METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING GEO-LOCATION ENABLEMENT FOR WIRELESS DEVICE

• US 20110165892A1
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., Ristich, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for providing geo-location enablement for a wireless device includes storing geo-location data in a storage device, the geo-location data including geo-location coordinates; referencing geo-location data for geo-location coordinates to corresponding wireless coverage area data, the wireless coverage area data for each geo-location coordinate including wireless coverage area coordinates, each wireless coordinate; representing a sub-area within a coverage area of a wireless network, each sub-area generally formed by an RF signaling range for a wireless access point; and referencing each wireless coordinate to corresponding signal strength data, the signal strength data for each wireless coordinate representing a signal strength value. Each signal strength value representing a signal strength parameter associated with the corresponding wireless coordinate. The wireless coverage area data and signal strength data being stored in the storage device. A server for providing geo-location enablement includes the storage device, an input module, and a geo-location handling module.

Claims

1. A method for providing geo-location enablement for a wireless device, comprising:

a) storing geo-location data in a storage device within a communication network, the geo-location data comprising a plurality of geo-location coordinates;

b) referencing the geo-location data for each geo-location coordinate to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data, the wireless coverage area identification data for each geo-location coordinate comprising one or more wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a different sub-area within a coverage area of a wireless network in the communication network, each sub-area based at least in part on an operative radio frequency signaling range for a corresponding wireless access point in the wireless network, wherein the wireless coverage area identification data is stored in the storage device; and

c) referencing each wireless coverage area coordinate for each geo-location coordinate to corresponding signal strength data, the signal strength data for each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a signal strength value, each signal strength value representing a signal strength parameter associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate in relation to the corresponding geo-location coordinate, wherein the signal strength data is stored in the storage device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless coverage area coordinates comprise at least one of a sub-cell identification, a cell sector identification, a media access control address, a cell identification, a location area code, a mobile network code, a mobile country code, a wireless service provider, and a wireless service operator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the single strength values comprise at least one of a decibel measure, a decibel measure referenced to one milliwatt, an active set updates measure, a watt measure, and a radio frequency signal power measure.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) receiving a geo-location request for geo-location data relating to a first wireless device, the geo-location request being received from a computing device via the communication network;

e) receiving wireless coverage area information from the first wireless device via the communication network, the wireless coverage area information comprising wireless coverage area identification data and signal strength data, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual sub-area within the coverage area of the wireless network for which the first wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding wireless access point, the signal strength data comprising at least one signal strength value corresponding to the at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the first wireless device from the corresponding wireless access point associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate; and

f) determining geo-location data for the first wireless device based at least in part on matching signal strength values and corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates received in e) to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data of b) and signal strength data of c) to identify corresponding geo-location data of a) for the first wireless device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the geo-location request is received via at least one of an instant message, a text message, a multi-media message, and an e-mail message.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the computing device and the first wireless device form a multi-function user device.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

g) sending a geo-location response to the computing device via the communication network, the geo-location response comprising the geo-location data determined in f).

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

h) periodically repeating e) through g) for the first wireless device.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

g) sending a wireless coverage area request to the first wireless device via the communication network in response to receiving the geo-location request in d), the wireless coverage area request comprising a request for the wireless coverage area coordinates and signal strength values of e).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) receiving geo-location information from a wireless device within the wireless network via the communication network, the geo-location information comprising geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data, the geo-location data comprising a geo-location coordinate, the geo-location coordinate representing an actual location of the wireless device within the coverage area of the wireless network, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual sub-area within the coverage area of the wireless network for which the wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding wireless access point, the signal strength data comprising at least one signal strength value corresponding to the at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the first wireless device from the wireless access point associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate;

e) storing geo-location coordinates from d) in the storage device as geo-location data unless the geo-location data in the storage device already includes the geo-location coordinate;

f) storing wireless coverage area coordinates from d) in the storage device as wireless coverage area identification data and referencing each stored wireless coverage area coordinate to the corresponding stored geo-location coordinate of e); and

g) storing signal strength values from d) in the storage device as signal strength data and referencing each stored signal strength value to the corresponding stored wireless coverage area coordinate of f).

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

h) periodically repeating d) through g) for the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

h) sending a geo-location request to the wireless device via the communication network, the geo-location request comprising a request for the geo-location coordinate and corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates and signal strength values of d).

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

i) periodically repeating d) through h) for the wireless device.

14. An apparatus for providing geo-location enablement for a wireless device, comprising:

an input module for receiving geo-location information via a communication network, the geo-location information comprising geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data;

a geo-location handling module in operative communication with the input module for processing the geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data; and

a storage device in operative communication with the geo-location handling module for storing the geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data, the geo-location data comprising a plurality of geo-location coordinates;

wherein the geo-location data for each geo-location coordinate is referenced to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data, the wireless coverage area identification data for each geo-location coordinate comprising one or more wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a different sub-area within a coverage area of a wireless network in the communication network, each sub-area based at least in part on an operative radio frequency signaling range for a corresponding wireless access point in the wireless network;

wherein each wireless coverage area coordinate for each geo-location coordinate is referenced to corresponding signal strength data, the signal strength data for each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a signal strength value, each signal strength value representing a signal strength parameter associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate in relation to the corresponding geo-location coordinate.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

the input module for;

i) receiving a geo-location request for geo-location data relating to a first wireless device, the geo-location request being received from a computing device via the communication network and ii) receiving wireless coverage area information from the first wireless device via the communication network, the wireless coverage area information comprising wireless coverage area identification data and signal strength data, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual sub-area within the coverage area of the wireless network for which the first wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding wireless access point, the signal strength data comprising at least one signal strength value corresponding to the at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the first wireless device from the wireless access point associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate, and;

a geo-location determining module in operative communication with the input module and storage device, the geo-location determining module for processing the geo-location request and wireless coverage area information to determine geo-location data for the first wireless device based at least in part on matching signal strength values and corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates received in the wireless coverage area information from the first wireless device to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data and signal strength data stored in the storage device to identify corresponding geo-location data stored in the storage device that relates to the first wireless device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

an output module in operative communication with the geo-location determining module, the output module for sending a geo-location response to the computing device via the communication network, the geo-location response comprising the geo-location data determined by the geo-location determining module.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

an output module in operative communication with the geo-location determining module, the output module for sending a wireless coverage area request to the first wireless device via the communication network in response to the input module receiving the geo-location request, the wireless coverage area request comprising a request for wireless coverage area coordinates and corresponding signal strength values from the first wireless device.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

the input module for receiving geo-location information from a wireless device within the wireless network via the communication network, the geo-location information comprising geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data, the geo-location data comprising a geo-location coordinate representing an actual location of the wireless device within the coverage area of the wireless network, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual sub-area within the coverage area of the wireless network for which the wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding wireless access point, the signal strength data comprising at least one signal strength value corresponding to the at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the wireless device from the wireless access point associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate; and

the geo-location handling module for;

i) processing the geo-location data received from the wireless device and storing the corresponding geo-location coordinates in the storage device as geo-location data unless the geo-location data in the storage device already includes the geo-location coordinate, ii) processing the wireless coverage area identification data received from the wireless device and storing the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates in the storage device such that each stored wireless coverage area coordinate is referenced to the corresponding stored geo-location coordinate, and iii) processing the signal strength data received from the wireless device and storing the corresponding signal strength values in the storage device such that each stored signal strength value is referenced to the corresponding stored wireless coverage area coordinate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

an output module in operative communication with the geo-location handling module, the output module for sending a geo-location request to the wireless device via the communication network, the geo-location request comprising a request for the geo-location coordinate and corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates and signal strength values from the wireless device.

20. A method for providing geo-location enablement for a wireless device, comprising:

a) storing geo-location data in a geo-location enablement server within a communication network, the geo-location data comprising a plurality of geo-location coordinates, each geo-location coordinate comprising at least a latitude measure and a longitude measure;

b) referencing the geo-location data for each geo-location coordinate to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data, the wireless coverage area identification data for each geo-location coordinate comprising one or more wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate comprising at least a cell identification, a location area code, a mobile network code, and a mobile country code, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a different cell area within a coverage area of a particular wireless network in the communication network, each cell area based at least in part on an operative radio frequency signaling range for a base station in the particular wireless network, wherein the wireless coverage area identification data for a plurality of wireless networks is stored in the geo-location enablement server, the wireless coverage area identification data for each wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless coverage area coordinates; and

c) referencing each wireless coverage area coordinate for each geo-location coordinate to corresponding signal strength data, the signal strength data for each wireless coverage area coordinate representing a signal strength value, each signal strength value comprising at least one of a decibel measure referenced to one milliwatt and an active set updates measure, each signal strength value representing a signal strength parameter associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate in relation to the corresponding geo-location coordinate, wherein the signal strength data for a plurality of wireless networks is stored in the geo-location enablement server, the signal strength data for each wireless network comprising a plurality of signal strength values.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

d) receiving a geo-location request for geo-location data relating to a first wireless device associated with a wireless network, the geo-location request being received from a computing device via the communication network;

e) receiving wireless coverage area information from the first wireless device via the communication network, the wireless coverage area information comprising wireless coverage area identification data and signal strength data, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual cell area within the coverage area of the wireless network for which the first wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding base station in the wireless network, the signal strength data comprising at least one signal strength value corresponding to the at least one wireless coverage area coordinate, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the first wireless device from the corresponding base station associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate; and

f) determining geo-location data for the first wireless device based at least in part on matching signal strength values and corresponding wireless coverage area coordinates received in e) to corresponding wireless coverage area identification data of b) and signal strength data of c) to identify corresponding geo-location data of a) for the first wireless device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

g) sending a geo-location response to the computing device via the communication network, the geo-location response comprising the geo-location data determined in f).

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

d) receiving geo-location information from a plurality of wireless devices within the plurality of wireless networks via the communication network, the geo-location information comprising geo-location data, wireless coverage area identification data, and signal strength data, the geo-location data comprising a plurality of geo-location coordinates, each geo-location coordinate representing an actual location of the corresponding wireless device within the corresponding coverage area of the corresponding wireless network, the wireless coverage area identification data comprising a plurality of wireless coverage area coordinates, each wireless coverage area coordinate representing an actual cell area within the corresponding coverage area of the corresponding wireless network for which the corresponding wireless device is within operative radio frequency signaling range of the corresponding base station, the signal strength data comprising a plurality of signal strength values corresponding to the plurality of wireless coverage area coordinates, each signal strength value representing an actual measurement of the signal strength parameter for a radio frequency signal received by the corresponding wireless device from the corresponding base station associated with the corresponding wireless coverage area coordinate;

e) storing geo-location coordinates from d) in the geo-location enablement server as geo-location data unless the geo-location data in the geo-location enablement server already includes the geo-location coordinate;

f) storing wireless coverage area coordinates from d) in the geo-location enablement server as wireless coverage area identification data and referencing each stored wireless coverage area coordinate to the corresponding stored geo-location coordinate of e); and

g) storing signal strength values from d) in the geo-location enablement server as signal strength data and referencing each stored signal strength value to the corresponding stored wireless coverage area coordinate of f).

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

h) periodically repeating d) through g) for the plurality of wireless devices.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein d) through g) are periodically repeated in a crowdsourcing manner.