Determining device location in an IP-based wireless telecommunications network

• US 10,716,085 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2017
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh, Jin, Zhengyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Application Number:
  US15/601,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20170325192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A system and method determines a geographic position of a mobile device in communication with an IP-based wireless telecommunications network. A wireless connection between the mobile device and the IP-based wireless telecommunications network is established when the mobile device registers with a network controller (NC) through an access point (AP). When a geographical position is needed for the mobile device (e.g., a 911 call), messages are exchanged between the NC and the SMLC where the SMLC retrieves information from a database that is used to identify the geographic position of the mobile device. The database can store a variety of information related to mobile devices such as: last known position, IP address, MAC address, device or subscriber identifier, last CGI, etc. The geographical position is communicated back to the NC, which can then forward the position information to a switch for processing such as for 911 calls.

Claims

1. A computer-implementable method for locating a geographic position of a mobile device when in communication with a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a geographic position of the mobile device based on an emergency call,

wherein the request is received after a wireless connection between the mobile device and the wireless telecommunications network has been established when the mobile device registers with a network controller (NC) through an IP-based access point (AP) of the wireless telecommunications network;

exchanging messages between the NC and a serving mobile location center (SMLC),

wherein the SMLC retrieves data from a database that is used to assist in identifying a geographic position of the mobile device;

wherein the database is an NC database that is configured to store information related to the mobile device, and

wherein the information related to the mobile device includes;

last known position of the mobile device, IP address of the AP, MAC address of the mobile device, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (MSI) of the mobile device, and last cell global identifier (CGI) associated with the mobile device;

calculating, via the SMLC, the geographic position of the mobile device using the information related to the mobile device stored in the NC databases, the used information including the information identifying the last known position of the mobile device, the IP address of the AP, the MAC address of the mobile device, the international Mobile Subscriber Identity (MSI) of the mobile device, and the last cell global identifier (CGI) associated with the mobile device; and

providing information identifying the geographic position of the mobile device to the NC,

wherein the NC then forwards the geographic position to a switch for processing the emergency call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication network is an IP-based wireless network that includes voice-over-IP (VoIP) networks or converged wireless networks that include a combination of a cellular network and IP-based wireless telecommunications network, and wherein the mobile device accesses the VoIP network via a wireless connection with the AP.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a dual-mode wireless telecommunication device configured to access a cellular network and an IP-based wireless telecommunications network, and wherein the IP-based wireless telecommunications network is an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) or a General Access Network (GAN) network that allows mobile devices to exchange voice, data and multimedia communications between the cellular network and IP-based wireless local area networks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the mobile device to receive value added location-based services, wherein the value added location-based services include information regarding nearby restaurants, gas stations, and entertainment complexes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the switch routes the emergency call to a public safety answering point (PSAP), wherein the PSAP receives a phone number for the mobile device and the geographic position of the mobile device from which the emergency call was made.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving serving area data associated with the IP address of the AP and a location uncertainty value, and calculating an estimated geographic position of the mobile device based on the serving area data and the location uncertainty value.

7. An apparatus for assisting in the determination of a mobile device location in a wireless telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions to be executed by the at least one processor, the instructions comprising;

receiving, at a serving mobile location center (SMLC) of the wireless telecommunications network, a first message including a mobile device location request from a network controller of the wireless telecommunications network,

wherein the mobile device location request is associated with a mobile device communicatively coupled to an IP-based wireless telecommunications network via an access point;

transmitting, from the SMLC, a second message to the network controller, the second message including a request for location information;

receiving, at the SMLC, location information retrieved by the NC from an NC database via a third message, wherein the location information in the third message identifies multiple information elements including;

a MAC address associated with the mobile device;

a first location uncertainty value associated with the MAC address;

a serving area associated with an IP address associated with the access point; and

a second location uncertainty value associated with the serving area;

calculating, via the SMLC, an estimated geographic position of the mobile device based on each of the identified multiple information elements; and

providing, from the SMLC, the estimated geographic position to the network controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising forming a signaling connection control part (SCCP) connection with the network controller.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second message is a base station subsystem application part-location extraction (BSSAP-LE) connection oriented information message.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first message comprises a perform location request message and wherein the second message comprises a positioning request message.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the estimated geographic position to the network controller causes the network controller to send instructions to a switch to route an emergency call placed by the mobile device to a public safety answering point (PSAP).

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause a device to perform a method for determining a location associated with a mobile computing device in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a device location request,

wherein the device location request is associated with a mobile computing device that is communicatively coupled to an IP-based wireless telecommunications network via an access point;

determining a serving area associated with an IP address for the access point;

transmitting a request for location information from a network controller of the IP-based wireless telecommunications network to a serving mobile location center (SMLC) of the IP-based wireless telecommunications network;

receiving a reply to the request from the SMLC, wherein the reply includes;

a first location uncertainty value associated with a MAC address of the mobile computing device;

a second location uncertainty value associated with the serving area;

calculating an estimated geographic position of the mobile computing device from the MAC address, the serving area, the first location uncertainty value associated with the MAC address of the mobile computing device, and the second location uncertainty value associated with the serving area; and

providing, from the SMLC, the estimated geographic position of the mobile computing device to the network controller.

13. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

sending routing instructions to a switch for routing a call placed by the mobile computing device based on the estimated geographic position.

14. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein calculating the estimated geographic position of the mobile computing device is performed by serving mobile location center (SMLC).

15. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein the mobile computing device is communicatively coupled to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and wherein the GSM network provides a last cell global identifier (CGI) associated with the mobile computing device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein the estimated geographic position is provided to a public safety answering point (PSAP).

17. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein the IP-based network is an IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) network, IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) network, Ultra Wideband (UWB) network, or 802.11 wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network.

18. The non-transitory computer readable method of claim 12, wherein the access point is private, and wherein the access point is located in a subscriber'"'"'s home or a corporate office.