Monitoring boundary crossings in a wireless network

• US 20050272443A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Fitch, James A., Hose, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,133,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

A method of providing location-based services for a mobile unit operating in a wireless network including network structures. The method includes receiving an identifier associated with the mobile unit. The method also includes monitoring a location of the mobile unit using the identifier and a network-assisted location finding system to identify a crossing of a service zone boundary by the mobile unit. The service zone boundary is defined by reference to at least one of the network structures. The service zone boundary also corresponds to a geographic zone boundary. The method further includes transmitting service information to a system user in response to the crossing of the service zone boundary.

Claims

1. A method of providing location-based services for a mobile unit operating in a wireless network including network structures;

the method comprising;

receiving an identifier associated with the mobile unit;

monitoring a location of the mobile unit using the identifier and a network-assisted location finding system to identify a crossing of a service zone boundary by the mobile unit, wherein the service zone boundary is defined by reference to at least one of the network structures and wherein the service zone boundary corresponds to a geographic zone boundary; and

transmitting service information to a system user in response to the crossing of the service zone boundary.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the service zone boundary approximates the geographic zone boundary.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the service zone boundary is referenced to known locations of a plurality of the network structures.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the known locations of the plurality of the network structures are a plurality of cell sectors intersecting the geographic zone boundary.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the system user is a network user separate from a user of the mobile unit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the network user is a person of authority monitoring the movements of a person or a vehicle associated with the mobile unit.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring a location of the mobile unit comprises:

obtaining first location information regarding a first location of the mobile unit at a first time;

obtaining second location information regarding a second location of the mobile unit at a second time; and

comparing the first location information to the second location information to identify the crossing of the service zone boundary by the mobile unit.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network-assisted location finding system comprises network-assisted GPS.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting service information comprises sending at least one of a voice, text, or graphical message.

10. A method of identifying service zone boundary crossings by a mobile unit operating in a wireless network comprising a network-based location finding system, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with the mobile unit;

receiving a location of the mobile unit from the network-based location finding system;

monitoring the location of the mobile unit to identify an entry and/or an exit of the mobile unit into one of a plurality of cell sectors, wherein the plurality of cell sectors intersect a geographic zone boundary; and

transmitting service information to a system user in response to the entry and/or exit of the mobile unit into the one of the plurality of cell sectors.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the plurality of cell sectors intersecting the geographic zone boundary define a service zone boundary.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the service zone boundary approximates the geographic zone boundary.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the network-based location finding system comprises network-assisted GPS.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the system user is a network user separate from a user of the mobile unit.

15. A method for providing services based on a location of a mobile unit in a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network including a network-assisted location-based services application;

the method comprising;

receiving a geographic zone boundary referenced to a geographic topology;

converting the geographic zone boundary to a service zone boundary referenced to a wireless communications network topology;

receiving a mobile unit identifier;

monitoring the location of the mobile unit, using the network-assisted location-based services application and the mobile unit identifier, to identify a crossing of the service zone boundary by the mobile unit; and

transmitting service information regarding the mobile unit in response to the crossing of the service zone boundary by the mobile unit.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the geographic topology comprises street boundaries.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the wireless communications network topology comprises cell sector identifiers.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein transmitting service information comprises sending a message to a system user other than a user of the mobile unit.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein transmitting service information comprises notifying the system user of the crossing of the service zone boundary by the mobile unit.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the message is an aural, textual, and/or graphical message.