergency session, wherein, when said user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to the call controlling network element indicating an identifier of a called entity, the call controlling network element analyses the received identifier, and, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, an information is returned to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

10. A method of claim 9, wherein the call controlling network element is a P-CSCF.

11. A method of claim 9 or 10, comprising a further step wherein the user equipment reinitiates the session by sending a message to the call controlling network element, the message comprising the said information.

12. A Method of claim 9 or 10, comprising a further step wherein the user equipment initiates a new session by sending a message to the call controlling network element the message comprising the said information.

13. A method of claims 11 or 12, comprising the further step of, in response to receiving the information, the network initiating the execution of the emergency session.

14. A method for establishing an emergency session in a communication system which includes at least one user equipment, at least one call controlling network element involved in establishing an emergency session, and an emergency center, wherein, when said user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to the call controlling network element indicating an identifier of a called entity, the call controlling network element analyses the received identifier, and, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, the network element sends an information to the emergency center or to an intermediate network element for forwarding the information to the emergency center, said information informing the emergency center on the emergency session to be established, an indication of the emergency session being sent to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein after receipt of a response from the emergency center, the emergency session is established between the user equipment and the emergency center.

16. A method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the call controlling network element is a P-CSCF.

17. A communication system for establishing an emergency session, the communication system including at least one user equipment and one or more network entities involved in establishing an emergency session, wherein

said user equipment is adapted to initiate a session by sending a message to a network entity indicating an identifier of a called entity,

one of said network entities is adapted to analyse the received identifier,

when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, said analysing network entity or another network entity is adapted to send an information to the user equipment for informing the latter that the initiated session is an emergency session.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the user equipment is adapted to initiate, when receiving the information that the initiated session is an emergency session, the execution of an emergency session.

19. System according to claim 18, wherein the execution of the emergency session includes the step of obtaining location information of the user equipment and of sending the location information to one of the network entities.

20. System according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the execution of the emergency session includes the step of activating an emergency PDP context for the session.

21. System according to any one of the preceding system claims, wherein the information returned to the user equipment is a message, preferably a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) message, which includes a parameter indicating an address of a network entity to be addressed for establishing an emergency session.

22. System according to any one of the preceding system claims, wherein the identifier of the called entity is the call number or logical name of the called entity.

23. System according to any one of the preceding system claims, wherein the network entity, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, is adapted to inform an emergency center on the emergency session to be established, and to send said information to the user equipment only after receipt of a response from the emergency center, the emergency session then being established between the user equipment and the emergency center.

24. System according to any one of the preceding system claims, wherein the network entity analysing the received identifier is a Call State Control Function (CSCF).

25. A communication system for establishing an emergency session, the communication system including at least one user equipment and at least one call controlling network element involved in establishing an emergency session, wherein, when said user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to the call controlling network element indicating an identifier of a called entity, the call controlling network element is adapted to analyse the received identifier, wherein, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, to send an information to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

26. A system of claim 25, wherein the call controlling network element is a P-CSCF.

27. A system of claim 25 or 26, wherein the user equipment is adapted to reinitiate the session by sending a message to the call controlling network element, the message comprising the said information.

28. A system of claim 25 or 26, wherein the user equipment is adapted to initiate a new session by sending a message to the call controlling network element, the message comprising the said information.

29. A system of claims 25 or 26, wherein the network is adapted to initiate the execution of the emergency session in response to receiving the information.

30. A communication system for establishing an emergency session, the communication system including at least one user equipment, at least one call controlling network element involved in establishing an emergency session, and an emergency center, wherein, when said user equipment initiates a session by sending a message to the call controlling network element indicating an identifier of a called entity, the call controlling network element is adapted to analyse the received identifier, and, when detecting that the session to be initiated is an emergency session, to send an information to the emergency center or to an intermediate network element for forwarding the information to the emergency center, said information informing the emergency center on the emergency session to be established, an indication of the emergency session being sent to the user equipment for informing the user equipment that the initiated session is an emergency session.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein after receipt of a response from the emergency center, the emergency session is established between the user equipment and the emergency center.

32. A system of claim 31 or 32, wherein the call controlling network element is a P-CSCF.