Method for obtaining location information for emergency services in wireless multimedia networks

• US 9,125,038 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bharatia, Jayshree, Garapaty, Sonia, Deol, Amarjit
• Primary Examiner(s): VIANA DI PRISCO, GERMAN
• Application Number:
  US14/143,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20140187194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for obtaining end-user location information for emergency services within a multimedia network is presented. The multimedia network may include a network implementing the Session Initiation Protocol, H.323, etc. In one embodiment, a Location Application Server (LAS) in the multimedia network and an interface between the LAS and a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) is defined.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining location information of user equipment (UE) for emergency services, comprising:

by a first server;

receiving a first request message from a call session server, wherein the first request message is responsive to an emergency request message from the UE;

causing, in response to the receiving the first request message, a location notification message to be transmitted to the UE;

receiving location information of the UE, contingent on a location notification response being transmitted by the UE; and

transmitting a second request message to the call session server in response to the receiving the location information of the UE, wherein the second request message comprises the location information of the UE, and wherein the call session server is configured to send a message requesting emergency services for the UE in response to the second request message, wherein the message requesting emergency services comprises the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing a location notification message to be transmitted to the UE comprises:

transmitting a location request to a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), wherein the location request is configured to cause the GMLC to send a subscriber location request to an access network serving node serving the UE, and wherein the subscriber location request is configured to cause the access network serving node to transmit the location notification message to the UE.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location notification message indicates that privacy verification is required.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving the location information of the UE is at least partly in response to the location notification response indicating that permission is granted to provide the location information of the UE.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the location information of the UE comprises:

receiving a location response from the GMLC, the location response comprising the location information of the UE, wherein the location response is responsive to the GMLC receiving a subscriber location acknowledge from the access network serving node.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first server obtaining routing information regarding the UE in response to receiving the first request message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call session server comprises a Call Session Control Function (CSCF).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server is a component of an IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS) network.

9. A method of obtaining location information of user equipment (UE) for emergency services, comprising:

by the UE;

transmitting an emergency request message, wherein said transmitting of the emergency request message by the UE causes a first request message to be received by a first server;

receiving a location notification message, wherein the location notification message is responsive to the first request message;

transmitting a location notification response, wherein location information of the UE is provided to the first server in response to the location notification response, wherein a second request message is transmitted by the first server to a call session server in response to the first server receiving the location information of the UE, wherein the second request message comprises the location information of the UE, and wherein a message requesting emergency services for the UE is sent by the call session server in response to the second request message, wherein the message requesting emergency services comprises the location information of the UE.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location notification message is received from an access network serving node serving the UE, wherein the location notification message is responsive to a subscriber location request sent from a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), wherein the subscriber location request is responsive to a location request from the first server.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising notifying a user of the UE of the location notification message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving input from the user indicating that permission is granted to provide the location information of the UE, wherein the location notification message indicates that privacy verification is required.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to the transmitting the location notification response, engaging, by the UE, with a radio access network servicing the UE, in a messaging sequence of a UE positioning method, wherein, in response to the messaging sequence, a location report is provided to an access network serving node serving the UE, the location report including the location information of the UE.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the call session server comprises a Call Session Control Function (CSCF).

15. A user equipment (UE) device, comprising:

an antenna configured to transmit and receive communications; and

a processor coupled to the antenna, the processor configured to;

transmit, via the antenna, an emergency request message, wherein said transmitting of the emergency request message causes a first request message to be received by a first server;

receive, via the antenna, a location notification message, wherein the location notification message is responsive to the first request message;

transmit, via the antenna, a location notification response, wherein location information of the UE is provided to the first server in response to the location notification response, wherein a second request message is transmitted by the first server to a call session server in response to the first server receiving the location information of the UE, wherein the second request message comprises the location information of the UE, and wherein a message requesting emergency services for the UE is sent by the call session server in response to the second request message, wherein the message requesting emergency services comprises the location information of the UE.

16. The UE device of claim 15, wherein the location notification message is received from an access network serving node serving the UE, wherein the location notification message is responsive to a subscriber location request sent from a gateway mobile location center (GMLC), wherein the subscriber location request is responsive to a location request from the first server.

17. The UE device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to notify a user of the UE of the location notification message.

18. The UE device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from the user indicating that permission is granted to provide the location information of the UE, wherein the location notification message indicates that privacy verification is required.

19. The UE device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:

responsive to the transmitting the location notification response, engage with a radio access network servicing the UE in a messaging sequence of a UE positioning method, wherein, in response to the messaging sequence, a location report is provided to an access network serving node serving the UE, the location report including the location information of the UE.

20. The UE device of claim 15, wherein the call session server comprises a Call Session Control Function (CSCF).