Location service based secure user plane location

• US 8,369,868 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Jae-Hyuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/523,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20100015998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

An IP connection is released when a SUPL-based periodic triggered service starts, so as to prevent consumption of network resources. After releasing the IP connection, if a location is measured thereby to generate location information, only the fact that the location has been measured is notified to a requester, and the requester is allowed to receive the location information only when a secure transmission is ensured after the notification, thereby avoiding the location information from being exposed externally.

Claims

1. A method for performing a location service based upon a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), the method performed by a terminal including a SUPL agent and the method comprising:

receiving, by the SUPL agent of the terminal which requests a location of a target SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), a response message from a server via a previously established secure IP connection and a session with the server, the response message indicating that a requested location service for the target SET is started;

releasing, by the SUPL agent of the terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, the secure IP connection with the server but maintaining the session in response to the reception of the response message;

receiving, by the SUPL agent of the terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, one or more report messages from the server, the report message indicating only that the location of the target SET has been measured; and

obtaining, by the SUPL agent of the terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, location information related to the target SET from the server after respectively receiving the one or more report messages,

wherein the obtaining of the location information includes;

reestablishing, by the SUPL agent of the terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, the secure IP connection with the server in response to the reception of the report message; and

receiving, by the SUPL agent of the terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, the location information on the target SET via the reestablished secure IP connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is a SUPL RESPONSE message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message comprises at least one of:

a parameter indicating an ID of the session; and

location information previously measured for the target SET.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the report messages are received via WAP PUSH, SMS, UDP/IP or TCP/IP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the report messages comprise at least one of:

a parameter indicating an ID of the session; and

a parameter indicating the number of times for measuring the location of the target SET.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a location information request message to the server via the reestablished IP connection.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising releasing the reestablished IP connection after receiving the location information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the server a report message indicating that the final location of the target SET has been measured;

reestablishing the IP connection with the server in response to the reception of the report message; and

receiving the final location information related to the target SET via the reestablished IP connection.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending an end message to the server to inform the termination of the location service for the target SET.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving an end message from the server via the reestablished IP connection, the end message indicating the termination of the location service for the target SET.

11. A method for providing a location service based upon a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL), the method comprising:

establishing a secure IP connection and a session with a source terminal including a SUPL agent which is intended to request a location of a target SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET);

receiving from the source terminal a session start message including a location service request for the target SET;

sending a response message to the source terminal to inform that the requested service started;

releasing, by a server, the secure IP connection with the source terminal that has requested the location of the target SET and maintaining the session established with the source terminal;

sending a report message to the source terminal that has requested the location of the target SET, the report message indicating only that the location of the target SET has been measured;

reestablishing the secure IP connection with the source terminal that has requested the location of the target SET after sending the report message; and

sending location information related to the target SET to the source terminal via the reestablished secure IP connection.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending an end message to the source terminal via the reestablished IP connection to inform the termination of the location service for the target SET.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the end message from the source terminal via the reestablished IP connection, the end message indicating the termination of the location service for the target SET.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the location information is sent to the source terminal by being included in the end message indicating the termination of the location service for the target SET.

15. A terminal comprising:

a controller including a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) agent and configured to perform steps of;

receiving, by the SUPL agent which requests a location of a target SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), a response message from a server via a previously established secure IP connection and a session with the server, the response message indicating that a requested location service for the target SET is started;

releasing, by the SUPL agent that has requested the location of the target SET, the secure IP connection with the server but maintaining the session in response to the reception of the response message;

receiving, by the SUPL agent that has requested the location of the target SET, one or more report messages from the server, the report message indicating only that the location of the target SET has been measured; and

obtaining, by the SUPL agent, location information related to the target SET from the server after respectively receiving the one or more report messages,

wherein the obtaining of the location information includes;

reestablishing, by the SUPL agent that has requested the location of the target SET, the secure IP connection with the server in response to the reception of the report message; and

receiving, by the SUPL agent that has requested the location of the target SET, the location information on the target SET via the reestablished secure IP connection.