Method for communication between a terminal and a server

• US 8,868,742 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Bellardie, Nicolas, Grange, Julien, Watt, Idy
• Primary Examiner(s): Woolcock, Madhu
• Application Number:
  US12/667,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/227, 709/229, 709/219, 709/225, 455/414.3, 455/456.2, 726/18
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the communication of a terminal (10) with a server (14), the terminal including an application and computer software capable of communicating with the server (14). The method comprises: the step of sending (42) a request (RLoc) by the application (26) to the software (34), and the step of obtaining (44) by the software (34) and from the application (26) data (DAutor) necessary for the software (34) to communicate with the server (14) so that the request can be executed. This method enables access to GPS assistance servers to be limited only to users who have paid the localization service to the owner operator of the localization assistance server.

Claims

1. A method of communication between a terminal and a location assistance server of an operator, the terminal comprising an authorized application and a computer program, the method comprising:

sending of a first request to determine a geographical location of the terminal from the authorized application, said authorized application configured to manage a location service activated by interaction with a user of the terminal, to the computer program, said computer program configured to communicate with the location assistance server external to the terminal, wherein the computer program is not directly accessible to the user of the terminal; and

the authorized application providing the computer program with authorization data comprising an identifier of the location assistance server necessary to authorize the computer program to communicate with the location assistance server which estimates an approximate location of the terminal as location assistance data, wherein the location service is associated with the location assistance server and wherein the computer program is not part of the authorized application, the authorized application initially containing the authorization data stored in a memory associated with the authorized application and the computer program not initially having access to the authorization data;

the computer program sending a second request to the location assistance server, via a network, based on the authorization data and the first request received by the computer program from the authorized application,

the computer program providing the location assistance server with the authorization data received from the authorized application, wherein only the authorized application initially containing the authorization data communicates with the location assistance server through the computer program, and

in response to the location assistance server verifying the authorization data and executing the second request, the computer program receiving the location assistance data from the location assistance server;

the computer program using the received location assistance data for executing the first request by calculating the geographical location of the terminal, which is more accurate than the location assistance data; and

sending, by the computer program, the calculated geographical location of the terminal to the authorized application in order for the authorized application to use the calculated geographical location of the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authorization data is deleted from the computer program after the authorization data is provided to the location assistance server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal is one of a mobile telephone or a navigation terminal for an automobile vehicle.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program and an authorized application on a terminal, comprising:

the computer program, when executed by a processor of the terminal, configured to execute;

receiving a first request from the authorized application to determine a geographical location of the terminal, wherein the computer program is configured to communicate with a location assistance server external to the terminal, and wherein the computer program is not directly accessible to a user of the terminal; and

obtaining, from the authorized application in the terminal, authorization data comprising an identifier of the location assistance server necessary to authorize communication with the location assistance server which estimates an approximate location of the terminal as location assistance data, wherein the computer program is not part of the authorized application and the computer program does not initially have access to the authorization data;

sending a second request to the location assistance server, via a network, based on the authorization data and the first request received from the authorized application,

providing the location assistance server with the authorization data previously received from the authorized application, wherein only the authorized application initially containing the authorization data communicates with the location assistance server through the computer program;

in response to the location assistance server verifying the authorization data and executing the second request, receiving the location assistance data from the location assistance server;

using the received location assistance data for executing the first request by calculating the geographical location of the terminal, which is more accurate than the location assistance data; and

sending the calculated geographical location of the terminal to the authorized application;

and further comprising;

the authorization application, when executed by the processor of the terminal, configured to execute;

sending the first request to the computer program, wherein the authorized application is configured to manage a location service activated by interaction with the user of the terminal, wherein the location service is associated with the location assistance server;

providing the computer program with the authorization data, wherein the authorized application initially contains the authorization data stored in a memory associated with the authorized application; and

receiving the calculated geographical location of the terminal from the computer program in order to use the calculated geographical location of the terminal.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the computer program is further configured to execute, when executed by the processor of the terminal:

deleting the authorization data from the computer program after the authorization data is provided to the location assistance server.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the computer program is adapted to be downloaded from the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the authorized application is adapted to be downloaded from the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein said non-transitory computer readable storage medium is in the terminal selected from the group consisting of a mobile telephone and a navigation terminal for an automobile vehicle.

9. A communication terminal configured to communicate with a location assistance server of an operator, the communication terminal comprising:

a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and being configured to execute an authorized application and a computer program stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein;

the computer program is not part of the authorized application,

the authorized application manages a location service activated by interaction with a user of the communication terminal, wherein the location service is associated with the location assistance server,

the authorized application is configured to send a first request to determine a geographical location of the communication terminal to the computer program, said computer program configured to communicate with the location assistance server external to the communication terminal, wherein the computer program is not directly accessible to the user of the communication terminal,

the authorized application is configured to provide to the computer program with authorization data comprising an identifier of the location assistance server necessary to authorize the computer program to communicate with the location assistance server which estimates an approximate location of the communication terminal as location assistance data, wherein the authorized application initially contains the authorization data stored in a memory associated with the authorized application and the computer program does not initially have access to the authorization data;

the computer program is configured to send a second request to the location assistance server, via a network, based on the authorization data and the first request received by the computer program from the authorized application,

the computer program is configured to provide the location assistance server with the authorization data previously received from the authorized application, wherein only the authorized application initially containing the authorization data is configured to communicate with the location assistance server through the computer program;

in response to the location assistance server verifying the authorization data and executing the second request, the computer program is further configured to receive the location assistance data from the location assistance server;

the computer program is configured to use the received location assistance data for executing the first request by calculating the geographical location of the communication terminal, which is more accurate than the location assistance data; and

the computer program is configured to send the calculated geographical location of the communication terminal to the authorized application in order for the authorized application to use the calculated geographical location of the communication terminal.

10. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the computer program is configured to delete the authorization data from the computer program after the authorization data is provided to the location assistance server.

11. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the communication terminal is one of a mobile telephone or a navigation terminal for an automobile vehicle.