Method and apparatus for mobile location center to mobile location center communication in the packet-switched domain

• US 20040202194A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Mobile LLC (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh
• Granted Patent: US 7,158,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/446
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A system, method, apparatus, means, and computer program code for requesting location data in a communications network, where the communications network includes a first base station server (BSS) in communication with a first serving mobile location center (SMLC), and a second BSS in communication with a second SMLC and a location measurement unit (LMU) under control of the second SMLC, the first and second BSS in communication with a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN). According to some embodiments, a request for location data is generated at the first SMLC and is submitted to the first BSS using a packet-switched communications protocol. The first BSS forwards the request for location data to the SGSN using a packet-switched communications protocol. A response to the request for location data, generated by the second SMLC, is received. In some embodiments, the response can include a positive or a negative acknowledgement from the second SMLC.

Claims

1. A method for requesting location data in a communications network, the communications network including a first base station server (BSS) in communication with a first serving mobile location center (SMLC), and a second BSS in communication with a second SMLC and a location measurement unit (LMU) under control of said second SMLC, said first and second BSS in communication with a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN), the method comprising:

generating, at said first SMLC, a request for location data;

submitting said request for location data to said first BSS using a packet-switched communications protocol and causing said first BSS to forward said request for location data to said SGSN using a packet-switched communications protocol; and

receiving a response to said request for location data, said request generated by said second SMLC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet-switched communications protocol is the Gb protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is a positive acknowledgement generated by said second SMLC and including location data from said LMU.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said response is a negative acknowledgement indicating a query error generated by said second SMLC.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second BSS are in the same public land mobile network (PLMN).

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said location data from said LMU includes radio interface timing information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet-switched communications protocol is a frame relay protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second SMLCs are located in the same location area.

9. A method for responding to a request for location information, comprising:

receiving, at a first serving mobile location center (SMLC), a request for location information;

retrieving location information from a location measurement unit (LMU) under control of said first SMLC;

transmitting said location information to a first base station server (BSS) using a packet-switched protocol, said first BSS forwarding said location information to a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN) over a packet-switched protocol for transmission to a second BSS over said packet-switched protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said location information includes radio interference timing information maintained by said LMU.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said packet-switched protocol is the Gb protocol.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said first and said second BSS are located in the same location area in the same public land mobile network (PLMN).

13. A system for providing location measurement data, comprising:

a communications network including a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN) in packet-switched communication with a first base station server (BSS) and a second BSS;

said first BSS in radio communication with a first serving mobile location center (SMLC), said first SMLC controlling a location measurement unit (LMU) generating location measurement data; and

said second BSS in radio communication with a second SMLC, said second SMLC generating a request for location measurement data from said LMU and forwarding said request from said second BSS to said first BSS through said SGSN in said packet-switched format.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said first BSS replies to said request by forwarding location measurement data from said LMU to said second BSS through said SGSN in said packet-switched format.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said first BSS replies to said request by forwarding a error message to said second BSS through said SGSN in said packet-switched format.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said location measurement data includes radio interference timing measurement information and deciphering keys update procedure.

17. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for responding to a request for location data, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request for location data;

second instructions for retrieving location data from a location measurement unit (LMU) under control of a first serving mobile location center (SMLC);

third instructions for transmitting said location data to a first base station server (BSS) using a packet-switched interface protocol, said first BSS forwarding said location information to a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN) over a packet-switched protocol for transmission to a second BSS over said packet-switched interface protocol.