METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING SESSION INFO QUERY FOR USER PLANE LOCATION

• US 20090216846A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Edge, Stephen W., Burroughs, Kirk Allan, Wachter, Andreas K., Lin, Ie-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers

Abstract

Techniques for querying for information on location sessions in a user plane location architecture are described. In an aspect, a location server may send a query message to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions, e.g., when at least one location session for periodic triggered service or area event triggered service is deemed to be active. The terminal may return a response message containing a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions, parameters for the active location sessions, capabilities of the terminal, etc. The location server may compare the information received from the terminal and information stored at the location server. The location server may terminate each location session deemed to be active at only the terminal or only the location server. The location server may restart or terminate each location session having inconsistent parameters at the terminal and the location server.

Claims

1. A method of supporting location services, comprising:

sending a query message from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions; and

receiving from the terminal a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the query message comprises sending a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) INIT message comprising a positioning method parameter set to a predefined value to indicate a session info query session, and wherein the receiving the response message comprises receiving a SUPL REPORT message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information on the active location sessions comprises a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information on the active location sessions comprises parameters for the active location sessions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message further comprises information on capabilities of the terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the query message comprises sending the query message when at least one location session for periodic triggered service or area event triggered service is suspected to be active by the location server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the query message comprises sending the query message if location information is not received from the terminal within an expected reporting interval for an active location session for periodic triggered service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a location session deemed to be active at only the terminal or only the location server based on the information in the response message and information stored at the location server; and

terminating the identified location session.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a location session having inconsistent parameters at the terminal and the location server based on the information in the response message and information stored at the location server; and

restarting or terminating the identified location session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

starting a timer upon sending the query message for a session info query session; and

terminating the session info query session if a response message is not received from the terminal prior to expiration of the timer.

11. An apparatus for supporting location services, comprising:

means for sending a query message from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions; and

means for receiving from the terminal a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for sending the query message comprises means for sending a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) INIT message comprising a positioning method parameter set to a predefined value to indicate a session info query session, and wherein the means for receiving the response message comprises means for receiving a SUPL REPORT message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information on the active location sessions comprises a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the response message further comprises information on capabilities of the terminal.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for sending the query message comprises means for sending the query message when at least one location session for periodic triggered service or area event triggered service is suspected to be active by the location server.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for identifying a location session deemed to be active at only the terminal or only the location server based on the information in the response message and information stored at the location server; and

means for terminating the identified location session.

17. An apparatus for supporting location services, comprising:

at least one processor configured to send a query message from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions, and to receive from the terminal a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send as the query message a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) INIT message comprising a positioning method parameter set to a predefined value to indicate a session info query session, and to receive as the response message a SUPL REPORT message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to obtain a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions from the information on the active location sessions.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive information on capabilities of the terminal from the response message.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the query message when at least one location session for periodic triggered service or area event triggered service is suspected to be active by the location server.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify a location session deemed to be active at only the terminal or only the location server based on the information in the response message and information stored at the location server, and to terminate the identified location session.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to send a query message from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions, and

code for causing the at least one computer to receive from the terminal a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

24. A method of supporting location services, comprising:

receiving a query message sent from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions; and

sending to the location server a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiving the query message comprises receiving a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) INIT message comprising a positioning method parameter set to a predefined value to indicate a session info query session, and wherein the sending the response message comprises sending a SUPL REPORT message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the information on the active location sessions comprises a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the response message further comprises information on capabilities of the terminal.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiving the query message comprises receiving the query message when at least one location session for periodic triggered service or area event triggered service is suspected to be active by the location server.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving a message from the location server to terminate a location session deemed to be active at the terminal but not at the location server, the location session being identified based on the information in the response message.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving a message from the location server to restart or terminate a location session having inconsistent parameters at the terminal and the location server, the location session being identified based on the information in the response message.

31. An apparatus for supporting location services, comprising:

at least one processor configured to receive a query message sent from a location server to a terminal to query for information on active location sessions, and to send to the location server a response message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive as the query message a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) INIT message comprising a positioning method parameter set to a predefined value to indicate a session info query session, and to send as the response message a SUPL REPORT message comprising the information on the active location sessions.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the information on the active location sessions comprises a list of session identifiers (IDs) for the active location sessions.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the response message further comprises information on capabilities of the terminal.

35. A method of supporting location services, comprising:

generating an update message comprising location related information for a terminal; and

sending the update message to a location server, without solicitation from the location server, to update the location server with the location related information for the terminal.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the location related information for the terminal comprises information on active location sessions, and wherein the sending the update message comprises sending the update message if no messages have been exchanged with the location server within a predetermined time period for an active location session.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

periodically sending the update message unless instructed otherwise by the location server.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the location related information for the terminal comprises information on capabilities of the terminal, and wherein the sending the update message comprises sending the update message if the capabilities of the terminal have changed since last reported to the location server.

39. A method of supporting location services, comprising:

receiving an update message comprising location related information for a terminal, the update message being received from the terminal without solicitation from a location server; and

updating location related information for the terminal at the location server with the location related information in the update message.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the location related information for the terminal comprises at least one of information on active location sessions and information on capabilities of the terminal.