Location system

• US 7,493,126 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US11/489,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20060258352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A location system comprises a communication terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal and a type of location information, and a location network. In response to the location request, the location network produces current location information of the target mobile terminal if the type of location information of the received request specifies current location information and transmits the current location information to the communication terminal and stores the last known location information in a memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal. If the type of location information specifies last known location information, stored last known location information of the target mobile terminal is copied from the memory and transmitted to the communication terminal if the location request is verified by a privacy check and if the stored information is reusable.

Claims

1. A location method comprising the steps of:

a) from a client terminal, transmitting a location request to a gateway for requesting location information of a target mobile terminal;

b) responsive to said location request, performing at said gateway a first privacy check of the client terminal With privacy profile of the target mobile terminal and transmitting an enquiry message from said gateway to a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS), if (b₁) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (b₂) said location request contains an indication that last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (b₃) said last known location information is reusably maintained in the gateway and (b₄) notification to said target mobile terminal is required;

c) responsive to said enquiry message, returning from said HLR/HSS a reply message to said gateway, containing the identifier of a Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) with which said target mobile terminal is currently associated;

d) responsive to said reply message, transmitting from said gateway a request message to said SGSN/MSC;

e) responsive to said request message, transmitting from said SGSN/MSC a notification/verification message to said target mobile terminal and transmitting a verification report to said gateway; and

f) responsive to said verification report, performing at said gateway a second privacy check of the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said verification report indicates that said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmitting said last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said client terminal if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check.

2. A location method comprising the steps of:

a) from a client terminal, transmitting a location request to a gateway for requesting location information of a target mobile terminal;

b) responsive to said location request, transmitting an enquiry message from said gateway to a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS);

c) responsive to said enquiry message, returning from said HLR/HSS a reply message to said gateway, containing the identifier of a Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) with which said target mobile terminal is currently associated;

d) responsive to said reply message, retransmitting the location request from said gateway to said SGSN/MSC;

e) responsive to said location request from the gateway, performing, at said SGSN/MSC, a first privacy check of the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, and transmitting from said SGSN/MSC a notification/verification message to said target mobile terminal, if (e₁) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (e₂) said location request contains an indication that last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (e₃) said last known location information is reusably maintained in the gateway and (e₄) notification to said target mobile terminal is required;

f) performing, at said SGSN/MSC, a second privacy check of the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmitting said last known location information of the target mobile terminal from the SGSN/MSC to said gateway if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check; and

g) at said gateway, repeating said last known location information from the SGSN/MSC to said client terminal.

3. A location service system comprising:

a Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) with which a target mobile terminal is currently associated;

a client terminal that transmits a location request for requesting location information of said target mobile terminal;

a gateway that is responsive to said location request for performing a first privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal and transmitting an enquiry message, if (a) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (b) said location request contains an indication that last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (c) said last known location information is reusable and (d) notification to said target mobile terminal is required; and

a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS) that is responsive to said enquiry message from the gateway for returning a reply message to the gateway, containing the identifier of said SGSN/MSC,

wherein said gateway is responsive to said reply message for transmitting a request message to said SGSN/MSC,

wherein said SGSN/MSC is responsive to the request message from the gateway for transmitting a notification/verification message to said target mobile terminal and transmitting a verification report to said gateway, and

wherein said gateway is responsive to said verification report for performing a second privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said verification report indicates that said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmitting said last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said client terminal if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check.

4. A location service system comprising:

a Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) with which a target mobile terminal is currently associated;

a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS) that is responsive to an enquiry message for returning a reply message containing the identifier of said SGSN/MSC;

a client terminal that transmits a location request for requesting location information of said target mobile terminal; and

a gateway that is responsive to said location request for transmitting said enquiry message to said HLR/HSS and responsive to said reply message from said HLR/HSS for retransmitting the location request to said SGSN/MSC,

wherein said SGSN/MSC is responsive to said location request from the gateway for performing a first privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, and transmitting a notification/verification message to said target mobile terminal, if (a) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (b) said location request contains an indication that last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (c) said last known location information is reusably maintained in the gateway and (d) notification to said target mobile terminal is required,

wherein said SGSN/MSC performs a second privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmitting said last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said gateway if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check, and

wherein said gateway repeats said last known location information from the SGSN/MSC to said client terminal.

5. A gateway for a location service system, wherein the location service system comprises:

a Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) with which a target mobile terminal is currently associated, wherein said SGSN/MSC is responsive to a request message from said gateway for transmitting a notification/verification message and transmits a verification report;

a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS) that is responsive to an enquiry message for returning a reply message to the gateway, containing the identifier of said SGSN/MSC; and

a client terminal that transmits a location request to said gateway for requesting location information of said target mobile terminal and receiving a notification/verification message from said SGSN/MSC,

wherein said gateway is arranged to;

respond to said location request from said client terminal for performing a first privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal,

transmit said enquiry message to said HLR/HSS, if (a) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (b) said location request contains an indication that last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (c) said last known location information is reusable and (d) notification to said target mobile terminal is required,

respond to said reply message from the HLR/HSS for transmitting said request message to said SGSN/MSC, and

respond to said verification report from the SGSN/MSC for performing a second privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said verification report indicates that said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmit said last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said client terminal if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check.

6. A Serving General packet radio service Support Node/Mobile Services switching Center (SGSN/MSC) which forms part of a location service system, wherein the location service system comprises:

a Home Location Register/Home Subscriber Server (HLR/HSS) that is responsive to an enquiry message for returning a reply message containing the identifier of said SGSN/MSC;

a client terminal that transmits a location request for requesting location information of said target mobile terminal; and

a gateway that is responsive to said location request for transmitting said enquiry message to said HLR/HSS and responsive to said reply message from said HLR/HSS for retransmitting the location request to said SGSN/MSC and repeating last known location information of said target mobile terminal to said client terminal,

wherein said SGSN/MSC is arranged to;

respond to said location request from the gateway for performing a first privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal,

transmit a notification/verification message to said target mobile terminal, if (a) said client terminal is verified by said first privacy check, (b) said location request contains an indication that said last known location information of the target mobile terminal may be used, (c) said last known location information is reusably maintained in the gateway and (d) notification to said target mobile terminal is required, and

perform a second privacy check on the client terminal with privacy profile of the target mobile terminal if said client terminal is verified by the target mobile terminal and transmit said last known location information of the target mobile terminal to said gateway if said client terminal is verified by the second privacy check.