Per-Session Priority Service Invocation for Emergency Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

In emergency situations, such as natural disasters, the existing priority service systems face challenges in effectively prioritizing communications, leading to network resource misallocation, which can hinder emergency response efforts and increase the likelihood of communication failures.

Innovation Solution

A service architecture that allows for per-session invocation of priority services based on network available information, determining whether to prioritize communications sessions based on criteria like user authorization, session type, network conditions, and contextual data, and applying appropriate priority treatments to ensure efficient use of network resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a special digit code is provided to all priority service subscribers for prioritizing calls, then subscribers have more choice and can initiate priority calls, but network resources may be misallocated to non-critical communications during emergencies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesubscriber ability to initiate priority callsVSAvoideffectiveness of priority services for critical communications

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating priority treatment based on the specific characteristics of each communications session. Instead of uniform priority treatment for all subscribers using the special digit code, the system evaluates each session's context (location, time, network conditions, subscriber type) to determine the appropriate priority level, ensuring critical communications receive higher priority while non-critical calls are deprioritized

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamics by making priority service invocation dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors network conditions, session characteristics, and contextual data to dynamically adjust whether priority service should be invoked for each communications session, allowing the network to adapt to changing emergency situations and resource availability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If priority services are invoked for a large number of simultaneous calls during emergencies, then more subscribers can communicate, but the likelihood of prioritized calls completing successfully decreases due to limited network resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of simultaneous priority communicationsVSAvoidcall completion success rate for prioritized calls

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by selectively invoking priority services only for communications sessions that meet specific criteria rather than for all simultaneous calls. The system evaluates each session individually and applies priority treatment only when warranted by contextual factors, ensuring that limited network resources are allocated to the most critical communications while avoiding unnecessary priority invocations that would consume resources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Ease of operation

If network resources are prioritized for individual subscriber communications, then subscribers can reach friends and family during emergencies, but resources are diverted from emergency recovery coordination efforts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to reach friends and familyVSAvoideffectiveness of emergency recovery coordination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring network conditions, session characteristics, and contextual data to determine whether priority service invocation is appropriate. The system uses this feedback to dynamically adjust resource allocation, ensuring that network resources are directed toward communications that most need them (emergency recovery coordination) while still allowing essential personal communications when resources permit

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11606324B2Per-session invocation of priority services based upon network available information

Publication Date: 2023.03.14 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to per-session invocation of priority services based upon network available information. A service architecture can include a service architecture core and a service execution runtime framework in which a priority service application is executable to perform operations to provide a priority service for a communications session. The priority service application can determine whether a priority service should be invoked for the communications session based upon priority criteria. If a determination is made that the priority service is to be invoked for the communications session based upon the priority criteria, the priority service application can invoke the priority service for the communications session. If a determination is made that the priority service is not to be invoked for the communications session based upon the priority criteria, the priority service application can cause the communications session to be coordinated without the priority service.