Proxy server and method thereof for forwarding location requests to a position determining entity

• US 9,942,745 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intrado Life & Safety Incorporated
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Despot, Pavel
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US15/458,547
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A method, system and server comprise determining, at a server, an appropriate Position Determining Entity (PDE) to forward data to based on a network in which a mobile station is roaming and forwarding the data from the server to the PDE.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, at a server, an appropriate Position Determining Entity (PDE) to forward data to based on a network and an IP address range of the network in which a mobile station is roaming, the data comprising a request for location information of the mobile station;

accessing a network information database using the server to obtain network information;

determining, at the server, a route to forward the data to the PDE based on the network information; and

transmitting the data from the mobile station to a packet data serving node (PDSN).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forwarding the data from the server to the PDE.

3. The method for to claim 1, further comprising accessing a subscriber database using the server to obtain subscriber information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the subscriber information is used to determine whether to forward the data to the PDE.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDE is at least one of a hosted PDE and a carrier PDE.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station and the PDSN are not in a same carrier network.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preparing billing information based on predetermined characteristics of the transmission and forwarding of the data.

8. A network, comprising:

a server;

a position determining entity (PDE); and

a packet data serving node (PDSN);

wherein the server is configured to forward the data to the PDE based on a network and an IP address range of the network in which a mobile station is roaming, the data comprising a request for location information of the mobile station;

wherein the server is configured to access a network information database to obtain network information;

wherein the server is configured to determine a route to forward the data to the PDE based on the network information; and

wherein the PDSN is operable to receive the data transmitted by the mobile station and forward the data to the server.

9. The network according to claim 8, wherein the server is further configured to receive the data prior to the data being forwarded, wherein the server further comprises a subscriber database.

10. The network according to claim 9, wherein the subscriber database comprises information regarding mobile station characteristics, the information used by the server to determine whether to forward the data to the PDE.

11. The network according to claim 9, wherein the network information database comprises information regarding communication network characteristics.

12. The network according to claim 9, wherein the mobile station is operable to transmit data and receive data.

13. The network according to claim 8, further comprising forward the data to the PDE wherein the PDE is configured to use the data to determine a location of the mobile station.

14. The network according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of carrier networks, wherein the mobile station and the PDSN are located in different ones of the plurality of carrier networks.

15. The network according to claim 8, further comprising a billing information database operable to prepare billing information based on predetermined characteristics of the transmission of the data.

16. A server, comprising:

a subscriber database including information regarding whether a mobile station is permitted to make Position Determining Entity (PDE) requests, the information used by the server to determine whether to forward data to the PDE, the data comprising a request for location information of the mobile station;

a network information database comprising network information regarding communication network characteristics, the server using the network information to determine a route to forward the data to the PDE; and

wherein the server forwards the data to the PDE based on a network and an IP address range of the network in which the mobile station is roaming.