System and method for conditionally attempting an emergency call set-up

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METHOD PERFORMED BY A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION NETWORK DEVICE AND MEDIA READ OUT BY COMPUTER

FIELD OF APPLICATION

The application relates to electronic communication and, more particularly, to the establishment of emergency calls to communication devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

According to Section 5.1.6 of TS 24,229, version 5, when the mobile device receives a 380 response (Alternative Service) with the child <type> element set to emergency, the mobile device must automatically attempt an emergency call established by the CS domain. If the establishment of the emergency call is successful, then an emergency call is established for the mobile device. The mobile device typically receives response 380 in response when transmitting an invite request message to the network. Therefore, when transmitting the invitation request message, the mobile device can trigger the process of establishing an emergency call in the event of an emergency.

SUMMARY OF APPLICATION

In a broad sense, a method is provided on a communication device which comprises: maintaining at least one condition for attempting to establish emergency calls; receive a message directing the establishment of the emergency call, the message framed in a mobile cell phone standard of

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2/28 third generation; and in response to receiving the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call, attempt to establish the emergency call only if any of at least one condition is met.

According to another broad aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided having computer-executed instructions stored therein for execution in a processor of a computing device in order to cause said computing device to implement the steps of the method summarized above.

According to another broad aspect, a communication device is provided comprising an emergency call setup function, provided with: means for maintaining at least one condition for attempting emergency call setup; means to receive a message directing the establishment of an emergency call, the message framed in a third generation mobile cell phone standard; and a means of attempting to establish an emergency call in response to receiving the message that guides the establishment of an emergency call only if any of the at least one condition is satisfied.

In accordance with another broad aspect, a method is provided on a mobile cellular telecommunication network which comprises: maintaining at least one condition for forwarding messages that direct the target communication device to attempt the establishment of an emergency call; receive a message that guides the target communication device to try to establish an emergency call, the message framed in a mobile cell phone standard

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3/28 third generation; and forwarding the message along with a signaling data path only if any of the at least one condition is met.

According to another broad aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided having computer-executed instructions stored therein for execution on a processor of a computer device in order to cause said computing device to implement the steps of the method summarized above.

According to another broad aspect, a mobile cellular telecommunication network is provided which comprises a message blocking function provided with: means to maintain at least one condition for forwarding messages that direct the target communication device to attempt the establishment of a message. emergency; means for receiving a message that guides the target communication device to attempt the establishment of an emergency call, the message framed in a third generation mobile cell phone standard; and means for forwarding the message along with a signaling data path only if any of the at least one condition is satisfied.

According to another broad aspect, a mobile cellular telecommunication network method is provided comprising: receiving messages, each message being directed to a respective target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt the emergency call establishment, the messages framed in a third generation mobile cell phone standard; and for each message, block the message

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4/28 to be routed along with a signaling data path.

According to another broad aspect, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored therein for execution on a processor of a computing device is provided to cause said computing device to implement the steps of the method summarized above.

According to another broad aspect, a mobile cellular telecommunication network is provided which comprises a message blocking function operable for: receiving messages, each message being directed to a respective target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt the establishment of an emergency call, the message framed in a third generation mobile cell phone standard; and for each message, block the message from being routed along a signaling data path.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Versions will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1A is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system.

Figure 1B is a block diagram of a mobile device.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of conditionally attempting to establish an emergency call.

Figures 3 to 6 are flowcharts of other exemplary methods of conditionally attempting to establish

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5/28 emergency call.

Figure 7 is a block diagram of another communication system.

Figure 8 is a flow chart of a method of blocking at least some messages from being delivered to your target mobile device; AND

Figures 9 and 10 are flowcharts of other exemplary methods of blocking at least some of the messages from being delivered to your target mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VERSIONS

As noted above, the mobile device can trigger the process of establishing an emergency call when there is an emergency. However, Section 5.1.6 of TS 24.229, version 5, also allows the possibility for the mobile device to establish an emergency call when there is no emergency. For example, an entity can send a 380 response (Alternative Service) with the child <type> element set to emergency to the mobile device thereby instructing the mobile device to automatically attempt to establish an emergency call. The entity can be a cheating mobile device, a mobile device with a flawed protocol implementation, or a roaring server. In this situation, the mobile device would automatically attempt to establish the emergency call although there may not be an apparent emergency. SIP messages with the number 3xx - where xx indicates two digits mean redirection and they can be sent by a roaring or flawed mobile device or a server.

CONDITIONAL EMERGENCY CALL ESTABLISHMENT:

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COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Referring now to Figure 1A, a block diagram of an exemplary communication system 40 is shown. Communication system 40 has a wireless network 20, a mobile device 10, and other mobile devices 30; the communication system 40 may have other components, but they are not shown for simplicity. The mobile device 10 has a wireless radio 16, a processor 17, and an emergency message establishment function 15; the mobile device 10 may have other components, but they are not shown for simplicity. The other mobile devices 30 may each have components similar to those of the mobile device 10. Alternatively, some or all of the other mobile devices 30 may have different components than those of the mobile device 10.

In operation, mobile device 10 communicates with wireless network 20 using its wireless access radio 16. Wireless communication takes place over a wireless connection 19 between mobile device 10 and wireless network 20. The other mobile devices 30 will be able to communicate similarly with the wireless network 20 over their wireless connections (not shown). Communication with wireless network 20, for example, can be telephony, or other forms of communication such as electronic correspondence.

Some communication may include emergency calls. For example, mobile device 10 can attempt an emergency call upon receipt of a message directing the establishment of an emergency call. The origin of the message that guides the

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7/28 establishment of the emergency call, for example, can be one of the other mobile devices 30, or the wireless network itself 20. In the event that the source of the message is one of the other mobile devices 30, then the source can be a cheating mobile device trying to fire mobile device 10 to attempt emergency call setup although there may not be an apparent emergency. There may be other situations in which the mobile device 10 receives a message directing the establishment of an emergency call when there is no apparent emergency.

According to an application version, the emergency call setup function 15 maintains at least one condition for attempting emergency call setup. Upon receipt of a message directing the establishment of an emergency call, the establishment of an emergency call is attempted only if any of the at least one condition is satisfied. This allows the mobile device 10 to disregard the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call in the event that there is no need to establish an emergency call. Further details are provided with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

In the illustrated example, the emergency call setup function 15 is implemented as software and runs on processor 17. However, more generally, the emergency call setup function 15 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any appropriate combination of these.

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In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the communication devices 10, 30 are mobile devices. However, more generally, versions of the application applicable to communication devices, which may be mobile or wired. For wiring devices, there is no need for a wireless radio. Instead, the wiring devices can be provided with any appropriate communication interface. For wiring devices, network 20 does not have to be wireless.

Wireless network 20 is not shown with any specific component. However, it is understood that the wireless network 20 would have any appropriate components suitable for a wiring and / or wireless network. The components are implementation specific and may depend on the type of network. Network 20 can be of any suitable type, for example, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA, etc. IMS services are beareragnostic ”. In some implementations, the wireless network 20 includes p-CSCF (Proxy Call Session Control Function) nodes to process the transmission of SIP messages. Other implementations are possible.

Referring now to Figure 1B, a block diagram of another mobile device 80 is shown which could implement any of the methods described herein. The mobile device 80 is shown with specific components to implement features similar to those of the mobile device 10 of Figure 1A. It should be understood that the mobile device 80 is shown with very specific details for the purposes of example only.

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A processing device (a microprocessor 128) is shown schematically as coupled between a keyboard 114 and a screen 126. Microprocessor 128 is a type of processor with features similar to those of processor 17 of mobile device 10 shown in Figure 1A. The microprocessor 128 controls the operation of the screen 126, as well as the general operation of the mobile device 80, in response to keystrokes on the keyboard 114 by a user.

The mobile device 80 has a frame that can be extended vertically, or can take on other sizes and shapes (including shell frame structures). The keypad 114 may include a mode selection key, or other hardware or software to switch between text input and telephony input.

In addition to microprocessor 128, other parts of mobile device 80 are shown schematically. They include: a communication subsystem 170; a short-range communication subsystem 102; keyboard 114 and screen 126, along with other input and output devices, including a set of LEDs 104, a set of auxiliary I / O devices 106, a serial port 108, a speaker 111 and a microphone 112; as well as memory devices including flash memory 116 and random access memory (RAM) 118; and several other device subsystems 120. The mobile device 80 may have a battery 121 to energize the active elements of the mobile device 80. The mobile device 80, in some versions, is a bilateral radio frequency (RF) communication device having voice capability

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10/28 and data communication. In addition, the mobile device 80, in certain versions, has the ability to communicate with other computer systems over the Internet.

The operating system software run by microprocessor 128, in some versions, is stored in a persistent store, such as flash memory 116, but may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as read-only memory (ROM) or memory element. similar storage. In addition, system software, device-specific applications, or parts of them, may be temporarily loaded into a volatile warehouse, such as RAM 118. The communication signals received by the mobile device 80 may also be stored in RAM 118.

The microprocessor 128, in addition to its operating system functions, allows the execution of software applications on the mobile device 80. A predetermined set of software applications that control the basic operations of the device, such as a 130A voice communication module and a module 130B data communication devices may be installed on the mobile device 80 during manufacture. In addition, a 130C personal information manager (PIM) application module can also be installed on mobile device 80 during manufacture. The PIM application, in some versions, is capable of organizing and managing data items, such as electronic correspondence, calendar events, voice correspondence, appointments, and task items. The PIM application, in some versions, is also capable of sending and receiving data items over a 110 wireless network.

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11/28 versions, the data items managed by the PIM application are seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated over the wireless network 110 with the corresponding device user data items stored or associated with a host computer system. In addition, additional software modules, illustrated as another 130N software module, may be installed during manufacturing. One or more of the modules 130A, 130B, 130C, 130N of the flash memory 116 can be configured to implement features similar to those of the emergency call setup functions 15 of the mobile device 10 shown in Figure 1A. For example, one of the other modules 130N can be configured so that when it runs on microprocessor 128, the mobile device 80 maintains at least one condition for attempting to establish emergency calls. In response to receiving a message directing the establishment of an emergency call, the mobile device 80 attempts to establish an emergency call only if any of the at least one condition is met. Video call capability in addition to voice call capability may be provided.

Communication functions, including data and voice communication, are carried out through the communication subsystem 170, and possibly through the short-range communication subsystem 170. The communication subsystem 170 includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152 and a or more antennas, illustrated as a receiving antenna 154 and a transmitting antenna 156. In addition, communication subsystem 170 also includes an

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12/28 processing, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 158, and local oscillators (LOs) 160. The communication subsystem 170 having transmitter 152 and receiver 159 is a wireless access radio implementation with features similar to those of the wireless access radio 16 of the mobile device 10 shown in Figure 1A. The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem 170 is dependent on the communication network on which the mobile device 80 intends to operate. For example, the communication subsystem 170 of the mobile device 80 may be designed to operate with the Mobitex ™, DataTAC ™, or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS = General Packet Radio Service) mobile data communication networks and also designed for operate with any of a variety of voice communication networks, such as Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS = Advanced Mobile Phone Service), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA = Time Division Multiple Access), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA = Code Division Multiple Access), Personal Communications Service (PCS = Personal Communication Service), Global System for Mibile Communications (GSM = Global System for Mobile Communication), etc. Other types of data and voice networks, both separate and integrated, can also be used with the mobile device 80.

Network access may vary depending on the type of communication system. For example, on Mobitex ™ and DataTAC ™ networks, mobile devices are registered on the network using a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN = Personal Identification Number) associated with

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13/28 each device. However, in GPRS networks, network access is typically associated with a subscriber or user of a device. The GPRS device, therefore, typically has a subscriber identity module, commonly referred to as the SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module), to operate on the GPRS network.

When the registration or activation procedures have been completed, the mobile device 80 will be able to send and receive communication signals over the communication network 110. The signals received from the communication network 110 through the receiving antenna 154 are routed to the receiver 150, which provides signal amplification, downward frequency conversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and can also provide analog to digital conversion. The conversion from analog to digital of the received signal allows the DSP 158 to perform more complex communication functions, such as demodulation and decoding. Similarly, the signals to be transmitted to network 110 are processed (for example, modulated and encoded) by DSP 158 and are then supplied to transmitter 152 for digital to analog conversion, upward frequency conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission to the communication network 110 (or networks) through the transmission antenna 156.

In addition to processing the communication signals, the DSP provides control of the receiver 150 and transmitter 152. For example, the gains applied to the communication signals on the receiver 150 and transmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through gain control algorithms automatic implemented in DSP 158.

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In data communication mode, the received signal, such as a text message or downloading a web page, is processed by the communication subsystem 170 and is entered into microprocessor 128. The received signal is then further processed by microprocessor 128 to output to screen 126, or alternatively to some of the other auxiliary I / O devices 106. The user of the device will also be able to compose data items, such as electronic correspondence messages, using the keyboard 114 and / or some other auxiliary I / O device 106, such as the touch pad, a rocker switch, a sphere rotated by the thumb , or some other type of input device. The composite data items can then be transmitted over the communication network 110 through the communication subsystem 170.

In the voice communication mode, the overall operation of the device is substantially similar to that of the data communication mode, except that the received signals are output to speaker 111, and the signals for transmission are generated by a microphone 112. Alternative subsystems voice or audio I / O. Like the voice message recording subsystem, they can also be implemented on the mobile device 80. In addition, screen 126 can also be used in voice communication mode, for example, to display the identity of the calling party, the duration of a voice call, or other information related to the voice call.

Short-range communication subsystem 102 allows communication between mobile device 80 and other nearby systems or devices, which do not require

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15/28 necessarily be similar devices. For example, the short-range communication subsystem may include an infrared device and associated circuits and components, or a Bluetooth ™ communication module to provide communication with similarly activated systems and devices.

CONDITIONAL EMERGENCY CALL ESTABLISHMENT: METHOD AND DEVICE

Referring now to Figure 2, a flow chart of an exemplary method of conditionally attempting to establish an emergency call is shown. This method can be implemented in a communication device, for example, by the emergency call setup function 15 of the mobile device 10 shown in Figure 1A. Alternatively, the method can be implemented on the mobile device 80 shown in Figure 1B. More generally, the method can be implemented on any appropriate communication device.

In step 2-1, the communication device maintains at least one condition for attempting to establish emergency calls. In step 2-2, the communication device receives a message directing the establishment of an emergency call. In step 2-3, in response to receiving the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call, the communication device attempts to establish the emergency call only if any of the at least one condition is met. Otherwise, the communication device does not attempt to establish an emergency call.

There are many possibilities for the message that guides the

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16/28 emergency call establishment, in some implementations, the message is an alternative service message 380 that guides the establishment of the emergency call. The alternative service message 380 can guide the establishment of the emergency call, for example, by having an XML body (Extensible Markup Language) that includes an <alternative service> element with the <type> child element set to emergency ”. Alternatively, the alternative service message can guide the establishment of the emergency call when using any other type of encryption. More generally, the message can be any message that guides the establishment of the emergency call.

There are many possibilities for at least one condition. The at least one condition includes one or more conditions, at least one of which must be satisfied to attempt to establish the emergency call. As there are many possibilities for at least one condition, it follows that there are many possibilities for trying to establish an emergency call only if any of the at least one condition is satisfied. There may be many configurations for at least one condition. Satisfying a given condition can be any Boolean function of these settings. To illustrate this point, other examples are provided below with reference to Figures 3 to 6. It should be understood that these other examples are a mere sampling of the possibilities.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 6, flowcharts of other exemplary methods of conditionally attempting to

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17/28 emergency. These methods can be implemented in a communication device, for example by the emergency call establishment function 15 of the mobile device 10 shown in Figure 1A. Alternatively, these methods can be implemented on the mobile device 80 shown in Figure 1B. More generally, these methods can be implemented on any appropriate communication device. These methods can be implemented separately, or in any appropriate combination.

Referring first to Figure 3, in step 3-1, the communication device maintains a configuration of whether the message that guides the emergency call setup actually triggers the emergency call setup. In some implementations, as shown in step 3-2, the communication device receives input from the user to manipulate the configuration. This, for example, can be done through a user interface of the communication device. In step 3-3, the communication device receives a message directing the establishment of an emergency call. In step 3-4, the communication device attempts to establish the emergency call only if the configuration indicates that the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call must in fact trigger the emergency call establishment. Otherwise, the communication device does not attempt to establish an emergency call. Therefore, the condition is that the configuration indicates that the message directing the establishment of an emergency call must, in fact, trigger the

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18/28 emergency call establishment.

In the illustrated example, the communication device receives input from the user to manipulate the configuration. This gives the user the ability to specify whether the messages that guide the establishment of the emergency call should, in fact, trigger the establishment of the emergency call. In some implementations, the user can manipulate the configuration at any appropriate time. Note that there need not be any user input although the user may be given the opportunity to provide user input. In other implementations, the configuration is not configurable by the user. The configuration may, for example, be non-configurable when hard coded. Other implementations are possible.

In another implementation, the communication device receives input from the network to manipulate the configuration. This allows the configuration to be manipulated by the communication network. In another implementation, the communication device receives both user input and input from the network to manipulate the configuration. Other implementations are possible.

Referring now to Figure 4, in step 4-1, the communication device receives a message directing the establishment of an emergency call. In step 4-2, the communication device determines whether the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call is in response to a request transmitted by the communication device to establish a voice call session. In step 4-3, the communication device attempts to

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19/28 emergency call establishment only if the message that guides the emergency call establishment is in response to a request transmitted by the communication device to establish a voice call session. Otherwise, the communication device does not attempt to establish an emergency call. Therefore, the condition is that the message that guides the establishment of an emergency call is in response to a request transmitted by the communication device to establish a voice call session. For example, if the message that guides the establishment of an emergency call is in response to a request transmitted by the communication device to establish an IM (Instant Messaging) session, then the communication device does not attempt to establish the emergency call.

In the illustrated example, the behavior is defined for a specific type of session, namely a voice call session. However, it must be understood that the behavior can be defined for other types of communication sessions, for example, a video call session. In another implementation, the communication device determines whether the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call is in response to a request transmitted by the communication device to establish a video call session. According to this implementation, the communication device attempts to establish an emergency call only if the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call is in response to a transmitted request.

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20/28 by the communication device to establish a video call session.

In the example shown above with reference to Figure 4, the communication device can assume that IM session services should not be redirected to an emergency number. In some implementations, the communication device maintains the identification of services that can be redirected to an emergency number. An example of this is provided below with reference to Figure 5.

Referring now to Figure 5, in step 5-1, the communication device maintains the identification of services that can be redirected to an emergency number. In step 5-2, the communication device receives a message that guides the establishment of an emergency call. In step 5-3, the communication device attempts to establish the emergency call only if the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call only if the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call is in relation to a service that according with identification can be redirected to an emergency number. Otherwise, the communication device does not attempt to establish an emergency call. Therefore, the condition is that the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call is in relation to a service that, according to the identification, can be redirected to an emergency number.

In some implementations, the identification of services that can be redirected to an emergency number may be configurable by the user. In others

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21/28 implementations, the identification of services that can be redirected to an emergency number is not configurable. The configuration may, for example, be non-configurable because it is hard coded. Other implementations are possible.

Referring now to Figure 6, in step 6-1, the communication device maintains the identification of reliable sources. In step 6-2, the communication device receives a message that guides the establishment of an emergency call. In step 6-3, the communication device attempts to establish the emergency call only if there is an indication that the message that guides the emergency call establishment was sent from a message source that according to the identification is a source reliable. In some implementations, the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call indicates the source of the message. In other implementations, the communication device is aware of the source of the message by other means. Otherwise, the communication device does not attempt to establish the emergency call, as the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call may have originated from a roaring communication device or some other roaring entity. Therefore, the condition is that the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call indicates a source of the message that according to the identification is a reliable source.

According to the present example above with reference to Figure 6, the message that guides the establishment of the emergency call may be provided with the identification of the emergency call.

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22/28 message source, which allows the determination of whether the message source is reliable. More generally, versions of the application are applicable to any SIP message, as there may be other SIP messages received from unknown sources. These SIP messages can cause other undesirable situations besides guiding the establishment of an emergency call. Proper authentication can be performed to verify the source of the message. Other examples are provided in the additional sections below.

In the examples presented here, there are situations in which receiving a message that guides the establishment of an emergency call does not trigger the communication device to attempt the establishment of an emergency call. In some implementations, the communication device notifies the user of the communication device if the emergency call establishment is not attempted in response to the message that guides the emergency call establishment. The warning may be issued by the communication device, for example, through a user interface of the communication device.

CONDITIONAL EMERGENCY CALL ESTABLISHMENT: ANOTHER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

In the examples presented above, the communication device conditionally attempts to establish an emergency call in response to receiving a message that directs the communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. In another version, the communication network blocks at least some of the messages. In another version, the communication network blocks

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23/28 at least some of the messages while the communication devices conditionally attempt to establish emergency calls in response to receiving messages that guide the establishment of emergency calls.

Referring now to Figure 7, a block diagram of another communication system 70 is shown. Communication system 70 has a communication network 72, which has a message blocking function 73 coupled to a processor 76. The communication network Communication 72 may have other components, but they are not shown for simplicity. The communication system 70 has a communication device 74, and may have other communication devices 71. Communication devices 71, 74 may each be mobile devices or spun devices. Details of the communication devices 71, 74 are omitted for simplicity. Communication system 70 may have other components, but they are not shown for simplicity.

In operation, communication devices 71, 74 communicate over communication network 72. Communication, for example, may include messages of a defined type that direct the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. For example, one of the other communication devices 71 can send a message of the defined type to the communication device 74. For each message of the predefined type that is sent, the communication network 72 receives the message. According to an application version, the message blocking function 73 blocks at least some of the predefined type messages from being routed along a signaling data path. Other details are provided below

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24/28 with reference to Figure 8 to Figure 10.

In the illustrated example, message blocking function 73 is implemented as software and runs on processor 76. However, more generally, message blocking function 73 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any appropriate combination thereof . Although shown as a single component, more generally, the message blocking function 73 may have one or more components. The one or more components may be distributed throughout the communication network 72 or located in a single network element. The one or more components may be integrated with other components of the communication network 72. In some implementations, the message blocking function 73 includes both a message blocking function to deliver messages to target devices, and a message blocking function to forward messages to another component of the communication network 72. Other implementations are possible.

In some implementations, communication network 72 is a wireless network. However, for spun devices, communication network 72 does not have to be wireless. Therefore, in other implementations, communication network 72 is a wiring network. In other implementations, the communication network 72 includes a wiring network and a wireless network. Other implementations are possible.

Communication network 72 is shown without specific components. However, it should be understood that the communication network 72 would have any appropriate components suitable for a wired and / or wireless network. The components are implementation specific and may depend on the type

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25/28 network. Communication network 72 may be of any suitable type, for example, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA, etc. IMS services are beareragnostic ”. In some implementations, the communication network 72 includes P-CSCF (Proxy Call Session Control Function) nodes to process the transmission of SIP messages. Other implementations are possible.

CONDITIONAL EMERGENCY CALL ESTABLISHMENT: NETWORK METHODS

Referring now to Figure 8, a flow chart of a method of blocking at least some messages from being delivered to your target communication device is shown. This method can be implemented in a communication network, for example, by the message blocking function 73 of communication network 72 shown in Figure 7.

In step 8-1, the communication network receives messages, each message being directed to a target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. In step 8-2, the communication network blocks at least some of the messages from being delivered to your target communication device.

There are many possibilities for each message that is directed to a target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. Each message can be any appropriate message that guides the establishment of an emergency call, examples of

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26/28 which were provided above.

There are many ways for the communication network to block at least some of the messages from being delivered to your target communication device. To illustrate this point, other exemplary methods of blocking at least some of the messages from being delivered to your target communication device are provided below.

Referring now to Figures 9 and 10, flow charts of other exemplary methods of blocking at least part of the messages from being delivered to your target communication device are shown. These methods can be implemented in a communication network, for example, by the message blocking function 73 of communication network 72 shown in Figure 7.

Referring first to Figure 9, in step 9-1 the communication network maintains at least one condition for forwarding messages that direct the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. In step 9-2, the communication network receives messages, each message being directed to a target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. In step 9-3, for each message received, the communication network forwards the message to its target communication device only if any of the at least one condition is met.

There are many possibilities for maintaining at least one condition for forwarding messages. In some implementations, the communication network maintains the identification of reliable sources. Thus, in some

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27/28 implementations, for each message received, the communication network forwards the message only if there is an indication that the message was sent from a message source that according to the identification is a reliable source. In some implementations, the message that guides the establishment of an emergency call indicates the source of the message. In other implementations, the communication network is aware of the source of the message by other means. Other implementations are possible.

In the illustrated example, the communication network forwards the message to its target communication device. In another implementation, the communication network forwards the message to a component of the network within the communication network. More generally, the communication network forwards the message along a signaling data path, which may involve forwarding the message to its target communication device or forwarding the message to a component of the network within the communication network. If forwarded to a network component, the message can be forwarded to your target communication device or forwarded to yet another network component within the communication network.

Referring now to Figure 10, in step 10-1 the communication network receives messages, each message being directed to a target communication device to guide the target communication device to attempt to establish an emergency call. In step 10-2, for each message received, the communication network blocks all messages from being delivered to your target communication device.

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In the illustrated example, the communication network blocks all messages from being delivered to your target communication device. This can be done by a network component that is in a position to deliver 5 messages to its target communication device, or by a network component that forwards messages to another network component so that the communication device receives the messages.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the application may be practiced in another way than as described herein.

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