METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING HISTORIC NETWORK INFORMATION FOR DETERMINING APPROXIMATE POSITION

• US 20140342751A1
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wachter, Andreas Klaus, Lin, Ie-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0069 Cell search, i.e. determining cell identity [cell-ID] design of multiplexing codes H04J13/00; processing access restriction or access information H04W48/16; discovery of network devices for network data management H04W8/005; sounding signals for channel estimation H04L25/0226; structure of reference signals in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2613; frame, time or carrier synchronisation in multicarrier modulation systems H04L27/2655
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Systems and techniques to determine an approximate location for a mobile device using historic location information. In an aspect, a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), which is a location server in SUPL, may receive data from SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET). The data may include the Multiple Location IDs Parameter. The real time Location ID Parameter may not have a current status. The SLP may determine an approximate position for the SET based on the Multiple Location IDs Parameter data received from the SET. The SLP may then send the approximate position to the SET or a SUPL Agent, or may use the approximate position information in another way.

Claims

1. A method for supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location comprising:

at a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), receiving a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and a Multiple Location IDs parameter from a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data; and

in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is current, determining a location estimate for the SET based on the Location ID parameter data for the most current serving cell or serving access point; and

in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is unknown or not current, determining the location estimate for the SET based on multiple location IDs parameter data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending from the SLP to the SET supported network information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the location estimate to a SUPL agent or the SET or both.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the SUPL POS INIT message from the SET, transmitting a SUPL initiation (SUPL INIT) message to the SET.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the SUPL INIT message includes a session ID.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated timestamps include relative timestamps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location ID parameter data includes cell identification information selected from the group consisting of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cell information, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cell information, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) cell information, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) cell information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a SUPL agent a request message including a request for position information associated with the SET;

sending a SUPL initiation (SUPL INIT) message to the SET in response to receiving the request;

and wherein receiving the SUPL POS INIT message comprising the Location ID parameter and the Multiple Location IDs parameter from the SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) comprises receiving the SUPL POS INIT message in response to sending the SUPL INIT message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request is a Mobile Location Protocol (MLP) Standard Location Immediate Request (SLIR) message.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending the requested position information to the SUPL agent, wherein the requested position information is based on the location estimate.

11. A Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) platform comprising:

means for receiving a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and a Multiple Location IDs parameter from a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data; and

means for determining, in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is current, a location estimate for the SET based on the Location ID parameter data for the most current serving cell or serving access point; and

means for determining, in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is unknown or not current, the location estimate for the SET based on multiple location IDs parameter data.

12. An apparatus for supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) comprising:

receive circuitry to receive at a SUPL location Platform (SLP) a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and a Multiple Location IDs parameter from a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for the most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data; and

processor circuitry to access the location ID parameter data and the multiple location IDs parameter data and further configured to;

determine a location estimate for the SET based on the Location ID parameter data for the most current serving cell or serving access point in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is current; and

determine a location estimate for the SET based on multiple location IDs parameter data in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is unknown or not current.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

access SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message information comprising a Location ID parameter and a Multiple Location IDs parameter received at a SUPL Location Platform (SLP) from a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown, and wherein the Multiple Location IDs parameter includes prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data;

determine a location estimate for the SET based on the Location ID parameter data for the most current serving cell or serving access point in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is current; and

determine a location estimate for the SET based on multiple location IDs parameter data in response to determining that the associated status of the most current serving cell or serving access point is unknown or not current.

14. A method for supporting positioning in Secure User Plane Location comprising:

storing a Multiple Location IDs parameter including prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data at a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET); and

sending to a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and the Multiple Location IDs parameter, wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving from the SLP a SUPL initiation (SUPL INIT) message initiating a SUPL session between the SLP and the SET; and

sending the SUPL POS INIT message in response to receiving the SUPL INIT message.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining at least some of the location ID parameter data after receiving the SUPL INIT message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the location ID parameter data includes cell identification information selected from the group consisting of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cell information, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cell information, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) cell information, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) cell information.

18. A Secure User Plane Location Enabled Terminal (SET) comprising:

means for storing a Multiple Location IDs parameter including prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data at a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET); and

means for sending to a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and the Multiple Location IDs parameter, wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown.

19. A Secure User Plane Location Enabled Terminal (SET) comprising:

memory to store prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data;

means a Multiple Location IDs parameter including prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data at a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET); and

a processor configured to;

generate a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and the Multiple Location IDs parameter, wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown, and wherein the Multiple Location IDS parameter includes the prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps; and

transmit circuitry to send the SUPL POS INIT message to a SUPL Location Platform (SLP).

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

store a Multiple Location IDs parameter including prior location ID parameter data and associated time stamps for the prior location ID parameter data at a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET); and

send to a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), a SUPL position initiation (SUPL POS INIT) message comprising a Location ID parameter and the Multiple Location IDs parameter, wherein the Location ID parameter includes location ID parameter data for a most current serving cell or serving access point and an associated status, wherein the associated status is not current, current, or unknown.