WLAN Access Point Multimedia Emergency Service Provisioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless network configurations struggle to provide multimedia emergency services, as they are limited to provisioning only local emergency call number dial string information, and fail to distribute the necessary addressing and routing information for multimedia emergency services, especially in next-generation 911 services, due to difficulties in determining the geographical location of WLAN devices.

Innovation Solution

The system and method involve distributing multimedia emergency contact information using a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point, which retrieves contact information from a lookup table and transmits it to WLAN devices using a Generic Advertisement Service (GAS) query, incorporating Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) URIs, telephone URIs, and multimedia URIs, allowing for the provisioning of multimedia emergency services before session establishment or registration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the network uses dynamic IP addresses and complex proxy architectures for WLAN devices, then network flexibility and device mobility are improved, but the ability to determine geographical location for emergency services deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice mobilityVSAvoidgeographical location determination
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The access point provisions emergency contact information to the WLAN device in advance, before the device needs to make an emergency call. This preliminary provisioning ensures that even though the device's IP address may be dynamic and its location hard to determine in real-time, the device already has the correct emergency contact information stored locally based on its initial connection location.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of manufacture

If the network provides only local emergency call number dial string information, then simplicity of implementation is improved, but the capability to support multimedia emergency services deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplementation simplicityVSAvoidmultimedia emergency services capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The access point is designed to provide multiple types of emergency contact information simultaneously - both traditional telephone dial strings and multimedia emergency service contact information (such as SIP URIs for video calls and text messaging services). This multi-functional approach allows the same provisioning mechanism to support both simple voice calls and complex multimedia emergency services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If the network retrieves emergency contact information before session establishment, then emergency service accessibility is improved, but the complexity of information provisioning increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemergency service accessibilityVSAvoidinformation provisioning complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The WLAN device automatically requests and receives emergency contact information from the access point during the initial connection process, without requiring manual user input or complex configuration. The device self-provisions the necessary emergency contact information (telephone URIs, SIP URIs, multimedia URIs) as part of its normal network attachment procedure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3451625B1System and method for multimedia emergency access in a wireless network
Publication Date: 2020.09.16 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3451625B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3451625B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3451625B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

A method for distributing multimedia emergency contact information using an access point of a wireless local area network (708) (WLAN) is disclosed. The access point is configured to retrieve service contact information from a lookup table. The method includes receiving a first generic advertisement service (GAS) query from a WLAN device. The first GAS query includes a uniform resource name (URN) identifying at least one of the services. The method includes retrieving contact information for the at least one of the services identified in the first GAS query. The contact information includes a uniform resource identifier (URI). The URI is configured to include session initiation protocol (SIP) URIs, and telephone URIs. The method includes transmitting a GAS query response to the WLAN device. The GAS query response includes the contact information for the at least one of the services identified in the first GAS query.