Apparatus and method for providing location information

• US 7,489,938 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Barut, Metin, Flynn, Dan, Cotherman, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/607,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20040229632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/456.1, 455/456, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 342/357.01, 342/357.09, 342/357.17
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• 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

An apparatus and method provides information associated with a location of a target user in a location service arrangement including a plurality of location service entities. The method includes the steps of sending a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity to a second location service entity. The method includes the step of informing the second location service entity of a role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request. The method also includes the step of processing the request at the second location service entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending a request for information associated with a location of a target user at a first location service entity to a second location service entity;

selecting a role of the second location service entity from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities; and

informing the second location service entity of the role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

including information regarding the role of the second location service entity in the request.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processing the request at the second location service entity.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the first location service entity a request for location information and

subsequently sending the request from the first service entity to the second location service entity.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sending comprises sending the request from the first location service entity which initiates roaming location services.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending information from the second location service entity to a third location service entity regarding the role performed by the third location service entity when processing a request from the second location service entity.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sending information comprises sending information to the third location service entity comprising a visited location server.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending the request from the first location service entity comprising a receiving location server to the second location service entity comprising the home location server of the target user.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity;

receiving information that the second location service entity is to perform a role of a home location server when processing the request from the first location service entity;

performing a privacy policy check at the second location service entity; and

preventing at the second location service entity processing of the request for location information in response to a failed privacy policy check.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to request for information associated with a location of a target user from a further location service entity, to select the role of the further location service entity from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities, and to inform the further location service entity of a role the further location service entity performs when processing the request.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein a location service entity is configured to add information into the request regarding the role the further location service entity performs.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein a location service entity is configured to initiate roaming location services.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a receiving location server.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a home location server.

15. A system, comprising:

a location service arrangement configured to provide information associated with the users of a communication system, comprising a plurality of location service entities configured to process requests for location information, wherein a first location information entity is configured to request for information associated with a location of a target user from a second location service entity, to select the role of the second location service entity from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities, and to inform the second location service entity of a role in which the first location service expects a second location service to process a request, and the second location information entity is configured to proceed with the processing of the request if the second location information entity can provide an expected role.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first location service entity is configured to initiate roaming location services.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first location service entity comprises a receiving location server.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second location service entity comprises a home location server of the target user, the home location server being configured to inform a third location service entity regarding the role the third location service entity performs when processing a request for location information from the home location server.

19. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first location service entity comprises a home location server.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity;

receiving information means for receiving information of a role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request at the second location service entity; and

processing means for processing the request at the second location entity, wherein the role of the second location service entity is selected from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

including means for including information regarding the role of the second location service entity in the request.

22. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:

receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity;

receiving information of a role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request, the role of the second location service entity being selected from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities; and

processing the request at the second location service entity.

23. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:

sending a request for information associated with a location of a target user at a first location service entity to a second location service entity;

selecting a role of the second location service entity from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities; and

informing the second location service entity of the role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request.

24. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity;

receiving information of a role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request, the role of the second location service entity being selected from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities; and

processing the request at the second location service entity.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one receiver configured to receive a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity, and to receive information that the second location service entity is to perform a role of a home location server when processing the request from the first location service entity; and

a processor configured to perform a privacy policy check at the second location service entity and a preventing unit configured to prevent the processing from processing the request for location information in response to a failed privacy policy check.

26. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:

receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity;

receiving information that the second location service entity is to perform a role of a home location server when processing the request from the first location service entity;

performing a privacy policy check at the second location service entity; and

preventing at the second location service entity processing of the request for location information in response to a failed privacy policy check.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one receiver configured to receive a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity at a second location service entity, and to receive information of a role performed by the second location service entity when processing the request at the second location service entity, the role of the second location service entity being selected from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities; and

a processor configured to process the request at the second location entity.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

requesting means for requesting information associated with a location of a target user from a further location service entity;

informing means for informing the further location service entity of a role the further location service entity performs when processing the request; and

selecting means for selecting the role of the further location service entity from at least one of a home location service entity, a visited location service entity and a combination of a home and visited location service entities.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for information associated with a location of a target user from a first location service entity in a second location service entity;

information receiving means for receiving information that the second location service entity is to perform a role of a home location server when processing the request from the first location service entity;

performing means for performing a privacy policy check at the second location service entity; and

preventing means for preventing processing in the second location service entity of the request for location information in response to a failed privacy policy check.