METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED INDOOR POSITION LOCATION WITH ASSISTED USER PROFILES

• US 20110205053A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Steenstra, Jack, Chen, An M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method of wireless communication includes maintaining user profile information, receiving a plurality of position locations, correlating the received position locations to determine failed correlations, determining blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations, obtaining location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods, updating the user profile information based on the obtained location information, receiving an emergency notification, and responding to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

maintaining user profile information;

receiving a plurality of position locations;

correlating the received position locations to determine failed correlations;

determining blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

obtaining location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods;

updating the user profile information based on the obtained location information;

receiving an emergency notification; and

responding to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received position locations comprise GPS coordinates.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received position locations further comprise at least one of user-reported locations or actual locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained location information comprises locations corresponding to the failed correlations and the determined blackout periods.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlating comprises:

correlating the received position locations with an actual location;

correlating position locations that do not correlate with an actual location with the user profile information; and

determining the position locations with the failed correlations as the position locations that do not correlate with an actual location or with the user profile information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the responding to the emergency notification comprises requesting emergency personnel to attend to a user at an emergency location determined based at least one of the user profile information or a reported emergency position location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an emergency position location with the emergency notification;

correlating the emergency position location with at least one of an actual location or the user profile information to determine the emergency location; and

refining the emergency location when the emergency position location does not correlate with said at least one of an actual location or the user profile information, but is within a predetermined radius of a location in the user profile information.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the emergency location based on at least one previously received position location and the user profile information when an emergency position location is not received with the emergency notification.

10. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

receiving user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location;

receiving a plurality of position locations of the user;

determining black out periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

correlating the received position locations with the user profile information to determine the position locations with failed correlations;

obtaining, from the user, locations corresponding to the determined blackout periods and the determined failed correlations of the received position locations;

updating the user profile information based on the locations obtained from the user;

receiving an emergency notification; and

requesting emergency personnel to attend to the user at a location determined based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for maintaining user profile information;

means for receiving a plurality of position locations;

means for correlating the received position locations to determine failed correlations;

means for determining blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

means for obtaining location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods;

means for updating the user profile information based on the obtained location information;

means for receiving an emergency notification; and

means for responding to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for receiving the user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the received position locations comprise GPS coordinates.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the received position locations further comprise at least one of user-reported locations or actual locations.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the obtained location information comprises locations corresponding to the failed correlations and the determined blackout periods.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for correlating:

correlates the received position locations with an actual location;

correlates position locations that do not correlate with an actual location with the user profile information; and

determines the position locations with the failed correlations as the position locations that do not correlate with an actual location or with the user profile information.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for responding to the emergency notification requests emergency personnel to attend to a user at an emergency location determined based at least one of the user profile information or a reported emergency position location.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

means for receiving an emergency position location with the emergency notification;

means for correlating the emergency position location with at least one of an actual location or the user profile information to determine the emergency location; and

means for refining the emergency location when the emergency position location does not correlate with said at least one of an actual location or the user profile information, but is within a predetermined radius of a location in the user profile information.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for determining the emergency location based on at least one previously received position location and the user profile information when an emergency position location is not received with the emergency notification.

20. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for receiving user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location;

means for receiving a plurality of position locations of the user;

means for determining black out periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

means for correlating the received position locations with the user profile information to determine the position locations with failed correlations;

means for obtaining, from the user, locations corresponding to the determined blackout periods and the determined failed correlations of the received position locations;

means for updating the user profile information based on the locations obtained from the user;

means for receiving an emergency notification; and

means for requesting emergency personnel to attend to the user at a location determined based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising code for;

maintaining user profile information;

receiving a plurality of position locations;

correlating the received position locations to determine failed correlations;

determining blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

obtaining location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods;

updating the user profile information based on the obtained location information;

receiving an emergency notification; and

responding to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for receiving the user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the received position locations comprise GPS coordinates.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the received position locations further comprise at least one of user-reported locations or actual locations.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the obtained location information comprises locations corresponding to the failed correlations and the determined blackout periods.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the code for correlating:

correlates the received position locations with an actual location;

correlates position locations that do not correlate with an actual location with the user profile information; and

determines the position locations with the failed correlations as the position locations that do not correlate with an actual location or with the user profile information.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the code for responding to the emergency notification requests emergency personnel to attend to a user at an emergency location determined based at least one of the user profile information or a reported emergency position location.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for:

receiving an emergency position location with the emergency notification;

correlating the emergency position location with at least one of an actual location or the user profile information to determine the emergency location; and

refining the emergency location when the emergency position location does not correlate with said at least one of an actual location or the user profile information, but is within a predetermined radius of a location in the user profile information.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for determining the emergency location based on at least one previously received position location and the user profile information when an emergency position location is not received with the emergency notification.

30. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising code for;

receiving user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location;

receiving a plurality of position locations of the user;

determining black out periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

correlating the received position locations with the user profile information to determine the position locations with failed correlations;

obtaining, from the user, locations corresponding to the determined blackout periods and the determined failed correlations of the received position locations;

updating the user profile information based on the locations obtained from the user;

receiving an emergency notification; and

requesting emergency personnel to attend to the user at a location determined based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

31. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

maintain user profile information;

receive a plurality of position locations;

correlate the received position locations to determine failed correlations;

determine blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

obtain location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods;

update the user profile information based on the obtained location information;

receive an emergency notification; and

respond to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processing system is further configured to receive the user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the received position locations comprise GPS coordinates.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the received position locations further comprise at least one of user-reported locations or actual locations.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the obtained location information comprises locations corresponding to the failed correlations and the determined blackout periods.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein to correlate the received position locations, the processing system is configured to:

correlate the received position locations with an actual location;

correlate position locations that do not correlate with an actual location with the user profile information; and

determine the position locations with the failed correlations as the position locations that do not correlate with an actual location or with the user profile information.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein to respond to the emergency notification, the processing system is configured to request emergency personnel to attend to a user at an emergency location determined based at least one of the user profile information or a reported emergency position location.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

receive an emergency position location with the emergency notification;

correlate the emergency position location with at least one of an actual location or the user profile information to determine the emergency location; and

refine the emergency location when the emergency position location does not correlate with said at least one of an actual location or the user profile information, but is within a predetermined radius of a location in the user profile information.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine the emergency location based on at least one previously received position location and the user profile information when an emergency position location is not received with the emergency notification.

40. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

receive user profile information for a user, the user profile information comprising at least one location and a time period associated with each of the at least one location;

receive a plurality of position locations of the user;

determine black out periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations;

correlate the received position locations with the user profile information to determine the position locations with failed correlations;

obtain, from the user, locations corresponding to the determined blackout periods and the determined failed correlations of the received position locations;

update the user profile information based on the locations obtained from the user;

receive an emergency notification; and

request emergency personnel to attend to the user at a location determined based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.