System and method for reducing latency of location based information retrieved from a location service

• US 8,774,826 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dennard, Mark D., Perera, Lasith G., Ramanathan, Sri, Shaouy, William P., Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US12/233,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20100075610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.2, 455/456.5, 455/452.2, 455/435.1, 455/432.3, 455/404.2, 455/405, 455/512, 455/513, 455/514, 455/509
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0018 based on latency requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system and method is provided for reducing latency when providing user location information services. The system is implemented in a computer infrastructure which comprises computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium. The executable code is operable to trigger a location based service to obtain user location information prior to the user registering for location services.

Claims

1. A system implemented in a computer infrastructure comprising computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable memory or device and being operable to:

trigger a location based service to obtain user location information prior to a user requesting location services, wherein the user location information is obtained from one or more users that have opted into the location based service;

establish a connection to a location platform for obtaining the user location information upon a triggering event;

save the user location information in a cache for use when the user requests the location services; and

provide a low priority refresh of the cache to maintain a quality of the location information of the user,

wherein the triggering event is the user logging onto a network prior to registering for the location services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is operable to periodically update the user location information without a request for the location services by the user and store the updated user location information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is operable to integrate into an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and handle authorization via the Diameter based signaling protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is operable to integrate into a legacy network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is operable to register user profiles as an opt in service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported on a computing infrastructure by a service provider.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code is operable to refresh the user location information at period intervals.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user logging onto the network occurs upon a start-up of a mobile device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event initiates a location query of the user and a result of the location query comprising the user location information is cached.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer executable code is operable to upon receiving a request for the user location information from the location based service responding to the request for the user location information with the cached user location information of the location query.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the user location information further comprises:

initiating a location query at the location platform to obtain the user location information;

storing the user location information in the cache;

receiving a request from the user location services for the user location information; and

responding to the request with the stored location information from the cache,

wherein the stored user location information is already known prior to the receiving of the request.