Determining a location of a mobile user terminal

• US 8,948,786 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gillett, Mark Alastair
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/779,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4565, 370/246, 370/313, 370/328, 370/338, 340/539.13, 342/357.28
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Apparatus comprising a decision processing module arranged to determine whether a first mobile user terminal and a second mobile user terminal are within a relative geographic proximity of one another, in dependence on a property of intermediate network equipment of a packet-switched network to which the first and second mobile user terminals are operable to connect. The apparatus also comprises a location processing module arranged to obtain a geographic location of the second mobile user terminal and, on condition that the first and second user terminals are determined to be within the proximity determined by the decision module, to use the geographic location of the second mobile user terminal in estimating a geographic location of the first mobile user terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a decision processing module configured to determine whether a first mobile user terminal and a second user terminal are within a relative geographic proximity of one another in dependence on at least one property associated with intermediate network equipment of a packet-switched network to which the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are operable to connect, the at least one property comprising a transmission time of a packet travelling between the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal via said intermediate network equipment, the decision processing module further configured to remove from said transmission time a delaying effect of one or more switches and/or routers in the intermediate network equipment, the relative geographic proximity of the first mobile terminal and second user terminal being determined in dependence on the transmission time after removal of said delaying effect; and

a location processing module configured to obtain a geographic location of the second user terminal and, on condition that the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are determined to be within said relative geographic proximity, to use the geographic location of the second user terminal in estimating a geographic location of the first mobile user terminal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one property further comprises an indication of a sub network comprising said intermediate network equipment, and wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on a condition that the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are both connected to said sub network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one property further comprises an address space for terminals connecting to the packet-switched network via said intermediate network equipment, the address space being a subset of addresses of the packet-switched network, wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on a condition that the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal share said address space.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one property further comprises a number of hops between the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal via the intermediate network equipment, wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on a condition that the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are separated by no more than a threshold number of hops.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said threshold is a single hop.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one property further comprises a network interface address of the intermediate network equipment, wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on a condition that the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal both connect to said network interface address.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission time comprises a round-trip time from one of the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal and back again.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine whether the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity in dependence on a type of access technology currently available for communicating between the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the decision processing module is further configured to determine whether the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity in further dependence on a shared authentication element of the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the authentication element comprises one or more of:

a user identity, a pass code, and a cryptographic key.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is implemented at the first mobile user terminal and is further configured to obtain the geographic location of the second user terminal from the second user terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the location processing module is further configured to estimate the geographic location of the first mobile user terminal using a first location technology, the geographic location of the second user terminal being based on a second geographic location technology; and

the position processing module is configured to use the geographic location of the second user terminal to supplement the estimation using the first geographic location technology.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first mobile user terminal does not use the second geographic location technology.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second geographic location technology uses a satellite based positioning system, whereas the first location technology uses a location technology that is different from the satellite based positing system.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network equipment is at a fixed location.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second user) terminal is a mobile user terminal.

17. One or more computer readable storage memory devices comprising code configured to, responsive to execution by one or more processors, perform operations comprising:

determining whether a first mobile user terminal and a second mobile user terminal are within a relative geographic proximity of one another, in dependence on at least one property associated with intermediate network equipment of a packet-switched network to which the first mobile user terminal) and second mobile user terminal are operable to connect, the at least one property comprising a transmission time of a packet travelling between the first mobile user terminal and second mobile user terminal via said intermediate network equipment, the determining further comprising removing from said transmission time a delaying effect of one or more switches and/or routers in the intermediate network equipment, the relative geographic proximity of the first mobile user terminal and second mobile user terminal being determined in dependence on the transmission time after removal of said delaying effect;

obtaining a geographic location of the second mobile user terminal; and

on condition that the first mobile user terminal and the second mobile user terminal are determined to be within said relative geographic proximity, using the geographic location of the second mobile user terminal in estimating a geographic location of the first mobile user terminal.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining whether a first mobile user terminal and a second mobile user terminal are within a relative geographic proximity of one another, the first and second mobile user terminals being determined to be within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on at least one property associated with intermediate network equipment of a packet-switched network to which the first and second mobile user terminals are operable to connect, the at least one property comprising a transmission time of a packet travelling between the first mobile user terminal and second mobile user terminal via said intermediate network equipment, the determining further comprising removing from said transmission time a delaying effect of one or more switches and/or routers in the intermediate network equipment, the relative geographic proximity of the first mobile user terminal and second mobile user terminal being determined in dependence on the transmission time after removal of said delaying effect;

obtaining a geographic location of the second mobile user terminal using a satellite positioning system, wherein the first mobile user terminal is not equipped with access to any satellite based positioning system; and

on condition that the first mobile user terminal and second mobile user terminal are determined to be within said relative geographic proximity, using the geographic location of the second mobile user terminal in estimating a geographic location of the first mobile user terminal.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the at least one property further comprises a property associated with the first user mobile terminal and the second mobile user terminal being connected to a same wireless router or a same access point of a wireless local area network providing access to a packet-switched network.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the determining further comprises determining whether the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal are within said relative geographic proximity based, at least in part, on a shared authentication element of the first mobile user terminal and second user terminal.