System and method for geo-location of mobile appliances using diverse standard tasking and reporting

• US 20060111124A1
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gravely, Thomas B., Beck, Andrew, Brickhouse, Bob, Corcoran, Michael, Kennedy, Joseph P
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A novel system and method for tasking and reporting the geolocation of a mobile appliance for a wireless communications network overlay system is disclosed. Embodiments of the novel system and method allow for geolocating a mobile appliance regardless of the wireless air interface protocol standard utilized by the mobile appliance.

Claims

1. A method of determining the location of a mobile appliance and providing the location to a mobile positioning location center (MPLC) in a wireless communication system having plural base stations for communicating with the mobile appliance and a base station controller for managing the plural base stations, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a call request from a mobile appliance;

(b) processing the call request at the base station controller on a first interface;

(c) detecting a call of interest by monitoring the first interface;

(d) retrieving the call request information for the detected call of interest;

(f) determining the location of the mobile appliance;

(g) receiving a tasking message from the MPLC over a second interface;

(h) matching the tasking message and the determined location using the call request information; and

,

(g) reporting the determined location and identity of the mobile appliance to the MPLC using the second interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first interface is an Abis interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second interface is an E5 interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the call request information includes information selected from the group of serving cell information, serving sector information, and time of request information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the tasking message includes call information selected from the group of serving cell, serving sector and time of request.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the tasking message includes the identity of the mobile appliance.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the identity of the mobile appliance is the mobile appliance'"'"'s phone number.

8. The method of claim 1 where in the call of interest is detected by number dialed.

9. A method of determining the location of a mobile appliance and providing the location to a mobile positioning location center (MPLC) in a wireless communication system having plural base stations for communicating with the mobile appliance and a base station controller for managing the plural base stations, comprising the steps of:

(a) placing a call request from a mobile appliance;

(b) processing the call request at the base station controller on a first interface;

(c) detecting a call of interest by monitoring the first interface;

(d) retrieving the call request information for the detected call of interest;

(f) determining the location of the mobile appliance; and

,

(g) forwarding the location and the call request information to the MPLC over a second interface.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first interface is an Abis interface.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the second interface is an E5 interface.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the call request information includes information selected from the group of serving cell information, serving sector information, and time of request information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the time of call request is a function of a time of receipt of the location and call request information at the TALC.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the time of call request is the time receipt minus a known time to determine the mobile appliance'"'"'s location.

15. The method of claim 9 where in the call of interest is detected by number dialed.

16. In a wireless communication system for communication between the system and a mobile appliance, in which the wireless communication system has a plurality of bases stations, each connected by a wireline interface to a base station controller and the wireless communication system includes a PDE network overlay connected to the wireline interface and connected to a MPLC over second interface, a method for reporting a location of a mobile appliance comprising the steps of:

determining the location of a mobile appliance and associating the location with call set information obtained from the wireline interface;

receiving a tasking message including call setup information and mobile appliance identity from the MPLC over the second interface; and

,

matching the location of the mobile appliance with an identified mobile appliance via the call setup information and reporting the identified mobile appliance and location to the MPLC.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the wireline interface is an Abis interface.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the second interface is an E5 interface.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the call request information includes information selected from the group of serving cell information, serving sector information, and time of request information.

20. In a wireless communication system for communication between the system and a mobile appliance, in which the wireless communication system has a plurality of bases stations, each connected by a wireline interface to a base station controller and the wireless communication system includes a PDE network overlay connected to the wireline interface and connected to a MPLC over second interface, a method for associating a location with an identified mobile appliance comprising the steps of:

determining the location of a mobile appliance and associating the location with call set up information obtained from the wireline interface;

forwarding the location and call set up information to the MPLC over the second interface; and

,

matching the location of the mobile appliance with the identified mobile appliance via the call setup information in the MPLC.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the wireline interface is an Abis interface.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the second interface is a E5 interface.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the call request information includes information selected from the group of serving cell information, serving sector information, and time of request information.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the time of call request is a function of a time of receipt of the location and call request information at the MPLC.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the time of call request is the time receipt minus a known time to determine the mobile appliance'"'"'s location.