Location information service for a cellular telecommunications network

• US 20030125042A1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Olrik., Jacob, Kraft, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,072,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A cellular telecommunications network provides a location information service. A landmark location server (11) has an associated data store (12) of data concerning location information associated with individual cells of the network. The server (11) is responsive to a request for location information from a mobile station (MS1). The request is sent as a SMS through the network (PLMN1). The server (11) obtains location information from the data store (12) based on the cell (C1) occupied by MS1 or another mobile station (MS2). The network is configured to send the location information as a SMS to the mobile station (MS1) that requested the information, without having to pre-register the mobile station for the location information service.

Claims

1. A method of providing a location information service to mobile stations in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising

sending a request for location information from a mobile station as a message through the network to a location message server,

deriving from a data store location information based on the cell occupied by at least one mobile station, and

sending the data through the network from the location message server as a message to the mobile station that requested the information, the method being performed without pre-registering the mobile station for the location information service.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the request from the mobile station is for information concerning its own location, and the method includes sending the retrieved data to the mobile station that made the request.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the request from the mobile station is for data concerning the location of another mobile station, and the method includes retrieving location data from the data store based on the cell occupied by the other mobile station, and sending the retrieved data concerning the other mobile station to the mobile station that made the request.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the request from the mobile station is for data concerning the location of another mobile station, and the method includes checking whether the other mobile station permits data concerning its location to be sent to others.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the request from the mobile station is for data concerning the location of another mobile station, and the method includes sending location information from the other mobile station to the mobile station that made the request.

6. A method according to claim 1 including re-directing the message from the mobile station that requested the information, to another mobile station.

7. A method according to claim 6 including displaying the message at he mobile station that requested the information, modifying the message and then re-directing the modified message to another mobile ststaion.

10. A mobile station configured to communicate with a network to perform the method claimed in claim 1.

11. A mobile telecommunications network configured to perform the method claimed in claim 1.

8. A cellular telecommunications network with a location information service, comprising a location server having an associated data store of data concerning location information associated with individual cells of the network, the server being responsive to a request for location information from a mobile station sent as a message through the network and operable to derive from the data store location information based on the cell occupied by at least one mobile station, the network being configured to send the data as a message to the mobile station that requested the information, without pre-registering the mobile station for the location information service.

9. A network according to claim 8 including an SMS message centre to receive location request messages from the mobile stations, send the requests to the server and receive retrieved data from the server to be sent as an SMS to a mobile station.

12. A method of operating a mobile station to receive location information from a location information service in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising

sending a request for location information from a mobile station as a message through the network to a location message server, and

receiving from the location message server, a message containing location information based on the cell occupied by at least one mobile station,

the method being performed without pre-registering the mobile station for the location information service.

13. A mobile station for receiving location information from a location information service in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising

circuitry operable to send a request for location information from a mobile station as a message through the network to a location message server, and

circuitry operable to receive from the location message server, a message containing location information based on the cell occupied by at least one mobile station,

the provision of the location information being made without pre-registering the mobile station with the location information service.

14. A mobile station according to claim 13 including a display operable to display the message.

15. A mobile station according to claim 14 including circuitry operable to send the received message to another mobile station.

16. A method of providing privacy in a location information service to mobile stations in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising

in a first mode sending a request for location information from a mobile station as a message through the network to a location message server,

deriving location information based on the location of at least one mobile station,

sending the location information to a third party application,

using the third party application to develop data based on the location information, and

sending the data through the network from the location message server as a message to the mobile station that requested the information,

and in a second mode, inhibiting data from the third party application being sent, in response to a privacy request from said at least one mobile station.

17. A method according to claim 16 including providing a privacy request message from the mobile station to the location server whereby the server is switched to said second mode and does not pass location information for the mobile station to the third party application.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the location information relates to a mobile station other than that which made the request, and wherein said other station blocks the transfer of said information to the third party application in said second mode.

19. A cellular telecommunications network comprising

a location message server for deriving location information based on the location of at least one mobile station

a mobile station operable to send a request for location information as a message through the network to the server, and

a third party application to develop data based on the location information,

the network being operable in a first mode to send the data through the network from the location message server as a message to the mobile station that requested the information,

and in a second mode, to inhibit data from the third party application being sent, in response to a privacy request from said at least one mobile station.