Method and system for determining a location for a RF communication device based on its proximity to a mobile device

• US 8,532,571 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Dave, Abraham, Charles, Buer, Mark, Garrett, David, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Lundgren, David
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US12/732,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20110237185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/456.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

A mobile device may be operable to determine, based on a known location of the mobile device, a location for a RF communication device that communicates with the mobile device, whenever the mobile device is within proximate range of the RF communication device. The determined location for the RF communication device may be stored in a location database in a location server and/or a memory in the RF communication device. The stored location of the RF communication device may then be used to determine a location for other mobile devices that may communicate with the RF communication device and are within proximate range of the RF communication device. The RF communication device may comprise a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device and/or a near field communication (NFC) device. The determined location for the RF communication device may comprise the known location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

communicating, by a mobile device, with a RF communication device when said mobile device is within a proximate range of said RF communication device;

retrieving, by said mobile device, a location of said RF communication device from a storage device, said retrieved location of said RF communication device being previously determined based on a known location of a previous mobile device; and

determining, by said mobile device, a location for said mobile device based on said retrieved location.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mobile device comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said RF communication device comprises a RFID device that communicates with said RFID enabled mobile device when said RFID enabled mobile device is within a proximate range of said RFID device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said retrieved location for said RFID device comprises said known location of said previous mobile device, said previous mobile device being a previous RFID enabled mobile device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mobile device comprises a near field communication (NFC) enabled mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said RF communication device comprises a NFC device that communicates with said NFC enabled mobile device when said NFC enabled mobile device is within a proximate range of said NFC device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said retrieved location for said NFC device comprises said known location of said previous mobile device said previous mobile device being a previous NFC enabled mobile device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said retrieving comprises:

retrieving said retrieved location from a location database in a location server.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said retrieving comprises:

retrieving said retrieved location from a memory in said RF communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said retrieved location of said RF communication device is utilized for location-based services (LBS).

11. A mobile device, comprising:

a RF communication module configured to communicate with a RF communication device when said mobile device is within a proximate range of said RF communication device;

a location module configured to;

retrieve a location of said RF communication device from a storage device, said retrieved location of said RF communication device being previously determined by a previous mobile device based on a known location of said previous mobile device; and

determine a location for said mobile device based on said retrieved location; and

a processor configured to control operation of said RF communication module and said location module.

12. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein said RF communication module comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled communication module.

13. The mobile device according to claim 12, wherein said RF communication device comprises a RFID device that is configured to communicate with said RFID enabled communication module when said mobile device is within a proximate range of said RFID device.

14. The mobile device according to claim 13, wherein said retrieved location for said RFID device comprises said known location of said previous mobile device, said previous mobile device being a previous RFID enabled mobile device.

15. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein said RF communication module comprises a near field communication (NFC) enabled communication module.

16. The mobile device according to claim 15, wherein said RF communication device comprises a NFC device that is configured to communicate with said NFC enabled communication module when said mobile device is within a proximate range of said NFC device.

17. The mobile device according to claim 16, wherein said retrieved location for said NFC device comprises said known location of said previous mobile device, said previous mobile device being a previous NFC enabled mobile device.

18. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein said storage device comprises a location database in a location server.

19. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein said storage device comprises a memory in said RF communication device.

20. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein said retrieved location of said RF communication device is utilized for location-based services (LBS).

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a location server, a first location corresponding to a RF communication device from a first mobile device, said first location being determined by said first mobile device based on a known location of said first mobile device; and

providing, from said location server, said first location of said RF communication device to a second mobile device for determining a second location corresponding to said second mobile device based on said first location.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

collecting at said location server global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellite data from a GNSS reference network; and

generating GNSS assistance data at said location server based on said GNSS data and said first location of said RF communication device,

wherein said providing of said first location to said second mobile device comprises;

providing said GNSS assistance data to said second mobile device.