Location determination in telecommunication network

• US 7,120,449 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Staack, Jens, Muhonen, Ahti
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/110,639
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.7, 455/433, 455/513, 455/432.1, 342/575.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for supporting location determination of a mobile station, in which method location data are stored in and deleted from a memory, each location data item describing the location of the mobile station measured at a given measuring moment. Furthermore, in the method, a distance parameter and/or a target level corresponding to the distance parameter is determined at least for some of the stored location data; and deletion of the location data is at least partly based on the distance parameter and target level.

Claims

1. A method for managing location measurement data, the method comprising:

for at least one mobile station, determining and maintaining in a memory, multiple mobile-specific location records such that the multiple mobile-specific location records indicate a location history of the mobile station in question;

for each of the mobile-specific location records, assigning a corresponding optimization parameter;

using the assigned optimization parameters to choose which mobile-specific location records of the mobile station are to be deleted from the memory and deleting the chosen mobile-specific location records;

wherein the optimization parameter comprises at least one of;

a distance parameter that favours weighted deletion of mobile-specific location records corresponding to locations between which the mobile station has moved least; and

an age parameter that favours weighted deletion of old mobile-specific location records.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining an individual location record is at least partly based to other location record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said maintaining of an individual location record comprises replacing the individual location record with a new value based at least on one other location record.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the replacing is based at least on time of measurement of the location record to be replaced.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least geographical location data is used in calculating the mobile-specific location record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile-specific location record is determined with respect to a fixed point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile-specific location record is determined with respect to other location measurement data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile-specific location record is calculated by using at least a measuring moment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the age parameter is determined with respect to the measuring moment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location measurement data management is at least partly based on monitoring a state of the memory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location measurement data management is at least partly based on monitoring a state of the system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location measurement data management is at least partly based on use of a timer.

13. Equipment for managing location measurement data, the equipment being arranged to determine and maintain in a memory multiple mobile-specific location records for at least one mobile station such that the multiple mobile-specific location records indicate a location history of the mobile station in question, wherein the equipment is further arranged to assign a corresponding optimization parameter for each of the mobile-specific location records and use the assigned optimization parameters to choose which mobile-specific location records of the mobile station are to be deleted from the memory and delete the chosen mobile-specific location records, wherein the optimization parameter comprises at least one of a distance parameter that favours weighted deletion of mobile-specific location records corresponding to locations between which the mobile station has moved least, and an age parameter that favours weighted deletion of old mobile-specific location records.

14. The equipment of claim 13, wherein the equipment is located in a mobile system.

15. The equipment of claim 14, wherein the equipment is located in a home location register.

16. The equipment of claim 14, wherein the equipment is located in a visitor location register.

17. The equipment of claim 14, wherein the equipment is located in a mobile station.