System and method of making location updating management on a mobile station, mobile station and mobile network

• US 7,395,071 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US10/389,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20030224804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456, 455/435, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• 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

The invention provides a system and method for location management in a mobile network through sharing individual mobility model between a mobile station and the mobile network. The mobile station and the mobile network always exchange large amounts of data in order to make location updating management in the conventional way, which in turn results in an increase in the overall network overhead and wastes the network resource. The system and method of the invention makes location management in both the mobile station and the mobile network by sharing the mobility model reflecting the action regulation of the mobile station between the mobile station and the mobile network, such that the network overhead is greatly reduce.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of mobile stations; and

a mobile network,

wherein each mobile station comprises;

a transceiver for transmitting or receiving location management information to/from the mobile network;

a mobility model storage unit for storing one or more mobility models corresponding to activities of a user of the mobile station;

a mobility model selector, which is connected to the transceiver and the mobility model storage unit, for selecting one mobility model from the stored mobility models based on a predefined selection priority and a current location of the mobile station;

a mobility model computation unit, which is connected to the mobility model selector and the mobility model storage unit, for managing location information updating on the mobile station based on the mobility model selected by the mobility model selector; and

a location information storage unit, which is connected to the mobility model computation unit, for storing location information of the mobile station,

wherein the mobile network comprises;

a transceiver for transmitting or receiving location management information to/from the mobile stations;

a mobility model storage unit for storing one or more mobility models corresponding to the one or more mobility models of the mobile stations;

a mobility model selector for selecting a corresponding mobility model from the mobility model storage unit in the mobile network based on a mobility model identification information identifying a mobility model currently being used by a mobile station received by the transceiver in the mobile network;

a mobility model computation unit for determining the current location of the mobile station based on the corresponding mobility model obtained from the mobility model selector in the mobile network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each mobile station further comprises:

current location determination means for determining the current location of the mobile station;

comparison means for comparing the current location determined by the current location determination means with a calculated location information, which is computed by a mobility model, and for instructing the mobility model selector in the mobile station to select a new mobility model for the mobile station if a difference between the current location and the calculated location information is greater than a reference value, wherein

the mobility model selector in the mobile station is configured to select the new mobility model for the mobile station from the mobility model storage unit in the mobile station, based on the current location and the predefined selection priority, and if a selection of a new mobility model is made, the mobility model selector in the mobile station sends information about the selection of the new mobility model through the transceiver in the mobile station to the mobile network, and notifies the mobility model computation unit in the mobile station to use the new mobility model in managing location information updating on the mobile station,

and if no new mobility model is selected, the mobility model selector in the mobile station sends a message through the transceiver in the mobile station to the mobile network that a mobility model will not be used in managing location information updating on the mobile station,

the mobile network further comprising;

detection means for detecting whether the mobile station uses a mobility model in managing location information updating, and for sending the mobility model identification information to the mobility model selector in the mobile network if the detection means detects that a mobile station uses a mobility model in managing location information updating.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

each mobile station further comprises location information updating means for updating location information on the mobile station without using a mobility model,

if no mobility model is selected, the mobility model selector in the mobile station notifies the location information updating means in the mobile station to continue updating location information on the mobile station, and

if the detection means detects that no mobility model is used by one of the mobile stations, the detection means notifies a location information updating means in the mobile network to continue updating location information on the mobile station.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile network further comprises:

a location information storage means, which is connected to the mobility model computation unit in the mobile network, for storing location information of each of the mobile stations.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more mobility models stored in the mobility model storage unit in the mobile station are provided by the mobile network or a mobile station provider, or set by a user of the mobile station.

6. The system according to claim 1, further including current location determination means for determining the current location of the mobile station by receiving at the transceiver in the mobile station a location identifier from the transceiver in the mobile network.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the current location determination means is a self-locating system.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the self-locating system includes a GPS.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predefined selection priority is set by a user of the mobile station or by analyzing history location updating records of the mobile station.

9. A mobile station, comprising:

a transceiver for transmitting or receiving location management information to/from a mobile network;

mobility model storage means for storing one or more mobility models corresponding to activities of a user of the mobile station;

mobility model selection means, which is connected to the transceiver and the mobility model storage means, for selecting one mobility model from the stored mobility models based on a predefined selection priority and a current location of the mobile station;

mobility model computation means, which is connected to the mobility model selection means and the mobility model storage means, for managing location information updating on the mobile station based on the mobility model selected by the mobility model selection means;

location information storage means, which is connected to the mobility model computation means, for storing location information of the mobile station.

10. The mobile station according to claim 9, further comprising:

current location determination means for determining the current location of the mobile station;

comparison means for comparing the current location determined by the current location determination means with a calculated location information, which is computed by the mobility model, and for instructing the mobility model selection means to select a new mobility model for the mobile station if a difference between the current location and the calculated location information is greater than a reference value, wherein

the mobility model selection means is configured to, in response to an instruction from the comparison means, seek to select a new mobility model from the mobility model storage means based on the current location and the predefined selection priority, and if the new mobility model is selected, the mobility model selection means sends information about the selection of the new mobility model through the transceiver in the mobile station to the mobile network, and notifies the mobility model computation means to use the new mobility model in managing location information updating on the mobile station,

and if no new mobility model is selected, the mobility model selection means sends a message through the transceiver in the mobile station to the mobile network that a mobility model will not be used in managing location updating on the mobile station.

11. The mobile station according to claim 10, wherein the mobile station further comprises location information updating means updating location information on the mobile station without using a mobility model, wherein if no mobility model is selected, the mobility model selection means notifies the location information updating means to continue updating location information on the mobile station.

12. A mobile network for location management for a plurality of mobile stations, the mobile network comprises:

a transceiver for transmitting or receiving location management information to/from the plurality of mobile stations;

mobility model storage means for storing one or more mobility models corresponding to the one or more mobility models of the mobile stations;

mobility model selection means for selecting a corresponding mobility model from the mobility model storage means based on a mobility model identification information identifying a mobility model currently being used by a mobile station received by the transceiver;

mobility model computation means for determining the current location of the mobile station based on the corresponding mobility model obtained from the mobility model selection means; and

comparison means for comparing the current location determined by the mobility model computation means with a calculated location information, which is computed by a mobility model, and for instructing the mobility model selection means to select a new mobility model for the mobile station if a difference between the current location and the calculated location information is greater than a reference value.

13. The mobile network according to claim 12, wherein the mobile network further comprises:

detection means for detecting whether the mobile station uses a mobility model to in managing location information updating, and for sending the mobility model identification information of to the mobility model selection means in the mobile network if the detection means detects that the mobile station uses a mobility model in managing location information updating.

14. The mobile network according to claim 13, wherein the mobile network further comprises:

location information updating means for updating location information on the mobile station without using a mobility model,

the detection means in the mobile network is further configured such that if no mobility model is used by a mobile station, the detection means notifies the location information updating means in the mobile network to continue updating location information on the mobile station.

15. The mobile network according to claim 12, wherein the mobile network further comprises:

location information storage means, which is connected to the mobility model computation means, for storing location information of each of the mobile stations.

16. A method for location management on a plurality of mobile stations in a mobile network, comprising:

storing one or more mobility models corresponding to activities of one or more users of the mobile stations;

comparing a current location with a calculated location information, which is computed by a mobility model, and instructing a mobility model selector in a mobile station to select a new mobility model for the mobile station if a difference between the current location and the calculated location information is greater than a reference value; and

storing the one or more mobility models used by the mobile stations in the mobile network, wherein

each of the mobile stations manages location information updating by using the one or more mobility models stored in the mobile station and

the mobile network manages location information updating for the mobile stations based on the mobility models currently being used by respective mobile stations.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a new mobility model is available which can be used to continue managing location information updating on the mobile station, when it detects that the current location of the mobile station goes beyond a government scope of the mobility model;

the mobile station uses the new mobility model to continue managing location information updating on the mobile station and notifying the mobile network about the new mobility model, when a new mobility model exists, and the mobile network uses the new mobility model to continue managing the location information updating on the mobile station,

notifying the mobile network to abandon managing location information updating on the mobile station based on the mobility model, if it is determined that no new mobility model exists.

18. A program storage device having a stored program of instructions executable by a processor to perform method steps for location management of a plurality of mobile stations in a mobile network, the method steps comprising:

storing one or more mobility models corresponding to activities of one or more users of the mobile stations;

comparing a current location with a calculated location information, which is computed by a mobility model, and instructing a mobility model selector in a mobile station to select a new mobility model for the mobile station if a difference between the current location and the calculated location information is greater than a reference value; and

storing the one or more mobility models used by the mobile stations in the mobile network, wherein

each of the mobile stations manages location information updating by using the one or more mobility models stored in the mobile station, and

the mobile network manages location information updating for the mobile stations based on the mobility models currently being used by respective mobile stations.