LOCATING A MOBILE STATION AND APPLICATIONS THEREFOR

• US 20110244887A1
• Filed: 08/23/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FineTrak, LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Original Assignee: TracBeam LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Inventors: LeBlanc, Frederick W., Goldberg, Sheldon F., Karr, Charles L., Dupray, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/028 Simulation means, e.g. of beacon signals therefor for teaching or training purposes G09B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/045 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0257 Hybrid positioning by coordinating position lines of different shape G01S5/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A location system and applications therefor is disclosed for wireless telecommunication infrastructures. The system is an end-to-end solution having one or more location systems for outputting requested locations of hand sets or mobile stations (MS) based on, e.g., CDMA, GSM, GPRS, TDMA or WIFI communication standards, for processing both local mobile station location requests and more global mobile station location requests via, e.g., Internet communication between a distributed network of location systems. The following applications may be enabled by the location system: 911 emergency calls, tracking, navigation, people and animal location including applications for confinement to and exclusion from certain areas, friend finder applications, and applications for allocating user desired resources based on the user'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A method for providing for each of a plurality of wireless mobile units, corresponding one or more notifications related to an event or circumstance, wherein there is a network having a plurality of geographically spaced apart stationary network access units for receiving wireless signals from the mobile unit, comprising performing, for each mobile unit, M, of the mobile units, the following steps by computational equipment:

(a) receiving network input by a subscriber to a service for providing the corresponding notifications for M, the network input for providing a data content in a persistent data storage, the data content used for determining the corresponding notifications;

wherein the data content includes;

(i) an identification of at least one entity authorized by the subscriber to be notified of an occurrence of the related event or circumstance, and (iii) one or more notification criteria whose evaluation is for determining whether an occurrence of the related event or circumstance has occurred;

(b) subsequently, receiving information indicative of a location for the mobile unit M, wherein the information is determined using geolocation indicative measurements of wireless signals communicated between the mobile unit M and the network;

(c) using an identification for the mobile unit M to access the data content in the persistent data storage for evaluating the notification criteria using the information; and

(d) when the notification criteria evaluates to a first result, a step of notifying the at least one entity by a network transmission of an occurrence of the event or circumstance and location information indicative of a location of the mobile unit M, wherein the location information is determined using geolocation indicative measurements of wireless signals communicated between the mobile unit M and the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one of the mobile units, the corresponding event or circumstance includes an availability of a parking space, and one of the corresponding notifications is transmitted to the at least one mobile unit.