Emergency Call Status Feedback via Network Activity Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
During emergency events, telecommunication networks often become congested, leading to low call success rates and increased re-attempts, which worsen the situation and fail to alleviate user anxiety, as existing solutions either reject traffic or ask users to stop calling, without providing meaningful information to callers.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that collect activity data from network nodes associated with emergency events to evaluate the status of called users and generate messages for calling users, even if calls fail, thereby informing them of the called user's status and reducing re-attempts, thus improving user experience and conserving network resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traffic is rejected or users are asked to stop calling during emergency events, then network overload is prevented, but user anxiety increases and call success rate remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the network provides calling users with information about the called user's status (e.g., safe, injured, missing) based on activity data collected from network nodes. This feedback loop resolves the contradiction by maintaining network stability through traffic management while simultaneously providing meaningful information to users, thereby reducing anxiety and preventing unnecessary re-attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (emergency information management entity) that mediates between the network infrastructure and users. This intermediary collects activity data, evaluates user status, and delivers information to calling parties without requiring direct network calls to succeed. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by decoupling information delivery from successful call establishment.
2Loss of information
If multiple re-attempts are made after call failure, then users seek information about called users, but network congestion worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by proactively collecting and evaluating activity data from network nodes before users make re-attempt calls. The system pre-processes information about called users' status and makes it available through the intermediary, so users receive information without needing to re-attempt calls. This resolves the contradiction by satisfying information needs in advance, eliminating the productivity-losing re-attempt cycle.
3Ease of operation
If call attempts are made during emergency events, then users try to reach called users, but call success rate becomes very low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that provides alternative communication pathways. Instead of relying solely on direct calls (which have low success rates), the intermediary collects activity data from network nodes and delivers status information to users through other channels. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation (users can still get information) while bypassing the unreliable direct call path.
4Loss of information
If network nodes collect and process activity data, then user status information becomes available, but network resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the activity data collection mechanism to serve multiple purposes simultaneously. The same data collection infrastructure used for normal network operations is leveraged to gather emergency status information, rather than creating separate dedicated collection systems. This resolves the contradiction by making existing network resources multi-functional, thereby providing user status information without proportionally increasing resource consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure provides a method (100) for providing an answer to a first User Equipment, UE, (210, 310) of a calling user in an emergency event taking place in an environment where a second UE (220, 320) of a called user resides. The method comprises: obtaining (S110) activity data in relation to the second UE (220, 320) from one or more network nodes associated with the emergency event; receiving (S120) a failure notification indicating that a call originated from the first UE (210, 310) towards the second UE (220, 320) has failed; evaluating (S130) a status of the called user based on the activity data; generating (S140) a message based on the evaluated status of the called user; and transmitting (S150) the message to the first UE (210, 310).