Location system

• US 7,996,016 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US12/724,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20100173649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/457, 455/404.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A location system comprises a communication terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal and a type of location information, and a location network. In response to the location request, the location network produces current location information of the target mobile terminal if the type of location information of the received request specifies current location information and transmits the current location information to the communication terminal and stores the last known location information in a memory as last known location information of the target mobile terminal. If the type of location information specifies last known location information, stored last known location information of the target mobile terminal is copied from the memory and transmitted to the communication terminal if the location request is verified by a privacy check and if the stored information is reusable.

Claims

1. A location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, comprising:

a client terminal which transmits a location request of the target mobile terminal, and requested accuracy and requested allowable age;

a positioning system which produces location information of the target mobile terminal; and

a gateway which transmits the location request to said positioning system and stores previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal,

wherein the gateway performs a first privacy check for verifying the location request by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, performs a reusability check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age, and if the reusability check is affirmative, then performs a second privacy check on the stored, previously obtained, location information by referring to information specified in the location request based on the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system, in order to decide whether said gateway can transmit the stored, previously obtained, location information to the client terminal.

2. The location service system of claim 1, wherein said gateway transmits a notification message to said target mobile terminal if the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal indicates that the notification message is to be sent to said target mobile terminal in the first privacy check.

3. The location service system of claim 2, wherein said notification message includes a verification request and said gateway receives a verification report from the target mobile terminal to determine if the verification report allows said stored, previously obtained, location information to be forwarded to said client terminal.

4. A location method of a location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, wherein a positioning system for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a request from a gateway is provided, the method comprising:

transmitting, at a client terminal, a location request of the target mobile terminal, requested accuracy and requested allowable age;

performing, at the gateway which stores previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, a first privacy check for verifying the location request from the client terminal by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;

performing, at the gateway, a reusability check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age; and

performing, at the gateway, a second privacy check on said stored, previously obtained, location information by referring to information specified in the verified location request in order to decide whether the gateway can transmit the stored, previously obtained, location information to the client terminal without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system if said reusability check is affirmative.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the performing of the second privacy check comprises the step of transmitting a notification message to said target mobile terminal if the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal indicates that the notification message is to be sent to the target mobile terminal in the first privacy check.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of transmitting the notification message to said target mobile terminal includes:

transmitting a verification message to said target mobile terminal;

receiving a verification report from the target mobile terminal; and

determining if the verification report allows said stored, previously obtained, location information to be forwarded to said client terminal.

7. A gateway of a location service system, wherein a positioning system for producing location information of a target mobile terminal is provided for locating the target mobile terminal, the gateway comprising:

storage means for storing previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal from the positioning system and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;

first privacy check means for verifying a location request of the target mobile terminal, requested accuracy, and requested allowable age from a client terminal by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal stored in the storage means;

reusability check means for determining if the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age; and

second privacy check means for performing a second privacy check, if the reusability check is affirmative, on said stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means, without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system, in order to decide whether the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means can be transmitted to the client terminal.

8. The gateway of claim 7, wherein said gateway further comprises notification means for transmitting a notification message to said target mobile terminal if the first privacy check means has detected, in the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, that the notification message is to be transmitted to the target mobile terminal.

9. The gateway of claim 8, wherein said notification message includes a verification request, and said notification means receives a verification report from the target mobile terminal and determines if the verification report allows the stored, previously obtained, location information to be forwarded to the client terminal.

10. A gateway of a location service system, wherein a positioning system for producing location information of a target mobile terminal is provided for locating the target mobile terminal, the gateway comprising:

a storage unit that stores previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal from the positioning system and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;

a first privacy check unit that verifies a location request of the target mobile terminal, requested accuracy, and requested allowable age from a client terminal by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal stored in the storage unit;

a reusability check unit that determines if the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age; and

a second privacy check unit that performs a second privacy check, if the reusability check is affirmative, on said stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage unit, without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system, in order to decide whether the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage unit can be transmitted to the client terminal.