Method for secure user plane (SUPL) version negotiation

• US 8,375,135 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Edge, Stephen W., Wachter, Andreas K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US13/430,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for negotiating a version of Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) between a network entity and a SUPL enabled terminal. In a particular implementation, a SUPL initiation message is transmitted from a network entity to a SUPL entity, where the SUPL initiation message identifies a plurality of SUPL versions capable of supporting a desired service. A response is received from the SUPL entity that is based, at least in part, on an ability of the SUPL entity to support at least one of the plurality of versions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message, from a network entity to an SUPL entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

receiving a message from the SUPL entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the received message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

providing a location service if the received message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message comprises a SUPL version supported by the SUPL entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message comprises a SUPL end message when the SUPL entity does not support a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the intended SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version, and wherein the minimum SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the intended SUPL version further comprises a SUPL minor version.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the intended SUPL version is expressed as M1.m1, wherein M1 comprises the SUPL major version, and wherein m1 comprises the SUPL minor version.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the SUPL entity comprises an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network entity comprises an SUPL Location Platform.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the SUPL Location Platform comprises a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) or an Emergency SUPL Location Platform (E-SLP).

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a secure user plane location (SUPL) entity, an SUPL initiation message from a network entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

transmitting a message to the network entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the transmitted message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

receiving a location service if the transmitted message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted message comprises a SUPL version supported by the SUPL entity.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted message comprises a SUPL end message when the SUPL entity does not support a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the intended SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version, and wherein the minimum SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the intended SUPL version further comprises a SUPL minor version.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the intended SUPL version is expressed as M1.m1, wherein M1 comprises the SUPL major version, and wherein m1 comprises the SUPL minor version.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the SUPL entity comprises an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET).

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the network entity comprises an SUPL Location Platform.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SUPL Location Platform comprises a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) or an Emergency SUPL Location Platform (E-SLP).

19. A network entity, comprising:

a processor configured to determine a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

a transmitter configured to transmit the SUPL initiation message to a SUPL entity;

a receiver configured to receive a message from the SUPL entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the received message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

a communication element configured to provide a location service if the received message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

20. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the received message comprises a SUPL version supported by the SUPL entity.

21. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the received message comprises a SUPL end message when the SUPL entity does not support a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive.

22. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the intended SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version, and wherein the minimum SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version.

23. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the intended SUPL version further comprises a SUPL minor version.

24. The network entity of claim 23, wherein the intended SUPL version is expressed as M1.m1, wherein M1 comprises the SUPL major version, and wherein m1 comprises the SUPL minor version.

25. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the SUPL entity comprises an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET).

26. The network entity of claim 19, wherein the network entity comprises an SUPL Location Platform.

27. The network entity of claim 26, wherein the SUPL Location Platform comprises a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) or an Emergency SUPL Location Platform (E-SLP).

28. A secure user plane location (SUPL) entity, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a SUPL initiation message from a network entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

a processor configured to determine a response message to the SUPL initiation message, the response message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the response message to the network entity, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a location service if the response message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

29. The SUPL entity of claim 28, wherein the response message comprises a SUPL version supported by the SUPL entity.

30. The SUPL entity of claim 28, wherein the response message comprises a SUPL end message when the SUPL entity does not support a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive.

31. The SUPL entity of claim 28, wherein the intended SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version, and wherein the minimum SUPL version comprises a SUPL major version.

32. The SUPL entity of claim 31, wherein the intended SUPL version further comprises a SUPL minor version.

33. The SUPL entity of claim 32, wherein the intended SUPL version is expressed as M1.m1, wherein M1 comprises the SUPL major version, and wherein m1 comprises the SUPL minor version.

34. The SUPL entity of claim 28, wherein the SUPL entity comprises an SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET).

35. The SUPL entity of claim 28, wherein the network entity comprises an SUPL Location Platform.

36. The SUPL entity of claim 35, wherein the SUPL Location Platform comprises a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) or an Emergency SUPL Location Platform (E-SLP).

37. An apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message, from a network entity to an SUPL entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

means for receiving a message from the SUPL entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the received message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

means for providing a location service if the received message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

38. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving, at a secure user plane location (SUPL) entity, an SUPL initiation message from a network entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

means for transmitting a message to the network entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the transmitted message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

means for receiving a location service if the transmitted message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computing platform, cause the computing platform to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message, from a network entity to an SUPL entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version; and

receiving a message from the SUPL entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the received message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

providing a location service if the received message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computing platform, cause the computing platform to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a secure user plane location (SUPL) entity, an SUPL initiation message from a network entity, the SUPL initiation message comprising an intended SUPL version and a minimum SUPL version;

transmitting a message to the network entity in response to the SUPL initiation message, the transmitted message indicating whether a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported at the SUPL entity; and

receiving a location service if the transmitted message indicates that a SUPL version between the intended SUPL version and the minimum SUPL version inclusive is supported.