Enhancements to location-based services functionality in a radio telecommunication network

• US 20020094822A1
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Tran, Lan, Garza, Jose Arturo Arreaga, Anctil, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 7,228,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method allow an authorized Service Application or an authorized network entity to retrieve a geographic position of a mobile station. A home Positioning Node for receiving a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request from the Service Application and for generating a Positioning Request message including a home Positioning Node identification parameter to a serving Positioning Node. The serving Positioning Node validates the home Positioning Node identification parameter prior to sending the geographic position of the mobile station to the Service Application. The home Positioning Node further accesses and stores data in an internal database. An anchor Switching Node for receiving, forwarding, processing, generating and sending Positioning Requests. The Anchor Switching Node further supports a mobile station'"'"'s hand/off, retrieves the geographic position of the mobile station, and sends it to the authorized network entity.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a home positioning node that receives a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request from a service application, and generates a positioning request message including a home positioning node identification parameter; and

a serving positioning node that receives the positioning request, and validates the home positioning node identification parameter prior to returning a geographic position of a mobile station.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a home global database wherein:

the home positioning node further sends to the home global database an authorization request message for authorizing the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request; and

the home global database receives the authorization request, authorizes the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request, and sends an authorization response to the home positioning node.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprising:

an anchor positioning node that receives the home positioning node positioning request, validates the home positioning node identification parameter, and generates a positioning request message including the home positioning node identification parameter;

an anchor switching node that receives the positioning request, processes the positioning request, and forwards the positioning request in a forwarded positioning request after the mobile station hands off to another network; and

a serving switching node that receives the forwarded positioning request, and sends a positioning request including the home positioning node identification parameter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the serving positioning node further includes the geographic position of the mobile station in a positioning response.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the home positioning node further receives the positioning response prior to sending the geographic position of the mobile station to the service application; and

the serving positioning node further generates a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition response including the geographic position of the mobile station.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the serving switching node further receives the positioning response, and forwards the positioning response in a forwarded positioning response; and

the anchor switching node further receives the forwarded positioning response, and sends a positioning response including the geographic position of the mobile station to the anchor positioning node.

7. A home positioning node in a radio telecommunication network comprising a service application, a serving positioning node, an input/output unit and a global database:

wherein the input/output unit receives a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request from the service application, sends an authorization request message to the global database, receives an authorization response from the global database, sends a positioning request message including a home positioning node identification parameter to the serving positioning node, and receives a positioning response from the serving positioning node.

8. The home positioning node of claim 7, further comprising:

a processor that processes the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request received at the input/output unit, and for processing the authorization response.

9. The home positioning node of claim 7, further comprising:

a message generator that generates the positioning request message, and generates the authorization request message.

10. The home positioning node of claim 7, further comprising:

a position database that stores geographic position of mobile stations; and

an acknowledge functionality that accesses the position database.

11. An anchor switching node in a radio telecommunication network comprising a serving positioning node, a serving switching node an input/output unit:

wherein the input/output unit receives a positioning request from the serving positioning node, forwards the positioning request in a forwarded positioning request to the serving switching node after a mobile station hands off to another network, and sends a positioning response to the serving positioning node.

12. The anchor switching node of claim 11, further comprising:

a processor that processes the positioning request received at the input/output unit.

13. The anchor switching node of claim 11, further comprising:

a presence determiner that determines that the mobile station has handed off to another network.

14. The anchor switching node of claim 11, further comprising:

a message generator that generates the forwarded positioning request, and generates the positioning response to the anchor positioning node.

16. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving at the home positioning node the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request from the service application further comprising steps of:

generating at the home positioning node an authorization request for authorizing the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request;

sending the authorization request from the home positioning node;

receiving the authorization request at a global database;

authorizing the mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request at the global database;

generating an authorization response at the global database; and

sending the authorization response from the global database to the home positioning node.

17. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising steps of:

receiving the home positioning node positioning request at an anchor positioning node;

validating the home positioning node identification parameter;

generating at the anchor positioning node a positioning request including the home positioning node identification parameter;

sending the positioning request from the anchor positioning node;

receiving the positioning request at an anchor switching node;

forwarding the positioning request in a forwarded positioning request after the mobile station has handed off to another network;

receiving the forwarded positioning request at a serving switching node; and

sending to a serving positioning node a positioning request including the home positioning node identification parameter.

18. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising steps of:

generating at the serving positioning node a positioning response including the geographic position of the mobile station;

sending from the positioning response from the serving positioning node; and

receiving the positioning response at the home positioning node prior to sending the geographic position of the mobile station to the service application.

19. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising the step of:

generating at the serving positioning node a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition response including the geographic position of the mobile station.

20. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 17, wherein the step of receiving the positioning request at the anchor positioning switching node further comprising the step of:

detecting that the mobile station has handed off to another network.

21. The method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station of claim 17, wherein the method further comprising steps of:

generating at the serving positioning node a positioning response including the geographic position of the mobile station;

sending the positioning response from the serving positioning node;

receiving the positioning response at the serving switching node, and forwarding the positioning response in a forwarded positioning response;

receiving the forwarded positioning response at the anchor switching node; and

sending a positioning response including the geographic position of the mobile station to the anchor positioning node.

15. A method for retrieving a geographic position of a mobile station, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at a home positioning node a mobile station'"'"'s geoposition request from a service application;

generating at the home positioning node a positioning request message including a home positioning node identification parameter;

sending the positioning request to a serving positioning node;

receiving the positioning request at the serving positioning node; and

validating the home positioning node identification parameter prior to returning the geographic position of the mobile station.