System and Method for Indicating Emergency Call Back to User Equipment

• US 20080310599A1
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: ISLAM, M. Khaledul, PURNADI, Rene W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,185,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13152 Callback
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13248 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A method is provided for indicating an IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) emergency call back to a user equipment and an access network. The method comprises including in a message from a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) to the user equipment and the access network an indication that the emergency call back is from the PSAP.

Claims

1. A method for indicating an IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) emergency call back to a user equipment and an access network, comprising:

including in a message from a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) to the user equipment and the access network an indication that the emergency call back is from the PSAP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Invite message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is included in a From Header.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a string of characters that identifies the PSAP as an emergency-related entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is included in a To Header.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is an emergency public identifier of the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the emergency public identifier is created whenever the user equipment initiates an IMS emergency call.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the user equipment and the access network responding to the indication in a manner that promotes a successful completion of the emergency call back.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the user equipment triggering an autonomous action when the user equipment does not receive an input in response to the emergency call back within a predefined length of time after the user equipment receives the indication.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the autonomous action is at least one of:

sending an automated message to the PSAP;

sending a location of the user equipment to the PSAP; and

sending an automated message to an emergency-related entity other than the PSAP.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the user equipment inspects all incoming SIP Invite messages for the indication, and wherein a Proxy Call Session Control Function inspects all incoming SIP Invite messages for the indication to inform the access network to prepare and prioritize resources for the emergency call back.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the user equipment inspects incoming SIP Invite messages for the indication only for a predefined length of time after the user equipment initiates an IMS emergency call to the PSAP.

13. A user equipment, comprising:

a processor configured to recognize an IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) call as an emergency call back from a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point).

14. The user equipment of claim 13, wherein the processor recognizes the IMS call as the emergency call back from the PSAP by the IMS call including an emergency call back indicator.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the emergency call back indicator is a string of characters that identifies the PSAP as an emergency-related entity and that is included in a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Invite message from the PSAP to the user equipment.

16. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the emergency call back indicator is included in a From Header.

17. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the emergency call back indicator is an emergency public identifier of the user equipment that is included in a To Header.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the emergency public identifier is created whenever the user equipment initiates an IMS emergency call.

19. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the user equipment triggers an autonomous action when the user equipment does not receive an input in response to the emergency call back within a predefined length of time after the user equipment receives the emergency call back indicator.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the autonomous action is at least one of:

sending an automated message to the PSAP;

sending a location of the user equipment to the PSAP; and

sending an automated message to an emergency-related entity other than the PSAP.

21. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein a Proxy Call Session Control Function inspects all incoming SIP Invite messages for the emergency call back indicator to inform the access network to prepare and prioritize resources for the emergency call back.

22. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

instructions that when executed by the one or more processors promote providing an emergency call back indicator in a message from a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) to user equipment.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the emergency call back indicator is one of:

a string of characters that identifies the PSAP as an emergency-related entity and that is included in a From Header of a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Invite message from the PSAP to the user equipment; and

an emergency public identifier of the user equipment that is included in a To Header of the SIP Invite message and that is created whenever the user equipment initiates an IMS emergency call.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the user equipment triggers an autonomous action when the user equipment does not receive an input in response to the emergency call back within a predefined length of time after the user equipment receives the emergency call back indicator.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the autonomous action is at least one of:

sending an automated message to the PSAP;

sending a location of the user equipment to the PSAP; and

sending an automated message to an emergency-related entity other than the PSAP.