Location caching with expiration based on location

• US 7,970,415 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mikan, Jeffrey Clinton, Cenciarelli, Fulvio, McNamara, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy; Anthony S
• Application Number:
  US11/953,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20080090589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A system for locating a device in a wireless network that caches a known location and sets an expiration time based on the location. The system correlates the location with known places, such as movie theaters, restaurants, etc. to set the expiration time. For example, if a device was known to be at a movie theater, the expiration time would be set to a longer period of time. However, if the device was determined to be in a moving location, the expiration time would be set to a shorter period of time. The system also includes a mechanism to query the cached location based on a current time of the query and a granularity variable the accounts for a geographic area in which the device is located. The system also accounts for special locations where the mobile device will likely not be moving for long periods of time, or locations where the mobile device may move great distances between determinations of actual location.

Claims

1. A position engine for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:

a cached location database, said cached location database containing information regarding a cached location of said mobile device, said cached location having been previously determined by said position engine; and

a processor operatively connected to said cached location database for receiving and processing a query for a present location of said mobile device, said query for said present location having a granularity associated therewith, said granularity representing a size of a geographic area associated with said present location of said mobile device;

said granularity having a granularity variable associated therewith, said granularity variable representing a time required to leave the geographic area associated with said granularity;

said position engine being configured to use said granularity variable to adjust a time of said query for said present location of said mobile device to determine whether a time during which said cached location can be returned in response to said query has expired;

wherein said position engine is configured to determine, before adjusting said time of said query using said granularity variable, whether said cached location of said mobile device is a special location from which the mobile device will either likely not be moving for a long period of time or will likely be moving a great distance between subsequent queries of actual location.

2. The position engine of claim 1, configured to subtract said granularity variable from said time of said query to determine whether said time during which said cached location can be returned has expired.

3. The position engine of claim 2, further configured to determine a present location of said mobile device and return said present location in response to said query if said time during which said previously determined location can be returned has expired.

4. The position engine of claim 1, wherein determination of whether said previously determined location of said mobile device is a special location is made if said time during which said previously determined location can be returned in response to said query has not expired.

5. The position engine of claim 4, further configured to determine whether a restriction exists on a validity of said previously determined location as a response to said query if said previously determined location is a special location.

6. A position engine for determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:

a cached location database, said cached location database containing information regarding a cached location of said mobile device, said cached location having been previously determined by said position engine; and

a processor operatively connected to said cached location database for receiving and processing a query for a present location of said mobile device, said present location having a granularity associated therewith, said granularity representing a size of a geographic area associated with said present location of said mobile device;

said granularity having a granularity variable associated therewith, said granularity variable representing a time required to leave the geographic area associated with said granularity;

said position engine configured to subtract said granularity variable from a time of said query for said present location of said mobile device to determine whether said cached location can be returned in response to said query;

said position engine configured to determine, before subtracting said granularity variable from said time of said query, whether said cached location of said mobile device is a special location from which the mobile device will either likely not be moving for a long period of time or will likely be moving a great distance between subsequent queries of actual location.

7. The position engine of claim 6, further wherein said position engine determines whether a granularity restriction is associated with said special location.

8. The position engine of claim 7, wherein said granularity restriction prevents use of said cached location as a return value for said query of said present location of said mobile device.

9. The position engine of claim 6, further wherein said position engine determines a current location of said mobile device in response to said query if said cached location cannot be returned in response to said query.

10. The position engine of claim 6, further wherein said position engine returns said current location in response to said query and updates said cached location in said memory to said current location.

11. The position engine of claim 6, wherein said position engine further determines whether said special location is a moving location.

12. The position engine of claim 11, wherein said position engine further determines whether movement information associated with said moving location is available, said position engine using said movement information in determining a current location of said mobile device.

13. The position engine of claim 12, wherein said movement information includes information regarding a speed of said moving location.

14. The position engine of claim 12, wherein said movement information includes information regarding at least one of traffic and transit information associated with said moving location.

15. A location cache for use in determining a location of a mobile device, comprising:

a first memory including a location cache containing information regarding a cached location of said mobile device, said first memory further containing information regarding a cached location time at which said cached location was determined;

said location cache being updated with an actual location of said mobile device in response to a query for a current location of said mobile device if said cached location has expired, said expiration being based on said cached location time, a granularity of a geographic area associated with said queried location, and a granularity variable, said granularity variable representing a time required to travel from said cached location to an outer boundary of said geographic area;

said location cache including information regarding a special location from which the mobile device will either likely not be moving for a long period of time or will likely be moving a great distance between subsequent queries of actual location; and

wherein said granularity variable is subtracted from a time of said query for said current location of said mobile device to determine an adjusted time of said query.

16. The location cache of claim 15, wherein said cached location expires if said adjusted time is greater than said cached location time.

17. The location cache of claim 15, said location cache being operatively connected to a position determining engine, wherein location cache obtains information of said actual location of said mobile device from said position determining engine.

18. The location cache of claim 17, wherein said location cache obtains said actual location of said mobile device from said position determining engine if said cached location has expired, said cached location expiring if said adjusted time is greater than said cached location time.