System and method for integration of wireless computer network in position determining technology

• US 7,647,055 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2003
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gum, Arnold J., Patrick, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/665,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20050064877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/561, 342/457, 342/357.09, 370/432, 715/774, 705/14, 380/270
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/09 providing processing capability normally carried out by the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A wireless communication device, known as a mobile station (MS), contains a conventional wireless communication system and further comprises a wireless computer network communication subsystem and may also include GPS capability. The operator of the MS may utilize any or all of these subsystems to determine the current position of the MS. Based on the current position of the MS, location-based services are provided to the MS as sales information, schedules, prices, maps, and the like. In a typical implementation a plurality of computer network access points, or beacons, are distributed throughout a geographic region and used to determine the position of the MS with a reasonably high degree of accuracy. Based on the current position of the MS, the beacons can provide location-based services.

Claims

1. A position determination system comprising:

a wireless computer network transceiver configured to communicate with a network wireless access point, the transceiver receiving data from the access point;

a position determining entity to determine a position of the mobile communication device based on the data received from the access point;

a display to display non position information data based on the determined position; and

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver to receive data from a plurality of GPS satellites, and wherein the position determining entity is configured to determine the position of the mobile communication device based on the data received from the access point and the data received from the GPS satellites by generating a weighted combination of the data received from the GPS satellites and data from the wireless access point.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless computer network transceiver and the display are incorporated into mobile communication device and the position determining entity is located remote from mobile communication device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless computer network transceiver is configured for operation in accordance with IEEE 802.11 wireless network standards.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the displayed data based on the determined position further comprises position information.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the position information is an address.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein position data related to a position of the wireless access point is stored in a management information base as part of the wireless access point, the displayed data based on the determined position being the position data of the wireless access point.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the position data comprises at least one of location data and an address of the wireless access point.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the position data further comprises a predicted range of the wireless access point.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein position data related to a position of the wireless access point is determined by a remote position determining entity, the displayed data based on position data of the wireless access point as determined by the remote position determining entity.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the non position information is information related to a store located proximate the determined position of the mobile communication device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the transceiver communicates a request to the wireless access point for non position information based on the determined position of the mobile communication device.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the non position information comprises a merchant identification associated with the wireless access point.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the transceiver communicates a request to the wireless access point for at least one of sales information and assistance in a store located proximate the determined position of the mobile communication device.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless telephone receiver to receive communication signals from a base transceiver station, the position determining entity using the communication signals from the base transceiver station to determine the position of the mobile communication device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the position determining entity generates a weighted combination of the communication signals from the base transceiver station and data from the wireless access point to determine the position of the mobile communication device.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the wireless telephone receiver is configured for code division multiple access (CDMA) operation and the communication signals from a base transceiver station are CDMA pilot signals.

17. A position determination system comprising:

a global positioning system (OPS) receiver to receive data from a plurality of GPS satellites;

a wireless telephone receiver to receive communication signals from a base transceiver station;

a wireless computer network transceiver configured to communicate with a network wireless access point, the transceiver receiving data from the access point; and

a position determining entity to determine a position of a mobile communication device based on

the data received from the OPS satellites, if available with an acceptable error range,

the communication signals from the base transceiver station, if available with an acceptable error range, and

the data received from the network wireless access point.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the position determining entity generates a weighted combination of at least two position data sources comprising data received from the GPS satellites, the communication signals from the base transceiver station, and the data received from the network wireless access point.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the weighted combination of the at least two position data sources is based on predicted accuracy of the position data sources.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the wireless computer network transceiver is configured for operation in accordance with IEEE 802.11 wireless network standards.

21. The system of claim 17 further comprising a display to display non position information data based on the determined position wherein the displayed data based on the determined position is position information.

22. The system of claim 17 further comprising a display to display non position information data based on the determined position wherein the displayed data based on the determined position is non position information.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the transceiver communicates a request to the wireless access point for non position information based on the determined position of the mobile communication device.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the wireless telephone receiver is configured for code division multiple access (CDMA) operation and the communication signals from a base transceiver station are CDMA pilot signals.

25. The system of claim 17 wherein the GPS receiver, the wireless telephone receiver and the wireless computer network transceiver are incorporated into the mobile communication device and the position determining entity is remote from the mobile communication device.

26. A mobile device comprising:

means for communicating with a computer network wireless access point and for receiving data from the access point;

means for determining a position of the mobile device based on the data received from the access point;

means for displaying non position information based on the determined position; and

means for receiving data from a plurality of GPS satellites, and wherein the means for determining the position of the mobile device comprises means for determining the position of the mobile communication device based on the data received from the access point and the data received from the GPS satellites by generating a weighted combination of the data received from the GPS satellites and data from the wireless access point.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein means for communicating with the computer network wireless access point is configured for operation in accordance with IEEE 802.11 wireless network standards.

28. The device of claim 26 wherein the displayed data based on the determined position further comprises position information.

29. The device of claim 26 wherein the non position information comprises information related to a store located proximate the determined position of the mobile device.

30. The device of claim 26 wherein the means for communicating with the computer network wireless access point communicates a request to the wireless access point for non position information based on the determined position of the mobile device.

31. The device of claim 26, further comprising means for receiving communication signals from a wireless telephone system base transceiver station, the means for determining the position of the mobile device using the communication signals from the base transceiver station to determine the position of the mobile device.

32. The device of claim 31 wherein the means for determining the position of the mobile device generates a weighted combination of the communication signals from the base transceiver station and the data received from the access point to determine the position of the mobile device.