Location based method and system for wireless mobile unit communication

• US 7,231,220 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kazakevich, Leonid, Chitrapu, Prabhakar R., Hunkeler, Teresa Joanne, Reddy, Gautam G., Chandra, Arty
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phuong; Dai
• Application Number:
  US10/675,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20040147254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/421, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/567, 455/433, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/456.2, 701/200, 701/201, 701/212, 340990-993
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method and system for wireless mobile unit communication within a wireless network having geographic areas for preferred communication usage is provided. An estimated geographic location of a mobile unit is determined. The mobile unit is provided with relative position data of at least one preferred communication area relative to the determined mobile unit estimated location. The mobile unit is then relocated to a preferred communication area based on the relative position data. Preferably, a request for a pre-designated preferred communication area location is initiated by a mobile unit transmission and received by a network base station. The mobile unit can be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) to determine the mobile unit'"'"'s estimated location. Transmission of estimated location data can be dependent upon whether the mobile unit or the network calculates relative position data.

Claims

1. A communication method for a mobile wireless transmit receive unit (mobile WTRU) within a wireless network having geographic areas for preferred communication usage where the mobile WTRU can directly transmit and receive communication signals with a predetermined network station associated with a respective geographic area, comprising the steps of:

determining an estimated geographic location of a mobile WTRU;

providing the mobile WTRU with position data relative to the determined mobile WTRU estimated location of at least one preferred communication area associated with a network station with which the WTRU cannot directly communicate at the determined mobile WTRU estimated location;

displaying the relative position data of said at least one preferred communication area to facilitate relocation of the mobile WTRU from the determined mobile WTRU estimated location to said at least one preferred communication area; and

relocating the WTRU to within said at least one preferred communication area such that the WTRU directly transmits and receives communication signals with the network station associated with said at least one preferred communication area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

initiating a request for a pre-designated preferred communication area location by the mobile WTRU; and

receiving the request by a network base station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile WTRU is equipped with a global positioning system (GPS), the mobile WTRU estimated location is determined by using the mobile WTRU'"'"'s global positioning system (GPS), the mobile WTRU request transmission includes current mobile WTRU estimated location data, and the network base station transmits to the mobile WTRU relative position data that is determined by the network based on the current mobile WTRU estimated location data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the relative position data transmitted by the network base station to the mobile WTRU is determined by the network, based on the current mobile WTRU estimated location data and dynamic data of preferred communication area usage.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a current mobile WTRU estimated location is determined by the wireless network analyzing data related to physical properties of the mobile WTRU request transmission and the network base station transmits to the mobile WTRU relative position data that is determined by the network based on the current mobile WTRU estimated location data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the relative position data transmitted by the network base station to the mobile WTRU is determined by the network, based on the current mobile WTRU estimated location data and dynamic data of pre-designated preferred communication area usage.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile WTRU is equipped with a global positioning system (GPS), the mobile WTRU estimated location is determined by using the mobile WTRU'"'"'s global positioning system (GPS), the network base station transmits to the mobile WTRU geographic location data of all network pre-designated preferred communication areas serviced by the base station, and relative position data is determined by the mobile WTRU.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the network permits direct mobile WTRU wireless communications with network base stations and also peer-to-peer wireless communications between mobile WTRUs and wherein the request initiated by the mobile WTRU and received by the network base station is relayed via a different mobile WTRU located in a pre-designated preferred communication area serviced by the base station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network monitors determined mobile WTRU estimated locations and relative position data is periodically transmitted to the mobile WTRU that is determined by the network, based on current mobile WTRU estimated location data and dynamic data of network usage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile WTRU is equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) and the mobile WTRU estimated location is determined by using the mobile WTRU'"'"'s global positioning system (GPS).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein relative position data is determined by the network based on the determined mobile WTRU estimated location data and dynamic data of network usage data such that a ranked preference order of preferred communication areas is determined and relative position data at least a first preferred communication area preference is transmitted by a network base station to the mobile WTRU.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

defining preferred communication areas by respective sets of geographical coordinates;

storing said coordinate sets in a network database; and

selectively transmitting from a network base station one or more of the data sets to provide the mobile WTRU with relative position data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile WTRU is equipped with a map display, the method of further comprising the step of using relative position data to display a map of preferred communication areas relative to the estimated mobile WTRU location.

14. A mobile wireless transmit receive unit (mobile WTRU) for communication within a wireless network having geographic areas pre-designated for preferred communication usage where the mobile WTRU can directly transmit and receive communication signals with a predetermined network station associated with a respective geographic area, comprising:

a transmitter that is configured to use a determined mobile WTRU estimated location to initiate a request for a location of at least one pre-designated preferred communication area associated with a network station with which the WTRU cannot directly communicate at the determined mobile WTRU estimated location;

a receiver configured to receive geographic location data corresponding to at least one pre-designated preferred communication area serviced by the network; and

a user output device configured to display relative position data of said at least one preferred communication area relative to the determined mobile WTRU estimated location to facilitate relocation of the mobile WTRU from the determined mobile WTRU estimated location to said at least one preferred communication area such that the WTRU can directly transmit and receive communication signals with the network station associated with said at least one preferred communication area.

15. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) that determines an estimated location of the mobile WTRU, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the pre-designated preferred communication location request by transmitting a signal that includes current mobile WTRU estimated location data, and wherein the mobile WTRU receiver is configured to receive geographic location data corresponding to at least one pre-designated preferred communication area in the form of relative position data that is determined by the network based on the transmitted mobile WTRU estimated location data.

16. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the mobile WTRU receiver is configured to receive geographic location data corresponding to at least one pre-designated preferred communication area in the form of relative position data that is determined by the network, based on a mobile WTRU estimated location determined by the wireless network analyzing data related to physical properties of the mobile WTRU request transmission.

17. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) that determines an estimated location of the mobile WTRU and that calculates relative position data based on geographic location data corresponding to at least one pre-designated preferred communication area serviced by the network received in response to a transmitted request.

18. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the mobile WTRU is configured for direct communication with network base stations and also peer-to-peer wireless communications with other mobile WTRUs and wherein the mobile WTRU receiver is also configured to receive a response to a transmitted request via a relay from another mobile WTRU in direct communication with a network base station.

19. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, further comprising a map display configured to visually display pre-designated preferred communication areas relative to the estimated mobile WTRU location.

20. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the mobile WTRU is configured for wireless communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN).

21. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the mobile WTRU is configured for wireless communication in a time division duplex (TDD) telecommunications system.

22. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the mobile WTRU is configured for wireless communication in a frequency division duplex (FDD) telecommunications system.

23. The mobile WTRU of claim 14, wherein the user output device comprises a power use indicator that is active when the mobile WTRU is not physically located in a pre-designated preferred communication area and is located in an area where power consumption is relatively high.