System and method for providing selective voiceover4g call blocking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9414186-B2
Application number	US-201314026839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2012
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A method for selectively blocking Voiceover4G services within a wireless communications network is provided. A request for access to Voiceover4G services is received from a device connected to a wireless communications network. A location of the device is determined from information contained within the request. A determination is made of whether Voiceover4G services are provided at the location by the wireless communications network at the location of the device indicated within the request. The device is configured to communicate over the wireless network using Voiceover4G services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location of the device or is configured to communicate over the wireless network using circuit switched services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided at the location of the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for selectively blocking Voiceover4G services within a wireless communications network, comprising:
receiving a request having a location associated therewith for access to the Voiceover4G services from a device connected to the wireless communications network;
accessing a table defining a list of locations, the table mapping each of the locations to an indication of an allowance or non-allowance of the Voiceover4G services responsive to the request;
finding the location included within the request within the table providing the list of locations responsive to the request;
determining whether the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location included within the request by the wireless communications network based upon whether the indication associated with the location in the table indicates that the Voiceover4G services are allowed or not allowed at the location;
initiating the Voiceover4G services to the device responsive to a determination that the indication indicates that the Voiceover4G services are allowed at the location; and
initiating circuit switched services to the device responsive to a determination that the indication indicates that the Voiceover4G services are not allowed at the location.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the request further comprises the step of receiving a SIP header within the request from the device.

3. The method of claim 2 , further including the step of extracting the location of the device from the SIP header received from the device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating further comprises the steps of:
configuring the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the Voiceover4G services responsive to the determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location of the device; and
configuring the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the circuit switched services responsive to the determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided at the location of the device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further including the steps of:
determining an identity of the device that generated the request for access to the Voiceover4G services;
determining whether the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device by the wireless communications network responsive to the determined identity;
configuring the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the Voiceover4G services responsive to the determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device and at the location of the device; and
configuring the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using circuit switched services responsive to the determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided to the device or at the location of the device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including the steps of:
determining whether the Voiceover4G services are provided by the wireless communications network the device is accessing; and
configuring the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the circuit switched services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided by the wireless communications network.

7. A system for selectively blocking Voiceover4G services within a wireless communications network, comprising:
a server connected to the wireless communications network, the server receiving a request for access to the Voiceover4G services from a device connected to the wireless communications network;
a data table associated with the server including a plurality of locations in the wireless communications network, each of the plurality of locations having an indication of whether the Voiceover4G services are available at the plurality of locations;
wherein the server further determines whether the Voiceover4G services are provided by the wireless communications network at a location of the device using the data table; and
wherein the device is configured to communicate over the wireless communications network using the Voiceover4G services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device and at the location of the device, and further wherein the device is configured to communicate over the wireless communications network using circuit switched services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided to the device or at the location of the device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the request includes a SIP header including the location.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the server extracts the location of the device from the SIP header received from the device.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the data table further includes at least one particular communications device and a second indication of whether the Voiceover4G services are available to the at least one particular communications device.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the server further:
determines an identity of the device that generated the request for access to the Voiceover4G services and determines whether the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device by comparing the identity with the at least one particular communications device in the data table;
configures the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the Voiceover4G services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device and the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location of the device; and
configures the device to communicate over the wireless communications network using the circuit switched services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided to the device or the Voiceover4G services are not provided at the location of the device.

12. An apparatus for selectively blocking Voiceover4G services within a wireless communications network, comprising:
a mobile device for communicating with the wireless communications network;
wherein the mobile device generates a request for access to the Voiceover4G services through the wireless communications network, the request including a location of the mobile device;
wherein the request from the mobile device enables finding the location of the mobile device within a table providing a list of locations, each location of the list of locations including an indication of whether the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location and determining whether the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location included within the request responsive to the indication associated with the location in the table;
wherein the mobile device receives a response responsive to the determination of whether the Voiceover4G services are provided at the location of the mobile device; and
wherein the mobile device is configured to communicate over the wireless communications network using the Voiceover4G services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are provided to the device and at the location of the device, and further wherein the mobile device is configured to communicate over the wireless communications network using circuit switched services responsive to a determination that the Voiceover4G services are not provided to the device or at the location of the device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mobile device generates a SIP header including the location of the mobile device within the request from the mobile device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mobile device is configured to communicate over the

Assignees

• Metropcs Wireless Inc
• T Mobile Usa Inc

Inventors

• Pankajakshan Bejoy
• Kosar Erik
• Wondoloski Robert

Classifications

• H04L69/22

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L65/1006

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/1016

  IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] · CPC title