Determining geographical position in IPV6 networks

• US 7,995,997 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Virtanen, Kari, Vare, Jani
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai; Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh; Chuck
• Application Number:
  US12/024,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432, 455/404.2, 455/414.3, 455/432.2, 455/414.2, 709/230, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A computer-readable medium, device and system for responding to a request for a geographically-based service are provided. A request for a geographically-based service is received. The received request indicates that a geographical position of a target node and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position is requested. A requesting service message is formatted that is associated with a higher-layer protocol and includes an indicator indicating that the geographical position of the target node and the radius is requested. The requesting service message is merged in a first header of a requesting datagram which is sent to the target node. A reply datagram is received from the target node and a reply position message component is extracted from the received reply datagram. A reply position message component is extracted from a second header of the received reply datagram. The first geographical position of the target node and the radius from the extracted reply position message component is determined. A response to the received request is provided based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a geographically-based service, the received request indicating that a geographical position of a target node and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position is requested;

formatting a requesting service message that is associated with a higher-layer protocol, the requesting service message including an indicator indicating that the geographical position of the target node and the radius is requested;

merging the requesting service message in a first header of a requesting datagram;

sending the requesting datagram to the target node;

receiving a reply datagram from the target node;

extracting a reply position message component from a second header of the received reply datagram;

determining the geographical position of the target node and the radius from the extracted reply position message component; and

providing a response to the received request based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the computing device is within the service area of the geographically-based service based on the determined radius, the determined geographical position and a second geographical position of the computing device.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the requesting service message is selected from the group consisting of an echo request message and a position information request message.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the requesting service message comprises an extension header and an echo reply message.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein the extension header is selected from the group consisting of a destination option header and a hop-by-hop header.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the determined geographical position is selected from the group consisting of geographical coordinates and a physical location address.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising decrypting the reply position message component.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the requesting datagram further includes an authentication header.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the requesting datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification, and wherein the requesting service message comprises an Internet control message protocol version 6 informational message.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the reply datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the requesting datagram further includes a geographical position of the computing device.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the geographical position of the computing device is inserted in an extension header of the requesting datagram.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the geographical position of the computing device is inserted in a message body of the requesting service message.

14. A device comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request for a geographically-based service, the received request indicating that a geographical position of a target node and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position is requested;

format a requesting service message that is associated with a higher-layer protocol, the requesting service message including an indicator indicating that the geographical position of the target node and the radius is requested;

merge the requesting service message in a first header of a requesting datagram;

send the requesting datagram to the target node;

receive a reply datagram from the target node;

extract a reply position message component from a second header of the received reply datagram;

determine the geographical position of the target node and the radius from the extracted reply position message component; and

provide a response to the received request based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position; and

a communication interface operably coupled to the processor, the communication interface configured to send the requesting datagram and to receive the reply datagram.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the device is within the service area of the geographically-based service based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position and a second geographical position of the device.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the requesting service message is selected from the group consisting of an echo request message and a position information request message.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the requesting service message comprises an extension header and an echo reply message.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the extension header is selected from the group consisting of a destination option header and a hop-by-hop header.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the determined geographical position is selected from the group consisting of geographical coordinates and a physical location address.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to decrypt the reply position message component.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the requesting datagram further includes an authentication header.

22. The device of claim 14, wherein the requesting datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification, and wherein the requesting service message comprises an Internet control message protocol version 6 informational message.

23. The device of claim 14, wherein the reply datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification.

24. The device of claim 14, wherein the requesting datagram further includes a geographical position of the device.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the geographical position of the device is inserted in an extension header of the requesting datagram.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the geographical position of the device is inserted in a message body of the requesting service message.

27. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, case the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a datagram from a requesting node;

extracting a requesting service message that is associated with a higher-layer protocol from a first header of the received datagram, the requesting service message including an indicator indicating that the requesting node is requesting a geographical position of the computing device and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position of the computing device for supporting a geographically-based service;

determining the geographical position of the computing device;

formatting a response position message component that is associated with a higher-layer protocol, the response position message component containing the determined geographical position and the radius;

merging the response position message component in a second header of a response datagram; and

sending the response datagram to the requesting node.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise determining if the requesting node has permission to obtain the geographical position and the radius.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein determining the geographical position comprises obtaining the geographical position from a serving network.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein determining the geographical position comprises obtaining the geographical position from a user interface.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein determining the geographical position utilizes a time difference of arrival technique.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the received datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification, and wherein the response position message component comprises an Internet control message protocol version 6 (ICMPv6) informational message.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the determined geographical position is contained in the ICMPv6 informational message.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise encrypting the response position message component.

35. A device comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a datagram from a requesting node;

extract a requesting service message that is associated with a higher-layer protocol from a first header of the received datagram, the requesting service message including an indicator indicating that the requesting node is requesting a geographical position of the device and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position of the device for supporting a geographically-based service;

determine the geographical position of the device;

format a response position message component that is associated with a higher-layer protocol, the response position message component containing the determined geographical position and the radius;

merge the response position message component in a second header of a response datagram; and

send the response datagram to the requesting node; and

a communication interface operably coupled to the processor, the communication interface configured to receive the datagram and to send the response datagram.

36. The device of claim 35, further comprising determining if the requesting node has permission to obtain the geographical position and the radius.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein determining the geographical position comprises receiving the geographical position from a serving network.

38. The device of claim 35, wherein determining the geographical position comprises obtaining the geographical position from a user interface.

39. The device of claim 35, wherein determining the geographical position utilizes a time difference of arrival technique.

40. The device of claim 35, wherein the received datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification, and wherein the response position message component comprises an Internet control message protocol version 6 (ICMPv6) informational message.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the determined geographical position is contained in the ICMPv6 informational message.

42. The device of claim 35, wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the response position message component.

43. A system comprising:

a requesting device, the requesting device comprising

a first processor configured to;

receive a request for a geographically-based service, the received request indicating that a geographical position of a target device and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position is requested;

format a requesting service message that is associated with a higher-layer protocol, the requesting service message including an indicator indicating that the geographical position of the target device and the radius is requested;

merge the requesting service message in a first header of a requesting datagram;

send the requesting datagram to the target device;

receive a reply datagram from the target device;

extract a reply position message component from a second header of the received reply datagram;

determine the geographical position of the target device and the radius from the extracted reply position message component; and

provide a response to the received request based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position; and

a first communication interface operably coupled to the first processor, the first communication interface configured to send the requesting datagram and to receive the reply datagram; and

the target device comprising

a second processor configured to;

receive the requesting datagram from the requesting device;

extract the requesting service message from the first header of the received requesting datagram;

if the extracted requesting service message includes the indicator, determine the geographical position of the target device;

format the reply position message component, the reply position message component containing the determined geographical position and the radius;

merge the reply position message component in the second header of the reply datagram; and

send the reply datagram to the requesting device; and

a second communication interface operably coupled to the second processor, the second communication interface configured to receive the requesting datagram and to send the reply datagram.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the requesting datagram complies with an Internet Protocol version 6 specification, and wherein the response position message component comprises an Internet control message protocol version 6 (ICMPv6) informational message.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the determined geographical position is contained in the ICMPv6 informational message.