SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UTILIZING IP-BASED WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLIENT LOCATION DATA

• US 20110200022A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A location provision facility communicates with a mobile telecommunications device over an IP-based telecommunications network to obtain information that enables the facility to determine a location of the telecommunications device. The facility and/or the telecommunications device store the determined location. In response to requests from location-based applications for the location of the telecommunications device, the facility can provide the location-based applications with the stored or calculated location.

Claims

1. In a system having multiple wireless handheld devices capable of communicating over both a cellular phone network and one or more internet protocol (IP)-based wireless local area computer networks (WLAN), wherein each IP-based WLAN includes at least one wireless access point for communicating with the handheld devices under a known IP-based WLAN protocol, wherein the IP-based WLAN protocol differs from a wireless protocol for the cellular phone network, wherein the wireless protocol for the cellular phone network includes multiple layers in a protocol stack including an IP layer, and wherein the handheld devices communicate with at least one server computer via the WLAN, a method associated with the providing of location-based services, comprising:

receiving a registration request from one of the multiple handheld devices, wherein the one handheld device is configured to communicate over the cellular phone network under the wireless protocol and over the WLANs under the WLAN protocol, and wherein the registration request is received for communication over one of the WLANs;

obtaining information regarding a geographic location of the one handheld device

registering the one handheld device for communication over the one WLAN, wherein the registering comprises storing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device; and

providing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device to a location-based service provider in response to a location request from the location-based service provider, wherein the providing comprises providing the information over a user plane, wherein the user plane employs an abstraction platform configured for delivering services over the cellular phone network, and wherein the abstraction platform permits the location-based service provider to program applications for delivering services over the cellular phone network by ignoring protocol stack layers below the IP layer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the handheld devices employ at least a portion of an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) protocol to communicate with the WLAN, and wherein providing the information over the user plane comprises providing the information over Secure User Plane Location (SUPL).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing comprises locally storing on the one handheld device the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving at the one handheld device a location request for the one handheld device, wherein the location request is from one of multiple location-based service providers, and wherein the location request includes a quality of location parameter;

determining at the one handheld device whether the locally stored information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device is acceptable based on the quality of location parameter; and

,

if acceptable, then providing to the location-based service provider the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing comprises storing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device locally on the one handheld device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing comprises storing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device in a database coupled to the server computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing comprises storing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device both locally on the one handheld device and in a database coupled to the server computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein registering further comprises

obtaining an electronic address associated with one access point of a WLAN;

associating the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device with the electronic address; and

storing the associated information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing comprises storing the information regarding the geographic location of the one handheld device locally on the one handheld device, wherein the location request includes a quality of location parameter, and wherein the providing comprises providing the locally stored information to the location-based services provider if acceptable based on the quality of location parameter, or if unacceptable, then computing a new geographic location of the one handheld device and providing the new geographic location in response to the location request.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining information, obtaining an electronic address, storing, associating and providing are performed on the one handheld device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a location-based service at the one handheld device directly from the location-based service provider over the WLAN.

11. A system for receiving location-based services at a mobile device, comprising:

means for providing communications at the mobile device based on a Generic Access Network (GAN) protocol;

means for obtaining information associated with a physical location of the mobile device;

means for providing the information regarding the physical location of the mobile device to a location services client in response to a location request from the location services client; and

means for receiving content or at least one service from the location services client based at least in part on the provided information regarding the physical location of the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for storing the information regarding the physical location of the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for providing comprises means for providing the physical location of the mobile device to the location services client over a user plane.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the means for providing the physical location of the mobile device comprises means for providing the physical location of the mobile device to the location services client over Secure User Plane Location (SUPL).

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for providing the information comprises means for providing the physical location of the mobile device to the location services client over a control plane.

16. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program to at least assist in providing location-based services for a mobile telecommunications device, the computer program including instructions to perform a method comprising:

obtaining information associated with a geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device, wherein the mobile telecommunications device is configured for voice communications over a cellular network; and

for communications over an IP-based network;

during registration of the mobile communication device for communications over the IP-based network, storing the information regarding the geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device; and

providing the information regarding the geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device to a location services client in response to a location request from the location services client.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the providing comprises providing the information regarding the geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device to a location services client in response to a location request from the location services client over Secure User Plane Location (SUPL).

18. A computer-implemented method associated with location-based services in a mobile telecommunications network, wherein the mobile telecommunications network includes a cellular network, the method comprising:

obtaining information associated with geographic locations of multiple mobile telecommunications devices operating within the mobile telecommunications network, wherein the mobile telecommunications devices are configured for voice communications over the cellular network, and wherein the mobile telecommunications devices are also configured for voice communications over Internet Protocol (IP)-based wireless local area networks (WLANs);

registering the mobile communications devices for voice communications over one or more IP-based WLANs;

storing the information associated with geographic locations of multiple mobile telecommunications devices; and

providing the information regarding the physical location of the mobile telecommunications device in response to received requests.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the mobile telecommunications devices employ an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) protocol.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising updating the information associated with geographic locations of multiple mobile telecommunications devices as the mobile telecommunications devices move about the cellular and wireless local area networks, wherein the updating is performed in a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)-like manner.

21. A system for providing location data for each of multiple wireless handsets operating within a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

a server computer configured to;

receive a request for a location of one of the multiple wireless handsets, wherein the request includes at least one parameter;

if acceptable based on the parameter, provide first information associated with a geographic location of the one wireless handset, wherein the first information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset is stored at the handset; and

otherwise, determining and providing second information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset, wherein the second information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset has a higher quality than the first information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a location database coupled to the server computer; and

,

wherein the server computer is further configured to;

obtain information associated with geographic locations of multiple wireless handsets operating within the telecommunications network; and

,

store in the location database the information associated with geographic locations of multiple wireless handsets.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the higher quality comprises more recent or more accurate information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the server computer is further configured to provide information associated with the geographic location of the one wireless handset to the one wireless handset.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the information is provided to the one wireless handset in a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)-like manner.