Location based service (LBS) system, method and apparatus for triggering of mobile station LBS applications

• US 8,938,253 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rowitch, Douglas, Burroughs, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): BALAOING, ARIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/404,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/414.2, 455/466, 342/458
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An application executed within a mobile station to be triggered only by a network element, such as a mobile positioning center (MPC) or a Mobile Center (MC). The network element is coupled to a base station. The network element is responsible for authorizing an application that is either resident within the mobile station or that is run in a device that is resident elsewhere in the network. The mobile station communicates with the network element over a communication link through the base station and other infrastructure components. The mobile station will only respond to attempts to trigger particular operations (e.g., run particular applications) if the mobile station receives a short message services (SMS) message as defined by Interim Specification 637A (IS-637A) which is published by the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA)/Electronics Industry Association (EIA). More specifically, that SMS message must include an SMS Teleservice Identifier that has a particular pre-assigned value.

Claims

1. A method for triggering an application in a mobile station, the method comprising:

receiving at a first layer of a protocol stack, over a wireless communication link, a predetermined message having a value in a message field, wherein receiving the predetermined message comprises receiving a Short Message Services (SMS) message, the SMS message including a teleservice identifier field;

determining that the value in the message field of the predetermined message is set to a predetermined field value, wherein the determining comprises determining that the teleservice identifier field is set to the predetermined field value;

interpreting the message for a Location Based Services (LBS) application client function at a second lower layer of the protocol stack based on the value in the message field;

passing information contained in a payload of the message to the LBS application client function; and

commanding, via the application client function, a position location engine within the mobile station and within a third layer of the protocol stack beneath the second layer, based on the payload, wherein commanding the position location engine comprises, in response to the determining, identifying a network Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) as a source of the predetermined message and transmitting an authorizing message from the mobile station to the network MPC, wherein the predetermined field value indicates that a corresponding SMS message is intended for the application client function and the position location engine, and the commanding comprises authorizing triggering of a position location operation within the mobile device in response to identifying that the teleservice identifier field of the SMS message is set to the predetermined field value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising formulating, within the LBS application client function, a message to the position location engine, the message based on the payload.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein commanding the position location engine within the mobile station comprises commanding the position location engine to perform at least one of sending information to or receiving information from a Position Determination Entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein commanding the application client function further comprises:

identifying an authorized network component as a source of the SMS message based on the teleservice identifier field being set to one of the plurality of predetermined field values; and

in response to identifying the authorized network component as the source of the SMS message, routing the SMS message to the position location engine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the commanding comprises:

prompting for user consent to a position location operation based on the value in the message field of the predetermined message; and

transmitting an indication of the user consent with the authorizing message to the MPC.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the commanding further comprises:

obtaining an identifier from the predetermined message; and

echoing the identifier in the authorizing message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the message field in the predetermined message is a dedicated originating subaddress for positioning applications.

7. The method of claim l, wherein the teleservice identifier field includes a dedicated teleservice identifier for positioning applications.