Location signature extraction on a wireless communication network

• US 8,666,429 B1
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bali, Soshant, Evans, Mark, Reuther, Phyllis J., Jintaseranee, Kosol, Choi, Heesook
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US13/194,603
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 709/222, 707/769, 715/765, 701/213, 701/455
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for extracting location signatures from data received from mobile devices on a wireless communication network. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, upon determining a location of a wireless communication device, receiving data generated by an application executing on the wireless communication device and using the location to determine whether the data contains information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device. If the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device, the method provides identifying a location signature specific to the application and using the location signature to determine whether subsequent data transferred from a plurality of wireless communication devices contains information pertaining to a location of any of the plurality of wireless communication devices.

Claims

1. A method of operating a location signature extraction system in a wireless communication network comprising:

upon determining a location of a wireless communication device, receiving data generated by an application executing on the wireless communication device;

using the location to determine whether the data contains information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device;

if the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device, identifying a location signature specific to the application, wherein the location signature comprises an indicator that denotes the data contains location information; and

using the location signature to determine whether subsequent data transferred from a plurality of wireless communication devices t contains information pertaining to a location of any of the plurality of wireless communication devices.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, storing the location signature along with a plurality of location signatures in the location signature extraction system.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing application information about the application to the storage medium along with the location signature.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving first data transferred from the wireless communication device;

determining whether the first data contains a first location signature of a plurality of location signatures in the location signature extraction system; and

if the first data contains the first location signature, determining the location of the wireless communication device based on information contained in the first data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location signature comprises a format for how location information is contained within the data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the location signature comprises a marker within the data that indicates that the data contains the location information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein using the location to determine whether the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device comprises:

determining a geographic area that includes the location; and

determining whether the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device indicates a second location for the wireless communication device that is located within the geographic area.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

filtering undesired location information from the subsequent data based on identifying an undesired location signature within the subsequent data.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices includes the wireless communication device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information comprises global positioning coordinates.

11. A location signature extraction system in a wireless communication network comprising:

a communication interface configured to, upon determining a location of a wireless communication device, receive data generated by an application executing on the wireless communication device;

a processing system configured to use the location to determine whether the data contains information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device, if the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device, identify a location signature specific to the application wherein the location signature comprises an indicator that denotes the data contains location information, and use the location signature to determine whether subsequent data transferred from a plurality of wireless communication devices contains information pertaining to a location of any of the plurality of wireless communication devices.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a storage system configured to store the location signature along with a plurality of location signatures.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

the storage system further configured to store application information about the application along with the location signature.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

the communication interface configured to receive first data transferred from the wireless communication device;

the processing system configured to determine whether the first data contains a first location signature of a plurality of location signatures in the location signature extraction system and, if the first data packet contains the first location signature, determining the location for the wireless device based on information contained in the first data.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the location signature comprises a format for how the location information is contained within the data.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the location signature comprises a marker within the data that indicates that the data contains the location information.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

the processing system configured to use the location to determine whether the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device by determining a geographic area that includes the location and determining whether the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device indicates a second location for the wireless communication device that is located within the geographic area.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

the processing system configured to filter undesired location information from the subsequent data based on identifying an undesired location signature within the subsequent data.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices includes the wireless communication device.

20. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a location signature extraction system, direct the location signature extraction system to:

upon determining a location of a wireless communication device, receive data generated by an application executing on the wireless communication device;

use the location to determine whether the data contains information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device;

if the data contains the information pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device, identify a location signature specific to the application wherein the location signature comprises an indicator that denotes the data contains location information; and

use the location signature to determine whether subsequent data transferred from a plurality of wireless communication devices contains information pertaining to a location of any of the plurality of wireless communication devices.