System and method for monitoring positioning requests for mobile subscribers

• US 6,463,288 B1
• Filed: 03/18/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Boltz, David, Havinis, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, James K
• Application Number:
  US09/272,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/404, 455/406, 342/357.13, 342/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for monitoring all successful and unsuccessful attempts by third parties to locate a mobile subscriber and providing identity information associated with those third parties to the mobile subscriber. Whenever a positioning request is received by a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), the GMLC, before returning a response to the requester, e.g., either location information or a rejection message, maintains a positioning record of all information related to the positioning request for the mobile subscriber, including the identity of the requester. The GMLC can download this positioning record to a node associated with the mobile subscriber, such as a Mobile Station (MS) or billing center.

Claims

1. A gateway mobile location center for collecting, storing and transmitting positioning information related to a received positioning request for a mobile subscriber, comprising:

receiving logic for receiving said positioning request from a location node, said positioning request having identity information associated with said location node;

a memory having a database therein for storing at least one positioning record, said at least one positioning record being associated with said mobile subscriber, said at least one positioning record comprising at least said identity information; and

transmitting logic for transmitting at least said identity information within said at least one positioning record to a home location register associated with said mobile subscriber, said home location register transmitting at least said identity information to said mobile subscriber.

2. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said transmitting logic transmits at least said identity information to a mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber in a Short Message Service message.

3. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said transmitting logic transmits at least said identity information to a mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber in an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message.

4. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said transmitting logic transmits at least said identity information to a billing center of a home network associated with said mobile subscriber.

5. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said at least one positioning record further comprises date and time information associated with the date and time said positioning request was received.

6. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said at least one positioning record further comprises a successful indicator for indicating whether said positioning request was successful and location information if said successful indicator indicates that said positioning request was successful.

7. The gateway mobile location center of claim 1, wherein said at least one positioning record further comprises an override indicator for indicating whether privacy information associated with said mobile subscriber was overridden by said location node.

8. The gateway mobile location center of claim 7, wherein said privacy information is a Subscriber Location Privacy Profile.

9. A telecommunications system for maintaining positioning information associated with a positioning request for a mobile subscriber and transmitting at least portions of said positioning information to said mobile subscriber, comprising:

a gateway mobile location center for receiving a positioning request having identity information associated therewith for said mobile subscriber and transmitting at least said identity information to said mobile subscriber;

a positioning record associated with said mobile subscriber within a database within a memory of said gateway mobile location center for storing at least said identity information; and

a home location register associated with said mobile subscriber for receiving at least said identity information within said at least one positioning record from said gateway mobile location center and transmitting at least said identity information to said mobile subscriber.

10. The telecommunications system of claim 9, further comprising:

a mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber for receiving at least said identity information from said gateway mobile location center in a Short Message Service message.

11. The telecommunications system of claim 9, further comprising:

a billing center of a home network associated with said mobile subscriber for receiving at least said identity information from said gateway mobile location center and producing a bill for said mobile subscriber including at least said identity information.

12. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said positioning record further comprises date and time information associated with the date and time said positioning request was received.

13. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said positioning record further comprises a successful indicator for indicating whether said positioning request was successful and location information if said successful indicator indicates that said positioning request was successful.

14. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said positioning record further comprises an override indicator for indicating whether said privacy information associated with said mobile subscriber was overridden by said location node.

15. The telecommunications system of claim 14, wherein said privacy information is a Subscriber Location Privacy Profile.

16. The telecommunications system of claim 9, wherein said home location register further comprises:

a subscriber record associated with said mobile subscriber, said positioning record being appended to said subscriber record along with a time stamp.

17. A method for maintaining positioning information associated with a positioning request for a mobile subscriber and transmitting at least portions of said positioning information to said mobile subscriber, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a gateway mobile location center, a positioning request having identity information associated therewith for said mobile subscriber;

storing, within a positioning record associated with said mobile subscriber within said gateway mobile location center, at least said identity information; and

transmitting at least said identity information to a home location register associated with said mobile subscriber, said home location register transmitting at least said identity information to said mobile subscriber.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of transmitting further comprises the step of:

transmitting at least said identity information to a mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber in a Short Message Service message.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of transmitting further comprises the step of:

transmitting at least said identity information to a mobile station associated with said mobile subscriber in an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of transmitting further comprises the steps of:

transmitting at least said identity information to a billing center of a home network associated with said mobile subscriber; and

producing, by said billing center, a bill for said mobile subscriber including at least said identity information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of storing further comprises the step of:

storing, within said positioning record, date and time information associated with the date and time said positioning request was received.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of storing further comprises the step of:

storing, within said positioning record, a successful indicator for indicating whether said positioning request was successful and location information if said successful indicator indicates that said positioning request was successful.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of storing further comprising the step of:

storing, within said positioning record, an override indicator for indicating whether privacy information associated with said mobile subscriber was overridden by said location node.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of receiving at least said identity information by said home location register further comprises the step of:

appending, to a subscriber record associated with said mobile subscriber within said home location register, at least said identity information and a time stamp.