METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A MOBILE STATION PRESENCE IN A SPECIAL AREA

• US 20150281895A1
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avant Location Technologies LLC (Anjay Venture Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Afirma Consulting & Technologies S.l
• Inventors: Prez LaFuente, Carlos A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,009,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Method for monitoring the presence of a mobile station in at least one special area, wherein a radio communication defining device transmits one radio distinctive defining signal that define the special area by its coverage, the mobile station processes a signal received in order to determine whether or not it is defining signal and more precisly a distinctive one that defines the special area, the mobile station sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network, the network routes the updating signal to special operating means that adapt the value of an operating parameter. According to the invention, the special area is associated to the mobile station by transmitting to the mobile station a checking data used by the mobile station for determining whether or not the defining signal received is distinctive defining signal.

Claims

1. A radio communication defining device that is configured to transmit a distinctive defining signal that at least partly defines a special area by its coverage, the distinctive defining signal capable of being received and processed by a mobile station, the distinctive defining signal including data regarding a status of the radio communication defining device.

2. A radio communication defining device according to claim 1, wherein the data includes information indicating whether or not the radio communication defining device is located in a predetermined environment.

3. A radio communication defining device according to claim 2, wherein the distinctive defining signal includes identification data of the radio communication defining device.

4. A radio communication defining device according to claim 2, further comprising a location monitor that obtains information to determine whether or not the radio communication defining device is in the predetermined environment.

5. A radio communication defining device according to claim 4, wherein the location monitor is configured to receive the information via wireless communication with a radio transmitting device.

6. A radio communication defining device according to claim 5, wherein the radio transmitting device is a base station of a mobile telephone network.

7. A radio communication defining device according to claim 5, wherein the location monitor comprises a database that includes identification data of the radio transmitting device.

8. A radio communication defining device according to claim 4, wherein the location monitor is configured to receive the information via communication with a fixed network to which the radio communication defining device is physically connected.

9. A radio communication defining device according to claim 8, wherein the fixed network is a telephone network.

10. A radio communication defining device according to claim 8, wherein the fixed network is a power line communication network.

11. A radio communication defining device according to claim 8, wherein the fixed network is an embedded system in a car.

12. A radio communication defining device according to claim 8, further comprising a memory that stores one or more parameter that is useable to authenticate the radio communication defining device in the fixed network.

13. A radio communication defining device according to claim 1, wherein the distinctive defining signal is coded.

14. A method associated with the use of a mobile station and at least one radio communication defining device that transmits a distinctive defining signal that at least partly defines a special area by its coverage, the distinctive defining signal including data regarding a status of the radio communication defining device, the method comprising:

receiving and processing the distinctive defining signal in the mobile station; and

sending from the mobile station via the mobile telephone network an updating signal to one or more servers of a provider of presence related services about the mobile station'"'"'s presence in the special area, the updating signal comprising the data regarding a status of the radio communication defining device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the data includes information indicative of whether or not the radio communication defining device is located in a predetermined environment.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sending of the updating signal is uncorrelated to any mobile station phone call establishment, the updating signal being sent at least one of (i) periodically, (ii) at times recent to when the mobile station enters into or exists from the special area, and (iii) when the mobile station remains in the special area.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the updating signal comprises the result of a previous determination performed by the mobile station about the mobile station'"'"'s presence in the special area.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the frequency of the updating signal is different from the frequency of the distinctive defining signal.