FEMTO cell visitation history for location based services

• US 9,294,880 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh
• Application Number:
  US14/318,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20140315576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/435.1, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

Collection and communication of data are provided on handset attachment procedure, or visitation, to one or more femto cells to provide location information. A mobility component receives actual subscriber and femto access point (AP) attachment signaling and extracts visitation data that facilitates generation of real-time or historical visitation reports. Location information is conveyed through visitation reports which can include mobile device identifier(s), femto AP location, and a timestamp. Visitation reports also can include processed visitation data such as mobility matrices, historical mobility patterns or profiles, and predicted mobility events. Provision of location information occurs without the need for dedicated handset functionality, and associated hardware, or additional battery draw.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

aggregating, by a system comprising a processor, at least a portion of generated visitation data for first mobile devices and second femto access point devices resulting in aggregated visitation data; and

generating, by the system, mobility matrices based on the aggregated visitation data, wherein a mobility matrix of the mobility matrices comprises integer matrix elements indicative of a number of attachment attempts from a mobile device of the first mobile devices to a femto access point device of the second femto access point devices, and wherein an accuracy level of the integer matrix elements increases with an increase in the number of the attachment attempts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the system, a report that comprises information indicative of the mobility matrices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the report comprises information indicative of an inference regarding a visitation event.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the report comprises information associated with a mobility pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobility matrix comprises first information indicative of a first identifier of the mobile device in a first portion of the mobility matrix.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the statistical information is associated with mobility of the first mobile devices.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

aggregating at least a portion of generated visitation data for first mobile devices and second femto access point devices resulting in aggregated visitation data; and

generating mobility matrices based on the aggregated visitation data, wherein a mobility matrix of the mobility matrices comprises integer matrix elements indicative of attachment attempts from a mobile device of the first mobile devices to a femto access point device of the second femto access point devices, and wherein an accuracy level of the integer matrix elements changes with an increase in the attachment attempts.

8. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a report that comprises information indicative of the mobility matrices.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the mobility matrix comprises first information indicative of a first identifier of the mobile device in a first portion of the mobility matrix.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the mobility matrix further comprises second information indicative of a second identifier of the femto access point device in a second portion of the mobility matrix.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the report comprises information indicative of an inference regarding a visitation event.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the report comprises information indicative of statistical information.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the statistical information comprises a mean value associated with the mobility of the first mobile devices.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the statistical information comprises a variance associated with the mobility of the first mobile devices.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the mobility pattern is employed to supply alternative driving directions from a first location to a second location.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

aggregating at least a portion of generated visitation data for first mobile devices and second femto access point devices resulting in aggregated visitation data; and

generating mobility matrices based on the aggregated visitation data, wherein a mobility matrix of the mobility matrices comprises integer matrix elements indicative of a number of attachment attempts from a mobile device of the first mobile devices to a femto access point device of the second femto access point devices, and wherein an accuracy level of the integer matrix elements improves with an increase in the number of the attachment attempts.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a report that comprises information indicative of the mobility matrices.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobility matrix comprises first information indicative of a first identifier of the mobile device in a first portion of the mobility matrix.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobility matrix further comprises second information indicative of a second identifier of the femto access point device in a second portion of the mobility matrix.