Determining Approximate Locations of Network Devices That are Inaccessible to GPS Signals

• US 20060240848A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McMahan, Paul Franklin, Uthe, Robert Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.600
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for determining approximate locations of network devices. Information is received concerning last known locations of portable network devices that attach to a network, and used to compute an approximate location of an obscured network device attached to the network. In some embodiments, the last known locations of the portable network devices may be determined using information from GPS satellites. The approximate location of the obscured network device may be used as the approximate location of other stationary network devices connected to the same network.

Claims

1. A method for determining approximate locations of network devices, comprising:

receiving information about last known locations of portable network devices that attach to a network; and

computing an approximate location of an obscured network device connected to the network, which obscured network device is not one of said portable network devices that attach to the network, using the last known locations of the portable network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the last known locations of the portable network devices are determined using information from global positioning satellites.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the approximate location of the obscured network device as an approximate location of a stationary network device connected to the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of computing further comprises determining whether to accept a last known location of a portable network device for use in computing the approximate location of the obscured network device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of determining further comprises comparing the last known location of the portable network device with location information computed from a plurality of last known locations of other portable network devices which have attached to the network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of determining further comprises comparing a current time with a time at which the last known location of the portable network device was determined.

7. A computer program product for determining approximate locations of network devices, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embedded therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive information about last known locations of portable networks devices that attach to a network; and

computer readable program code configured to compute an approximate location of an obscured network device connected to the network, which obscured network device is not one of said portable network devices that attach to the network, using the last known locations of the portable network devices.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the last known locations of the portable network devices are determined using information from global positioning satellites.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising computer readable program code configured to use the approximate location of the obscured network device as an approximate location of a stationary network device connected to the network.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine whether to accept a last known location of a portable network device for use in computing the approximate location of the obscured network device.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine whether to accept a last known location of a portable network device further comprises computer readable program code configured to compare the last known location of the portable network device with location information computed from a plurality of last known locations of other portable network devices which have attached to the network.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine whether to accept a last known location of a portable network device further comprises computer readable program code configured to compare a current time with a time at which the last known location of the portable network device was determined.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)