Method and system for monitoring a mobile station presence in a special area

• US 10,009,720 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avant Location Technologies LLC (Anjay Venture Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Afirma Consulting & Technologies S.l
• Inventors: Prez LaFuente, Carlos A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Htun, San
• Application Number:
  US14/738,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20150281895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 4554564, 455555, 455408, 4554322, 455406, 455458, 4554141, 455446, 4554561, 455433
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Method for monitoring the presence of a mobile station in at least one special area, wherein a radio communication defining device transmits one radio distinctive defining signal that define the special area by its coverage, the mobile station processes a signal received in order to determine whether or not it is defining signal and more precisely a distinctive one that defines the special area, the mobile station sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network, the network routes the updating signal to special operating means that adapt the value of an operating parameter. According to the invention, the special area is associated to the mobile station by transmitting to the mobile station a checking data used by the mobile station for determining whether or not the defining signal received is distinctive defining signal.

Claims

1. A method associated with the use of a mobile station and a radio communication defining device that transmits a distinctive defining signal, the method comprising:

receiving and processing the distinctive defining signal in the mobile station, the distinctive defining signal at least defining a special area by one or more of;

(1) a coverage area of the distinctive defining signal;

(2) a portion of the coverage area that intersects with another area of coverage of another radio communication defining device; and

(3) a sum of the area of coverage and the another area of coverage, the distinctive defining signal including information indicating whether or not the radio communication defining device is in a predetermined environment; and

sending from the mobile station via a mobile telephone network the updating signal to one or more servers of a provider of presence related services about the mobile station'"'"'s presence in the special area, the updating signal being useable by the one or more servers of the provider of presence related services to adjust an operating parameter, which comprises one or more of a tariff and a service flag, to adjust, activate, or deactivate the presence related services provided to the mobile station, and the updating signal comprising the information indicative of whether or not the radio communication defining device is located in the predetermined environment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of the updating signal is uncorrelated to any mobile station phone call establishment, the updating signal being sent at least one of (i) periodically, (ii) at times recent to when the mobile station enters into or exists from the special area, and (iii) when the mobile station remains in the special area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating signal comprises the result of a previous determination performed by the mobile station about the mobile station'"'"'s presence in the special area.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the updating signal is different from the frequency of the distinctive defining signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined environment comprises one or more of:

(1) one or more specific geographic locations;

(2) a physical environment;

(3) an environment defined by an operator of the mobile telephone network; and

(4) an area defined by a fixed network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distinctive defining signal comprises a signal with a frequency that is outside a frequency range allocated for the mobile telephone network.

7. A method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, in a radio communication defining device, first information from a radio transmitting device;

the radio communication defining device using the first information to determine whether or not the radio communication defining device is in a predetermined environment; and

transmitting from the radio communication defining device to a mobile station a distinctive defining signal that at least defines a special area by one or more of;

(1) a coverage area of the distinctive defining signal;

(2) a portion of the coverage area that intersects with another coverage area of another radio communication defining device; and

(3) a sum of the coverage area and the another coverage area,

wherein the distinctive defining signal includes second information indicating whether or not the radio communication defining device is located in a predetermined environment and the second information allowing the mobile station to generate an updating signal that enables presence related services for the mobile station to be adjusted based on one or more of tariffs and service flags generated based on the updating signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising storing in a database of the radio communication defining device identification data of the radio transmitting device.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the distinctive defining signal is coded.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined environment comprises one or more of:

(1) one or more specific geographic locations;

(2) a physical environment;

(3) an environment defined by an operator of a mobile telephone network associated with the mobile station; and

(4) an area defined by a fixed network.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the distinctive defining signal comprises a signal with a frequency that is outside a frequency range allocated for a mobile telephone network associated with the mobile station.

12. A method comprising:

receiving first information in a radio communication defining device via communication with a fixed network to which the radio communication defining device is physically connected;

the radio communication defining device using the first information to determine whether or not the radio communication defining device is in a predetermined environment; and

transmitting from the radio communication defining device to a mobile station a distinctive defining signal that at least partially defines a special area by one or more of;

(1) a coverage area of the distinctive defining signal;

(2) a portion of the coverage area that intersects with another coverage area of another radio communication defining device; and

(3) a sum of the coverage area and the another coverage area,

wherein the distinctive defining signal includes second information indicating whether or not the radio communication defining device is located in a predetermined environment and the second information allowing the mobile station to generate an updating signal that enables presence related services for the mobile station to be adjusted based on one or more of tariffs and service flags generated based on the updating signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the fixed network is an embedded system in a car.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising storing in a memory of the radio communication defining device one or more parameters useable to authenticate the radio communication defining device in the fixed network.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined environment comprises one or more of:

(1) one or more specific geographic locations;

(2) a physical environment;

(3) an environment defined by an operator of a mobile telephone network associated with the mobile station; and

(4) an area defined by the fixed network.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the distinctive defining signal comprises a signal with a frequency that is outside a frequency range allocated for a mobile telephone network associated with the mobile station.