COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND A MOBILE STATION, PROXY LOCATION SERVER AND METHOD OF OPERATION FOR USE IN THE SYSTEM

• US 20110151891A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Mark, Carpio, Raul R., Wright, Christopher W., Theisen, Nanna Svane
• Granted Patent: US 8,634,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A communication system (100) comprises a plurality of mobile stations (118, 124) each operable to communicate with other communication stations by a wireless link of a first kind, at least one location indicator (116) operable to detect by a wireless link of a second kind a location of at least one (118) of the mobile stations when the at least one mobile station is within a communication range of the location indicator, at least one proxy location server (110) operably coupled to at least one associated location indicator (116), and a location server (108) operable to communicate with the at least one proxy location server to receive a notification of the location of the at least one mobile station (118) when detected to be within communication range of the associated location indicator (116).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a mobile station operable to communicate with other communication stations by a wireless link of a first kind;

a location indicator operable to provide a location indication of the mobile station by establishing communication by a wireless link of a second kind with the mobile station when the mobile station and the location indicator are within a communication range of one another;

a proxy location server operably coupled to the location indicator; and

a location server operable to communicate with the proxy location server to receive a notification of the location of the mobile station when detected to be within communication range of the location indicator, the proxy location server being operable to receive and respond to a location query message from the location server querying location of the mobile station.

2. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the proxy location server is operable to respond to the location query message by providing information dependent upon knowledge of circumstances of unavailability of the mobile station.

3. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein:

the communication system is a cellular radio system,

the wireless link of the first kind is a radio link between the mobile station and at least one base station of the cellular radio system serving the mobile station, and

the wireless link of the second kind is a short range link.

4. A communication system according to claim 3 wherein the proxy location server and the location server are operably coupled and are operable to communicate by a wireless link of the first kind.

5. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile station is operable to be registered with the proxy location server when the location of the mobile station is detected to be within a communication range of the location indicator and to be de-registered with the proxy location server when the location of the mobile station is detected to be outside the communication range of the location indicator, and

the proxy location server is operable to send notification of the registration of the mobile station to the location server.

6. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the proxy location server is operable to have two-way communication with the mobile station by establishing communication between the mobile station and the location indicator, and the mobile station is operable to receive and display data received from the proxy location server.

7. A communication system according to claim 6 wherein the mobile station is operable to receive in response to display of the data received from the proxy location server an input signal from a user and to forward a signal to the proxy location server to indicate that the user accepts notification by the proxy location server to the location server of data relating to the detected location of the mobile station.

8. A communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a querying terminal operable to send to the location server a location query message querying a location of the mobile station whose location has been detected by the location indicator and notified to the location server by the proxy location server, and the querying terminal is operable to receive in response to the location query message a response message including data relating to the detected location of the mobile station.

14. A communication system according to claim 1, further comprising;

a plurality of mobile stations each operable to communicate by the wireless link of the first kind and by the wireless link of the second kind;

a plurality of proxy location servers; and

a plurality of location indicators each operably coupled to and associated with one of the proxy location servers, each of the location indicators being operable to provide a location indication of at least one of the mobile stations by establishing communication by a wireless link of the second kind with the mobile station when the mobile station and the location indicator are within a communication range of one another,

wherein each of the proxy location servers is operable to communicate with the location server to provide a notification of the location of the at least one of the mobile stations when detected to be within communication range of the associated location indicator, each of the proxy location servers being operable to receive and respond to a location query message querying location of the at least one of the mobile stations detected to be within communication range of the associated location indicator.

9. A communication system according to 8 wherein the location server is operable to at least one of:

send the response message to the querying terminal or forward the location query message to the proxy location server.

10. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the proxy location server is operable to receive the location query message and to respond to the location query message by indicating, upon detecting that the mobile station has de-registered, that the mobile station is not within a communication range of the associated location indicator, or to desist from responding to the location query message on behalf of the mobile station.

11. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein:

the proxy location server is operable to receive the location query message and to forward the location query message to the mobile station, and

the proxy location server is operable to include in the response message a message provided or selected by a user of the mobile station.

12. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the proxy location server is operable, before responding to the location query message, to request at least one of a user identifier or a password or to determine that the querying terminal is in a class of terminals permitted to receive a response to the location query message.

13. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the proxy location server is operable to send to the mobile station a signal indicating a location query message from the querying terminal which has a special nature including a special priority, a special urgency or an emergency nature and the mobile station is operable, in response to receiving the signal, to provide an alert signal which indicates the special nature of the location query message.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method of operation in a communication system having a mobile station, which is operable to communicate with other communication stations by a wireless link of a first kind, a location indicator, and a proxy location, the method comprising:

the location indicator;

detecting a location of the mobile station when the mobile station is within communication range of the location indicator by establishing a wireless link of the second kind with the mobile station, and

indicating to the proxy location server detection of the location of the mobile station,

the proxy location server;

communicating with the location server to notify the detected location to the location server, and

receiving a location query message relating to the location of the mobile station and responding to the location query message.

18. A method according to claim 17 further comprising the proxy location server responding to the location query message by providing information dependent upon knowledge of circumstances of unavailability of the mobile station.

19. A method according to claim 17 further comprising a querying terminal:

sending to the location server the location query message querying the location of the mobile station, whose location has been detected by the location indicator and notified to the location server by the proxy location server, and

receiving in response to the location query message a response message including data relating to the detected location of the mobile station.