Application for automatic tracking of mobile devices for computer network processor systems

• US 7,548,753 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sannipoli, Charles J., Strole, Norman C., Millard, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/050,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20080311928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 455/457, 340/988, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• 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 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• 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 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and system is provided for tracking mobile devices combining packet processing technology with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. A central network system comprising a packet processing subsystem receives transmitted GPS location data from a mobile device transmitting GPS location data, wherein the packet processing subsystem uses a table access scheme to process the GPS location data and produce responsive mapping data, and the central network processing system compares the mapping data to a map and identifies a corresponding map location. Embodiments may also correlate device identification data, tracking table entries, and/or billing zone charges. In some embodiments a look-up key is built responsive to the GPS location data and used to identify map locations. The table access scheme may be a key hashing scheme and, in particular, a longest prefix match type scheme.

Claims

1. A network processing system, comprising:

a packet processing subsystem configured to receive transmitted GPS location packet format data and identification data from at least one mobile device, the subsystem comprising a network processor, at least one hardware assist coprocessor configured to accelerate networking functions associated with packet filtering and forwarding, at least one programmable protocol processor configured for customization of networking communication functions, an embedded memory configured for on-chip packet buffering and operational program storage, and at least one memory element comprising an X-Y coordinate table, a tracking table and a billing table;

wherein the network processor is configured to build a look-up key and retrieve X-Y coordinate data from the X-Y coordinate table with the look-up key through a table access scheme executed on the at least one hardware assist coprocessor, the at least one protocol processor and the embedded memory;

the network processor further configured to compare the retrieved X-Y coordinate data to a first map structure comprising a plurality of location zones, identify a first map location zone corresponding to the retrieved X-Y coordinate data and correlate the first map zone and the identification data into a tracking table entry in the tracking table; and

wherein the network processor is further configured to compare the first map location zone and the identification data with a plurality of billing zones within the billing table and produce a billing charge responsive to a correlation of the first map location zone with at least one of the billing zones.

2. The network processing system of claim 1 wherein the table access scheme is a key hashing scheme.

3. The network processing system of claim 2 wherein the table access scheme is a longest prefix type of match scheme.

4. The network processing system of claim 1 wherein the first map structure is a static look-up table.

5. The network processing system of claim 1 wherein the network processor is further configured to identify a second map location zone corresponding to second GPS location packet format data;

wherein the network processor is further configured to correlate the second map location zone with the identification data; and

wherein the network processor is further configured to write the second map location zone correlated to the identification data into a tracking table entry in the tracking table.

6. The network processing system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of location zones each define a common geographic area, and wherein the network processing system is further configured to resize the location zone common geographic area.

7. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program embodied in said medium, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a network processing system comprising a packet processing subsystem comprising a network processor, at least one hardware assist coprocessor configured to accelerate networking functions associated with packet filtering and forwarding, at least one programmable protocol processor configured for customization of networking communication functions, an embedded memory for on-chip packet buffering and operational program storage, and at least one memory element comprising an X-Y coordinate table, a tracking table and a billing table, causes the network processing system to:

build a look-up key with GPS location packet format data received from at least one mobile device;

retrieve X-Y coordinate data from an X-Y coordinate table with the look-up key through a network processor table access scheme executed on the at least one network processor hardware assist coprocessor, the at least one network processor protocol processor and the network processor embedded memory;

compare the X-Y coordinate data to a first map structure comprising a plurality of location zones and identify a first map location zone corresponding to the X-Y coordinate data;

correlate the first map location zone with identification data received from the at least one mobile device and write the first map location zone into a tracking table entry in the tracking table correlated to the identification data; and

compare the first map location zone and identification data with a plurality of billing zones within a billing table and produce a billing charge responsive to a correlation of the first map location zone with at least one of the billing zones.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7 wherein the network processing system is further caused to identify a second map location zone corresponding to second GPS location packet format data;

correlate the second map location zone with the identification data; and

write the second map location zone correlated to the identification data into a tracking table entry in the tracking table.