Wireless network system capable of tracking a location of a mobile station and a method for tracking a location of the mobile station

• US 7,383,043 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, June-Seo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/642,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20040043774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/457, 342/450, 342/457, 340/539.13, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/539.12
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and a method for tracking a location of a private wireless network subscriber can precisely track and find out a location of a subscriber even within a service zone of a base station and can realize this precise tracking in a simple fashion. In a private wireless network having a plurality of repeaters dispersedly installed in sector zones of a private Base Transceiver Station (pBTS), the subscriber location tracking system of the present invention includes a private Base Station Controller (pBSC) connected to the pBTS and a Local Area Network (LAN) and having a Visitor Location Register (VLR), a server connected to the LAN, and at least one client connected to the LAN. The pBSC stores location information in the VLR when a mobile station executes location registration, and confirms a location and state of a mobile station by dummy paging and updates its location information stored in the VLR when the relevant mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period. The server inquires about the location information stored in the VLR and transmits it to the client. The client receives location information from the server and provides a user with a location and state of a mobile station according to the received location information.

Claims

1. A wireless network system capable of tracking a location of a mobile station, comprising:

a base station controller; and

a visitor location register in which location information relating to a wireless network location of the mobile station is stored;

wherein the base station controller stores the location information relating to the wireless network location of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said wireless network, and wherein the base station controller confirms the location of the mobile station by dummy paging and updates the location information stored in said visitor location register when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period.

2. A private wireless network system capable of tracking a location of a mobile station, comprising:

at least one repeater dispersedly installed in sector zones of a private base transceiver station;

a private base station controller; and

a visitor location register in which location information relating to a private wireless network location of a mobile station is stored, the location information including at least one of a private base transceiver station number and a repeater number; and

said private base station controller storing the location information relating to the private wireless network location of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said private wireless network, and confirming the location of the mobile station by dummy paging and updating the location information stored in said visitor location register when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period.

3. A private wireless network system capable of tracking a location of a mobile station, comprising:

a plurality of repeaters dispersedly installed in sector zones of a private base transceiver station;

a private base station controller; and

a visitor location register in which location information relating to a private wireless network location of a mobile station is stored, the location information including at least one of a private base transceiver station number and a repeater number;

said private base station controller storing the location information relating to the private wireless network location of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said private wireless network, and confirming a location of the mobile station by dummy paging and updating the location information stored in said visitor location register when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period;

said system further comprising a server for inquiring about the location information of the mobile station stored in said visitor location register.

4. The private wireless network system of claim 3, said server being connected to said private base station controller through a local area network, the plurality of repeaters being connected to the private base transceiver station, and the private base transceiver station being connected to said private base station controller.

5. The private wireless network system of claim 4, further comprising a client which is informed of the location information by said server, said client being connected to said server, said server not accommodating a communication link between mobile stations.

6. A method for tracking a location of a mobile station in a wireless network, comprising the steps of:

providing a visitor location register;

storing, by the base station controller, location information relating to a wireless network location of a mobile station in the visitor location register when the mobile stall on registers its location with said wireless network;

confirming, by the base station controller, a location of the mobile station by dummy paging when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period; and

updating the location information stored in the visitor location register using information corresponding to the confirmed location of the mobile station.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the location information includes at least one of a base transceiver station number and a repeater number.

8. In a private wireless network including a visitor location register in which location information of a mobile station is stored, a method for tracking a location of the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

storing, by a private base station controller of said private wireless network, location information relating to a private wireless network location of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said private wireless network;

confirming, by said private base station controller of said private wireless network, the location of the mobile station by dummy paging when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period; and

updating the location information stored in said visitor location register using information corresponding to the confirmed location of the mobile station.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the location information includes at least one of a private base transceiver station number and a repeater number.

10. In a private wireless network including at least one repeater dispersedly installed in sector zones of a private base transceiver station and a visitor location register in which location information of a mobile station is stored, a method for tracking a location of the mobile station, comprising the steps of:

storing, by a private base station controller of said private wireless network, the location information of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said private wireless network, the location information including at least one of a private base transceiver station number and a repeater number with respect to the mobile station;

confirming, by said private base station controller of said private wireless network, the location of the mobile station by dummy paging when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period; and

updating the location information stored in said visitor location register using information corresponding to the confirmed location of the mobile station.

11. In a private wireless network including a visitor location register and a server representing location information of a mobile station, a method for tracking a location of a mobile station, comprising the steps of:

storing, by a private base station controller of said private wireless network, location information relating to a private wireless network location of the mobile station in said visitor location register when the mobile station registers its location with said private wireless network;

confirming, by said private base station controller of said private wireless network, the location of the mobile station by dummy paging when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period;

updating the location information stored in said visitor location register using information corresponding to the confirmed location of the mobile station; and

transmitting, by said private base station controller, the location information of the mobile station to said server when the location information of the mobile station is stored in said visitor location register.

12. A method for tracking a location of a subscriber mobile station, comprising the steps of:

providing private base station controller;

providing a visitor location register;

storing location information when the subscriber mobile station executes location registration, the location information including a private base transceiver station number, a sector number and a repeater number with respect to the subscriber mobile station;

periodically transmitting, to a server, an inquiry message about a state of the subscriber mobile station;

requesting, by the server, the private base station controller to access location information stored in the visitor location register in response to the inquiry message;

transmitting, by the private base station controller, location information stored in the visitor location register to the server in response to the requesting by the server;

transmitting, by the server, the location information received from said private base station controller to a client;

receiving, by the client, the location information from said server, and providing a user with a location and a state of a mobile station according to the received location information; and

confirming, by the base station controller, the location and the state of the subscriber mobile station by dummy paging and updating the location information of said visitor location register when the mobile station keeps up an idle state during a certain period, and then transmitting the updated location information to said server.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of transmitting the location information stored in said visitor location register directly to the server, remote from the visitor location register, in response to the requesting by the server.

14. A method for tracking a location of a subscriber, comprising the steps of:

providing a private base station controller;

providing a visitor location register;

storing location information when a mobile station executes location registration, the location information including a private base transceiver station number and a repeater number with respect to the mobile station;

designating a subscriber mobile station, and requesting a client to inquire about a state of the subscriber mobile station, the client transmitting a message inquiring about the state of the subscriber mobile station to a server in response to a request by a user;

requesting the private base station controller to confirm a location and the state of the subscriber mobile station in response to the message transmitted by the client; and

confirming, by the private base station controller, the location and the state of the subscriber mobile station by dummy paging, updating location information stored in the visitor location register, and transmitting, by the private base station controller, the updated location information to said server in response to a request by the server.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting, to the client, the location information transmitted by said private base station controller; and

receiving, by the client, location information transmitted by said server, and providing a user with the location and the state of the subscriber mobile station according to the received location information.

16. The method of claim 15, said client being connected to said server, said server being connected to said private base station controller through a certain network, a plurality of repeaters being connected to the private base transceiver station, and the private base transceiver station being connected to said private base station controller.