Estimating whether or not a wireless terminal is in a geographic zone using pattern classification

• US 9,538,328 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Bhattacharya, Tarun Kumar, Feuerstein, Martin, Gordon, Scot Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/966,000
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for estimating whether or not a wireless terminal is in a geographic zone. The illustrative embodiment employs a pattern classifier that is trained on traits of electromagnetic signals at various locations. A computer-executable program is then generated based on the trained pattern classifier, and the program is installed and executed on a subscribed identity module of the terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

training, by a data-processing system, a pattern classifier on a plurality of input-output mappings, resulting in a trained pattern classifier, wherein each of the input-output mappings comprises (i) an input that is based on one or more traits of one or more electromagnetic signals at a respective geo-location, and (ii) a Boolean output that indicates whether the respective geo-location is inside a geographic zone Z;

generating, by the data-processing system, a computer-executable program based on the trained pattern classifier;

transmitting, by the data-processing system, the computer-executable program to a wireless terminal;

receiving, by the wireless terminal, the computer-executable program; and

estimating, by the wireless terminal, whether the wireless terminal is inside the geographic zone Z, based on the computer-executable program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable program is for local execution at the wireless terminal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the computer-executable program is executable by the wireless terminal to estimate whether the wireless terminal is inside the geographic zone Z.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the computer-executable program is executable by the wireless terminal to correct measurements made by the wireless terminal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the computer-executable program is based on a characteristic of the wireless terminal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in the geographic zone Z; and

generating, by the data-processing system, a new computer-executable program based on the re-trained pattern classifier.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in a network comprising one or more electromagnetic signal transmitters; and

generating, by the data-processing system, a new computer-executable program based on the re-trained pattern classifier.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the computer-executable program to the wireless terminal is via a wireless switching center.

9. A method comprising:

training, by a data-processing system, a pattern classifier on a plurality of input-output mappings, resulting in a trained pattern classifier, wherein each of the input-output mappings comprises

(i) an input that is based on one or more traits of one or more electromagnetic signals at a respective geo-location, and

(ii) a Boolean output that indicates whether the respective geo-location is inside a geographic zone Z;

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more parameter values of the trained pattern classifier to a wireless terminal;

receiving, by the wireless terminal, the one or more parameter values; and

estimating, by the wireless terminal, whether the wireless terminal is inside the geographic zone Z, based on the one or more parameter values, wherein the one or more parameter values are for instantiating a computer-executable program that executes locally at the wireless terminal and that estimates whether the wireless terminal is inside the geographic zone Z.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more parameter values are for instantiating a computer-executable program that executes locally at the wireless terminal and that corrects measurements made by the wireless terminal.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in the geographic zone Z; and

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more new parameter values of the re-trained pattern classifier to the wireless terminal;

wherein the estimating, by the wireless terminal, is based on the one or more new parameter values.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in a network comprising one or more electromagnetic signal transmitters; and

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more new parameter values of the re-trained pattern classifier to the wireless terminal;

wherein the estimating, by the wireless terminal, is based on the one or more new parameter values.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the transmitting of the one or more parameter values to the wireless terminal is via a wireless switching center.

14. A method comprising:

training, by a data-processing system, a pattern classifier on a plurality of input-output mappings, resulting in a trained pattern classifier, wherein each of the input-output mappings comprises

(i) an input that is based on one or more traits of one or more electromagnetic signals at a respective geo-location, and

(ii) a Boolean output that indicates whether the respective geo-location is inside a geographic zone Z;

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more parameter values of the trained pattern classifier to a wireless switching center;

transmitting, by the wireless switching center, the one or more parameter values to a wireless terminal;

receiving, by the wireless terminal, the one or more parameter values;

instantiating, by the wireless terminal, a computer-executable program based on the one or more parameter values, wherein the one or more parameter values are also for correcting measurements made by the wireless terminal; and

estimating, by the wireless terminal, whether the wireless terminal is inside the geographic zone Z, based on the wireless terminal executing the computer-executable program.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the computer-executable program is based on a characteristic of the wireless terminal.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the characteristic is based on the manufacturer of the wireless terminal.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in the geographic zone Z; and

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more parameter values of the re-trained pattern classifier to the wireless switching center.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

re-training, by the data-processing system, the pattern classifier on a new plurality of input-output mappings in response to a change in a network comprising one or more electromagnetic signal transmitters; and

transmitting, by the data-processing system, one or more parameter values of the re-trained pattern classifier to the wireless switching center.