Method and apparatus for mobile terminal user-oriented precise location-based information services

• US 8,774,838 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Guangzhou Ucweb Computer Technology Company, Ltd.
• Inventors: Liang, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DINH
• Application Number:
  US13/822,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/418, 455/440, 4554561-4563, 455/457, 455/556.1, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The present invention provides a precise location-based information service method and apparatus for mobile terminal browser users. The method includes: acquiring at least two types of positioning references based upon a positioning service request from a user; establishing correlation relationships among the positioning references based on the acquired positioning references; and performing integrated positioning and cross-validation on a precise location of the user based on the correlation relationships to determine final positioning service information. This invention can implement precise location-based services (LBS) and precise Point of Interest (POI) push service by analysis and extraction of the user'"'"'s location information and behavioral data acquired and accumulated with the user'"'"'s consent. This satisfies the needs of the mobile phone browser user for precise LBS and personalized nearby information service.

Claims

1. The present invention provides a precise location-based information service method for a user of a mobile terminal, including:

acquiring at least two types of positioning references based upon a positioning service request from the user, wherein one type of positioning reference includes a base station reference indicating base station coordinates of a base station in a mobile phone network providing services to the mobile terminal, and the base station coordinates are used as positioning information of the mobile terminal, and another type of positioning reference includes Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information or Global Positioning System (GPS) information;

establishing correlation relationships among the positioning references based on the acquired positioning references; and

performing integrated positioning and cross-validation on a precise location of the user based on the correlation relationships to determine final positioning service information,

wherein performing cross-validation further includes;

correcting the base station coordinates using the Global Positioning System (GPS) information and the Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information;

correcting the WIFI information using GPS coordinates information; and

correcting the WIFI information based on WIFI adjacent relationships,

wherein correcting the base station coordinates using the GPS information and the WIFI information further includes;

within a coverage area of the base station, determining a region where the user frequently appears by using the GPS information and the WIFI information;

calculating a center point of region; and

correcting the base station coordinates as coordinates of the center point of the region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning references further includes:

Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information, and Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein,

adjacent relationships are established based on same base station information and neighboring WIFI information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein performing integrated positioning further includes:

when the at least two types of positioning references are acquired simultaneously, determining the precise location of the user by using a positioning reference with the highest accuracy; and

when multiple base stations information or WIFI information is acquired simultaneously, performing multi-point positioning.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, after determining the final positioning service information, the method further includes:

accepting error correction of the final positioning service information from the user.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, after determining the final positioning service information, the method further includes:

based on the user'"'"'s behavioral parameters, analyzing user behavior and pushing nearby information of interests.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the user'"'"'s behavioral parameters include:

the user'"'"'s gender, age, mobile phone models, and key interest.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein correcting the WIFI information using GPS coordinates information further includes:

determining a scope within which WIFI coordinates are located, with respect to GPS coordinates;

determining whether the WIFI information is within the scope of the GPS coordinates information; and

when the WIFI information exceeds the scope of the GPS coordinates information, replacing the WIFI information with the GPS coordinates information.

8. A precise location-based information service apparatus for a user of a mobile terminal, including:

a positioning reference acquiring unit configured to acquire at least two types of positioning references based upon a positioning service request from the user, wherein one type of positioning reference includes a base station reference indicating base station coordinates of a base station in a mobile phone network providing services to the mobile terminal, and the base station coordinates are used as positioning information of the mobile terminal, and another type of positioning reference includes Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information or Global Positioning System (GPS) information;

a correlation establishing unit configured to establish correlation relationships among the positioning references based on the acquired positioning references; and

a positioning information determining unit configured to perform integrated positioning and cross-validation on a precise location of the user based on the correlation relationships to determine final positioning service information,

wherein the positioning information determining unit further includes;

an integrated positioning unit configured to determine the precise location of the user by using a positioning reference with the highest accuracy when the at least two types of positioning references are acquired simultaneously, and to perform multi-point positioning when multiple base stations information or Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information is acquired simultaneously; and

a cross-validation unit configured to correct the base station coordinates using the Global Positioning System (GPS) information and WIFI information, to correct the WIFI information using GPS coordinates information, and to correct the WIFI information based on WIFI adjacent relationships,

wherein the cross-validation unit is further configured to;

within a coverage area of the base station, determine a region where the user frequently appears by using the GPS information and the WIFI information;

calculate a center point of region; and

correct the base station coordinates as coordinates of the center point of the region.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the positioning references further includes:

Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) information and Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the precise location-based information service apparatus for mobile terminal browser users further includes:

a user error correction unit configured to accept error correction of the final positioning service information from the user.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the precise location-based information service apparatus for mobile terminal browser users further includes:

a nearby information pushing unit configured to, based on the user'"'"'s behavioral parameters, analyze user behavior and push nearby information of interests.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s behavioral parameters include:

the user'"'"'s gender, age, mobile phone models, and key interest, etc.