Method for providing a location information service in mobile communications system

• US 20060246920A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shim, Dong-Hee
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

In a method for providing a location information service based upon a user'"'"'s location, when a user is currently located within a preferred location or preferred area set by the user to apply privacy with respect to a transmission of location information thereto, a procedure for requesting the user'"'"'s authorization is performed before transmitting the user'"'"'s location information, namely, a location server checks a location information request for the user located within the preferred location or preferred area according to a privacy profile within the corresponding location or area and performs a user notification and verification process according to the privacy profile, to thereafter determine whether to forward the location information according to the result of the verification.

Claims

1. A method of providing location information of a terminal in a network system, the method comprising:

calculating a location of the terminal when a client requests positioning of the terminal;

checking privacy profile information for the calculated location of the terminal wherein the privacy profile information is registered in a privacy profile entity; and

according to a result of the checking, determining whether to forward the location information of the terminal to the client or to send a notification message to the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification message is sent if the result of the checking requires a notification and verification based on the calculated location of the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated location of the terminal represents a current location of the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy profile information is registered by a terminal user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy profile information is registered differently for different geographical areas.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after sending the notification message to the terminal according to the determining, reporting the location of the terminal to the client when privacy verification is authorized by the terminal user.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after sending the notification message to the terminal according to the determining, reporting an error message to the client when privacy verification is not authorized by the terminal user.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after sending the notification message to the terminal according to the determining, reporting an error message to the client when privacy verification is not performed within a predetermined time period by the terminal user.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after sending the notification message to the terminal according to the determining, receiving an indication of the result of the notification and verification from the terminal.

10. A method of providing location information of a target terminal in a network system, the method comprising:

receiving a request for location of the target terminal;

sending a location request message to the target terminal to calculate a location of the target terminal;

checking privacy profile information for the calculated location of the terminal wherein the privacy profile information is registered in a privacy profile entity; and

selectively reporting the location of the terminal to a client based on the result of the checking.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the request is authorized according to a privacy check on the basis of a target terminal user'"'"'s privacy profile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the calculated location of the target terminal represents a current location of the target terminal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the privacy profile information is determined based on setup information of the target terminal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

notifying a target terminal user by transmitting a location notification message to the target terminal indicating whether privacy verification is required.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a location notification return result from the target terminal to indicate whether privacy verification is granted or denied.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectively reporting step comprising:

reporting the location of the target terminal to the client when the result of the checking indicates a granted-state without user notification.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectively reporting step comprising:

reporting the location of the target terminal to the client when a target terminal user transmits a positive response for reporting the location of the target terminal.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectively reporting step comprising:

reporting an error message to the client when a target terminal user transmits a negative response for reporting the location of the target terminal.

19. A method of providing location information service comprising:

receiving a LCS client request for location of a target user equipment (UE);

transmitting a first message to the target UE to calculate the location of the target UE;

checking whether a user notification and/or verification process is needed to be performed on the basis of a privacy profile for the calculated location of the target UE;

determining whether to forward the location information of the target UE to the LCS client or to notify a target UE user by transmitting a second message if the user notification and/or verification is required according to a result of the checking;

obtaining a result of verification of the target UE user by receiving a third message from the target UE indicating whether a location report is granted or denied; and

selectively reporting the location of the target UE to the LCS client according to the result of verification.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting a location service request from the LCS client to a Requesting-Gateway Mobile Location Center(R-GMLC) for requesting the location information of the target UE.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the R-GMLC sends a routing information request to a Home Location Register (HLR)/Home Subscriber Server(HSS) to request an address of a Home-Gateway Mobile Location Center(H-GMLC) and receives a result of the routing information request indicating whether the LCS client is authorized to request the location information of the target UE.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the request of the LCS client is authorized according to a privacy check on the basis of a target UE user'"'"'s privacy profile stored in the GMLC or a Privacy Profile Register (PPR).

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the first message is a location request message.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the privacy profile is registered differently for different geographical locations.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the second message is an LCS location notification message for indicating the identity of the LCS client and whether privacy verification is required.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the third message is an LCS location notification result message with an indication of the result of notification and verification.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the second message includes sending an LCS location notification invoke message to the target UE indicating whether privacy verification is required, if the target UE network is within a Circuit Service (CS) domain.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

after sending the LCS location notification invoke message, the target UE transmits an LCS location notification return result to indicate whether permission of privacy verification is granted or denied.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the LCS location notification return result comprises an indication of successful notification and verification result if the permission is granted.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the second message includes sending a notification request from a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) to a Visited-MSC/Mobile services Switching Center (VMSC/MSC) server if the target UE network is within a CS (circuit service) domain.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the VMSC/MSC server calls the target UE to perform verification via Radio Access Network (RAN).

32. The method of claim 30, wherein after sending the notification request from the GMLC to the VMSC/MSC, the VMSC/MSC server transmits a location notification message to the target UE indicating whether privacy verification is required.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein after sending the location notification message from the VMSC/MSC server to the target UE, the target UE transmits a location notification return result to the VMSC/MSC server indicating whether permission of privacy verification is granted or denied;

and the VMSC/MSC server further transmits an indication of notification and verification result to GMLC when the location notification return result indicates whether the permission is granted or denied.

34. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the second message includes sending a notification invoke message to the target UE indicating whether privacy verification is required, if the target UE network is within a Packet Service (PS) domain.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

after sending the notification invoke message, the target UE transmits an LCS location notification return result to indicate whether permission of privacy verification is granted or denied.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the LCS location notification return result comprises an indication of successful notification and verification result if the permission is granted.

37. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the second message includes sending a notification request from a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) to a Serving GPRS Supported Node (SGSN) if the target UE network is within a Packet Service (PS) domain.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the SGSN calls the target UE to perform verification via Radio Access Network (RAN).

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

after sending the notification request from the GMLC to the SGSN, the SGSN transmits a location notification message to the target UE indicating whether privacy verification is required.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

after sending the location notification message from the SGSN to the target UE, the target UE transmits a location notification return result to SGSN indicating whether permission of privacy verification is granted or denied; and

the SGSN further transmits an indication of notification and verification result to GMLC when the location notification return result indicates whether the permission is granted or denied.

41. A method of verifying a request of location information from an LCS client performed by a target User equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving a notification message, wherein the notification message is transmitted from a network if a user notification and/or verification process is needed to be performed by checking a privacy profile information for a location of the target UE; and

sending a notification message result with an indication of whether forwarding the location information of the target UE to the LCS client is granted or denied.