ESTABLISHING THE LOCATION OF UNMANAGED NETWORK ACCESS POINTS

• US 20170195849A1
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: STERLUND, Hkan
• Granted Patent: US 10,694,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and method of associating communication service sessions with geographical locations. Each of a multiplicity of user devices, attached to one or more access networks via respective access points, can determine the identity of an access point serving that particular user device. The user device then registers with a location service, via the access network, both the network access point identity and a geographical address at which the access point is located. The location service can then use the registered access point identity and geographical address to register the user device, or another user device, in a communication service in association with said geographical address. In this way, the geographical address of a registered user device, which is associated with a particular communication service session, can be determine.

Claims

1. A method of associating communication service sessions with geographical locations, the method comprising, for each of a multiplicity of user devices attached to one or more access networks via respective access points;

at the user device, detecting an identity of the access point serving the user device;

from the user device, registering the network access point identity and a geographical address at which the access point is located with a location service, via the access network;

by means of the location service and the registration, registering said user device or another user device in the communication service in association with said geographical address,

wherein, for a communication service session associated with a registered user device, a geographical address of the registered user device can be determined.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said access point is a wireless access point of a Wireless Local Access Network, WLAN, and the access point identity is a Basic Set Service Identity, BSSID.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location service is implemented by a communication network service provider.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of registering the network access point identity and a geographical address at which the access point is located comprises sending the detected access point identity together with the geographical address to the location service.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of registering the network access point identity and a geographical address at which the access point is located comprises sending the detected access point identity from the user device to the location service and then doing one of:

in response to a query returned by the location service, sending the geographical address from the user device to the location service; and

identifying a previously registered geographical address at the location service,

identifying this to the user device, and sending a confirmation that this is the correct geographical address from the user device to the location service.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of registering the network access point identity and a geographical address at which the access point is located requires the sending of a correct authentication code from the user device to the location service.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of sending the access point identity from the user device to the location service is carried out by including the access point identity in a session setup request or is carried out during registration of the user device with a communication service responsible for managing said communication service sessions.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said location service is implemented within an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network, the IMS network facilitating said communication service sessions, said step of registering said user device or another user device in the communication service in association with said geographical address comprises an IMS registration.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said registration comprises storing an association between the access point identity and the geographical address in a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, or other data store in the IMS network.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein said step of registering comprising sending a SIP Register message, containing at least said access point identity, from the user device to the IMS network.

11. A user device configured to attach to an access point for accessing an access network, the user device comprising:

a detector configured to detect an identity of the access point;

a first registration entity configured to register the detected access point identity and a geographical address, at which the access point is located, with a location service via the access network; and

a second registration entity configured to interact with the location service using the access point identity to register said user device in the communication service in association with said geographical address,

wherein, for a communication service session associated with the registered user device, a geographical address of the registered user device can be determined.

12. A user device according to claim 11, wherein said access point is a wireless access point of a Wireless Local Access Network, WLAN, and the access point identity is the Basic Set Service Identity, BSSID, of the access point.

13. A user device according to claim 12 and comprising a wireless transceiver module for communicating with said access point.

14. A user device according to claim 11 and comprising an IMS client for enabling said service session.

15. A user device according to claim 14, said second registration entity being configured to perform registration by sending a SIP Register message to the location service within the IMS network, the SIP Register message including at least the access point identity.

16. A system for implementing a location service within a communication network and comprising:

a first receiver for receiving and registering in a registration database an access point identity and a geographical address associated with the access point identity for each of a multiplicity of user devices; and

a second receiver for receiving, in connection with a user registration to a communication service, an access point identity, and for performing a lookup using the access point identity in said registration database in order to identify a geographical address for the communication service registration.

17. A system according to claim 16, the system being configured to operate within an IMS network, and wherein the communication service registration is an IMS registration.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein said first receiver is configured to receive at least said access point identity from a user device in a SIP Register message.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said registration database comprises a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, or other data store of the IMS network.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein said second receiver is configured to receive the access point identity for said service session in a session setup request.