Provision of location dependent services without revealing the user identity via a mobile telecommunications network

• US 20050261001A1
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Marley, Neil, Debney, Charlie William
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Application service providers (ASP1, ASP2 . . . ) are linked to a mobile telecommunications network (N), such as a cellular telecommunications network, for providing services such as information-providing services to users (MS1, MS2, MS3 . . . ) in the network. For example, one service provider (ASP1) may, on request from a user, provide the address of or directions to the user'"'"'s nearest pizza outlet. The user'"'"'s request is intercepted by the network which generates a “user tag” identifying the user, the service provider to whom the request is directed, and the time and date of the request. The network stores the information in the user tag, encodes it and transmits it to the service provider in a form from which the service provider is unable to access the user or obtain the user'"'"'s identity. The service provider then requests the current location of the user from the network using the user tag to identify the user to the network. The network transmits the user'"'"'s location to the service provider in association with the user tag and the service provider responds by transmitting back to the network the information required by the user (the address of or directions to the user'"'"'s nearest pizza outlet), again in association with the user tag. The network passes the information to the user. Finally, the service provider requests the network to levy a charge against the user, again using the user tag so that the network can identify the particular user. In this way, information identifying the user is never provided to the service provider who cannot therefore directly access the user either during the session or subsequently. The user tag may have a predetermined short lifetime to provide further security.

Claims

1. A method by which a service provider provides a service to a user in a mobile telecommunications network in response to a request for the service by that user, in which the network generates a request signal in response to the a user request, the network transmits the request signal to the service provider, and the service provider provides the service to the user via the network and using the request signal, the request signal including identity information which identifies the user to the network but provides no information to the service provider which enables the service provider to directly access the user, wherein the request signal includes data allowing the request signal to be distinguished by the service provider from request signals relating to other requests, and in that the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a length of time which is dependent on the a length of time for providing the service.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the provision of the service by the service provider requires that the service provider has location information specifying a location of the user, and in which the service provider uses the request signal to obtain that location information from the network operator.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the service provider transmits the request signal to the network and the network (N) uses the request signal and the identity information therein to derive the location information and transmits that location information to the service provider in association with the request signal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the service provider uses the request signal to request generation of charging information by the network for the provision of the service.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the network uses the request signal to identify the user in relation to which a charge is to be generated.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a predetermined length of time.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request signal identifies the service provider and a time of the request to the network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request signal identifies a position in a database from which the network can extract the identity information.

9. A method according to claims 1, wherein the request signal is encrypted before receipt by the service provider.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the service provided by the service provider is a provision of information.

11. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising means responsive to a request by a user in the network for an informational response service to be provided by a service provider known to the network for at least temporarily storing the an identity of the particular user making the request;

and means for transmitting a request signal to the service provider which corresponds to the request by that particular user, which request signal does not enable direct access by the service provider to that user; and

means for receiving the informational response service from the service provider in association with the request signal for directing the informational response to the particular user;

wherein the request signal includes data allowing the request signal to be distinguished by the service provider from request signals relating to other requests, and in that the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a length of time which is dependent on a length of time for providing the service.

13. A network according to claim 11, wherein the provision of the service by the service provider requires that the service provider has location information specifying a location of the user, and in which the service provider uses the request signal to obtain that location information from the network.

14. A network according to claim 13, wherein the service provider transmits the request signal to the network and the network uses the request signal and the identity information therein to derive the location information and transmits that location and identity information to the service provider in association with the request signal.

15. A network according to any one of claims 11, wherein the service provider uses the request signal to request generation of charging information by the network for the provision of the service.

16. A network according to claim 15, wherein the network uses the request signal to identify the user in relation to which the charge is to be generated.

17. A network or system according to any one of claims 11, wherein the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a predetermined length of time.

18. A network according to any one of claims 11, wherein the request signal identifies the service provider and a time of the request to the network.

19. A network according to claim 11, wherein the request signal identifies a position in a database from which the network can extract identity information.

20. A network according to claim 11, wherein the request signal is encrypted before receipt by the service provider.

12. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. A system, comprising a mobile communications network and at least one service provider capable of providing a service to a user in the network in response to a user request for a service by that user, including means in the network for generating a request signal in response to the user request, which request signal includes identity information which identifies the user to the network but provides no information to the service provider which enables the service provider to directly access the user;

means for transmitting the request signal to the service provider;

means in the network for receiving information relating to the service from the service provider in association with the request signal; and

means in the network responsive to the request signal to provide the information relating to the service to the user;

wherein the request signal includes data allowing it to be distinguished by the service provider from request signals relating to other requests, and in that the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a length of time which is dependent on a length of time for providing the service.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein providing the service by the service provider requires that the service provider has location information specifying the a location of the user, and in which the service provider uses the request signal to obtain that related location information from the network.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein the service provider transmits the request signal to the network and the network uses the request signal and the identity information therein to derive the location information and transmits that location information to the service provider in association with the request signal.

25. A system according to claim 22, wherein the service provider uses the request signal to request generation of charging information by the network for providing the service.

26. A system according to claim 24, wherein the network uses the request signal to identify the user in relation to which a charge is to be generated.

27. A system according to claim 22, wherein the request signal is only effective for the service provider for a predetermined length of time.

28. A system according to claim 22, wherein the request signal identifies the service provider and the time of the request to the network.

29. A system according to claim 22, wherein the request signal identifies a position in a database from which the network can extract the identity information.

30. A system according to claim 22, wherein the request signal is encrypted before receipt by the service provider.