Location dependent services

• US 20040176103A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk, Pavel, Dana
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A service provider entity includes a communication interface for communication with user equipment and for receiving location information from a plurality of different communication systems. The service provider entity further includes a processor for processing the received location information for determining the location of user equipment subscribing to the service provider entity and for providing services for the subscribing user equipment based on the determined location of the user equipment. A service can also be provided for the user in accordance with a registration if a check indicates that at least one condition that triggers providing the service and registered at the service providing entity is met.

Claims

1. A service provider entity comprising:

a communication interface for communication with user equipment and for receiving location information from a plurality of different communication systems; and

a processor for processing the received location information for determining a location of user equipment subscribing to the service provider entity and for providing services for the subscribing user equipment based on the determined location of the user equipment.

2. The service provider entity of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing information pushed from the plurality of different communication systems.

3. The service provider entity of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is adapted to handle messages in accordance with at least one of the following communication protocols:

File Transfer Protocol;

Session Initiation Protocol;

User Datagram Protocol;

Internet Control Message Protocol;

Simple Network Management Protocol.

4. The service provider entity of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to trigger a predefined action in response to a predefined result of the determined location and a service subscription by the user equipment.

5. The service provider entity of claim 4, wherein the predefined result indicates a change in the location of the user equipment.

6. The service provider entity of claim 4, wherein the predefined result indicates that the user equipment is within a certain area.

7. The service provider entity of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to check if a current location of the user equipment matches a subscription for services.

8. The service provider entity of claim 7, wherein the subscription defines at least one trigger condition and at least one location area.

9. The service provider entity of claim 8, wherein the processor is adapted to initiate an action in response to detecting that the at least one trigger condition is met.

10. A method of providing location dependent services for a user, the method comprising:

communicating a request for a location dependent service from user equipment to a service provider entity that is operated independently from a communication network the user equipment subscribes to;

receiving at the service provider entity information from a plurality of different communication systems;

processing the received information for determining a location of the user equipment for providing the location dependent service for the user equipment based on the determined location of the user equipment and the request for the location dependent service.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising pushing information from the plurality of different communication systems to the service provider entity.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising determining information regarding the location of the user equipment at the user equipment.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising determining information regarding the location of the user equipment at a communication system serving the user equipment.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the user equipment comprises a mobile station subscribing to a mobile communication network.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising checking if a current location of the user equipment matches the service request.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the service request defines at least one trigger condition and at least one location area.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the step of initiating an action in response to detection that a trigger condition is met.

18. A method of providing a service for a user of user equipment, said user equipment being adapted for communication via a communication system, the method comprising:

registering in a service provider entity information regarding at least one condition that triggers providing the service for the user, said service provider entity being arranged to receive location information regarding user equipment from a plurality of sources;

receiving at the service provider entity information associated with a location of the user equipment;

determining a current location of the user equipment at the service provider entity based on said received information;

verifying at the service provider entity if said at least one condition that triggers providing the service is met; and

providing the service for the user in accordance with registered information.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein a trigger condition comprises an availability of a certain network resource.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein the certain network resource comprises one of:

a used access technology;

an available streaming playout buffers;

an available transcoder resources.

21. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein a trigger condition comprises an availability of a certain localized content.

22. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the step of registering comprises sending a subscription message from the user equipment, said message containing at least three information elements including first information that regards a service condition the user equipment subscribes to, second information that regards a validity of the condition and third information that regards an action that shall be taken if the first and second information match information otherwise available for the service provider entity.

23. The method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the three information elements are matched against information stored in the service provider entity

24. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the step of registering comprises sending a subscription message from the user equipment, said message containing at least three information elements including first information that regards a service condition the user equipment subscribes to, second information that regards operator specific location area and third information that regards an action that shall be taken if the first and second information match information otherwise available for the service provider entity.

25. The method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the three information elements are matched against information stored in the service provider entity.

26. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the step of registering comprises sending a Session Initiation Protocol message from the user equipment.

27. The method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol SUBSCRIBE message.

28. The method in accordance with claim 18, comprising sending a Session Initiation Protocol message to the user equipment that a condition is met.

29. The method in accordance with claim 28, wherein said message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol NOTIFY message.

30. A location service entity for providing location dependent services for a user of user equipment, said user equipment being adapted for communication via a communication system, the location service entity comprising:

a database for enabling the user to register information regarding at least one condition that triggers providing the service for the user,

an interface to receive location information regarding the user equipment from a plurality of sources associated with different communication systems, and

a processor for determining the current location of the user equipment based on said received location information, for verifying if said at least one condition that triggers providing the service is met, and for providing the service for the user in accordance with the registered information.

31. An apparatus for providing location dependent services for a user, comprising:

communicating means for communicating a request for location dependent services from user equipment to a service provider entity that is operating independently from a communication network to which the user equipment subscribes;

receiving means for receiving the service provider entity information from a plurality of different communication systems; and

processing means for processing the received information for determining a location of the user equipment for providing the location dependent service for the user equipment based on the determined location of the user equipment and the request for the location dependent service.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising pushing means for pushing information from the plurality of different communication systems to the service provider entity.

33. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising determining means for determining information regarding the location of the user equipment at the user equipment.

34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising determining means for determining information regarding the location of the user equipment at a communications system serving the user equipment.

35. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising checking means for checking if a current location of the user equipment matches the service request.

36. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising initiating means for initiating an action in response to detection that a triggering condition is met.