SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATING A CELLULAR PHONE

• US 20110159875A1
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ITIS Co.
• Inventors: Eshpar, Allon, FELDMAN, Israel, Lavee, Uri, Meltzer, Yochay
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a method for geographically locating a cellular phone. The method comprises: determining an effective cell-area for each of a first cell and a second cell in a cellular network; and determining a handover area within which the cellular phone is likely to be located when control of the cellular phone is transferred from the first cell to the second cell; wherein the determination of the handover area and the effective cell-area for each of the first cell and the second cell are made based on a topological relationship between the first cell and the second cell. Further related apparatus embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1-92. -92. (canceled)

93. A method of geographically locating a cellular phone by determining the area in which handover from a first cell to a second cell occurs, the method comprising:

modeling at least a portion of a cell reception area of said first cell and said second cell;

and defining a handover area comprising overlapping portions of said first and second cell areas.

94. A method according to claim 93, further comprising:

determining whether to extend the cell reception area based on predetermined criteria.

95. A method according to claim 94, wherein the predetermined criteria comprise criteria based on a relative orientation of the first cell and the second cell.

96. A method according to claim 94, wherein the predetermined criteria comprise criteria based on relative positions of the first cell and the second cell.

97. A method according to claim 93, wherein modeling the at least a portion of the cell reception area of the first cell and the second cell comprises using a pre-defined shape as an initial model of at least a portion of the cell reception area of at least one of the first cell and the second cell.

98. A method according to claim 97, wherein the pre-defined shape comprises a sector.

99. A method according to claim 97, wherein the pre-defined shape comprises a ring-sector.

100. A method according to claim 93, wherein defining the handover area comprises forming a polygon representing the handover area.

101. A method according to claim 93, wherein defining the handover area comprises forming a penumbra area shape around a line of equal intensity of reception between the first cell and the second cell.

102. A method according to claim 101, wherein the penumbra area shape comprises a polygon.

103. A method according to claim 102, wherein the penumbra area shape comprises a rectangle.

104. An apparatus for geographically locating a cellular phone by determining the area in which handover from a first cell to a second cell occurs, the apparatus comprising:

an effective cell-area module for modeling at least a portion of a cell reception area of said first cell and said second cell; and

a handover area module for defining a handover area comprising overlapping portions of said first and second cell areas.

105. An apparatus according to claim 104, wherein the effective cell-area module comprises means for determining whether to extend the cell reception area based on predetermined criteria.

106. An apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the predetermined criteria comprise criteria based on a relative orientation of the first cell and the second cell.

107. An apparatus according to claim 105, wherein the predetermined criteria comprise criteria based on relative positions of the first cell and the second cell.

108. An apparatus according to claim 104, wherein the effective cell-area module comprises means for modeling the at least a portion of the cell reception area of the first cell and the second cell using a pre-defined shape as an initial model of at least a portion of the cell reception area of at least one of the first cell and the second cell.

109. An apparatus according to claim 108, wherein the pre-defined shape comprises a sector.

110. An apparatus according to claim 108, wherein the pre-defined shape comprises a ring-sector.

111. An apparatus according to claim 104, wherein the handover area module comprises means for forming a polygon representing the handover area.

112. An apparatus according to claim 104, wherein the handover area module comprises means for forming a penumbra area shape around a line of equal intensity of reception between the first cell and the second cell.

113. An apparatus according to claim 112, wherein the penumbra area shape comprises a polygon.

114. An apparatus according to claim 113, wherein the penumbra area shape comprises a rectangle.