Distributed cellular client tracking

• US 9,615,200 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Adderly, Darryl M., Jackson, Jonathan W., Jariwala, Ajit, Libow, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US14/742,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554564, 4555621, 4554221, 4554565, 4555757, 455 82, 370329, 370310, 3703102, 370328, 370338
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A first cellular client determines its geographic location from a second cellular client. As part of this determination, the first cellular client disables its cellular functionality. The first cellular client receives a first identifier from the second cellular client by way of a non-cellular connection. The first identifier is related to a first antenna of a cellular service-provider. The first cellular client tracks its location based on the first identifier.

Claims

1. A computer program product for determining geographic location, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

disabling, by a first cellular client, a cellular functionality of the first cellular client;

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of a non-cellular connection, a first identifier from a second cellular client, the first identifier related to a first antenna of a cellular service-provider; and

tracking, by the first cellular client, the location of the first cellular client based on the first identifier.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the tracking is based on a first antenna parameter related to the first antenna of the cellular service provider, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of the non-cellular connection, the first antenna parameter from the second cellular client.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the first antenna parameter is selected from the group consisting of the latency of the first antenna, the signal strength of the first antenna, the latitude of the first antenna, and the longitude of the first antenna.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the tracking is also based on a second identifier, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of the non-cellular connection, the second identifier from the second cellular client, the second identifier related to a second antenna of the cellular service provider.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the first cellular client, that the first cellular client has been assigned to perform cellular infrastructure forwarding to the second cellular client;

enabling, by the first cellular client, the cellular functionality of the first cellular client;

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of the cellular functionality, a third identifier from the cellular service-provider; and

sending by the first cellular client and by way of the non-cellular connection, the third identifier to the second cellular client so that the second cellular client is able to track the location of the second cellular client based on the third identifier.

6. A system for determining geographic location, the system comprising:

a memory, the memory located in a first cellular client; and

a processor, the processor located in the first cellular client, the processor in communication with the memory, wherein the system is configured to perform a method, the method comprising;

disabling, by the first cellular client, a cellular functionality of the first cellular client;

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of a non-cellular connection, a first identifier from a second cellular client, the first identifier related to a first antenna of a cellular service-provider; and

tracking, by the first cellular client, the location of the first cellular client based on the first identifier.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the tracking is based on a first antenna parameter related to the first antenna of the cellular service provider, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of the non-cellular connection, the first antenna parameter from the second cellular client.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the first antenna parameter is selected from the group consisting of the latency of the first antenna, the signal strength of the first antenna, the latitude of the first antenna, and the longitude of the first antenna.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the tracking is further based on a secondary network, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving, by the first cellular client, the secondary network from a secondary connection.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the secondary connection is provided by a wireless local area network base station.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the secondary location parameter is selected from the group consisting of the internet protocol address of the secondary connection, the latitude of the secondary wireless local area network base station, the longitude of the wireless local area network base station, and the signal strength of the secondary connection.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises receiving a determined cellular client assignment from the second cellular client, and wherein the disabling of the cellular functionality is based upon the received assignment.

13. A system for determining geographic location, the system comprising:

a memory, the memory located in a first cellular client;

a cellular antenna located in the first cellular client, the cellular antenna for communicating with a cellular service provider;

a non-cellular antenna located in the first cellular client, the non-cellular antenna for establishing non-cellular connections and for communicating to other cellular clients; and

a processor, the processor located in the first cellular client, the processor in communication with the memory, the processor in communication with the cellular antenna, the processor in communication with the non-cellular antenna, wherein the system is configured to perform a method, the method comprising;

determining, by the first cellular client, that a second cellular client should be assigned to forward cellular network information to the first client;

sending, by the first cellular client and by way of a non-cellular connection, the determined assignment to the second cellular client;

receiving, by the first cellular client, a confirmation of the determined assignment from the second cellular client;

disabling, by the first cellular client and based on the received confirmation, a cellular functionality of the first cellular client;

receiving, by the first cellular client and by way of the non-cellular connection, a first identifier from the second cellular client, the first identifier related to a first antenna of a cellular service-provider; and

tracking, by the first cellular client, the location of the first cellular client based on the first identifier.