LOCATION BASED SERVICES IN A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND RELATED COMPONENTS AND METHODS

• US 20130281125A1
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Cable Systems LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Gerald Bernhart
• Granted Patent: US 9,781,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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]

Abstract

Distributed communication systems provide location information to mobile terminals that may not be able to receive otherwise global positioning system (GPS) information from GPS satellites. Providing location information to clients inside a building or other location may make location based services, such as emergency (E911) services, possible based on the location information. The distributed communications system may be provided location information about its components through a number of techniques. Once the distributed communications system has the location information, such location information may be passed to clients.

Claims

1. A distributed communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one downlink input configured to receive downlink communications signals;

at least one interface configured to receive and provide the downlink communications signals to a remote unit using a first protocol; and

the remote unit configured to provide location indicia using a second protocol to a client device within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit, wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of RFID, Zigbee, and Dash7.

2. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distributed communications apparatus comprises a distributed antenna system and the at least one downlink input is associated with a head end unit.

3. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downlink communications signals comprise cellular communications signals.

4. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the downlink communications signals comprise radio frequency downlink communication signals.

5. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote unit comprises a remote antenna unit.

6. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote unit comprises a module and antenna configured to operate using the second protocol.

7. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller associated with a database configured to store the location indicia for elements of the distributed communications apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to capture location indicia from one or more client devices.

8. The distributed communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location indicia are initially provided by a second client device, and are configured to provide sufficient information to the client device such that the client device may calculate its location.

9. A method for providing location information to a client device, the method comprising:

at at least one downlink input, receiving downlink communications signals;

at at least one interface, receiving and providing the downlink communications signals to a remote unit using a first protocol; and

at the remote unit, providing location indicia using a second protocol to a client device within an antenna coverage area associated with the remote unit, wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of RFID, Zigbee, and Dash7.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving downlink communications signals comprises receiving downlink communications signals at a downlink input of a head end unit.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving downlink communications signals comprises receiving cellular communications signals.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein providing location indicia at the remote unit comprises providing location indicia at a remote antenna unit.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an antenna at the remote unit for use with the second protocol.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a controller associated with a database;

storing the location indicia for elements of a distributed communications apparatus in the database; and

capturing location indicia from one or more client devices.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising initially receiving the location indicia from a second client device.

16-46. -46. (canceled)