Enhanced location based services

• US 8,818,410 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Ming-Ju, Mullings, Craig, Albanes, Stalin Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/705,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20140155095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• 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 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Location information (e.g., GPS information) pertaining to the location of a device may be integrated into a distributed antenna system (DAS) to enhance location based services. This may be accomplished via a system that filters and combines GPS information with DAS information. Utilization of the enhanced location based services system may enhance accuracy performance of indoor location services and improve round-trip time (RTT) location responses associated with network assisted GPS (e.g., A-GPS) location requests for services from indoor calls.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving an indication of a call;

responsive to receiving the indication of the call, obtaining location information pertaining to a location of a source of the call;

providing a location signal;

receiving, from a plurality of transceivers, a respective plurality of responses to the provided location signal;

determining a time at which each response of the plurality of response was received;

determining a location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

determining a calculated location of the source based on the determined time at which each response of the plurality of response was received and the location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

augmenting the location information with the calculated location;

receiving information to be distributed via a distributed antenna system;

generating combined information by combining the received location information and the information to be distributed via the distributed antenna system; and

providing the combined information via the distributed antenna system.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the location information comprising signals from a global position system satellite.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

an intended recipient of the location information is a mobile device; and

an intended recipient of the information to be distributed via the distributed antenna system is not the mobile device.

4. The device of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

incorporating topographical information pertaining to an environment proximate to the source of the call into the combined information.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the topographical information comprises a blueprint of the environment proximate to the source of the call.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the topographical information comprises a location of a global positioning antenna from which the location information was sent.

7. A device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

initiating a call;

responsive to initiating the call, receiving location information pertaining to a location of the device;

providing a location signal;

receiving, from a plurality of transceivers, a respective plurality of responses to the provided location signal;

determining a time at which each response of the plurality of response was received;

determining a location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

determining a calculated location of the device based on the determined time at which each response of the plurality of response was received and the location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

augmenting the location information with the calculated location;

receiving topographical information pertaining to an environment proximate to the device;

combining the location information with the topographical information; and

rendering an indication of the combined information.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the location information comprising signals from a global position system satellite.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the topographical information comprises a blueprint of the environment proximate to the source of the call.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the topographical information comprises a location of a global positioning antenna from which the location information was sent.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein:

the indication of the combined information is rendered visually as an overlay of a visual representation of the topographical information.

12. A computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operation comprising:

receiving an indication of a call;

responsive to receiving the indication of the call, obtaining location information pertaining to a location of a source of the call;

providing a location signal;

receiving, from a plurality of transceivers, a respective plurality of responses to the provided location signal;

determining a time at which each response of the plurality of response was received;

determining a location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

determining a calculated location of the source based on the determined time at which each response of the plurality of response was received and the location of each of the plurality of transceivers;

augmenting the location information with the calculated location;

receiving information to be distributed via a distributed antenna system;

generating combined information by combining the received location information and the information to be distributed via the distributed antenna system; and

providing the combined information via the distributed antenna system.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the location information comprising signals from a global position system satellite.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

an intended recipient of the location information is a mobile device; and

an intended recipient of the information to be distributed via the distributed antenna system is not the mobile device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

incorporating topographical information pertaining to an environment proximate to the source of the call into the combined information.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the topographical information comprises a blueprint of the environment proximate to the source of the call.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the topographical information comprises a location of a global positioning antenna from which the location information was sent.