Network support for location of called mobile subscriber

• US 20050288066A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., Sheen, Baoling S., Voight, Kenneth J., True, Sandra L., Overend, Kevin J.
• Application Number:
  US10/876,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20050288066A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

Embodiments of the system and method provide for network support for location information display of a mutually agreeable list of called mobile terminals, even if a called mobile terminal does not answer a call. One embodiment of the method may have the steps of: forming a group of mobile terminals in a network; calling, by a calling terminal, at least one called mobile terminal that is a member of the group of mobile terminals; retrieving, via the network, location information for the called mobile terminal; and displaying at least the retrieved location information at the calling terminal, irrespective of whether of not the call placed to the called mobile terminal is answered

Claims

1. A method for network support for location information display of a mutually agreeable list of called mobile terminals, even if a called mobile terminal does not answer a call, comprising the steps of:

forming a group of mobile terminals in a network;

calling, by a calling terminal, at least one called mobile terminal that is a member of the group of mobile terminals;

retrieving, via the network, location information for the called mobile terminal; and

displaying at least the retrieved location information at the calling terminal, irrespective of whether of not the call placed to the called mobile terminal is answered.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calling terminal is a mobile terminal that is also a member of the group.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calling terminal is a mobile terminal that is not a member of the group.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein mobile terminals join and leave the group at any time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises retrieving a present location of the called mobile terminal by use of a global positioning system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises retrieving a present location of the called mobile terminal by use of a triangulation process.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing at the network respective information for at least one mobile terminal that is a member of the group, and displaying the respective information at the calling terminal along with the location information for the called mobile terminal.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises retrieving and displaying a present location of the called mobile terminal without producing a ringing of the called mobile terminal.

9. A system that provides network support for location information display of a mutually agreeable list of called mobile terminals, even if a called mobile terminal does not answer a call, comprising:

a group of at least one mobile terminal operatively connected to a network;

a calling terminal operatively connected to the network;

a locator module in the network, the locator module determining location information of a called mobile terminal that is a member of the group of mobile terminals, the called mobile terminal being called by the calling terminal;

wherein at least the retrieved location information is displayed at the calling terminal, irrespective of whether of not the call placed to the called mobile terminal is answered.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the calling terminal is a mobile terminal that is also a member of the group.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the calling terminal is a mobile terminal that is not a member of the group.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein mobile terminals join and leave the group at any time.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a global positioning system for retrieving a present location of the called mobile terminal.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises a triangulation process for retrieving a present location of the called mobile terminal.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises a database in the network in which is stored respective information for at least one mobile terminal that is a member of the group, and a display on the calling terminal on which is displayed the respective information along with the location information for the called mobile terminal.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system further comprises retrieving and displaying a present location of the called mobile terminal is retrieved and displayed without producing a ringing of the called mobile terminal.

17. A method for network support for location information display of a mutually agreeable list of called mobile terminals, even if a called mobile terminal does not answer a call, comprising the steps of:

forming a group of mobile terminals in a network;

calling, by a calling mobile terminal, at least one called mobile terminal that is a member of the group of mobile terminals;

retrieving, via the network, location information for the called mobile terminal using at least one of a global positioning system and a triangulation process; and

displaying at least the retrieved location information at the calling mobile terminal, irrespective of whether of not the call placed to the called mobile terminal is answered.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises storing at the network respective information for at least one mobile terminal that is a member of the group, and displaying the respective information at the calling terminal along with the location information for the called mobile terminal.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises retrieving and displaying a present location of the called mobile terminal without producing a ringing of the called mobile terminal.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein mobile terminals join and leave the group at any time.