Location capability provisioning

• US 8,818,324 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Hines, Thomas Edward III
• Primary Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US11/567,013
• Time in Patent Office: 2,821 Days
• Field of Search: 455/521, 455/456, 455/90.1, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 707101-1041, 707/202, 707 1- 10, 707/687, 707/690, 707/700, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A provisioning system for processing data structures to determine if location capabilities indicated in records are correct for each of the different ranges indicated in each of the records, transferring the data structure to a location determination system if each of the location capabilities are correct, and generating an error response if each of the location capabilities are not correct.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a call processing system configured to receive from a device a call request for emergency service indicating a device identifier, process the call request to setup a call for the emergency service between the device and a public safety answering point, transfer an initiation request including the device identifier to a location determination system to initiate a first determination process to determine a location of the device;

the location determination system configured to, prior to the call processing system receiving the call request from the device, receive a data structure from a provisioning system;

the location determination system further configured to receive the initiation request from the call processing system, responsively process the data structure to select a first determination process from a plurality of determination processes wherein the data structure includes a plurality of records indicating different ranges of device identifiers and location capabilities and wherein a first record of the plurality of records indicates a first range of the different ranges and indicates a first location capability of the location capabilities and wherein each of the plurality of determination processes corresponds to each of the location capabilities; and

the provisioning system configured to, prior to the call processing system receiving the call request from the device, process the data structure to determine if each of the location capabilities indicated in each of the records are correct for each of the different ranges indicated in each of the records, transfer the data structure to the location determination system if each of the location capabilities are correct, and generate a error response if each of the location capabilities are not correct.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the location capabilities indicate mobile positioning capabilities of devices assigned the device identifiers.

3. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the mobile positioning capabilities comprise at least a one of a global positioning system capability, a triangulation capability, and a hybrid capability having both the global positioning system capability and the triangulation capability.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the location determination system comprises:

a position determining system configured to execute the first determination process to determine the location of the device; and

a mobile positioning center (MPC) coupled to the position determining system, the provisioning system, and the call processing system, and configured to instruct the position determining system to execute the first determination process, interface with the provisioning system, and interface with the call processing system.

5. The communication system of claim 4 wherein the provisioning system comprises a mobile application provisioning system (MAPS).

6. The communication system of claim 4 wherein the call processing system comprises a mobile switching center (MSC).

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

8. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a wireless device.

9. A method of operating a communication system comprising:

in a call processing system, receiving from a device a call request for emergency service indicating a device identifier, processing the call request to setup a call for the emergency service between the device and a public safety answering point, and transferring an initiation request including the device identifier to a location determination system to initiate a first determination process to determine a location of the device;

in the location determination system, prior to the call processing system receiving the call request from the device, receiving a data structure from a provisioning system;

in the location determination system, receiving the initiation request from the call processing system, responsively processing the data structure to select a first determination process from a plurality of determination processes wherein the data structure includes a plurality of records indicating different ranges of device identifiers and location capabilities and wherein a first record of the plurality of records indicates a first range of the different ranges and indicates a first location capability of the location capabilities and wherein each of the plurality of determination processes corresponds to each of the location capabilities; and

in the provisioning system, prior to the call processing system receiving the call request from the device, processing the data structure to determine if each of the location capabilities indicated in each of the records are correct for each of the different ranges indicated in each of the records, transferring the data structure to the location determination system if each of the location capabilities are correct, and generating an error response if each of the location capabilities are not correct.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the location capabilities indicate mobile positioning capabilities of devices assigned the device identifiers.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the mobile positioning capabilities comprise at least a one of a global positioning system capability, a triangulation capability, and a hybrid capability having both the global positioning system capability and the triangulation capability.

12. The method of claim 9 comprising, in the location determination system a position determining system executing the first determination process to determine the location of the device and a mobile positioning center (MPC) coupled to the position determining system, the provisioning system, and the call processing system, and instructing the position determining system to execute the first determination process, interfacing with the provisioning system, and interfacing with the call processing system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the provisioning system comprises a mobile application provisioning system (MAPS).

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the call processing system comprises a mobile switching center (MSC).

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the device comprises a wireless device.