Location continuity service for locating mobile devices using multiple access networks including wireless telecommunication networks

• US 9,094,927 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Magesh, Seckin, Gamze
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US13/309,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20120083241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/404.2, 455/416, 455/435.1, 455/403
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A location continuity application server described herein is configured to access from an access network a set of location data associated with a position measurement for a mobile device. The location continuity application server may also access from another access network another set of location data associated with another position measurement for the mobile device and combine the sets of location data to determine a location of the mobile device. Further, prior to accessing the set of location data, the location continuity application server may provide reference location data associated with a reference location of the mobile device to the access network to enable the access network to obtain the position measurement based at least on the reference location data. The location continuity application server may also access the set of location data and determine the location of the mobile device responsive to a request from an emergency service provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing from a first access network a first set of location data associated with a first position measurement for a mobile device;

providing the first set of location data to a second access network;

accessing from the second access network a second set of location data associated with a second position measurement for the mobile device, the second position measurement obtained by the second access network based at least on the first set of location data; and

combining the first set of location data with the second set of location data to determine a location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of location data is historical location data accessed from the first access network prior to the accessing of the second set of location data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the accessing of the first and second sets of location data while the mobile device is concurrently registered with the first and second access networks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying location determination techniques used to generate at least one of the first and second sets of location data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to combining the first and second sets of location data, transforming at least one of the first and second sets of location data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transformation is one of a linear transformation, a non-linear transformation, an invertible transformation, a non-invertible transformation, a scaling transformation, generating a mean value or moment, raising the transformed set of location data to a power, taking a logarithm, derivative, or integral of the transformed set of location data, or applying a ceiling or floor mapping to the transformed set of location data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining comprises applying a weighting factor to at least one of the first and second sets of location data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining includes performing a linear combination, a non-linear combination, or a polynomial of the first and second sets of location data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of location data defines a first geographic area and the second set of location data defines a second geographic area and the location is determined to be on a line connecting centers of the first and second geographic areas in an overlapping portion of the first and second geographic areas.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing from one or more additional access networks one or more additional sets of location data associated with one or more additional position measurements for the mobile device; and

combining the one or more additional sets of location data with the first and second sets of location data to determine the location of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the accessing of the first set of location data, the accessing of the second set of location data, and the combining responsive to a location request from an emergency service provider; and

providing the determined location to the emergency service provider.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon and configured to program a computing device to perform operations comprising:

providing reference location data for a reference location of a mobile device accessed from a first access network to a second access network;

receiving from the second access network a set of location data associated with a position measurement for the mobile device, the position measurement obtained by the second access network based at least on the reference location data; and

determining a location of the mobile device based at least on the received set of location data.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise accessing the reference location data from the first access network or from a database storing the reference location data.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise providing an indication to the second access network specifying how the second access network is to use to reference location data to obtain the position measurement.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise specifying a location determination technique used to generate the set of location data.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises combining the reference location data with the received set of location data.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12,

wherein the operations further comprise providing second reference location data for a second reference location of the mobile device to the second access network, and

wherein the receiving comprises receiving from the second access network the set of location data associated with the position measurement for the mobile device, the position measurement obtained by the second access network based at least on the reference location data and on the second reference location data.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing the providing, the receiving, and the determining responsive to a location request from an emergency service provider; and

providing the determined location to the emergency service provider.

19. A location continuity application server comprising:

one or more processors; and

a plurality of modules configured to be executed by the processors to perform operations including;

receiving a request for a location of a mobile device from an emergency service provider;

responsive to the request,

accessing from a first access network a first set of location data associated with a first position measurement for the mobile device;

providing the first set of location data to a second access network;

accessing from the second access network a second set of location data associated with a second position measurement for the mobile device, the second position measurement obtained by the second access network based at least on the first set of location data; and

combining the first set of location data with the second set of location data to determine the location of the mobile device; and

providing the determined location to the emergency service provider.