Mobile wireless access point geolocation services proxy for mobile devices

• US 9,313,612 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burckart, Eric J., Joseph, Dinakaran, Kaplinger, Todd E., Moore, Victor S., Truty, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US14/010,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method for mobile wireless access point geolocation services proxying for mobile devices is provided. The method includes providing in a wireless access point, a wireless hotspot for different mobile devices and establishing a cellular communications link between the wireless access point and the Internet. The method also includes routing messages between the mobile devices and the cellular communications link through the wireless hotspot. Finally, the method includes responding to a request from one of the mobile devices for geolocation data by obtaining location data for the wireless access point and transmitting the obtained location data to the one of the mobile devices over the wireless hotspot for use by the one of the mobile devices in acquiring location based services from a remote endpoint server over the Internet.

Claims

1. A method for mobile wireless access point geolocation services proxying for mobile devices, the method comprising:

providing, at a mobile wireless access point, a wireless hotspot within a geographic distance of the mobile wireless access point for a plurality of different mobile devices;

establishing, at the mobile wireless access point, a cellular broadband communications link between the mobile wireless access point and the Internet;

routing messages, at the mobile wireless access point, between the mobile devices and the cellular broadband communications link through the wireless hotspot to the Internet; and

,

responsive to a request from one of the mobile devices for geolocation data, from the mobile wireless access point, obtaining geolocation data determined by at least one location determining component disposed within the mobile wireless access point for the mobile wireless access point and transmitting the obtained geolocation data to the one of the mobile devices over the wireless hotspot for use by the one of the mobile devices in acquiring location based services from a remote endpoint server over the Internet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless access point obtains the location data through a global positioning services (GPS) receiver disposed within the wireless mobile access point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the mobile devices subscribes to the mobile wireless access point for geolocation services proxying.

4. A mobile wireless access point comprising:

at least one processor, memory and a cellular radio disposed within a housing, the cellular radio providing a broadband data connection to the Internet;

a wireless router coupled to the processor, memory and cellular radio within the housing and configured to generate and maintain a wireless hotspot within a geographic distance of the housing and to route data from the wireless hotspot to the Internet over the broadband data connection; and

,

a geolocation proxy module executing in the memory of the housing, the module comprising program code enabled upon execution by the at least one processor in the housing to respond to a request from a computing device communicatively linked to the mobile wireless access point through the wireless hotspot for geolocation data, from the mobile wireless access point, to obtain geolocation data determined by at least one location determining component disposed within the wireless access point for the mobile wireless access point and to transmit the obtained geolocation data to the computing device over the wireless hotspot for use by the computing device in acquiring location based services from a remote endpoint server over the Internet.

5. The mobile wireless access point of claim 4, wherein the wireless mobile access point obtains the location data through a global positioning services (GPS) receiver disposed within the wireless mobile access point.

6. The mobile wireless access point of claim 4, wherein the computing device subscribes to the mobile wireless access point for geolocation services proxying.