METHOD OF DOWNLOADING EPHEMERIS DATA BASED ON USER ACTIVITY

• US 20080180320A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: TYSOWSKI, Piotr Konrad
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

Ephemeris data is downloaded intelligently to a GPS-enabled wireless communications device based on user activity rather than at fixed predetermined intervals. Ephemeris data can be downloaded to enable both Aided GPS and Assisted GPS. The device can download ephemeris data based on the frequency of requests into an API communicating with a GPS driver, based on the detection of a new network, or a change in time zone of the network time. Intelligent, adaptive downloading of ephemeris optimizes the usage of bandwidth and the data charge to the user while ensuring that ephemeris data is cached to provide assistance for location-based services such as turn-based navigation.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining ephemeris data for a GPS-enabled wireless communications device, the method comprising steps of:

monitoring user activity on the wireless communications device to determine whether ephemeris data should be obtained; and

obtaining the ephemeris data based on the user activity.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises monitoring user activity on a location-based service (LBS) application on the wireless communications device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises monitoring user activity on a navigation application on the wireless communications device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises detecting whether the device has roamed to a new network to intelligently trigger the step of obtaining the ephemeris data if the device has roamed to a new network.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises detecting, from a change in a network time, whether a time zone has changed to intelligently trigger the step of obtaining the ephemeris data if the time zone has changed.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises detecting whether a user has specified a route on a turn-based navigation application to intelligently trigger the step of obtaining the ephemeris data for the entire route.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring user activity comprises determining a frequency of requests made into an API communicating with a GPS driver that drives a GPS chipset on the wireless communications device to intelligently trigger the step of obtaining the ephemeris data based on the frequency of requests into the API.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining ephemeris data comprises downloading extended, long-term ephemeris data to provide Aided GPS.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining ephemeris data comprises downloading short-term ephemeris data for Assisted GPS.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of step of monitoring user activity is performed by a server connected to a wireless network with which the wireless communications device is in communication.

11. A computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 1 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

12. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 2 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

13. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 3 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

14. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 4 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

15. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 5 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

16. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 6 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

17. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 7 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

18. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 8 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

19. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 9 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

20. The computer program product comprising code adapted to perform the steps of claim 10 when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device.

21. A GPS-enabled wireless communications device for enabling location-based services, the wireless communications device comprising:

an input device for enabling the user to activate a location-based service application;

a GPS receiver for receiving at least one GPS radio signal from an orbiting GPS satellite in response to activation of the location-based service application;

a processor for determining whether ephemeris data would be required to complement the at least one GPS radio signal to generate a position fix; and

a radio transceiver for requesting and downloading the ephemeris data to enable the processor to generate the position fix.

22. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the location-based service application is a turn-based navigation application.

23. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the ephemeris data is extended, long-term ephemeris data to provide Aided GPS.

24. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the ephemeris data is short-term ephemeris data for Assisted GPS.

25. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor is adapted to detect whether the device has roamed to a new network and to trigger the requesting and downloading of the ephemeris data if the device has roamed to a new network.

26. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor is adapted to detect, from a change in a network time, whether a time zone has changed and to trigger the requesting and downloading of the ephemeris data if the time zone has changed.

27. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor is adapted to detect whether a user has specified a route on a turn-based navigation application and to trigger the requesting and downloading of the ephemeris data for the entire route.

28. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor is adapted to determine a frequency of requests made into an API communicating with a GPS driver that drives a GPS chipset on the wireless communications device and trigger the requesting and downloading of the ephemeris data based on the frequency of requests into the API.

29. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the processor executes a user activity monitoring application that monitors usage of location-based services on the device.

30. The wireless communications device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the user activity monitoring application collects usage data on usage patterns related to location-based services and wherein the radio transceiver periodically transmits the usage data to a server to enable the server to assess when to provide ephemeris data.