System and method for positioning a mobile terminal using a terminal based browser

• US 6,088,594 A
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Hayes, Stephen, Kingdon, Christopher H., Zadeh, Bagher R., Roel-Ng, Maya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US08/978,913
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457, 455/435, 455/432, 342/357.01, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/457, 342/357.13, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212, 701/213, 340/988, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• 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

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed which utilizes a terminal-based browser, such as the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) "deck", within a Mobile Station (MS) to connect the MS to web-based location services and to a Mobile Positioning Center (MPC). Terminal based browsers, such as WAP "deck", allow for the graphical presentation of the current location of the MS on a display on the MS and provide an interactive user dialog, which permits the mobile subscriber to determine the format of the graphical presentation of the current location of the MS.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for graphically displaying the current location of a mobile telephone terminal within a cellular network on said mobile terminal, said mobile telephone terminal being in wireless communication with said cellular network, said telecommunications system comprising:

a terminal browser located within said mobile telephone terminal;

a location services node in communication with said terminal browser through said cellular network, said terminal browser sending a positioning request and format information associated with said positioning request to said location services node; and

a mobile positioning center for receiving said positioning request from said location services node, calculating coordinate location information identifying the location of said mobile telephone terminal and forwarding said coordinate location information to said location services node, said coordinate location information being calculated by triangulating only at least three positioning data measured by said cellular network and transmitted to said mobile positioning center directly from said cellular network, said location services node converting said coordinate location information into descriptive location information using said format information and sending said descriptive location information to said terminal browser for display on said mobile telephone terminal.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said terminal browser is a Wireless Application Protocol deck.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said positioning request and said format information are selected using a mouse on a keypad of said mobile terminal to select a positioning icon on a display of said mobile terminal.

4. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein said positioning request and said format information are selected using keys on a keypad on said mobile terminal to select a positioning icon on a display on said mobile terminal.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said positioning request and said descriptive location information are sent using Transmission Control Protocols/Internet Protocols.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said positioning request and said descriptive location information are sent through the Internet.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said format information is the location of said mobile terminal on a map, said descriptive location information being a graphical representation of the location of said mobile terminal on said map.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said cellular network comprises a base station system, said base station system obtaining positioning data and forwarding said positioning data to said mobile positioning center for calculation of said coordinate location information.

9. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein said descriptive location information is displayed on a display on said mobile terminal.

10. A method for graphically displaying the current location of a mobile telephone terminal within a cellular network on said mobile telephone terminal, said mobile telephone terminal being in wireless communication with said cellular network, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting a terminal browser located within said mobile telephone terminal to a location services node through said cellular network;

sending, by said terminal browser, a positioning request and format information associated with said positioning request to said location services node;

forwarding, by said location services node, said positioning request to a mobile positioning center;

calculating, by said mobile positioning center, coordinate location information identifying the location of said mobile telephone terminal, said coordinate location information being calculated by triangulating only at least three positioning data measured by said cellular network and transmitted to said mobile positioning center directly from said cellular network;

sending, by said mobile positioning center, said coordinate location information to said location services node for conversion of said coordinate location information to descriptive location information using said format information; and

sending, by said location services node, said descriptive location information to said mobile telephone terminal for display on said mobile telephone terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said terminal browser is a Wireless Application Protocol deck.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising, before said step of sending said positioning request and said format information, the step of:

selecting said positioning request and said format information using a mouse on a keypad of said mobile terminal to select a positioning icon on a display of said mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, before said step of sending said positioning request and said format information, the step of:

selecting said positioning request and said format information using keys on a keypad on said mobile terminal to select a positioning icon on a display on said mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of sending said positioning request and said descriptive location information is performed using Transmission Control Protocols/Internet Protocols.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said positioning request and said descriptive location information are sent through the Internet.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said format information is the location of said mobile terminal on a map, said descriptive location information being a graphical representation of the location of said mobile terminal on said map.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said cellular network comprises a base station system, and further comprising, before said step of determining said coordinate location information, the steps of:

obtaining, by said base station system, positioning data; and

forwarding, by said base station system, said positioning data to said mobile positioning center for calculation of said coordinate location information.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said descriptive location information is displayed on a display on said mobile terminal.