Method for determination of location information in a communication system

• US 8,060,111 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Bozionek, Bruno, Klaus, Dieter, Niemeier, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/226,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 455/517, 455/566, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/440, 455/441, 701/200, 701/201, 701206-208, 701/213, 340/988, 340/990, 340/993, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.24, 370/328, 370/332, 370/338, 370/400, 370/401, 370/908
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method for computer-aided operation of a communication system with a communication network, which has a plurality of network nodes, which are designed to interchange data with a number of terminals in the communication system, and in which the following steps are carried out: the terminals determine a first position variable relating to or at a specific point, with the first position variable comprising a semantic description relating to that specific point; the terminals determine a second position variable relating to or at the specific point with the second position variable comprising physical location information relating to that specific point; the first and the second position variables which have been determined by one of the terminals together represent location information, with the location information being transmitted to a network node in the communication network for further processing.

Claims

1. A method for a computer-aided operation of a communication network, comprising:

a plurality of terminals determining a plurality of first position variables relating to a specific point, each one of the first position variables comprising a description of the specific point;

the plurality of terminals determining a plurality of second position variables relating to the specific point, each one of the second position variables comprising physical location information of each of the plurality of terminals in proximity to the specific point;

the plurality of terminals transmitting the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of second position variables to a communication network;

the communication network storing the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of second position variables as a plurality of items of location information in a database, each item of location information comprising the first position variable and the corresponding second position variable that were transmitted by a respective one of the plurality of terminals;

the communication network statistically analyzing the plurality of items of location information to produce a third position variable, the third position variable comprising statistically analyzed physical location data of the specific point;

the communication network assigning the third position variable to the description of the specific point;

the communication network providing the third position variable to at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals;

the plurality of terminals transmitting the plurality of first position variables and a plurality of updated second position variables to the communication network, the plurality of updated second position variables are different from the plurality of second position variables in the stored items of location information;

the communication network storing the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of updated second position variables as a plurality of updated items of location information in the database, each updated item of location information comprising a first position variable and a corresponding updated second position variable that were transmitted by a respective one of the plurality of terminals;

the communication network statistically analyzing the plurality of updated items of location information to produce an updated third position variable, the updated third position variable comprising statistically analyzed physical location data of the specific point;

the communication network assigning the updated third position variable to the description of the specific point; and

the communication network providing the updated third position variable to the at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals that received the third position variable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second position variables comprise coordinates in a self-defined system of coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a plurality of network nodes and a server.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising at least one network node of the plurality of network nodes analyzing a plurality of items of location information that have a different second position variable than a previously stored item of location information, and the at least one network node updating the third position variable.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the at least one network node providing the updated third position variable to the plurality of network nodes.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising offering a user of at least one first terminal of the plurality of terminals a list of predetermined names for the specific point.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of terminals determining a plurality of second position variables relating to the specific point comprises using a determination method selected from the group consisting of triangulating a position of each of the plurality of terminals, determining a radio field strength measurement of the communication network at a location for each of the plurality of terminals, and using a Global Positing System (“

GPS”

) to determine the location for each of the plurality of terminals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is an enterprise network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of terminals determining the plurality of first position variables comprises monitoring an activation of an input medium of each of the plurality of terminals.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising offering a user of each terminal a list of predetermined descriptions for the specific point.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals consulting the updated third position variable for navigation purposes.

12. A system for computer-aided operation of a communication network, comprising:

a communication network having a plurality of network nodes; and

a plurality of terminals connected to the communication network; and

wherein each of the plurality of terminals determines a plurality of first position variables relating to a specific point, each of the first position variables comprising a name of the specific point; and

wherein each of the plurality of terminals determines a plurality of second position variables relating to the specific point, each of the second position variables comprising physical location information of each of the plurality of terminals in proximity to the specific point; and

wherein the plurality of terminals transmit the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of second position variables to the plurality of network nodes of the communication network; and

wherein the communication network stores the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of second position variables as a plurality of items of location information in a database, each item of location information comprising a first position variable and a second position variable that were transmitted together by a respective one of the plurality of terminals; and

wherein the communication network statistically analyzes the plurality of items of location information to produce a third position variable, the third position variable comprising statistically analyzed physical location data of the specific point; and

wherein the communication network assigns the third position variable to the name of the specific point and provides the third position variable to at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals; and

the plurality of terminals transmitting the plurality of first position variables and a plurality of updated second position variables to the communication network, the plurality of updated second position variables are different from the plurality of second position variables in the stored items of location information;

the communication network storing the plurality of first position variables and the plurality of updated second position variables as a plurality of updated items of location information in the database, each updated item of location information comprising a first position variable and a corresponding updated second position variable that were transmitted by a respective one of the plurality of terminals;

the communication network statistically analyzing the plurality of updated items of location information to produce an updated third position variable, the updated third position variable comprising statistically analyzed physical location data of the specific point;

the communication network assigning the updated third position variable to the name of the specific point; and

the communication network providing the updated third position variable to the at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals that received the third position variable.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals that received the third position variable consults the third position variable for navigation purposes.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the communication network analyzes a plurality of items of location information that have a different second position variable than previously stored items of location information and the communication network updates the third position variable.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the communication network assigns the updated third position variable to the name of the specific point and the communication network provides the updated third position variable to the at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals that received the third position variable.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein at least one first terminal of the plurality of terminals offers a user of the at least one first terminal a list of predetermined names for the specific point.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a plurality of network nodes and a server.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein at least one network node of the plurality of network nodes analyzing a plurality of items of location information that have a different second position variable than a previously stored item of location information, and the at least one network node updating the third position variable.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one network node providing the updated third position variable to the plurality of network nodes.