Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating location determination of a mobile station pursuant to a location based application

• US 20050078652A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Chaskar, Hemant, Rousseau, Jean-Michel
• Granted Patent: US 7,106,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• 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 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for facilitating implementation of a location service in a radio communication system. When a location service is initiated, a network-based entity is alerted to the service initiation. The network-based entity generates a message to inquire of network-based information that facilitates the location determination of the mobile station pursuant to the location service. When the information is obtained, the information is forwarded to the mobile station. The information is used at the mobile station to facilitate the effectuation of the location service.

Claims

1. Apparatus for a packet radio communication network for facilitating location determination of a mobile station pursuant to a location based service, said apparatus comprising:

a network-positioned entity selectably operable to generate a packet-formatted inquiry to inquire of network-obtainable information available to facilitate the location determination of the mobile station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said network-positioned entity is further selectably operable to generate a response message for delivery to the mobile station, the response message including information obtained responsive to generation of the packet-formatted inquiry.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network-positioned entity operates to generate the packet-formatted inquiry responsive to mobile station initiation of the location-based service.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network-positioned entity operates to generate the packet-formatted inquiry responsive to network initiation of the location-based service.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the radio communication network comprises a home network associated with the mobile station and wherein said network-positioned entity is embodied at the home network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the radio communication network further comprises a visited network and wherein the mobile station is positioned in communication connectivity with the visited network when said network-positioned entity generates the packet-formatted inquiry.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network-obtainable information is obtained at a position determining entity and wherein the packet-formatted inquiry generated by said network-positioned entity inquires of the position determining entity of the network-obtainable information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the packet-formatted inquiry comprises a network identifier with which the mobile station is associated.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the packet-formatted inquiry generated by said network-positioned entity comprises a system identifier with which the mobile station is associated.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said network-positioned entity is further selectably operable to detect a response to the packet-formatted inquiry.

11. A method for facilitating location determination of a mobile station pursuant to a location based service, said method comprising the operations of:

detecting, at a network-positioned entity, a request to initiate the location-based service; and

generating, responsive to detection during said operation of detecting, a packet-formatted inquiry to inquire of network-obtainable information available to facilitate the location determination of the mobile station.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the operation of sending the packet-formatted inquiry to a network location at which the network-obtainable information is available.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the operation, at the network-positioned entity, of detecting a reply to the packet-formatted inquiry.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the operation of generating, at the network-positioned entity, a response message for delivery to the mobile station, the response message including information contained in the reply detected during said operation of detecting.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the request detected during said operation of detecting is made by the mobile station.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the request detected during said operation of detecting is network-generated.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the packet-formatted inquiry generated during said operation of generating comprises a network identifier with which the mobile station is associated.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the packet-formatted inquiry generated during said operation of generating comprises a system identifier with which the mobile station is associated.

19. Apparatus for a mobile station operable in a packet radio communication system having a network, said apparatus for facilitating location determination of the mobile station pursuant to a location-based service, said apparatus comprising.

a detector embodied at the mobile station, said detector for detecting a network-generated response message delivered to the mobile station, the response message including information obtained in response to a packet-formatted inquiry at the network to inquire of network-obtainable information available to facilitate the location determination of the mobile station.

20. A method for facilitating location determination of a mobile station pursuant to a location-based service, the mobile station operable in a packet radio communication system having a network, said method comprising the operations of:

detecting a network generated response message delivered to the mobile station, the response message including information obtained in response to a packet-formatted inquiry at the network to inquire of network-obtainable information available to facilitate the location determination of the mobile station; and

using the information contained in the response message detected during said operation of detecting to determine the location of the mobile station pursuant to the location-based service.