Determination of location of a mobile device

• US 9,942,710 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dowlatkhah, Sangar, Shaw, Venson
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US14/817,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 4554562, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Determination of a current location of a mobile device based on exchange of messages between the mobile device and a remote device. The determination can be originated from the remote device and can be performed, in certain embodiments, by a system within a network that provides services to the mobile device. The location of the mobile device can be determined without reliance on a dedicated location service module (e.g., software or firmware) at the user equipment. The system can utilize signals from a global navigation satellite system or signals time-of-flight terrestrial signals emitted and/or received at the mobile device. In addition, the system can provide location information associated with the mobile device in response to a prompt from the remote device in instances in which the remote device is authorized to receive location information. An authorized remote device can be or can include a device associated with the user equipment or a third-party device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

validating, by a system comprising a processor, a predetermined authorization configuration associated with monitoring a location of a remote device, wherein the predetermined authorization configuration is stored by a storage device of a communication network in connection with a process of provisioning the remote device, and wherein a call session is not established with the remote device; and

in response to the validating the predetermined authorization configuration,

sending, by the system, a message to the remote device to cause the remote device to perform, an update of the location of the remote device resulting in an updated location of the remote device, wherein the updated location is based on an exchange of information between the remote device and a serving mobile location center device that generates data representative of a current location of the mobile device;

receiving, by the system, location information representative of the updated location of the remote device;

updating, by the system, a location record associated with the remote device based on the location information; and

determining, by the system, an estimate of the current location of the remote device based on the location information and the location record associated with the remote device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote device is a first remote device, and the method further comprises:

prior to the validating the predetermined authorization configuration, receiving, by the system, a first text message representative of a location request for the current location of the first remote device served by a network device of the communication network, wherein the receiving the first text message comprises receiving the first text message from a second remote device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in further response to the validating the predetermined authorization configuration:

sending, by the system, the estimate of the current location of the first remote device to the second remote device associated with a network for electronic commerce,

wherein the sending the estimate of the current location of the first remote device comprises sending a second text message to the second remote device, and wherein the second text message comprises geographic coordinates indicative of the estimate of the current location of the first remote device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the first text message comprises receiving payload data that causes the validating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises geographic coordinates associated with the remote device, and wherein the determining the estimate of the current location comprises assigning the geographic coordinates to the estimate of the current location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises distance information representative of respective distances from the remote device to network devices associated with the communication network, and wherein the determining the estimate of the current location comprises using a trilateration process based on the distance information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the validating the predetermined authorization configuration comprises accessing opt-in information indicative of permission to monitor the location of the remote device, and wherein the opt-in information is stored in a home subscriber server device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first text message is a first short message service message, and wherein the sending the message comprises sending a second short message service message by a short message service center device to a telephone number associated with the remote device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the message comprises sending at least one of a short message service message, a multimedia messaging service message, a session initiation protocol message, an unstructured supplementary service data message, or an email message by a gateway device to a communication address associated with the remote device.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a location request for a current location of a first remote device served by a first network device of a first network from a second remote device associated with a second network device of a second network, wherein a call session with the first remote device has not been established;

in response to the receiving the location request, accessing preconfigured opt-in information indicative of a permission to monitor a location of the first remote device received in connection with the first remote device being subscribed to use of the first network;

in response to the accessing, sending a first message to the first remote device to cause the first remote device to generate location information associated with the current location of the first remote device, wherein the first remote device generates location information representative of the current location of the first remote device based on a result of a communication exchange with a serving mobile location center device;

receiving the location information associated with the current location of the first remote device;

updating a location record for the first remote device at a gateway mobile location center device based on receiving the location information; and

determining an estimate of the current location of the first remote device using the location information and the location record.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending a second message comprising the estimate of the current location of the first remote device to the second remote device, and wherein the second network comprises a platform device for electronic commerce.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second message comprises a short message service message comprising hypertext containing geographic coordinates indicative of the estimate of the current location of the first remote device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information associated with the current location of the first remote device comprises geographic coordinates indicative of the current location of the first remote device, and wherein the determining the estimate of the current location comprises assigning the geographic coordinates to the estimate of the current location.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information comprises timing information associated with the current location, and wherein the determining the estimate of the current location comprises implementing an advanced forward link trilateration using the timing information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the accessing the preconfigured opt-in information comprises accessing a device profile retained in a home subscriber server, and wherein the second network comprises a platform device for law enforcement.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the sending the first message comprises sending a location update trigger from the serving mobile location center device to a communication address associated with the first remote device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a first message representative of a location request from a remote device, wherein the location request is associated with a mobile device, and wherein an active call session has been determined not to have been established with the mobile device;

in response to the receiving the first message, accessing a predetermined authorization configuration associated with monitoring a location of the mobile device served by a communication network, wherein the predetermined authorization configuration is initially stored by a storage device of the communication network;

determining whether the predetermined authorization configuration permits the monitoring the location of the mobile device; and

in response to ascertaining that the predetermined authorization configuration permits the monitoring of the location of the mobile device, sending control information to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to generate location information representative of an updated location of the mobile device, wherein the mobile device exchanges information with a serving mobile location center device that has generated data representative of a current location of the mobile device;

receiving the location information;

updating location data associated with the mobile device, wherein the location data is based on the location information; and

generating an estimate of the current location of the mobile device using the location information and the location data.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, in further response to the determining:

sending a second message comprising the estimate of the current location of the mobile device to the remote device, and wherein the remote device is deployed in a platform for law enforcement.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the second message comprises a hyperlink associated with geographic coordinates indicative of the estimate of the current location of the mobile device, and wherein the hyperlink is configured to be executed by a web application at the remote device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the predetermined authorization configuration being determined to indicate a refusal of the monitoring of the location of the mobile device:

rejecting the location request from the remote device;

or

modifying the predetermined authorization configuration to include opt-in information indicative of permission to monitor the location of the mobile device thereby no longer indicating the refusal of the monitoring.