Position Privacy in an Electronic Device

• US 20080132250A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NorthStar Systems LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Platt Technology Investments LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/65 using deceptive jamming or spoofing, e.g. transmission of false signals for premature triggering of RCIED, for forced connection or disconnection to/from a network or for generation of dummy target signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/68 using passive jamming, e.g. by shielding or reflection shielding of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic field H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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

A privacy enhancement device for electronic device such as a cellular telephone. The privacy enhancement device may include a jammer which may produces false information, e.g. false information indicative of pseudo ranges. In addition, the navigation information used on the position detecting device may be locally stored versions of dynamically changing information. The navigation operation may be carried out using a Web service.

Claims

1. A method of providing navigation information using a cellular telephone, comprising:

providing a location detection part in said cellular telephone to determine information about a current location of said cellular telephone;

providing a communication part in said cellular telephone to allow communication of cellular telephone calls over a cellular network;

allowing said communication part in said cellular telephone to communicate with a remote server over said cellular network, and to send at least at least one item of information representing the current location of said cellular telephone to said remote server, including information from said location detection part;

sending navigation information from said remote server to said cellular telephone based on said item of information sent to said remote server;

wherein said navigation information is displayed on said cellular telephone.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising sending information to said cellular telephone centered around said current location.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said item of information includes at least GPS information.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said item of information includes information about at least one base station which is communicating with said cellular telephone.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said item of information includes at least information from a local transponder.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said navigation information from said remote server indicates information about direction of travel.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said navigation information from said remote server includes a subset of information based on a direction of travel.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said navigation information from said remote server includes additional information about an area around said local position.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said navigation information from said remote server includes first mapping information at a first time centered around a first local position, and second mapping information at a second time centered around a second location different than the first location.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein said map information from said remote server includes a subset of information based on a direction of travel and includes a different subset of information for a first direction of travel than a subset that would exist for a second direction of travel.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a server, position information from a cellular telephone, said position information including a plurality of items of information that are indicative of a local position of said cellular telephone;

using a database associated with said server to determine local position information about said local position; and

returning map information from said server to said cellular telephone, based on said local position information.

12. A method as in claim 11, further comprising receiving new information in said server indicating a new position of said cellular telephone, and returning new map information from said server to said cellular telephone responsive to receiving said new position information.

13. A method as in claim 11, further comprising finding, in said database, additional information beyond mapping information, about an area around said local position, and returning said additional information to said cellular telephone.

14. A method as in claim 11, wherein said returning comprises returning first mapping information at a first time centered around a first local position, and returning second mapping information at a second time, centered around a second location, different than the first location.

15. A method as in claim 11, wherein said map information is centered around said current location.

16. A method as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of items of information include at least GPS information and information about at least one base station which is communicating with said cellular telephone.

17. A method as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of items of information include at least information from a local transponder.

18. A method comprising:

providing a cellular telephone having a processor, a location detection part, a display, and a communication part, wherein, said cellular telephone acquires a plurality of items of information representing its current location from said location detection part, and wherein said communication part communicates said plurality of items of information to a remote server, and wherein, said remote server sends current position information to said cellular telephone based on said plurality of items of information, and wherein said cellular telephone displays information relating to its current position.

19. The system as in claim 18 wherein said cellular telephone includes a camera.

20. A system, comprising:

a computer part, receiving a wireless communication from a cellular telephone over a cellular telephone network, at a location that is remote from a first location of said cellular telephone, said communication including information representing information about said first location;

said computer part looking up information from a database about said first location based on said communication, and returning information indicative of said current location over the cellular telephone network, said information including at least mapping information about said first location, from said database.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part receives new information in said server indicating a new position of said cellular telephone, and returns new mapping information from said server over said cellular telephone network to said cellular telephone responsive to receiving said new position information.

22. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part finds, in said database, additional information beyond mapping information, about an area around said local position and returns said additional information over said cellular network.

23. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part returns a first batch of mapping information at a first time centered around a first local position, and returns a second batch of mapping information at a second time centered around a second location different than the first location.

24. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part returns said mapping information centered around said current location.

25. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part receives information about said first location that includes at least GPS information and information about at least one base station which is communicating with said cellular telephone.

26. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part obtains and returns a subset of information based on a direction of travel.

27. A system as in claim 20, wherein said computer part receives information about said first location that includes information about at least one base station which is communicating with said cellular telephone as at least one of said items of information.

28. A server in communication with at least one cellular telephone, said cellular telephone receiving GPS data indicative of said cellular telephone'"'"'s current location, said server able to receive data from said cellular telephone relating to said current location, said server further sending mapping data to said cellular telephone wherein said cellular telephone can display said mapping data on a display.

29. A system comprising a cellular telephone network with at least one server in communication with at least one cellular telephone via said cellular network, said server able to receive data from said cellular telephone relating to said cellular telephone'"'"'s current position, said server providing data from a database to said cellular telephone concerning said current position for display on said cellular telephone.

30. The system as in claim 29, wherein said server further provides information from said database about an area around said current position.

31. A method of providing navigational information to a cellular telephone comprising the steps of:

providing a cellular telephone to a user, said cellular telephone having a housing, a display, a transceiver, an antenna and circuits for at least partially determining said cellular telephone'"'"'s location;

providing instructions to said user on how to use said cellular telephone for navigation;

providing a navigation server with a navigation database adapted to communicate via a cellular telephone network with said cellular telephone;

receiving information from said cellular telephone relating to said cellular telephone'"'"'s location;

retrieving data from said navigation database related an area around said cellular telephone'"'"'s location; and

sending said data from said navigation server to said cellular telephone for display on said cellular telephone.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said data is map data.

33. A method of providing navigational information to a cellular telephone user comprising:

providing said user with a cellular telephone;

instructing said user on using said cellular telephone for navigation;

determining a location of said cellular telephone based on data transmitted from said cellular telephone over a cellular telephone network;

accessing information related to said location from a database;

transmitting said information to said cellular telephone.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said information is map data.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said information relates to an area near said cellular telephone.

36. The method of claim 33 further comprising determining whether said cellular telephone is in motion based on data transmitted from said cellular telephone over a cellular telephone network.