Position determining entity request filter

• US 8,412,229 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bonn, Mark J., Gress, Victor M., Nidraghatta Karanam, Raghava V.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSE, KERRI M
• Application Number:
  US12/908,544
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370328-330, 370/341, 370/468, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/440, 455/456.2, 455/456.5, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/103 applying security measure for protecting copyright
• 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 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions

Abstract

A method of operating a position determining entity filter comprises receiving a request for location assistance data transmitted from a wireless communication device, wherein the request is associated with a source packet address and includes a user identifier, and processing the request to determine if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address. The method further comprises, if the user identifier is not associated with the source packet address, initiating a count to track a number of requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device, and removing data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address. The method further comprises, if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address, incrementing the count and determining if a flag is assigned to the user identifier, inhibiting future requests if the flag is assigned to the user identifier, and if the flag is not assigned to the user identifier, determining if the count exceeds a threshold, and if the count exceeds the threshold, assigning the flag to the user identifier.

Claims

1. A method of operating a position determining entity filter, the method comprising:

receiving a request for location assistance data transmitted from a wireless communication device, wherein the request is associated with a source packet address and includes a user identifier for a user of the wireless communication device;

processing the request to determine if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address;

if the user identifier is not associated with the source packet address, initiating a count to track a number of requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device, and removing data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address;

if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address, incrementing the count and determining if a flag is assigned to the user identifier;

if the flag is assigned to the user identifier, inhibiting future requests; and

if the flag is not assigned to the user identifier, determining if the count exceeds a threshold, and if the count exceeds the threshold, assigning the flag to the user identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein inhibiting the future requests comprises blocking the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein inhibiting the future requests comprises inhibiting the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device for a time period.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein inhibiting the future requests comprises blocking the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device for a time period, removing the flag from the user identifier, and resetting the count upon expiration of the time period.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein inhibiting the future requests comprises restricting a number of the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining if the count exceeds the threshold comprises determining if the count exceeds the threshold during a time period.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein assigning the flag to the user identifier if the count exceeds the threshold comprises assigning the flag to the user identifier if the count exceeds the threshold during the time period.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein removing the data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address comprises unassigning a different user identifier from the source packet address that was previously assigned to the source packet address.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device comprises a position determining entity request.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating the count to track the number of requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device comprises assigning a value of one to the count, and wherein incrementing the count comprises incrementing the count by one.

11. A position determining entity filter comprising:

a communication transceiver configured to receive a request for location assistance data transmitted from a wireless communication device, wherein the request is associated with a source packet address and includes a user identifier for a user of the wireless communication device;

a processing system configured to process the request to determine if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address, and if the user identifier is not associated with the source packet address, initiate a count to track a number of requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device and remove data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address, and if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address, increment the count and determine if a flag is assigned to the user identifier; and

the processing system configured to, if the flag is assigned to the user identifier, inhibit future requests, and if the flag is not assigned to the user identifier, determine if the count exceeds a threshold, and if the count exceeds the threshold, assign the flag to the user identifier.

12. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to inhibit the future requests comprises the processing system configured to block the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device.

13. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to inhibit the future requests comprises the processing system configured to inhibit the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device for a time period.

14. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to inhibit the future requests comprises the processing system configured to block the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device for a time period, remove the flag from the user identifier, and reset the count upon expiration of the time period.

15. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to inhibit the future requests comprises the processing system configured to restrict a number of the future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device.

16. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to determine if the count exceeds the threshold comprises the processing system configured to determine if the count exceeds the threshold during a time period.

17. The filter of claim 16 wherein the processing system configured to assign the flag to the user identifier if the count exceeds the threshold comprises the processing system configured to assign the flag to the user identifier if the count exceeds the threshold during the time period.

18. The filter of claim 11 wherein the processing system configured to remove the data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address comprises the processing system configured to unassign a different user identifier from the source packet address that was previously assigned to the source packet address.

19. The filter of claim 11 wherein the request for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device comprises a position determining entity request.

20. A method of operating a position determining entity filter, the method comprising:

receiving a request for location assistance data transmitted from a wireless communication device, wherein the request is associated with a source packet address and includes a user identifier for a user of the wireless communication device;

processing the request to determine if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address;

if the user identifier is not associated with the source packet address, initiating a count to track a number of requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device, and removing data previously associated with the user identifier and the source packet address;

if the user identifier is associated with the source packet address, incrementing the count and determining if a flag is assigned to the user identifier;

if the flag is assigned to the user identifier, inhibiting future requests for the location assistance data transmitted from the wireless communication device for a first time period, removing the flag from the user identifier, and resetting the count upon expiration of the first time period; and

if the flag is not assigned to the user identifier, determining if the count exceeds a threshold during a second time period, and assigning the flag to the user identifier if the count exceeds the threshold during the second time period.