Methods and systems for controlling implementation of a location-based service for a wireless communication device

• US 9,924,449 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McMullen, Michael P., Bartlett, Roger D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lam, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/686,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A wireless communication device (WCD) stores a location of a portable WAP and is configured to report the stored location of the portable WAP to a location-based service provider (LBSP) when the WCD is within coverage of the portable WAP and requests a location-based service from the LBSP. While the WCD is within coverage of the portable WAP, the WCD (i) uses a wireless-communication interface to detect that the WCD is also within one or more particular cellular coverage areas and (ii) stores a correlation between the portable WAP and the one or more particular cellular coverage areas. Thereafter, while the WCD is again within coverage of the portable WAP, the WCD determines that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas. In response, the WCD reconfigures itself to not report the stored location of the portable WAP to the LBSP when the WCD requests the location-based service.

Claims

1. A method for controlling reporting of location to a location-based service provider (LBSP) to facilitate implementation of a location-based service for a wireless communication device (WCD), wherein the WCD stores a location of a portable wireless access point (WAP) and is configured to report the stored location of the portable WAP to the LBSP when the WCD is within coverage of the portable WAP and requests the location-based service from the LBSP, the method comprising:

while the WCD is within coverage of the portable WAP, (i) the WCD using a wireless-communication interface to detect that the WCD is also within one or more particular cellular coverage areas and (ii) responsive to thereby detecting that the WCD is within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas while within coverage of the portable WAP, the WCD storing a correlation between the portable WAP and the one or more particular cellular coverage areas; and

thereafter, while the WCD is again within coverage of the portable WAP, (i) the WCD using the wireless-communication interface to scan for coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas but determining from the scanning that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas and (ii) responsive to the determining, the WCD reconfiguring itself to not report the stored location of the portable WAP to the LBSP when the WCD requests the location-based service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining from the scanning that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas comprises:

determining that a level of confidence in a comparison between the one or more particular cellular coverage areas and one or more cellular coverage areas detected from the scanning does not exceed a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining from the scanning that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas comprises:

determining that each of one or more cellular areas detected from the scanning does not match each of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the WCD storing the correlation between the portable WAP and the one or more particular cellular coverage areas comprises storing a correlation between an identifier of the portable WAP and one or more coverage area identifiers corresponding to the one or more particular cellular coverage areas.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more coverage area identifiers comprise one or more Physical Cell Identities (PCIs) or one or more pseudo-noise (PN) offsets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the WCD reconfiguring itself to not report the stored location of the portable WAP to the LBSP when the WCD requests the location-based service comprises:

transmitting to the LBSP an indication that the stored location is incorrect.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting to the LBSP the indication that the stored location is incorrect comprises including a statistical certainty measure of the indication that the stored location is incorrect.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored location of the portable WAP is a first location of the portable WAP, and wherein the WCD reconfiguring itself to not report the stored location of the portable WAP to the LBSP when the WCD requests the location-based service comprises:

outputting by the WCD, on a user interface, a prompt for user entry of a second location of the portable WAP;

receiving by the WCD, in response to the prompt, the user entry of a current location of the portable WAP as the second location;

storing by the WCD, in place of the first location of the portable WAP, the received second location of the portable WAP; and

using by the WCD the received second location of the portable WAP, rather than the first location of the portable WAP, to facilitate the location-based service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the LBSP is an emergency service provider, and wherein the location-based service is emergency service.

10. A method of controlling implementation of a location-based service for a wireless communication device (WCD), the method comprising:

associating by the WCD with a portable wireless access point (WAP) that provides wireless coverage in which to serve the WCD, and storing by the WCD a location of the portable WAP for use to facilitate a location-based service when the WCD is associated with the portable WAP;

when the WCD is associated with the portable WAP, the WCD using a wireless-communication interface to detect that the WCD is also within coverage of one or more particular cellular coverage areas, and, responsive to detecting that the WCD is within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas when the WCD is associated with the portable WAP, storing by the WCD a correlation between the portable WAP and the one or more particular cellular wireless coverage areas; and

thereafter again associating by the WCD with the portable WAP, and when the WCD is so again associated with the portable WAP, the WCD (i) using the wireless-communication interface to scan for the one or more particular cellular coverage areas, (ii) determining, based on the scanning, that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas, and (iii) responsive to the determining, avoiding use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the WCD transmits to a LBSP a request for the location-based service, wherein using the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises retrieving the stored location and transmitting the location to the LBSP to enable the LBSP to provide the requested location-based service based on the location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein avoiding by the WCD use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises:

forgoing by the WCD from transmitting the location of the portable WAP to the LBSP.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein avoiding by the WCD use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises:

transmitting to the LBSP an indication that the location is incorrect.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting to the LBSP the indication that the location is incorrect comprises including a statistical certainty measure of the indication that the location is incorrect.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the stored location of the portable WAP is a first location of the portable WAP, and wherein avoiding by the WCD use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises:

outputting by the WCD, on a user interface, a prompt for user entry of a second location of the portable WAP;

receiving by the WCD, in response to the prompt, the user entry of a current location of the portable WAP as the second location;

storing by the WCD, in place of the first location of the portable WAP, the received second location of the portable WAP; and

using by the WCD the received second location of the portable WAP, rather than the first location of the portable WAP, to facilitate the location-based service.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the WCD transmits to a LBSP a request for the location-based service,

wherein using the stored first location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises retrieving the stored first location and transmitting the first location to the LBSP to enable the LBSP to provide the requested location-based service based on the first location;

and

wherein using by the WCD the received second location of the portable WAP, rather than the first location of the portable WAP, to facilitate the location-based service comprises transmitting the second location to the LBSP to enable the LBSP to provide the requested location-based service based on the second location.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the location-based service is emergency service.

18. A wireless communication device (WCD) configured to control implementation of a location-based service, the WCD comprising:

a wireless-communication interface;

data storage; and

a controller,

wherein the controller is configured to associate the WCD with a portable wireless access point (WAP) that provides wireless coverage in which to serve the WCD, and store in the data storage of the WCD a location of the portable WAP for use to facilitate a location-based service when the WCD is associated with the portable WAP,

wherein the controller is further configured to cause the wireless-communication interface to detect that the WCD is within coverage of one or more particular cellular coverage areas while the WCD is associated with the portable WAP, and responsive to detecting that the WCD is within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas when the WCD is associated with the portable WAP, store in the data storage of the WCD a correlation between the portable WAP and the one or more particular cellular wireless coverage areas, and

wherein the controller is further configured to thereafter again associate the WCD with the portable WAP, and when the WCD is so again associated with the portable WAP, the controller is configured to (i) use the wireless-communication interface to scan for the one or more particular cellular coverage areas, (ii) determine, based on the scanning, that the WCD is not within coverage of the one or more particular cellular coverage areas, and (iii) responsive to the determining, cause the WCD to avoid use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service.

19. The WCD of claim 18, wherein the stored location of the portable WAP is a first location of the portable WAP, and wherein causing the WCD to avoid use of the stored location of the portable WAP to facilitate the location-based service comprises:

outputting by the WCD, on a user interface, a prompt for user entry of a second location of the portable WAP;

receiving by the WCD, in response to the prompt, the user entry of a current location of the portable WAP as the second location;

storing by the WCD, in place of the first location of the portable WAP, the received second location of the portable WAP; and

using by the WCD the received second location of the portable WAP, rather than the first location of the portable WAP, to facilitate the location-based service.

20. The WCD of claim 18, wherein the location-based service is emergency service.