Emergency Call Prioritization in Packet Telephony
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency service regulations require packet telephony providers to override congestion controls when a user dials emergency services, but existing systems discourage such calls by emulating a fast busy signal when the user goes off-hook, indicating unavailable services.
Innovation Solution
A communication system that processes user requests to determine if they indicate an emergency service, overriding congestion controls by transferring a call request for emergency services even when the network is congested, using methods like out-of-sequence notifies or priority bits to ensure emergency calls are prioritized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the system emulates a fast busy signal to indicate service unavailability during congestion, then network resource management is improved, but emergency service accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating emergency service requests differently from regular service requests. When congestion is detected, the system maintains fast busy signal emulation for general services but creates an exception for emergency services. The processing system identifies emergency requests through specific detection mechanisms and routes them through a separate path that bypasses congestion controls, thereby applying different quality characteristics to different parts of the service flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of service availability indication dynamically. Under normal conditions, the system returns a fast busy signal (parameter state: unavailable) during congestion. However, when an emergency service request is detected, the parameter changes to available, allowing the call to proceed despite network congestion. This parameter change is achieved through the processing system's ability to modify the response based on the detected service type.
2Stability of the object's composition
If congestion controls are enforced to manage network load, then network stability is improved, but emergency service availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service request processing into two distinct paths: a regular path subject to congestion controls and an emergency path exempt from such controls. The processing system segments requests by detecting emergency service indicators and routing them differently. This segmentation allows the network to maintain stability for regular services while ensuring emergency services can bypass congestion controls and access the network when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing system acts as an intermediary between the communication interface and the network congestion controls. It receives service requests, detects whether they are emergency services, and mediates by either blocking regular requests through fast busy signal emulation or allowing emergency requests to pass through to the network. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction by selectively applying or bypassing congestion controls based on service type.
3Productivity
If the system blocks non-emergency calls during congestion, then network resource allocation is improved, but service accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the system's response flexible rather than static. Instead of uniformly blocking all calls during congestion, the system dynamically evaluates each request to determine if it is an emergency service. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt its resource allocation strategy in real-time, blocking non-emergency calls to maintain resource allocation while preserving accessibility for emergency services through selective request processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of operating a communication system is described. A communication interface receives a first user request for a voice service from a communication device. In response to receiving the first user request, the communication interface transfers an initial message requesting access to the voice service. The communication interface receives a response to the initial message that indicates that the voice service is not available. After receiving the response, the communication interface receives a second user request from the communication device. A processing system processes the second user request to determine if the second user request indicates an emergency service. If the second user request indicates the emergency service, then the communication interface transfers a call request for the emergency service. If the second user request does not indicate the emergency service, then the communication interface notifies the communication device that the voice service is not available.