Method and apparatus for location prediction

• US 8,798,641 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Persson, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/132,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20130072215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A location prediction device (300) and method for use thereof, configured to provide a location prediction (321) of a mobile device based on an adaptively compiled visitation history (315). The location prediction may be performed without the use of large amounts of system resources. The location prediction may be used in conjunction with any mobile device application known in the art.

Claims

1. A method for location prediction comprising:

scanning, by a mobile device, a current network cell with which the mobile device is communicating;

storing, by the mobile device, current information relating to the current network cell;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the current network cell is a frequent network cell;

determining, by the mobile device, a specific location of the mobile device within the current network cell only when it is determined that the current network cell is a frequent network cell;

storing, by the mobile device, specific location information relating to the specific location of the mobile device;

adaptively creating a visitation history based on the current information, past information relating to past network cells previously visited by the mobile device, and the specific location information; and

predicting a next location of the mobile device based on the visitation history.

2. The method of claim 1

identifying frequent locations within the frequent network cells based on the specific location information, wherein the identifying of the frequent network cells and frequent locations is a function of a length of time of a visit and/or a number of times of a visit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of identifying frequent locations further comprises utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) information and/or stored network information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of adaptively creating the visitation history further comprises receiving, as input from a user, user defined location information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the current and past information includes a network cell identification.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the current and past information includes operational characteristics.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a user alert based on the step of predicting.

8. A location prediction device comprising:

a scanning unit configured to scan a current network cell;

a storage unit configured to store current information relating to the current network cell with which the location prediction device is communicating;

a compiler configured to determine whether the current network cell is a frequent network cell,

wherein the compiler is further configured to determine a specific location of the mobile device within the current network cell only when it is determined that the current network cell is a frequent network cell,

wherein the storage unit is configured to store specific location information relating to the specific location of the mobile device, and

wherein the compiler is further configured to adaptively create a visitation history based on the current information, past information relating to past network cells, and the specific location information; and

a processor configured to provide a prediction of a next location based on the visitation history.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the compiler is further configured to identify frequent locations within the frequent network cells, and wherein the compiler is configured to identify the frequent network cells and the frequent locations based on a length of time of a visit and/or a number of times of a visit.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the compiler is further configured to identify the frequent network cells and the frequent locations utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) information and/or stored network information.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the compiler is further configured to receive, as input, user defined location information.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein the current information and the past information includes a network cell identification.

13. The device of claim 8 wherein the current information and the past information includes operational characteristics.

14. The device of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to provide a user alert based on the prediction.

15. A mobile communications apparatus comprising the location prediction device of claim 8.