LOCATION SYSTEM

• US 20100173649A1
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A location system comprises a communication terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal and a type of location information, and a location network. In response to the location request, the location network produces current location information of the target mobile terminal if the type of location information of the received request specifies current location information and transmits the current location information to the communication terminal and stores the last known location information in a memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal. If the type of location information specifies last known location information, stored last known location information of the target mobile terminal is copied from the memory and transmitted to the communication terminal if the location request is verified by a privacy check and if the stored information is reusable.

Claims

1. A gateway for operating with a location network to which mobile terminals are wirelessly connected, comprising:

receive means for receiving a location request from a communication terminal, said request specifying a target mobile terminal and a type of location information;

a memory;

control means for acquiring current location information of the target mobile terminal from said location network if the type of location information of the received request specifies current location information and storing the acquired current location information in said memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal, and reading the stored last known location information of the target mobile terminal from said memory if said type of location information specifies last known location information; and

transmit means for transmitting, to said communication terminal, a copy of the acquired current location information or a copy of the last known location information read from said memory, depending on said type of last known location information.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said location request further contains a parameter of last known location information, and a privacy profile of said target mobile terminal is stored in said memory,

wherein said control means includes reusability check means for performing a reusability test by checking said parameter with the stored privacy profile when said type of location information specifies last known location information and reading the stored last known location information from said memory when said reusability test indicates a favorable result.

3. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said privacy profile indicates whether or not notification is required for notifying that the target mobile terminal is being accessed, and wherein said control means further includes notification means for transmitting a notification message to said target mobile terminal prior to the transmission of said last known location information to said communication terminal if said privacy profile of said target mobile terminal requires notification.

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said privacy profile indicates whether or not the location request is verified by the target mobile terminal, nd wherein said control means further includes verification means for transmitting a verification message to said target mobile terminal and receiving a verification report from the target mobile terminal prior to the transmission of said last known location information to said communication terminal if said privacy profile of said target mobile terminal indicates that verification by the target mobile terminal is required, and transmitting said copy of last known location information to said communication terminal if said verification report indicates a favorable result.

5. A method of operating a gateway with a location network, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a location request from a communication terminal, said request specifying a target mobile terminal and a type of location information;

b) acquiring current location information of the target mobile terminal from said location network and transmitting the current location information to said communication terminal if the type of location information of the received request specifies current location information;

c) storing the current location information in a memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal; and

d) transmitting a copy of the stored last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said communication terminal if said type of location information specifies last known location information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein step (d) comprises the steps of performing a reusability test on said stored last known location information and transmitting said last known location information if said reusability test indicates a favorable result.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein step (d) further comprises the steps of:

if said reusability test indicates an unfavorable result, producing current location information of the target mobile terminal and transmitting the current location information from the location network to said communication terminal; and

storing the current location information in said memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said location request contains a parameter of last known location information, and wherein step (d) comprises the steps of performing said reusability test by using said parameter and transmitting said last known location information if the reusability test indicates a favorable result.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said parameter represents one of age and accuracy of last known location information.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said location network maintains privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, and wherein step (d) comprises the step of transmitting a notification message to the target mobile terminal according to said privacy profile before said last known location information is transmitted to the communication terminal.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein said location network maintains privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, and wherein step (d) comprises the steps of transmitting a verification message to the target mobile terminal according to said privacy profile and transmitting said last known location information if a verification report from the target mobile terminal indicates that the location request is verified by the target mobile terminal.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein step (a) comprises the steps of performing a privacy check of the location request and performing steps (b) to (d) if said privacy check indicates a favorable result.