Method and device for providing the location of a mobile station

• US 8,190,171 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Selgert, Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US12/086,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455/404.2, 455/440, 455/411
• 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 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution for providing the location of a mobile device connected to a first mobile network to a second mobile network. A mobile device receives information about the geographic location of the base stations in its neighborhood. Based on the identity of the base station the device is connected to the device can determine its geographic location and provide that to the second mobile network.

Claims

1. A method for providing the geographic location of a mobile device in a first cellular communication network to a second cellular communication network, based on the geographic location of the base station of said first network to which said mobile device is currently connected, comprising the steps of:

said first network providing encrypted geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network to said mobile device;

said first network providing the identity of the base station to which said mobile device is currently connected to said mobile device and information necessary to decrypt said encrypted geographic location information to said second network;

said mobile device determining the geographic location of the base station to which said mobile device is currently connected;

said mobile device providing said encrypted geographic location information of the base station to which said mobile device is connected to said second network, and said second network decrypting said encrypted geographic location information using said information necessary to decrypt.

2. The method according to claim 1 whereby said geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network provided to the mobile device is updated regularly while the mobile device is moving within said first network.

3. The method according to claim 1 whereby the geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network comprises the Cell-ID of the base station and the x,y coordinates indicating said geographic location.

4. The method according to claim 1 whereby the geographic location information of the base station to which said mobile device is connected also comprises the value of the Timing Advance (TA) or the Observed Time Difference (OTD).

5. The method according to claim 1 whereby the geographic location information of the base station to which said mobile device is connected is provided to the second network in a standard update location procedure.

6. A mobile device for providing its geographic location in a first cellular communication network to a second cellular communication network, said first network providing an encrypted geographic location of the base station of said first network to which said mobile device is currently connected and providing information necessary to decrypt said encrypted geographic information to said second network, the device comprising:

means for receiving and storing said encrypted geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network;

means for receiving from said first network the identity of the base station to which said mobile device is currently connected;

means for determining the geographic location of the base station to which said mobile device is currently connected;

means for providing said encrypted geographic location information of the base station to which said mobile device is connected to said second network.

7. The device according to claim 6 whereby said geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network provided is updated regularly while said device is moving within the first network.

8. The device according to claim 6 whereby the geographic location information with regard to at least one of the base stations of said first network comprises the Cell-ID of the base station and the x,y coordinates indicating said location.

9. The device according to claim 6 whereby the geographic location information of the base station to which said device is connected also comprises the value of the Timing Advance (TA) or the Observed Time Difference (OTD).