Method and apparatus for enhanced 911 location using power control in a wireless system

• US 6,972,717 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Winters, Jack Harriman, Sollenberger, Nelson Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/456,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 342/386, 342/387, 342/419, 342/450, 342/457
• US Class Current: 342/387
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/019 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method of locating a mobile telephone includes steps of receiving, transmitting, increasing and determining. In the receiving step, a first base station receives a call from a mobile telephone, the call including a dialed number and a TDMA signal. In the transmitting step, the base station transmits a control message to the mobile telephone when the dialed number meets a predetermined criterion, such as being 911. The control message instructs the mobile telephone to transmit the TDMA signal at a maximum power. In the increasing step, the mobile telephone increases the TDMA signal to maximum power in response to the control message. Then in the determining step, location information for the mobile telephone is determined based on at least one characteristic of the TDMA signal received at at least one of the first base station and other base stations. In an alternate embodiment, the method is practiced in a mobile telephone and the power level is automatically increased in response to the dialed number meeting a predetermined criterion.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a transmitter power for a mobile telephone, comprising:

receiving a telephone number from the mobile telephone; and

based on the telephone number, issuing an instruction to the mobile telephone to adjust mobile telephone transmitted power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted mobile telephone transmitted power is an increased power.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted mobile telephone transmitted power is a decreased power.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received telephone number is a dialed number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusted transmitter power is an increased transmitter power.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusted transmitter power is a decreased transmitter power.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone number is associated with the mobile telephone.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the telephone number is a mobile identification number (MIN).

9. A base station, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a telephone number from a mobile telephone; and

a transmitter configured to issue an instruction to the mobile telephone to adjust mobile telephone transmitted power based on the received telephone number.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the received telephone number is a called number.

11. The base station of claim 9, where the received telephone number is a mobile subscriber identification number (MIN).

12. The base station of claim 9, further comprising a processor configured to determine if the instruction is to be issued based on the received telephone number.

13. A mobile switching center, comprising:

an input configured to receive a telephone number provided by a mobile telephone; and

an output configured to deliver an instruction for a mobile telephone to adjust a transmitted power of the mobile telephone based on the received telephone number.

14. The mobile switching center of claim 13, further comprising a processor configured to process the received telephone number to determine if the instruction to adjust the mobile telephone transmitted power is to be delivered.

15. The mobile switching center of claim 14, further comprising a memory configured to store a user profile, wherein the received telephone number is processed based on the user profile.

16. The mobile switching center of claim 13, wherein the received telephone number is a called number.

17. The mobile switching center of claim 16, wherein the received telephone number is a mobile identification number (MIN).