Emergency call handoff between heterogeneous networks

• US 8,630,607 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaikh, Imtiyaz
• Primary Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US13/183,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20130017801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/552.1, 370/331, 370/338, 370/352, 379/45, 379/37
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 system to receive, from a user device, a request to establish a communication session to allow an emergency call to be placed or transferred to a public safety access point (PSAP) server; determine whether the request includes a first indication that the emergency call is being initiated via the user device or a second indication that the emergency call is being handed off from a base station associated with another network device, place the emergency call, to the PSAP server and via a first gateway device associated with the network device, when the request includes the first indication; and transfer the emergency call, to the PSAP server and via a second gateway device associated with the other network device, when the request includes the second indication, where the second gateway device processed the emergency call prior to being handed off from the base station.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive, from a user device, a request to establish a communication session to allow an emergency call to be placed or transferred to a public safety access point (PSAP) server,

determine whether the request includes a first indication that the emergency call is being initiated via the user device or a second indication that the emergency call is being handed off from a base station associated with another network device,

connect the emergency call to the PSAP server when the request includes the first indication, wherein, when connecting the emergency call, the one or more processors are further configured to;

communicate with a further network device to determine whether the user device is authenticated,

place the call to the PSAP server via a first gateway device associated with the network device, based on a notification, received from the further network device, that the user device is authenticated, and

place the call to the PSAP server via a third gateway device based on another notification, received from the further network device, that the user device is not authenticated, and

transfer the emergency call, to the PSAP server and via a second gateway device associated with the other network device, when the request includes the second indication, wherein the second gateway device processes the emergency call prior to being handed off from the base station.

2. The device of claim 1, where the other network device is associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that is based on a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard and where the network device is not associated with the LTE network.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein, when transferring the emergency call, to the PSAP server and via the second gateway device, the one or more processors are further configured to:

obtain, from the other network device, context information associated with the user device, wherein the context information identifies that the second gateway device processes the emergency call prior to being handed off from the base station.

4. The device of claim 2, where the first indication is based on a non-access stratum (NAS) message, which identifies the emergency call as being initiated by the user device, and where the second indication is based on another NAS message that identifies the emergency call as not being initiated by the user device or as being handed over from the base station.

5. A system comprising:

one or more devices configured to;

receive, from a user device and via a first base station, a request to establish a communication session of a call,

determine, in response to the request, whether the call is associated with an emergency call or a non-emergency call,

establish the communication session to allow the call to be placed as the non-emery call when the request does not include an indication that the call is the emergency call,

establish the communication session, via the first base station and a first gateway device, to allow the call to be placed, as a first emergency call, when the request includes a first indication to place the call as the first emergency call, and

establish the communication session, via the first base station and a second gateway device, to allow the call to be handed off, as a second emergency call and from a second base station, when the request includes a second indication that the second emergency call is to be handed off, wherein the second emergency call is established via the second gateway device, and wherein, when establishing the communication session via the first base station and the second gateway device, the one or more devices are further configured to;

retrieve, from a server device, information that identifies the second gateway device as a device via which the second emergency call was initiated, and

transmit an instruction to transfer the second emergency call to the second gateway device based on the information that identifies the second gateway device.

6. The system of claim 5, where the second base station is associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that is based on a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and the first base station is not associated with the LTE network.

7. The system of claim 5, where the first base station is associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that is based on a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and the second base station is not associated with the LTE network.

8. The system of claim 5, where the first indication includes a non-access stratum (NAS) message, which indicates that the first emergency call is being initiated, and where the second indication includes another NAS message, which indicates that the second emergency call is being handed off.

9. A system comprising:

one or more devices configured to;

receive, from a user device and via a first base station, a request to establish a communication session of a call,

determine, in response to the request, whether the call is associated with an emergency call or a non-emergency call,

establish the communication session to allow the call to be placed as the non-emergency call when the request does not include an indication that the call is the emergency call,

establish the communication session, via the first base station and a first gateway device, to allow the call to be placed, as a first emergency call, when the request includes a first indication to place the call as the first emergency call, and

establish the communication session, via the first base station and a second gateway device, to allow the call to be handed off, as a second emergency call and from a second base station, when the request includes a second indication that the second emergency call is to be handed off, wherein the second emergency call is established via the second gateway device, and wherein, when establishing the communication session, via the first base station and the first gateway device, the one or more devices are further configured to;

transmit, to a server device, information associated with the first base station or information associated with a location of the user device that allows the server device to identify a public safety access point (PSAP) server to which the first emergency call is to be placed,

receive, from the server device, information that identifies the PSAP server to which the first emergency call is to be placed, and

place the call, to the identified PSAP server, via the first base station and the first gateway device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second base station is associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that is based on a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and the first base station is not associated with the LTE network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first base station is associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that is based on a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and the second base station is not associated with the LTE network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first indication includes a non-access stratum (NAS) message, which indicates that the first emergency call is being initiated, and wherein the second indication includes another NAS message, which indicates that the second emergency call is being handed off.