Terminal-based server for location tracking

• US 20050136942A1
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longhorn Automotive Group LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Timiri, Shailender, Sather, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal device that facilitates location services (LCS) in a cellular network. The system, as embodied in a mobile terminal device, comprises a mobile communications component that communicates wireless signals, and a location services component embodied in the mobile communication component to provide positioning information. A location request is received by the mobile terminal device and processed using the LCS server to activate trigger events. A location-tracking report is autonomously generated for each event and transmitted to the requesting client via MLP or the wireless network signaling protocol.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates location-tracking information in a cellular network, comprising:

a mobile communications component that communicates wireless signals; and

a location services component associated with the mobile communication component that facilitates the determination of positioning information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component includes the location services component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component receives a location request message directly from a client that requests the positioning information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component receives a location request message indirectly through a server from a client that requests the positioning information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component includes assisted global positioning system (A-GPS) technology.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component returns a location report to a remote wireless client in the form of a single or deferred multiple report.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a remote wireless client communicates a location-tracking request directly to the location services component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications component communicates using an OMA/LIF MLP protocol.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the locations services component authenticates a remote client.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component includes a location services (LCS) server.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the locations services component facilitates autonomous generation and reporting of a deferred location report.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the locations services component facilitates timer-triggered reporting.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the locations services component facilitates the determination of velocity via an on-board location receiver.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the locations services component facilitates the use of at least one of a mobile-originated location request and a mobile-terminated location request to report location information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component obtains relevant assistance data from a core wireless network.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component activates one or more triggers in a location request message.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component facilitates the generation of a location report at each trigger event of a location request message.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component uses A-GPS data over a validity period.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the location services component processes a location request signal from another mobile terminal.

20. A mobile communications device according to the system of claim 1.

22. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the system of claim 1.

21. A multimode cellular telephone that employs the system of claim 21.

23. A mobile terminal that facilitates location-tracking information, comprising:

a communications component that communicates wireless signals; and

a component that employs an LCS server to provide location information by processing a wireless signal that is a location request message.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the mobile terminal a remote wireless client sends the location request message directly to the mobile terminal to receive the location information.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the component generates a location report to a remote client in the form of a single or deferred multiple report.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the mobile terminal receives the location request message directly from a remote wireless client and authenticates the remote wireless client.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the component facilitates autonomous generation and reporting of a deferred location report.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein at least one of location request message and the location information is transmitted via a user plane.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein at least one of location request message and the location information is transmitted via a control plane.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the LCS server activates one or more triggers in the location request message.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 30, wherein the one or more triggers are based on at least one of a timer, an absolute area, a relative location, an emergency call, a velocity, a manual signal, and a report that is with or without a user alert.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the component facilitates the generation of a location report at each of the one or more triggers of the location request message.

33. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein a wireless client communicates the location request message indirectly through a server to the component to receive the location information.

34. A method of providing location-tracking information, comprising:

employing in a mobile terminal device a location services application that provides the location-tracking information.

35. The method of claim 34, the location service application includes an LCS server.

36. The method of claim 34, the location request message is received at least one of directly from a requesting client and indirectly from the requesting client through a gateway server.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising autonomously generating a location-tracking report for communication from the mobile terminal device to a requesting wireless client.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising requesting assistance data from a mobile communications network.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the assistance data is compatible with an A-GPS technology.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting the location-tracking information from the mobile terminal device as a location-tracking report in the form of a single or deferred multiple report.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising communicating the location-tracking information using an OMA/LIF MLP protocol.

42. The method of claim 34, further comprising authenticating a remote wireless device that communicates with the mobile terminal device using the location services application.

43. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving a location request message that includes an event; and

processing the event to generate the location-tracking information.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising processing a location request message using the location-tracking application to determine a velocity.

45. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving a location request message that includes one or more trigger events; and

activating the one or more trigger events at the mobile terminal device to provide the location-tracking information.

46. The method of claim 34, further comprising communicating the location-tracking information via at least one of a user plane and a control plane.

47. The method of claim 34, further comprising further comprising receiving a location request message via at least one of a user plane and a control plane.

48. The method of claim 34, further comprising receiving a location request message from a mobile device that requests the location-tracking information.

49. A method of providing location-tracking information, comprising:

receiving a mobile terminal device that communicates wireless signals;

employing LCS services in the mobile terminal device;

receiving a location request message; and

processing the location request message with the LCS services to autonomously generate a location-tracking report.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

activating one or more trigger events in the location request message; and

generating a location-tracking report at each of the one or more triggers.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising transmitting the location-tracking information to a remote mobile terminal device via at least one of a user plane and a control plane.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

requesting and obtaining assistance information, and using the assistance information for the duration of its validity period.

53. The method of claim 49, further comprising processing one or more event triggers of the location request message based upon at least one of location and speed of the mobile terminal device.

54. A system that facilitates the generation of location-tracking information in a mobile terminal device, comprising:

means for receiving a location request message;

means for processing the location request message to activate a trigger event contained therein;

means for obtaining assistance data from a wireless network;

means for autonomously generating a location-tracking report based on the trigger event; and

means for communicating the location-tracking report to a requesting client.