Method for providing location information of a wireless communication device

• US 6,999,777 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBNT Solutions LLC (Rtx Corporation), Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Ganesh, Rajamani
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US10/032,202
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 455/517, 455/403, 455/500, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/445, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/550.1, 455/432.1, 455/414.3, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 709/216, 709/219, 709/224, 709/203
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• 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 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A method (36) for providing location information of a wireless communication device (24) within a wireless communication network (20) calls for determining the coverage areas (26) of particular cell sites (22) through which the device (24) communicated during past calls. These coverage areas (26) are defined as the approximate location information for the device (24) and are provided to an authorized requesting party via a map-enabled web page (156).

Claims

1. A method for providing location information of a wireless communication device within a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

receiving a request for said location information from a requesting party;

verifying that said requesting party is an authorized party;

when said requesting party is said authorized party, determining said location information in response to wireless communication between said wireless communication device and a transceiver site of said wireless communication network, said wireless communication being a call in which said wireless communication device participated, said call being routed through said transceiver site, and said determining operation including compiling a call history log for said wireless communication device from a comprehensive call history database maintained by a service provider of said wireless communication network, said call history log including said location information, a call record of said call is registered in said comprehensive call history database, and said compiling operation includes;

accessing said comprehensive call history database to extract said call record;

defining said location information as a coverage area of said transceiver site at a first instant of said call; and

associating said call record with said coverage area in said call history log; and

supplying said location information to said requesting party.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising establishing, prior to said receiving operation, a user profile for said wireless communication device, said user profile containing an identifier for said authorized party.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said verifying operation comprises matching a requesting party identifier of said requesting party with said identifier of said authorized party.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising detecting, prior to said receiving operation, a log-in attempt at a web page of a service provider of said wireless communication network, said request being received via said web page following successful completion of said log-in attempt.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said request includes a dialing number of said wireless communication device.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call record includes an origination time of said call, and said associating operation comprises incorporating said origination time in said call history log.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call record includes a duration of said call, and said associating operation comprises incorporating said duration in said call history log.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call record includes a destination number for said call, and said associating operation comprises incorporating said destination number in said call history log.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call record includes a location coordinate for said transceiver site through which said call was routed, and said associating operation comprises incorporating said location coordinate in said call history log.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call is routed through a second transceiver site of said wireless communication network, a second call record of said call is registered in said comprehensive call history database, and said compiling operation further comprises:

accessing said comprehensive call history database to extract said second call record;

defining said location information as a second coverage area of said transceiver site at a second instant of said call; and

associating said second call record with said second coverage area in said call history log.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said call is a first call, said wireless communication device participated in a second call, said second call being routed through a second transceiver site of said wireless communication network, a second call record of said second call is registered in said comprehensive call history database, and said compiling operation further comprises:

accessing said comprehensive call history database to extract said second call record;

defining said location information as a second coverage area of said second transceiver site at a second instant of said second call; and

associating said second call record with said second coverage area in said call history log.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said receiving operation comprises detecting a previous calls entry, said previous calls entry instructing an extraction of a quantity of call records of most recent calls in which said wireless communication device participated that are registered in said comprehensive call history database.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said supplying operation comprises displaying said location information on a map of a geographical area in which said location information is positioned.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said location information is a coverage area of said transceiver site, and said displaying operation comprises overlaying said coverage area on said map of said geographical area.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said supplying operation comprises providing said location information via a web page.

16. A method for supplying location information of a wireless communication device within a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

providing a first web page having a requester log-in section;

following detection of a successful log-in attempt at said requester log-in section, providing a second web page having a device identifier field; and

following detection of a device identifier of said wireless communication device in said device identifier field, providing a third web page having a map of a geographical area overlaid with coverage areas of transceiver sites through which calls were routed, said wireless communication device having participated in said calls, and associated ones of said coverage areas defining said location information at instants of said calls.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising presenting in said second web page a previous calls field, wherein detection of a previous calls entry in said previous calls field indicates a quantity of most recent ones of said calls for which said associated ones of said coverage areas are to be provided in said map.

18. A method for providing location information of a wireless communication device within a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

receiving, at a web page of a service provider of said wireless communication network, a request for said location information from a requesting party;

verifying that said requesting party is an authorized party;

when said requesting party is said authorized party, compiling a call history log for said wireless communication device from a comprehensive call history database maintained by said service provider, said call history log including said location information responsive to wireless communication between said wireless communication device and transceiver sites of said wireless communication network, said wireless communication is a quantity of calls in which said wireless communication device participated, said calls being routed through said transceiver sites, a call record for each of said calls is registered in said comprehensive call history database, and said compiling operation comprises, and said compiling operation includes;

accessing said comprehensive call history database to extract a quantity of most recent ones of said call records;

defining said location information as coverage areas of said transceiver sites at instants of said calls; and

associating said call records with said coverage areas in said call history log; and

supplying said location information to said requesting party by displaying said location information on a map of a geographical area in which said location information is positioned.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said supplying operation comprises overlaying said coverage areas on said map of said geographical area.

20. A computer-readable storage medium containing executable code for instructing a server system to provide location information of a wireless communication device within a wireless communication network over the Internet, said executable code instructing said server system to perform operations comprising:

providing a first web page having a requester log-in section;

providing a second web page having a device identifier field following detection of a successful log-in attempt by a requesting party at said requester log-in section;

providing a third web page having a map of a geographical area overlaid with coverage areas of transceiver sites through which calls were routed following detection of a device identifier of said wireless communication device in said device identifier field, said wireless communication device having participated in said calls, and associated ones of said coverage areas defining said location information at instants of said calls.

21. A computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20 wherein said executable code further instructs said server system to perform an operation comprising presenting in said second web page a previous calls field, wherein detection of a previous calls entry in said previous calls field indicates a quantity of most recent ones of said calls for which said associated ones of said coverage areas are to be provided in said map.

22. A computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 20 wherein said executable code further instructs said server system to perform operations comprising:

determining whether said requesting party is an authorized party by accessing a user profile for said wireless communication device, said user profile containing an identifier for said authorized party; and

providing an access denial web page when a requesting party identifier of said requesting party fails to match said identifier of said authorized party.