Providing location information of a user equipment

• US 7,532,894 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NorthStar Systems LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Vacker, Marjatta, Pekonen, Johanna, Rantalainen, Timo, Kall, Jan, Muhonen, Ahti
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne D
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, PIERRE LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US10/110,661
• Time in Patent Office: 3,135 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.4, 455/426.1, 455/456.6, 455/456.5, 455/428, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/552.1, 455/446, 455/449, 455/458, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

The present invention relates to provision of a location service. The location service is arranged to receive geographical location information associated with a user equipment of the communication system. In the method geographical location information associated with the user equipment is stored at a first location register of the communication system and processed in a predefined manner. A check is made whether geographical location information has or has not been transported from the first location register to a second location register. If the Information has not been transported, the processed geographical location information is transported from the first location register to the second location register.

Claims

1. A method in a communication system for providing a location service with geographical location information associated with a user equipment capable of communicating with the communication system, the method comprising:

(a) storing geographical location information associated with a user equipment at a first location register of a communication system;

(b) checking an indicator stored in the first location register, at the end of a monitoring period, to determine if the geographical location information was transmitted from the first location register to a second location register during the monitoring period, wherein the end of the monitoring period is determined using a timer;

(c) if the geographical location information was not transmitted from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period, transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register at the end of the monitoring period;

(d) after transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register in (c), resetting the timer; and

(e) repeating (b)-(d).

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising (e) transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register after a predefined change in the operation status of the user equipment or the communication system.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising (e) determining if a transmission between the first location register and the second location register includes the geographical location information.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the transmission comprises a purge message from the first location register to the second location register.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising attaching information to the geographical location information that the user equipment is non-reachable.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the non-reachable information is indicated by a flag.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising (e) transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register after a request from a location service to receive geographical location information during the monitoring period.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising (e) transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register after establishment of a call connection from or to the user equipment during the monitoring period.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the geographical location information includes a timestamp.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the geographical location information at the second location register;

verifying whether the received geographical location information is more recent than geographical location information stored in the second location register; and

if the received information is more recent, updating the geographical location information stored in the second location register.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

requesting geographical location information associated with the user equipment from the second location register; and

transmitting the requested geographical location information from the second location register to a location service as a response to the request.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stored geographical location information comprises results of successive measurements associated with the geographical location of the user equipment.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising deleting at least some of the stored geographical location information.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the deleting is accomplished as a function of time such that the remaining geographical location information comprises proportionally more recent results than older results.

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising compressing the stored geographical location information.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a cellular telecommunications network and the first location register comprises a visited location register associated with a visited area of the communication system.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user equipment is permanently registered with the second location register and temporarily registered with the first location register.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second location register comprises a home location register of the communication system.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second location register comprises a register functionality of a location service.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein said user equipment comprises a mobile station.

21. A method according to claim 1, further comprising (e) transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register after attachment or deattachment of the identity of the user equipment during the monitoring period.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein different information provision parameters may be associated with different user equipment of the communication system.

23. A method according to claim 1, further comprising changing an information provision parameter of the user equipment.

24. The method of claim 2, further comprising resetting the timer after transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register in (e).

25. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting an indicator to indicate transmission of the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period.

26. The method of claim 3, further comprising resetting the timer after transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register in (e).

27. The method of claim 3, further comprising setting an indicator to indicate transmission of the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching off the timer if the user equipment is switched off.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising before (c), determining if the geographical location information has changed, and if the geographical location information has not changed, resetting the timer without transmitting the geographical location information and repeating (b)-(d).

30. A communication system, comprising:

a first location register, wherein the first location register is configured to store geographical location information associated with a user equipment of the communication system;

a second location register configured to receive the geographical location information from the first location register; and

a controller configured (a) to check an indicator stored in the first location register, at the end of a monitoring period, to determine if the geographical location information was transmitted from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period, wherein the end of the monitoring period is determined using a timer;

(b) to initiate the transmission of the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register if the geographical location information was not transmitted from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period;

(c) to reset the timer after transmitting the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register in (b); and

(d) to repeat (a)-(c).

31. A communications system according to claim 30, wherein the controller is further configured to set an indicator to indicate transmission of the geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register during the monitoring period after one or more of the following events:

a transmission of a message including geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register, a predefined type of transmission from the first location register to the second location register, a predefined change in the operational status of the user equipment, a predefined change in the operational status of the communication system, attachment or deattachment of the identity of the user equipment, a request by a location service to receive geographical location information, and a call to or from the user equipment.

32. A communications system according to claim 30, further comprising a location information server configured to request location information associated with the user equipment.

33. A communications system according to claim 30, wherein the communications system comprises a cellular communications network, the user equipment comprises a mobile station and the first location register comprises a visited location register associated with a visited area of the communication system, said user equipment being temporarily registered with said first location register.

34. A communications system according to claim 32, wherein the location information server comprises the second location register.

35. A communications system according to claim 30, wherein the second location register comprises a home location register of the communication system, said user equipment being permanently registered with the second location register.

36. A communications system according to claim 30, further comprising the user equipment wherein the user equipment is configured to determine its location and to transmit the location information to another element of the communication system.

37. A communications system according to claim 30, wherein the controller is further configured to delete a portion of the geographical location information stored at the first location register and/or the second location register.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller is implemented at the first location register.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller is implemented at the second location register.

40. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller is further configured to reset the timer after one or more of the following events:

a transmission of a message including geographical location information from the first location register to the second location register, a predefined type of transmission from the first location register to the second location register, a predefined change in the operational status of the user equipment, a predefined change in the operational status of the communication system, attachment or deattachment of the identity of the user equipment, a request by a location service to receive geographical location information, and a call to or from the user equipment.