Location continuity service for locating mobile devices using multiple access networks including wireless telecommunication networks
First Claim
1. A method for providing improved location continuity for a mobile device that roams from a home communications system to a visited communications system, the method comprising:
- in response to a request from a location-based service, requesting a location of a mobile device that is accessing a home communications system;
receiving location data generated by one or more home access networks associated with the home communications system;
generating an estimated location of a mobile device using the received location data;
storing the estimated location of the mobile device;
receiving a notification that the mobile device has roamed into a visited access network associated with a visited communications system; and
in response to a request for the location of the mobile device, transmitting to the visited communications system the stored estimated location of the mobile device determined by the home communications system.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A location continuity service having a location continuity application server (“LCAS”) that utilizes location data generated by multiple networks to determine the location of a mobile device is disclosed. The LCAS specifies a suitable reconciliation process that identifies two or more location estimation techniques that are implemented by different access networks and indicates how to utilize the location data produced by the identified estimation techniques. The LCAS interacts with various access networks identified by the reconciliation process in order to receive location data (e.g., positioning measurements and/or estimated locations) generated by the access networks and analyzes the received data to determine the location of a mobile device and provide the determined location to a location-based service. In some examples, an LCAS also provides location continuity when a mobile device moves between a home communications system and a visited communications system.
150 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for providing improved location continuity for a mobile device that roams from a home communications system to a visited communications system, the method comprising:
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in response to a request from a location-based service, requesting a location of a mobile device that is accessing a home communications system; receiving location data generated by one or more home access networks associated with the home communications system; generating an estimated location of a mobile device using the received location data; storing the estimated location of the mobile device; receiving a notification that the mobile device has roamed into a visited access network associated with a visited communications system; and in response to a request for the location of the mobile device, transmitting to the visited communications system the stored estimated location of the mobile device determined by the home communications system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 21)
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7. A location continuity service system for providing improved location continuity for a mobile device that roams from a home communications system to a visited communications system, the location continuity service system comprising:
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a request module that, in response to a request from a location-based service, requests a location of a mobile device that is accessing a home communications system; an analysis module that; receives location data generated by one or more home access networks associated with the home communications system; generates an estimated location of a mobile device using the received location data; and stores the estimated location of the mobile device; and a database management module that, in response to a notification that the mobile device has roamed into a visited access network associated with a visited communications system, transmits the stored estimated location of the mobile device to a location continuity service associated with the visited communications system. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 22)
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13. A method for providing improved location continuity for a mobile device that roams from a visited communications system to a home communications system, the method comprising:
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receiving a request from a location-based service for location information relating to a mobile device that has returned to a home access network in a home communications system after roaming within a visited access network in a visited communications system; requesting location data related to the mobile device from the visited communications system; requesting location data related to the mobile device from the home communications system; receiving a first set of location data related to the mobile device from the visited communications system; receiving a second set of location data related to the mobile device from one or more home access networks in the home communications system; and estimating the location of the mobile device using the first set of location data and the second set of location data. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 23)
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17. A system for providing improved location continuity for a mobile device that roams from a visited communications system to a home communications system, the system comprising:
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a request module that receives a request from a location-based service for location information relating to a mobile device that has returned to a home access network in a home communications system after roaming within a visited access network in a visited communications system, and, in response to the received request, requests location data related to the mobile device from the visited communications system and from the home communications system; and an analysis module that; receives a first set of location data related to the mobile device from the visited communications system and a second set of location data related to the mobile device from one or more home access networks in the home communications system; and estimates the location of the mobile device using the first set of location data and the second set of location data. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 24)
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Specification