Locating a mobile station and applications therefor

• US 7,812,766 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FineTrak, LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Original Assignee: TracBeam LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Inventors: Leblanc, Frederick W., Dupray, Dennis J., Karr, Charles L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US11/069,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450, 342/451, 342/453, 342/456, 342/457, 342/463, 342/357.06, 342/357.13, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 701/207, 701/208
• US Class Current: 342/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/028 Simulation means, e.g. of beacon signals therefor for teaching or training purposes G09B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/045 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0257 Hybrid positioning by coordinating position lines of different shape G01S5/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A location system is disclosed for wireless telecommunication infrastructures. The system is an end-to-end solution having one or more location systems for outputting requested locations of hand sets or mobile stations (MS) based on, e.g., AMPS, NAMPS, CDMA or TDMA communication standards, for processing both local mobile station location requests and more global mobile station location requests via, e.g., Internet communication between a distributed network of location systems. The system uses a plurality of mobile station locating technologies including those based on: (1) two-way TOA and TDOA; (2) home base stations and (3) distributed antenna provisioning. Further, the system can be modularly configured for use in location signaling environments ranging from urban, dense urban, suburban, rural, mountain to low traffic or isolated roadways. The system is useful for 911 emergency calls, tracking, routing, people and animal location including applications for confinement to and exclusion from certain areas.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a wireless mobile unit and a communication device closer together, wherein there is a network having a plurality of geographically spaced apart stationary network access units for at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals with the mobile unit comprising:

(a) receiving a request via a wireless communication with the mobile unit, wherein the request is for at least one of locating and contacting at least one of one or more mobile entities, wherein there is pre-existing information associated in a predetermined data storage with information for a user of the mobile unit, the pre-existing information including for each of the one or more mobile entities, data identifying the mobile entity or identifying a corresponding communication device therefor;

(b) obtaining, from computational machinery, a location for the mobile unit, the location determined using measurements of wireless signals received from one of;

the mobile unit and at least one of the network access units;

(c) accessing the pre-existing information from the predetermined data storage for thereby obtaining identification data for an item (ITM), the ITM being one of;

the one or more mobile entities, or the corresponding communication device therefor, wherein ITM is to be provided with data related to the location of the mobile unit;

(d) obtaining a location for the corresponding communication device for one of the mobile entities (ME) by issuing a request to the network to locate the corresponding communication device for the mobile entity ME; and

(e) when the one mobile entity ME or the corresponding communication device therefor is also the item ITM, a step of determining at least one navigational direction for moving the user and the mobile entity ME nearer to one another, the step of determining using the location of the mobile unit and the location for the corresponding communication device for ME.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received request is for locating one or more persons having contact information accessible from the pre-existing information, said item ITM being one of the persons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the one communication device is determined using measurements of wireless signals received from one of:

the one communication device and the access points of the network, and further including a step of outputting the at least one navigational direction to the item ITM wirelessly via the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of outputting includes transmitting the at least one navigational direction on the Internet.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of outputting includes transmitting the at least one navigational direction via a short message service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step (a) includes receiving the request at an Internet site.

7. The method of claim 1, further including selecting the mobile entity ME as the item ITM for providing thereto the data related to the location of the user thereto, wherein the selection is based on a proximity of the determined mobile entity ME to the mobile unit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the item ITM is a person, and said step of selecting includes determining an authorization for the person to obtain the data related to the location of the mobile unit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one navigational direction includes a route between the user and the item ITM for bringing the user and the item ITM together.

10. The method of claim 1, further including a step of determining the location for at least one of:

the mobile unit and the item ITM by performing a step of adjusting a confidence value for at least one location estimate for at least one of;

the mobile unit and the item ITM;

wherein values for at least some of the following factors are used in adjusting the confidence value;

(a) how closely the at least one location estimate matches a predetermined road, (b) how likely an estimated velocity for the at least one of;

the mobile unit and the item ITM is for a geographical area having the at least one location estimate;

(c) how closely the at least one location estimate corresponds to a different estimate for locating the at least one of;

the mobile unit and the one item ITM; and

(d) how closely the at least one location estimate corresponds to an extrapolated location estimate of the at least one of;

the mobile unit and the item ITM.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one communication device for ME is a wireless mobile unit, and said step (d) of obtaining includes requesting a wireless location of the corresponding communication device for the mobile entity ME.

12. The method of claim 1, further including establishing a call between the user and the item ITM.

13. The method of claim 1, further including establishing a conference call related to the request of step (a) between the user and a plurality of other persons, the other persons identified by the mobile entities identified by the pre-existing information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the item ITM is a person, and further including a step of authorizing the person to receive the at least one navigational direction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the corresponding communication device, for the mobile entity ME, is obtained using measurements of wireless signals received from the corresponding communication device for the mobile entity ME via the network access units.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the item ITM is a person, and the person receives the at least one navigational direction audibly.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the item ITM is a person, and by following the at least one navigational direction, the person arrives at a location of the user.

18. A method for providing a navigational service between multiple mobile devices, and one or more networks of wireless stationary access units for communicating with the mobile devices, comprising:

storing information related to users for the navigational service;

communicating with the networks, wherein the navigational service is configured to;

(a) receive a command via one of the access units, wherein the command is from one of the mobile devices of one of the users, the command for at least one of contacting or locating at least one mobile entity able to communicate with the access points via a corresponding one of the mobile devices for the mobile entity, wherein there is pre-existing data associated in a predetermined data storage with the user of the one mobile device for identifying one or more mobile entities, including the at least one mobile entity;

(b) provide a request to a location determining service for determining a location of one of the mobile entities or corresponding mobile devices therefor, wherein the one mobile entity is identified as being authorized to be provided with data (D) related to a location of the user, the data D determined by the location determining service in responding to the request;

(c) request a location of the one mobile device; and

(d) request at least one navigational direction for moving the one user and the one mobile entity nearer to one another using a result from the step (b), and a result from the step (c).

19. The method of claim 18, wherein outputting the at least one navigational direction to the at least one mobile entity which is a person.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the at least one mobile entity is a person, or includes a wireless mobile station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the location determining service includes a plurality of Internet accessible sites distributed on the Internet so that various location estimates are determined by the location service at geographically spaced apart ones of the plurality of Internet sites.

22. The method of claim 18, further including a step of determining that the one mobile entity is nearer for reaching the one user than another of the mobile entities.

23. The method of claim 18, further including a step of activating a conference call between the one mobile entity, the one user, and another of the mobile entities.

24. The method of claim 18, further including initiating a process for providing the one mobile entity with the at least one navigational direction, wherein the at least one navigational direction includes directions from a location for the one mobile entity to a location of the one user.

25. An apparatus for navigating a wireless mobile unit and a mobile communication device closer together, comprising:

a network service accessible via a network having a plurality of geographically spaced apart stationary network access units for at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals with the mobile unit;

a predetermined data storage accessible by the network service, the data storage for storing information associated with a user of the mobile unit, the information including for each of one or more entities, corresponding data for identifying the entity or for identifying a corresponding mobile communication device therefor, the corresponding mobile communication device for performing wireless communications;

wherein the network service is configured to;

(a) receive a request via a wireless communication between the mobile unit and the network, wherein the request is for at least one of contacting and locating one of the entities;

(b) obtain a location for the mobile unit, the location determined using a wireless location process for locating the mobile unit wirelessly, the process performed by computational machinery;

(c) determine, using the information of the data storage, an item (ITM), the ITM being one of;

the one or more entities, or the corresponding communication device therefor, wherein ITM is to be provided with data related to the location of the mobile unit;

(d) obtain a location for the corresponding communication device for one of the entities (ME) by issuing a request to locate the corresponding communication device for the one entity ME; and

(e) when the one entity ME or the corresponding communication device therefor is also the item ITM, determine at least one navigational direction for moving the user and the one entity ME nearer to one another, wherein the at least one navigational direction is determined using the location of the mobile unit and the location for the corresponding communication device for the one entity ME.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the communication device for the one entity ME includes a wireless mobile station, wherein the location of (d) is determined by computational machinery that performs a wireless location process that locates the wireless mobile station wirelessly.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the information of the predetermined data storage includes data for selectively identifying the one entity ME as being allowed to receive data related to the user.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the network service initiates a process, performed by computational machinery, for providing the one entity ME with the at least one navigational direction, wherein the at least one navigational direction includes directions from a location for the one entity ME to a location of the user.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the network service determines that the one entity ME is nearer for reaching the user than another of the entities.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the network service activates a conference call between the one entity ME, the one user, and another of the entities.