Mobile computing device geographic location determination
First Claim
1. A method of estimating a location of a mobile device that is accessing an IP-based network, the method comprising:
- receiving an identifier of an access point used by a mobile device to access an IP-based network;
receiving, from the mobile device over the IP-based network, an identifier of a cell tower proximate to the access point;
associating the access point identifier with the cell tower identifier;
storing the association between the access point identifier and the cell tower identifier; and
estimating a location of the mobile device based at least in part upon the stored cell tower identifier.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless connection between a mobile device and an IP-based wireless telecommunications network is established when the mobile device registers with a network controller (NC) through an access point (AP). When a geographical position is needed for the mobile device (e.g., a 911 call), messages are exchanged between the NC and a serving mobile location center (SMLC), where the SMLC retrieves information from a database that is used to identify the geographic position of the mobile device. The database can store a variety of information related to mobile devices such as: last known position, IP address, MAC address, a mobile or subscriber identifier (such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)), last CGI, etc. The geographical position is communicated back to the NC, which can then forward the position information to a switch for processing such as for 911 calls.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of estimating a location of a mobile device that is accessing an IP-based network, the method comprising:
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receiving an identifier of an access point used by a mobile device to access an IP-based network; receiving, from the mobile device over the IP-based network, an identifier of a cell tower proximate to the access point; associating the access point identifier with the cell tower identifier; storing the association between the access point identifier and the cell tower identifier; and estimating a location of the mobile device based at least in part upon the stored cell tower identifier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of estimating a location of a mobile device, the method comprising:
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receiving an identifier of an access point used by a mobile device to access an IP-based network; accessing a set of stored associations between the access point and one or more cell towers, the one or more cell towers identified by mobile devices that had previously utilized the access point to access the IP-based network, and selecting a cell tower that has a location that is believed proximate to the location of the access point; determining the location of the selected cell tower; and estimating a location of the mobile device based at least in part upon the determined location of the selected cell tower. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for estimating a location of a mobile device, the system comprising:
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means for receiving an identifier of an access point used by a mobile device to access an IP-based network; means for selecting a cell tower based at least in part upon the access point identifier, wherein the selected cell tower has a location that is proximate to a location of the access point; means for determining the location of the selected cell tower; and means for estimating a location of the mobile device based at least in part upon the determined location of the selected cell tower. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification