Method of transmitting cellular telephone location data

• US 7,751,831 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Sambin, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/505,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20060276203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/418, 455/432.1, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/436, 4554561-457, 455/466, 370/310.2, 370/312, 370/328, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In cellular telephony mobile equipment location-based services data transmission an application carries out measures on Base Transceiver Stations or associated cells by detecting, storing and transmitting respective information to a remote Service Center by means of messages, and a processing system, applying calculation procedures and a Base Transceiver Stations geographic position database, computes data associated with the location-based services. In the application at least one message is generated containing a set of data in compressed format, the set of data being selected from a set comprising specific data on each single message, specific data on the message set, specific data on measurements and specific data on the cells monitored by the mobile equipment. The dimensions of the specific data on the measurements generated in compressed format depend on results of the measurements made at a current instant and those obtained at an earlier time.

Claims

1. A method for cellular telephony mobile equipment location-based services data transmission in which an application carries out measures on Base Transceiver Stations or associated cells by detecting, storing and transmitting respective information to a remote Service Center by means of messages, where a processing system, applying calculation procedures and a Base Transceiver Stations geographic position database, computes data associated with the location-based services, the method comprising the steps of:

generating in the application at least one message containing a set of data in compressed format, the set of data being selected from a set comprising specific data on each single message, specific data on the message set, specific data on measurements and specific data on the cells monitored by the mobile equipment wherein the dimensions of the specific data on the measurements generated in compressed format depend on results of the measurements made at a current instant and those obtained at an earlier time,

wherein the data in compressed format comprise, for each measurement;

data representing an intensity of a signal of the serving cell associated with the mobile equipment;

a label indicating which data pertaining to the serving cell, among a serving cell identifier, a local area code, a mobile country code and a mobile network code, have changed with respect to a previous measurement; and

a number of monitored neighboring cells associated with the mobile equipment,

wherein whenever a new measurement is made, the application checks which data of the serving cell, among the serving cell identifier, the local area code, the mobile country code and the mobile network code, have changed with respect to the previous measurement and consequently sets the label, adding only the corresponding data which have changed to the body of the message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of

checking what data have changed in the results obtained at a current instant with respect to the results obtained at an earlier time, and

adding to the message only the data that have changed.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data in compressed format comprise for each message:

a current message order number; and

a total number of messages dedicated to location-based services data transmission.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data in compressed format comprise, in the message body:

data dedicated to specific services; and

/or a number of the measurements.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data in compressed format comprise, for each measurement:

the mobile country code and the mobile network code, if the label is higher than a first value;

the local area code, if the label is higher than a second value; and

the serving cell identifier, if the label is higher than a third value.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data in compressed format comprise, for each neighboring cell:

a relative intensity of the signal computed on the basis of a previous measurement;

a cache index of a channel order number-identification code pair in a memory table;

the channel order number and the identification code, if the cache index has a first binary value; and

an absolute intensity of the signal, if the relative signal intensity has a second binary value.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one message containing a set of data in compressed format is an SMS-type message.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the application is installed on the mobile equipment or on a SIM card contained in the mobile equipment.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the processing system informs the mobile equipment of the geographic position, if required.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data in compressed format comprise service-specific data dedicated to a specific service.