System and method for the exchange of location information in a telephone network

• US 7,177,651 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Almassy, Nikolaus P. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, PIERRE LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/668,502
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 455/68, 455/457, 455/461, 455/435, 455/446, 455/566, 455/456, 343/760, 340/994, 340/995, 340/991, 340/988, 340/905, 701/208, 701/213
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A wireless communications system is presented where a mobile station is able to automatically determine its proximity to a second mobile station or landline telephone. Once the proximity determination command has been given, no further actions are required by the users of either telephone. A GPS receiver connected to the first mobile station is able to provide that mobile with its position and direction. The first mobile station makes a request to the other telephone for its position, through SMS messaging for example. A GPS receiver connected to the second mobile station is able to provide the second mobile station with data to enable the position request. Trust determinations can be enabled so that position data is sent to a restricted list of requesting telephone numbers. Likewise, the second mobile station can request position data from the first mobile station. When position information is requested from a landline telephone, the request can be fulfilled by the landline telephone service provider. A method for automatically exchanging position information is also provided.

Claims

1. In a wireless communications system, a method for a mobile station to determine proximity to a telephone, the method comprising:

a first mobile station determining its position;

the first mobile station requesting the position of a telephone;

the telephone accessing a record of trust relationships regarding the communications system to determine a trust level for the first mobile station;

the first mobile station receiving the position of the telephone if the first mobile station meets a selected level of trust; and

the first mobile station calculating the distance to the telephone.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the first mobile station determining its alignment in a coordinate system; and

calculating the direction to the telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a request, to authorize the sending of the telephone position; and

wherein receiving the position of the telephone includes receiving the position in response to the request being authorized.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the first mobile station is connected to a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver;

and

wherein determining the position of the first mobile station includes the first mobile station receiving data from the GPS receiver.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the telephone is a second mobile station, connected to a GPS receiver, and the method further comprising:

the second mobile station receiving data from the connected GPS receiver; and

the second mobile station sending its position in response to the data received from the connected GPS receiver.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

the first mobile station sending a request for the position of the second mobile station; and

wherein the second mobile station sending of its position includes the second mobile station sending its position in response to the first mobile station position request.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second mobile station sending of its position includes the second mobile station automatically sending its position in response to the request.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

the second mobile station sending its position to the wireless communications system;

the wireless communications system collecting and storing the position of the second mobile station; and

wherein the first mobile station sending a request for the position of the second mobile station includes sending the position request to the wireless communications system; and

the method further comprising;

the wireless communications system sending the second mobile station position to the first mobile station, in response to the position request.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the first mobile station sends its request for the position of the second mobile station to the second mobile station;

and

wherein the second mobile station sends the second mobile station position to the first mobile station, in response to the request.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a short message service (SMS) identity corresponding an SMS message to transmit and receive position requests and the transfer of position data; and

wherein receiving the position of the telephone includes receiving the position by SMS messaging.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the position of the telephone includes receiving the position by a general message and data network subscriber protocols including WAP and HTTP.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mobile station receiving of the telephone position includes the first mobile station receiving the telephone position via an audio signal.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the first mobile station sending its position to the telephone.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining the level of trust that the first mobile station has in the telephone; and

wherein the first mobile station sends its position to the telephone in response to the determined level of trust.

18. The method of claim 1 in which the telephone is a landline telephone associated with a service provider;

and

the method further comprising;

creating a position record of the telephone with the service provider; and

wherein the first mobile station receiving of the position of the phone includes the first mobile station receiving the position from the service provider.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the first mobile station requesting the position of the telephone, from the telephone; and

the telephone requesting the service provider to send its position to the first mobile station.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

the service provider creating a dedicated number to request position information; and

wherein the first mobile receiving of the position of the telephone includes the first mobile station dialing the dedicated number to receive the telephone position.

21. The method of claim 1 in which the telephone is a landline telephone associated with a service provider and the first mobile phone has a memory;

and

the method further comprising;

creating a position record of the telephone in the first mobile station memory; and

wherein the first mobile station receiving of the position of the phone includes the first mobile station accessing its memory to receive the position.

22. The method of claim 2 further including:

the first mobile station receiving a plurality of telephone position over a period of time; and

the first mobile station tracking the change in distance and direction to the telephone over the period of time.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

following the receiving the telephone position, communicating the position with presentations selected from the group including audio signals and graphic displays.

9. In a wireless communications system, a method for a first mobile station to determine proximity to a second mobile station, the method comprising:

the first mobile station connected to a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver, the first mobile station receiving data from the GPS receiver for determining its position;

the first mobile station requesting the position of the second mobile station, the second mobile station connected to a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and receiving data from the GPS receiver for determining its position;

the second mobile station determining a trust level that it has in the first mobile station;

the second mobile station automatically sending the position of the second mobile station to the wireless communications system in response to a determination of an acceptable trust level;

the wireless communications system collecting and storing the position of the second mobile station; and

the first mobile station calculating the distance to the second mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

establishing an emergency access code to the record of trust relationships; and

permitting the first mobile station to receive the position of the second mobile station in response to presenting the emergency access code to the wireless system.

12. In a wireless communications system, a method for a first mobile station to determine proximity to a second mobile station, the method comprising:

the first mobile station connected to a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver, the first mobile station receiving data from the GPS receiver for determining its positions;

the first mobile station requesting the position of the second mobile station, the second mobile station connected to a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and receiving data from the GPS receiver for determining its position;

the second mobile station determining a trust level that it has in the first mobile station, the second mobile station including a memory and maintaining a record of trust relationships in the memory of the second mobile station, wherein determining the level of trust that the second mobile station has in the first mobile station includes the second mobile station determining the trust level in response to accessing the record of trust relationships;

the second mobile station sending the position of the second mobile station to the first mobile station in response to a determination of an acceptable trust level;

the wireless communications system collecting and storing the position of the second mobile station;

the wireless communications system sending the position of the second mobile station to the first mobile station; and

the first mobile station calculating the distance to the second mobile station.

24. In a wireless communications second mobile station, a method of sending the position of a second mobile station to a first mobile station, the method comprising:

a second mobile station receiving a request for position from a first mobile station;

determining a trust level that the second mobile station has in the first mobile station;

the second mobile station automatically sending its position to the first mobile station, wherein sending the second mobile station position to the first mobile station includes sending the position in response to the determined trust level;

maintaining a record of trust relationships in the memory of the second mobile station; and

wherein determining the trust level that the second mobile station has in the first mobile station includes the second mobile station determining the trust level by accessing the record of trust relationships in memory.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

the first mobile station determining its own position;

the second mobile station receiving the position of the first mobile station; and

the second mobile station calculating the distance to the first mobile station.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

the second mobile station determining its alignment in a coordinate system; and

calculating the direction to the first mobile station.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

prior to receiving the position of the first mobile station, requesting the position of the first mobile station.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

establishing a short message service (SMS) identity corresponding to an SMS message for transmitting and receiving the request for position and sending of position data; and

wherein sending the position includes sending the position by SMS messages.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein sending the position of the second mobile station includes sending the position by a general message and data network subscriber protocols including WAP and HTTP.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein sending the position of the telephone includes sending the position by an audio voice signal.

31. In a wireless communications system, a mobile station capable of determining its distance from another mobile station, the system comprising:

a first mobile station having an input for receiving data to determine its own position and a port to request the position of a second mobile station which is automatically sent to the first mobile station in response to the request for position;

the second mobile station including a memory of trust relationships, and wherein the second mobile station sends its position in response to accessing the memory to determine the level of trust with the first mobile station; and

wherein the first mobile station determines the distance to the second mobile station in response to receiving the position of the second mobile station.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the second mobile station creates a request, addressed to the second mobile station user, authoring the sending of its position.

33. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

a position control module connected to the wireless system to collect and store the position of the second mobile unit, and automatically send the second mobile station position to the first mobile station in response to requests from the first mobile station.

34. In a wireless communications system, a mobile station capable of determining its distance from another mobile station, the system comprising:

a first mobile station having an input for receiving data to determine its own position and a port to request the position of a second mobile station and including a memory of trust relationships and wherein the first mobile station sends its position in response to accessing the memory to determine the second mobile station level of trust;

the second mobile station having a position, which is automatically sent to the wireless communication system in response to the request for position; and

wherein the second mobile station calculates the distance to the first mobile station in response to receiving the first mobile station position.