Client assisted location data acquisition scheme

• US 20070087761A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Four Batons Wireless LLC (Two Gold Capital LLC)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toshiba America Research Inc (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Anjum, Farooq, Pandey, Santosh, Kim, Byungsuk
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02521 using a radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for locating a wireless client using trusted wireless detectors is described. Sniffers may sense signal strength information and transmit the information to a database. The database may store signal strength-based location information. Information from the database may then be used to determine the location of a wireless client based on new signal strength information from one or more sniffers.

Claims

1. A system for determining a location of a wireless client in a wireless subnet comprising:

said wireless client;

an access point providing said wireless subnet in which said wireless client is connected to said access point;

at least one sniffer that detects a signal strength of signal from said wireless client; and

,

a database that receives information relating to said detected signal strength from said wireless client and stores said information to provide location information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sniffer includes two sniffers.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a global monitor.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sniffer is another wireless client.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sniffer is a client with a wired and wireless interface.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sniffer accesses multiple subnets.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sniffer is limited to a single subnet.

8. The system according to claim 1, where the location of said sniffer is known based on input information.

9. The system according to claim 1, where the location of said sniffer is known through the use of GPS.

10. The system according to claim 1, where the location of said sniffer is known through the use of other sniffers.

11. A process for determining a location of a wireless client in a wireless subnet comprising the steps of:

sniffing a signal strength of signals from said wireless client;

transmitting information relating to said sniffed signal strength to a database;

storing said information in said database; and

determining a location of said wireless client from extracting said information from said database.

12. A process for determining a signal strength-based location information for a wireless subnet comprising the steps of:

deploying sniffing software to a first client;

identifying a location of said first client;

sniffing signal strengths of signals from said first client at said location;

transmitting information relating to said sniffed signal strengths and said location to a database;

storing said information in said database; and

determining a location of a second client based on said signal strength-based location information.

13. The process according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

deploying sniffing software to a third client;

identifying a location of said third client;

sniffing signal strengths of signals from said third client at said location of said third client;

transmitting information relating to said sniffed signal strengths and said location to a database;

updating signal strength-based location information in said database to include said information from said third client.