Method and system for conveying location-granularity preferences with location-based service requests

• US 20050136895A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Thenthiruperai, Balaji S., Miller, Robert Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and system for conveying location-granularity preferences with location-based service requests. A client station will detect a request to initiate a voice call, and before actually initiating the call the client station will send a message into a network indicating how to carry out a location-based service. In this manner, each time the client station accesses a location-based service, the client station will automatically send the instruction message to the service provider directing the provider how to carry out the service. Upon receiving the instructions, the location-based service provider may proceed to determine the location of the client station. The location-based service provider may then adjust the location of the client station according to the instructions. The service provider could then return the location of the client station, adjusted according to the instructions, directly to a location-based application, to provide the requested location-based service to the client station.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a client station, detecting a request to initiate a voice call; and

responsive to the request, sending from the client station into a network a message indicating how to carry out a location-based service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the request to initiate the voice call comprises receiving a set of dialed digits from a user of the client station.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising comparing the set of dialed digits to sets of dialed digits stored in a database of the client station.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising recognizing that the set of dialed digits corresponds to a selected telephone number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the message from the client station into the network comprises sending the message from the client station to a location-based service provider associated with the selected telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending from the client station into the network the message comprises:

retrieving a location granularity preference of a user from memory of the client station; and

sending the location granularity preference into the network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the location granularity preference is stored in the client station.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the memory of the client station includes a plurality of location granularity preferences, wherein each location granularity preference corresponds to a respective location application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message directs the network to determine a location of the client station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message directs the network not to determine a location of the client station.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message indicates a location determination consent level of a user of the client station.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the message indicates a location granularity preference of a user of the client station.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the location granularity preference instructs the network to determine a location of the client station, and based on the location, to provide a randomly adjusted location of the client station to a location-based application that corresponds to the voice call.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a location based service in response to the message from the network.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the location granularity preference on the client station.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the user modifying the location granularity preference on the client station.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a response to the message from the network indicating a location of the client station.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message from the client station into the network comprises sending a short message service (SMS) message into the network.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message from the client station into the network comprises sending an HTTP message into the network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message from the client station into the network comprises sending an SIP message into the network.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein sending from the client station into the network the message indicating how to carry out the location-based service comprises sending the message via a communication path comprising an air interface.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to place a voice call to a given directory number;

recognizing that the given directory number is associated with a particular destination party; and

responsive to the request and before initiating the voice call to the given directory number, sending to the particular destination party a message indicating a location granularity preference of the user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the given directory number corresponds to a location-based application.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the particular destination party corresponds to an entity selected from the group consisting of a location-based application and a location system.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein recognizing that the given directory number is associated with the particular destination party comprises comparing the given directory number with location-based service numbers stored on a client station of the user.

26. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a message into a network entity from a client station, wherein the message indicates how to carry out a location-based service;

subsequently receiving a request to initiate a voice call from the client station;

obtaining into the network entity a location of the client station; and

based on the message, providing a location-based service to the user.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising querying a location-determination server to determine the location of the client station.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising adjusting the location of the client station according to instructions included in the message.

29. A client station comprising:

a processor;

data storage; and

program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, to;

(i) detect a request to initiate a voice call, and (ii) responsive to the request, send into a network a message indicating how to carry out a location-based service.

30. The client station of claim 29, wherein the client station is selected from the group consisting of a mobile station and a landline station.