Patent ID: 8036720

Claim:
A method in at least one device of conserving power in a telecommunications network, comprising: determining that an emergency situation exists; receiving a call that identifies digits input from a communication device during said emergency situation; and in response to said determining that an emergency situation exists: identifying which type of a plurality of types of emergencies characterizes said emergency situation, each of said plurality of types of emergencies corresponds to one of a plurality of permissible number lists; selecting a permissible number list from said plurality of permissible number lists that is tied to said identified type of the emergency situation, wherein a first type of emergency that is more severe than a second type of emergency is tied to a first permissible number list that is more power conserving than a second permissible number list; comparing the digits to each of a plurality of entries in said permissible number list, if the digits match an entry in said plurality of entries in said permissible number list, then routing the call, and if the digits do not match any one of said plurality of entries in said permissible number list, then dropping the call.