System and method for routing SUPL proxy-mode traffic when multiple nodes are deployed in a network

• US 9,491,685 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Pawson, Darren, Singh, Chas
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Assistant Examiner(s): Naji, Younes
• Application Number:
  US14/616,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A system and method for connecting a mobile device to a node in a wireless network. A query may be received for a mobile device from a location based application. In response to the query a first message may be transmitted to the mobile device from a first node, the first message being populated with at least one predetermined parameter. At a second node, it may then be determined whether to forward a second message from the mobile device to the first node via the second node as a function of the availability of the first node or the at least one predetermined parameter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless device, a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message generated by a particular SUPL location platform (SLP) of a plurality of SLPs, wherein the SUPL initiation message includes a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the plurality of SLPs and a network address of the particular SLP;

augmenting, at the wireless device, the FQDN to include a unique identifier associated with the particular SLP;

querying, at the wireless device, a domain name system (DNS) for a resolution to the augmented FQDN;

receiving, at the wireless device, a list of network addresses from the DNS, wherein the list of network addresses includes network addresses for each of the plurality of SLPs;

matching the augmented FQDN associated with the particular SLP with a network address in the list of network addresses to determine a matched network address; and

establishing, by the wireless device, a connection with a network node assigned the matched network address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular SLP is assigned the matched network address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection between the wireless device and the particular SLP is a transport security layer (TLS) connection.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending, at the wireless device, position information to the particular SLP via the TLS connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of network addresses includes a network address assigned to a global server load balancing (GSLB) node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the GSLB node is configured to distribute location requests among the plurality of SLPs.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the network address assigned to the GSLB node is a first address in the list of network addresses.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the GSLB node is logically positioned between the wireless device and each of the plurality of SLPs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address of the particular SLP node is included in a SLPId field of the SULP initiation message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address of the particular SLP node is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the particular SLP.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular SLP of the plurality of SLPs is a home SLP (H-SLP) of the wireless device.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a particular secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) of a plurality of SLPs, a network initiated location request for a wireless device;

sending, at the particular SLP, a SULP initiation message that includes a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and a network address of the particular SLP;

augmenting ,by the wireless device, the FQDN to include a unique identifier associated with the particular SLP;

resolving the augmented FQDN to a list of network addresses that includes a network address for each of the plurality of SLPs; and

establishing, by the particular SLP, a connection with the wireless device in response to a reply to the initiation message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the reply to the initiation message is an SLP POS INIT message.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

resolving the augmented FQDN to a global server load balancing (GSLB) node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first network address in the list of network addresses is assigned to the GSLB node.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the GSLB node is logically positioned between the plurality of SLPs and the wireless device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the network address of the particular SLP is included in a SLPId field of the SUPL initiation message.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the connection between the particular SLP and the wireless device is a transport layer security (TLS) connection.

19. A wireless device comprising a computing device communicating on a wireless network, the wireless device being configured to:

receive a secure user plane location (SUPL) initiation message generated from a particular SUPL location platform (SLP) of a plurality of SLPs, wherein the SULP initiation message includes a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the plurality of SLPs;

augment the FQDN to include a unique identifier associated with the particular SLP;

query a domain name system (DNS) for a resolution to the FQDN;

examine the SUPL initiation message to determine if a network address for the particular SLP is included in the SUPL initiation message;

receive a list of network addresses provided by the DNS, wherein the list of network addresses includes network addresses for each of the plurality of SLPs; and

establish a connection with a network node that is assigned a network address included in the list of network addresses.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the network address of the particular SLP is included in the SUPL initiation message, and the network node is the particular SLP.