Method and apparatus for providing user plane or control plane position services

• US 9,204,256 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Ie-Hong, Burroughs, Kirk Allan, Srinivasan, Deepika, Kamarsu, Srigouri
• Primary Examiner(s): Shen, Qun
• Application Number:
  US13/793,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20140256283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• 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 dual SIM mobile terminal, such as a Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) mobile terminal, connects to a network and performs a user plane or control plane positioning session through the network. When the positioning session is originated by the mobile terminal, either SIM card may be used to connect to its associated network. When the positioning session is originated by another entity in the network, either SIM card may be used for the positioning session. When the mobile terminal connects to a network for an emergency call using either SIM card and an emergency positioning session is performed through the network, the emergency positioning session is permitted only during the emergency call and an emergency callback period and permitted only on a subscription on which the emergency call originated, and no non-emergency positioning sessions with either SIM card is permitted during the emergency positioning session or emergency call.

Claims

1. A method of providing user plane or control plane positioning services in a dual Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) mobile terminal, the method comprising:

connecting the dual SIM mobile terminal to a network, wherein the network is one of a first network associated with a first subscription accessed with a first SIM card in the dual SIM mobile terminal or a second network associated with a second subscription accessed with a second SIM card in the dual SIM mobile terminal, wherein the first subscription is one of a default subscription or a selected subscription for a user plane or control plane positioning session; and

performing the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the dual SIM mobile terminal, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session;

wherein performing the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network comprises;

attempting to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal using the first subscription; and

switching to use the second subscription to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal; and

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the network, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subscription is used to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session when the first network associated with the first subscription is one of unavailable, weak, busy, or unresponsive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subscription is used to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session when the first subscription has reached a data transfer limit or a limit on a total number of simultaneous data sessions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subscription and the second subscription have different rules of service interactions, and wherein performing the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network comprises:

following the rules of service interactions of the first subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the first subscription and following the rules of service interactions of the second subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the second subscription.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network comprises performing an assisted satellite positioning session using the network.

6. A mobile terminal capable of performing a positioning session through a network that is one of a first network or a second network, the mobile terminal comprising:

a first Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that accesses a first subscription associated with the first network, wherein the first subscription is one of a default subscription or a selected subscription for a user plane or control plane positioning session;

a second SIM card that accesses a second subscription associated with the second network;

a transceiver that communicates with the first network and the second network;

a processor connected to the transceiver and configured to perform the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network, wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the mobile terminal, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session, wherein the processor is configured to perform the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network by being configured to attempt to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the first subscription; and

switch to use the second subscription to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the network, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the second subscription is used to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session when the first network associated with the first subscription is one of unavailable, weak, busy, or unresponsive.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the second subscription is used to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session when the first subscription has reached a data transfer limit or a limit on a total number of simultaneous data sessions.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the first subscription and the second subscription have different rules of service interactions, wherein the processor is further configured to follow the rules of service interactions of the first subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the first subscription and follow the rules of service interactions of the second subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the second subscription.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a receiver to receive satellite positioning system signals, wherein the processor is configured to perform the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network by being configured to perform an assisted satellite positioning session using the network.

11. A dual Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) mobile terminal comprising:

means for connecting to a network, wherein the network is one of a first network associated with a first subscription accessed with a first SIM card or a second network associated with a second subscription accessed with a second SIM card, wherein the first subscription is one of a default subscription or a selected subscription for a user plane or control plane positioning session; and

means for performing the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the dual SIM mobile terminal, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session, wherein the dual SIM mobile terminal further comprises;

means for attempting to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal using the first subscription; and

means for switching to use the second subscription to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the network, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session.

12. The dual SIM mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the first subscription and the second subscription have different rules of service interactions, the dual SIM mobile terminal further comprising:

means for following the rules of service interactions of the first subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the first subscription and following the rules of service interactions of the second subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the second subscription.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code stored thereon, comprising:

program code to connect a dual SIM mobile terminal to a network, wherein the network is one of a first network associated with a first subscription accessed with a first SIM card in the dual SIM mobile terminal or a second network associated with a second subscription accessed with a second SIM card in the dual SIM mobile terminal, wherein the first subscription is one of a default subscription or a selected subscription for a user plane or control plane positioning session; and

program code to perform the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the dual SIM mobile terminal, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session, wherein the program code to perform the user plane or control plane positioning session through the network comprises;

program code to attempt to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal using the first subscription; and

program code to switch to use the second subscription to initiate the user plane or control plane positioning session with the dual SIM mobile terminal;

wherein when the user plane or control plane positioning session is initiated by the network, either the first subscription associated with the first SIM card or the second subscription associated with the second SIM card is used for the user plane or control plane positioning session.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first subscription and the second subscription have different rules of service interactions, program code further comprises:

program code to follow the rules of service interactions of the first subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the first subscription and following the rules of service interactions of the second subscription when the user plane or control plane positioning session is through the second subscription.