Method and apparatus for performing position determination with pre-session action

• US 7,747,258 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Farmer, Dominic Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, SHANNON
• Application Number:
  US11/050,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/3.02, 701/213, 701/214, 701/215
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A network sends to a user equipment (UE) an indication (e.g., a request for permission) to perform a position fix for the UE. The network also selectively sends to the UE a pre-session command for an action related to position determination. For example, the command may direct the UE to (1) clear all or a portion of location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix, (2) send back a position estimate for the UE, if available, or (3) apply a time offset and/or a position offset in performing the position fix. The UE sends to the network an acknowledgment (e.g., a grant of permission) to perform the position fix. The UE also performs the action indicated by the command (if any) received from the network prior to or in conjunction with performing the position fix. The network and UE perform the position fix for the UE.

Claims

1. A method of performing position determination of user equipment (UE) in a network, comprising:

in the UE, receiving from the network an indication to perform a position fix of the UE;

from the UE, sending to the network an acknowledgment to perform the position fix;

in the UE, receiving from the network a pre-session command that indicates selected location-related data to be cleared from at least a portion of a memory in the UE containing the selected location-related data to reset said portion of the memory to a known state, and responsive thereto, clearing said selected location-related data at the UE by deleting the selected location-related data from said portion of the memory prior to performing the position fix for the UE; and

performing a location session, including performing the position fix for the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises identifying at least one type of location-related data associated with the command received from the network, wherein the received command is selected from among a plurality of clear commands, and wherein each clear command corresponds to a different set of at least one type of location-related data at the UE, and clearing the at least one type of location-related data at the UE associated with the received command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises clearing at least one type of global positioning satellite (GPS) assistance data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises clearing all location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises clearing a position estimate available at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises clearing a cell-ID database at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retaining the location-related data at the UE if a clear command is not received from the network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the network the location-related data that has been cleared at the UE by the command received from the network.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein said GPS assistance data to be cleared includes at least one of time information, almanac, ephemeris, ionospheric information, UTC time offset, position estimate, and cell-ID database.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive from a network an indication to perform a position fix for a user equipment (UE);

a transmitter operative to send to the network an acknowledgment to perform the position fix;

means for receiving from the network a pre-session command that indicates selected location-related data to be cleared from at least a portion of a memory in the UE containing the selected location-related data to reset said portion of the memory to a known state; and

a processor operative to clear the selected location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix for the UE by deleting the selected location-related data from said portion of the memory, responsive to the pre-session command received from the network, and to perform a location session, including performing the position fix for the UE.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is operative to identify at least one type of location-related data associated with the command received from the network and to clear the at least one type of location-related data at the UE associated with the received command, wherein the received command is selected from among a plurality of clear commands, and wherein each clear command corresponds to a different set of at least one type of location-related data at the UE.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is operative to clear at least one type of global positioning satellite (GPS) assistance data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said GPS assistance data to be cleared includes at least one of time information, almanac, ephemeris, ionospheric information, UTC time offset, position estimate, and cell-ID database.

14. An apparatus in a user equipment (UE) comprising:

means for receiving from a network an indication to perform a position fix for the UE;

means for sending to the network an acknowledgment to perform the position fix;

means for receiving from the network a pre-session command that indicates selected location-related data to be cleared from at least a portion of a memory in the UE containing the selected location-related data to reset said portion of the memory to a known state;

means, responsive to said pre-session command, for clearing the selected location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix for the UE by deleting the selected location-related data from said portion of the memory; and

means for performing a location session including performing the position fix for the UE.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for clearing the selected location-related data at the UE means for identifying at least one type of location-related data associated with the command received from the network, wherein the received command is selected from among a plurality of clear commands, and wherein each clear command corresponds to a different set of at least one type of location-related data at the UE, and means for clearing the at least one type of location-related data at the UE associated with the received command.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for clearing the selected location-related data at the UE comprises means for clearing at least one type of global positioning satellite (GPS) assistance data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said GPS assistance data to be cleared includes at least one of time information, almanac, ephemeris, ionospheric information, UTC time offset, position estimate, and cell-ID database.

18. An article, comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, if executed, enable a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor to;

receive from a network an indication to perform a position fix of the UE;

send to the network an acknowledgment to perform the position fix;

receive from the network a pre-session command that indicates selected location-related data to be cleared from at least a portion of a memory in the UE containing the selected location-related data to reset said portion of the memory to a known state, and responsive thereto, clear said selected location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix for the UE by deleting the selected location-related data from said portion of the memory; and

perform a location session, including performing the position fix for the UE.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to:

clear the selected location-related data at the UE by identifying at least one type of location-related data associated with the command received from the network, wherein the received command is selected from among a plurality of clear commands, and wherein each clear command corresponds to a different set of at least one type of location-related data at the UE; and

clear the at least one type of location-related data at the UE associated with the received command.

20. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to clear the selected location-related data at the UE by clearing at least one type of global positioning satellite (GPS) assistance data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

21. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to clear the selected location-related data at the UE by clearing all location-related data at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

22. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to clear the selected location-related data at the UE by clearing a position estimate available at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

23. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to clear the selected location-related data at the UE by clearing a cell-ID database at the UE prior to performing the position fix.

24. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to retain the location-related data at the UE if a clear command is not received from the network.

25. The article of claim 18, wherein the storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, further enable the UE to receive from the network the location-related data that has been cleared at the UE by the command received from the network.

26. The article of claim 20 wherein said GPS assistance data to be cleared includes at least one of time information, almanac, ephemeris, ionospheric information, UTC time offset, position estimate, and cell-ID database.