Apparatus, and associated method, for displaying positional data associated with mobile stations of a radio communication system

• US 20020123356A1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Networks (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wikstedt, Heikki, Michaud, Russ
• Granted Patent: US 6,718,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, by which to display positional data related to one or more mobile stations operable in a cellular or other radio communication system. The positional data is displayed at a display device of the selected mobile station. The positional data is overlaid upon, or otherwise displayed together with, a map display of an area encompassing the location at which the mobile station is identified to be positioned. A user of the mobile station at which the positional data and map display are displayed is able to ascertain the position of the mobile station merely by viewing the display.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system having at least a first mobile station operable by at least a first user to communicate therewith by way of network infrastructure, an improvement of apparatus for facilitating identification of location of at least a selected one of the at least the first mobile station to the first user of the first mobile station, said apparatus comprising:

a position indication detector coupled at least to receive indications of the location of the at least selected one of the at least the first mobile station, said position indication detector for detecting the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station;

a map display generator located at the first mobile station, said map display generator for displaying at the first mobile station a map display, the map display including a mapped area including the location at which the at least the selected one of the least the first mobile station is positioned; and

a position indicator coupled to said indication detector, said position indicator for indicating on the map display generator by said map display generated by said map display generator the location of the at least the first mobile station, thereby to identify to the first user of the first mobile station the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said position indicator detector forms a portion of the first mobile station and wherein the indications of the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station are transmitted to the first mobile station by the network infrastructure of the radio communication system.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the overhead signaling is communicated between the network infrastructure and the at least the first mobile station and wherein the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station is determined at the network infrastructure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first mobile station further comprises GPS (global positioning system) receiver circuitry operable to receive GPS signals and wherein the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station is determined at the GPS receiver circuitry.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein indications of determinations made at the at least the first mobile station of the location of the at least the first mobile station are communicated to the network infrastructure and wherein the indications of the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station transmitted to the first mobile station by the network infrastructure are of values responsive to determinations made at the GPS receiver circuitry and communicated to the network infrastructure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a visual display device coupled to said map display generator, said visual display device for displaying the map display generated by said map display generator.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station indicated on the map display by said position indicator is displayed upon said visual display device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which said position indicator indicates the location thereof comprises the first mobile station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the mapped area of the mapped display generated by said map display generator includes the location at which the first mobile station is positioned.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least the first mobile station operable by at least the first user comprises the first mobile station operable by the first user and at least a second mobile station operable by at least a second user and wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which said position indication detector is coupled to receive indications of the location thereof comprises the second mobile station.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the mapped area of the mapped display generated by said map display generator for display at the first mobile station includes the location at which the second mobile station is positioned.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which said position indication detector is coupled to receive the indication of the location thereof further comprises the first mobile station.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the mapped area of the mapped display generated by said map display generator for display at the first mobile station includes the locations at which both the first mobile station and the second mobile station are located.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said position indicator indicates on the map display location of the first mobile station and the second mobile station simultaneously.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of detecting is performed at the first mobile station and said method further comprises the operation, prior to said operation of detecting, of sending indications of the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising the additional operation, prior to said operation of sending, of determining, at the network infrastructure, the location of the at least the selected one of the at lest of first mobile station.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which the location thereof is detected during said operation of detecting comprises the first mobile station.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least the first mobile station comprises the first mobile station and at least a second mobile station and wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which the location thereof is detected during said operation of detecting comprises the second mobile station.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station of which the location thereof is detected during said operation of detecting further comprises the first mobile station.

15. In a method for communicating in a radio communication system having at least a first mobile station operable by at least a first user to communicate therewith by way of network infrastructure, an improvement of a method for facilitating identification of location of at least a selected one of the at least the first mobile station to the first user of the first mobile station, said method comprising:

detecting the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station;

displaying at the first mobile station a map display, the map display including a mapped area including the location detected during said operation of detecting, at which the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station is positioned; and

indicating on the map display displayed during said operation of displaying the location of the at least the selected one of the least the first mobile station, thereby to identify to the first user the location of the at least the selected one of the at least the first mobile station.