Method and system for generating synthetic location information

• US 9,726,500 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon, Fix, Jeremy, Austin, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNEIDER, PAULA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/074,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20150134245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 701491
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A method including receiving a first location for a mobile device at a first time; receiving a second location for the mobile device at a second time; determining a most likely route for the mobile device based on the first location, the second location, and a time interval between the first time and the second time; and generating a synthetic location for the mobile device based on the most likely route at a corresponding synthetic time between the first time and the second time.

Claims

1. A method to accurately determine a synthetic location for a mobile device to initiate a service while minimizing battery consumption, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a first location for the mobile device at a first time, wherein the first location is generated by one of a cell tower, a wireless access point and a GPS receiver;

receiving, by the server, a second location for the mobile device at a second time, wherein the second location is generated by one of a second cell tower and a second wireless access point;

determining, by the server, a likely route for the mobile device based on the first location, the second location, and a time interval between the first time and the second time, wherein the likely route is determined by;

determining, by the server, a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes connecting one of a plurality of points corresponding to the first location to a corresponding one of a plurality of points corresponding to the second location;

selecting, by the server, a most frequently occurring route of the plurality of routes as the likely route;

generating, by the server, the synthetic location for the mobile device based on the likely route at a corresponding synthetic time between the first time and the second time; and

Initiating, by the server, the service for the mobile device based on the synthetic location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points corresponding to the first location comprises one of a center of an area corresponding to the first location, a point on a perimeter of an area corresponding to the first location, and a point within an area corresponding to the first location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of points corresponding to the first location comprises a center of an area corresponding to the first location, a northernmost point of the area, an easternmost point of the area, a southernmost point of the area, and a westernmost point of the area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the likely route comprises a probability of correctness.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the probability of correctness comprises a quantity of the most frequently occurring route divided by a quantity of the plurality of routes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the likely route comprises a likely segment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of routes comprises a plurality of segments, and wherein the likely segment is determined by:

selecting a most frequently occurring segment of the plurality of routes as the likely segment.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the synthetic location is disposed along the likely segment.

9. A system to accurately determine a synthetic locate for a mobile device to initiate a service while minimizing battery consumption, the system comprising:

a first access point in a first location, the first access point communicating with the mobile device at a first time, wherein the first access point comprises one of a cell tower and a wireless access point;

a second access point in a second location, the second access point communicating with the mobile device at a second time, wherein the second access point comprises one of a second cell tower and a second wireless access point; and

a server comprising a memory storing a set of instructions and a processor executing the set of instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the server, a first locate from the first access point, the first locate corresponding to the first location and the first time;

receiving, by the server, a second locate from the second access point, the second locate corresponding to the second location and the second time;

determining, by the server, a likely route for the mobile device based on the first location, the second location, and a time interval between the first time and the second time, wherein the likely route is determined by;

determining, by the server, a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes connecting one of a plurality of points corresponding to the first locate to a corresponding one of a plurality of points corresponding to the second locate;

selecting, by the server, a most frequently occurring route of the plurality of routes as the likely route;

generating, by the server, the synthetic locate for the mobile device based on the likely route at a corresponding synthetic time between the first time and the second time; and

initiating, by the server, the service for the mobile device based on the synthetic locate.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of points corresponding to the first locate comprises one of a center of an area corresponding to the first locate, a point on a perimeter of an area corresponding to the first locate, and a point within an area corresponding to the first locate.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of points corresponding to the first locate comprises a center of an area corresponding to the first locate, a northernmost point of the area, an easternmost point of the area, a southernmost point of the area, and a westernmost point of the area.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the likely route comprises a probability of correctness.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the probability of correctness comprises a quantity of the most frequently occurring route divided by a quantity of the plurality of routes.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the likely route comprises a likely segment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of routes comprises a plurality of segments, and wherein the processor determines the likely segment by:

selecting a most frequently occurring segment of the plurality of routes as the likely segment.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the synthetic locate is disposed along the likely segment.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions executable by a processor, the set of instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform operations to accurately determine a synthetic locate for a mobile device to initiate a service while minimizing battery consumption, comprising:

receiving, by a server, a first location for the mobile device at a first time, wherein the first location is generated by one of a cell tower, a wireless access point and a GPS receiver;

receiving, by the server, a second location for the mobile device at a second time, wherein the second location is generated by one of a second cell tower and a second wireless access point;

determining, by the server, a likely route for the mobile device based on the first location, the second location, and a time interval between the first time and the second time, wherein the likely route is determined by;

determining a plurality of routes, each of the plurality of routes connecting one of a plurality of points corresponding to the first location to a corresponding one of a plurality of points corresponding to the second location;

selecting, by the server, a most frequently occurring route of the plurality of routes as the likely route;

generating, by the server, the synthetic location for the mobile device based on the likely route at a corresponding synthetic time between the first time and the second time; and

initiating, by the server, the service for the mobile device based on the synthetic location.