System and methods for locating mobile devices using location and presence information

• US 8,786,438 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Holley, Kerrie L., Piotrowski, Michael E., Ramanathan, Sri, Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US13/926,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/541, 340/571, 340/573.4, 340/825.49, 340/825.69, 455/456, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/466
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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

A location based service and method configured to provide recovery assistance for a misplaced or stolen mobile device. The location based system and method is configured to locate (recover) high value mobile devices using location, presence and other IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) based telecommunications network assets. The method includes leveraging location dips performed for other services to drive a recovery process for a mobile device to thereby reduce resource overhead on a location platform; locating the mobile device using the location dips performed for other services; and sending a notification to a subscriber of the location of the mobile device for recovery of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure that is configured to;

leverage location dips that are invoked by existing presence and location traffic services on a mobile device for purposes other than for recovery of the mobile device, the leveraging comprising repurposing location information received from the location dips by updating presence documents on a location platform remote from the mobile device with the location information each time the location dips are performed in order to drive a recovery process for the mobile device, thereby reducing resource overhead on the location platform;

locate the mobile device using the location information stored in the presence documents; and

send a notification to a subscriber of the location of the mobile device for recovery of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location dips are performed by location capabilities embedded in a core telecommunications IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and non-IMS network to continuously track the location of the mobile device on a periodic basis.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reusing presence information to store location information, which is updated anytime the mobile device makes the location request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using pattern matching based on usage/location of the mobile device during predetermined time periods to drive the recovery process and reduce the resource overhead on the location platform.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using notifications received from an agent on the mobile device to determine the location of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the agent is configured to start a specific sequence of recovery actions on behalf of the subscriber when an incorrect unlock code is entered into the mobile device a certain number of times.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the agent is configured to provide the notifications at predetermined intervals based on battery life of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising charging for the notification of the location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer infrastructure is at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported by a service provider.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent is configured to take into account battery life of the device when providing the continuous notifications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location dips are performed to locate and recover Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and non SIP-enabled devices using an IMS compliant presence server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a SIP application server (SIP A/S) subscribes to presence updates, and the mobile device periodically sends location information to the SIP A/S for recovery.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the location dips are performed by the mobile device that is not GPS enabled and A-GPS over IMS and non-IMS networks.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the location dips are performed by the mobile device that is not GPS aware to perform both cell sector and precise fixes, while optimizing network resource usage.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium device having readable program code tangibly embodied in the storage medium device, the computer program product being operable to:

receive continuous notifications from an agent residing on a mobile device;

determine a location of the mobile device based on the continuous notifications using pattern matching of historical information and existing location information services, which are repurposed for device recovery using location information stored in presence documents,

wherein the presence documents are updated on a location platform remote from the mobile device each time a location request is made by the existing location information services; and

send a notification of the location to a subscribing user in order to recover the mobile device which is optimized based on battery life of the mobile device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer program product is further operable to:

leverage location dips performed for other services to drive a recovery process for the mobile device; and

locate the mobile device using the location dips performed for other services.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer program product is further operable to send a notification to the subscribing user for recovery of the mobile device.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer program product is further operable to maintain track of presence information of the mobile device and reuse the presence information to store location information, which is updated anytime the mobile device makes the location request.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer program product is further operable to use pattern matching based on usage/location of the mobile device during predetermined time periods to drive the recovery and which is configured to reduce resource overhead on the location platform.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the existing location information services allow leverage location dips to be performed for the existing location information services other than for the device recovery, which can be repurposed, in order to drive a recovery process for the mobile device and reduce resource overhead on the location platform.

21. A method for providing location information to one or more users, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

utilize a carrier location platform to perform both cell sector and precise fixes;

leverage location dips performed for existing presence and location traffic services for purposes other than for a device recovery which can be repurposed in order to drive a recovery process for a mobile device thereby reducing resource overhead on a location platform;

locate the mobile device using the location dips performed for other services;

determine a routing path requested by a subscribing user to provide a message to the subscribing user on a requested device; and

send a notification with the message to the subscribing user on the determined routing path to inform the subscribing user on the requested device of the location of the mobile device for recovery thereof.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to update and resuse presence information with location information received from the other services.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to at least one of continuously receive location dips and notifications from an agent residing on the mobile device which is configured to send the notifications at predetermined intervals based on battery life of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to receive notifications from an agent residing on the mobile telephone.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to store profile information of the subscribing user in order to route the notification to the requested device.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to store presence information which contains location information obtained from the other services which are used in the recovery process for the mobile device.

27. A method for providing location information to one or more users, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

leverage location dips performed for existing presence and location traffic services for purposes other than for a device recovery which can be repurposed in order to drive a recovery process for a mobile device thereby reducing resource overhead on a location platform;

utilize a carrier location platform to perform both cell sector and precise fixes;

use pattern matching based on usage/location of the mobile device during predetermined time periods to drive the recovery process and reduce the resource overhead on the location platform;

locate the mobile device using the location dips performed for other services;

determine a routing path requested by a subscribing user to provide a message to the subscribing user on a requested device; and

send a notification with the message to the subscribing user on the determined routing path to inform the subscribing user on the requested device of the location of the mobile device for recovery thereof.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the location dips are performed by location capabilities embedded in a core telecommunications IMS and non-IMS network to continuously track the location of the mobile device on a periodic basis.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to reuse presence information to store location information, which is updated anytime the mobile device makes a location request.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to use notifications received from an agent on the mobile device to determine the location of the mobile device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the agent is configured to start a specific sequence of recovery actions on behalf of the subscribing user when an incorrect unlock code is entered into the mobile device a certain number of times.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the agent is configured to provide the notifications at predetermined intervals based on battery life of the mobile device.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to charge for the notification of the location.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the location dips are performed to locate and recover SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and non SIP-enabled devices using an IMS compliant presence server.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein a SIP application server (SIP A/S) subscribes to presence updates and the mobile device periodically sends location information to the SIP A/S for recovery.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the location dips are performed by the mobile device that is not GPS enabled and A-GPS over IMS and non-IMS networks.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the location dips are performed by the mobile device that is not GPS aware to perform both cell sector and precise fixes, while optimizing network resource usage.