Sharing timed fingerprint location information

• US 9,191,821 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon, Austin, Mark, Tipton, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US14/636,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Sharing timed fingerprint location information is disclosed. In an aspect, timed fingerprint location information can be associated with a location of a user equipment. This timed fingerprint location information can be shared with other devices. As such, with proper analysis, these other devices can employ the shared timed fingerprint location information to determine their location. In an aspect, the other devices can determine that they are located at the same location as the user equipment. However, a level of error can be inherent in the location determined from shared timed fingerprint location information. In some embodiments, this error can be compensated for.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving an indication that timed fingerprint location information associated with a first device has been received at a second device, wherein the timed fingerprint location information comprises a first differential time value for a NodeB site pair comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential time value for another NodeB site pair comprising a third NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential time values are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received, and wherein the first and second differential time values are stored as part of the timed fingerprint location information to enable determining a first location corresponding to the first and second differential time values;

receiving, via an information interface, a sharing value related to another indication of a permission related to shared access to the timed fingerprint location information between devices; and

enabling access by the second device to the first and second differential time values of the timed fingerprint location information associated with the first device based on the sharing value, to enable determination of a second location of the second device based on information received from a timed fingerprint location information data store and the timed fingerprint location information associated with the first device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second differential time value is related to the other NodeB site pair comprising the third NodeB device and a fourth NodeB device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the timed fingerprint location information associated with the first device is accessible by a third device, based on the sharing value, to enable determining a third location of the third device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a permission determination is based on the sharing value and requestor information associated with a request to share the timed fingerprint location information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the requestor information comprises an identity of a user of the second device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the requestor information comprises an identity of the second device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving historic timed fingerprint location information that comprises a historic differential time value to facilitate a corresponding historic location determination stored by a timed fingerprint location data store based on the historic ‘

differential time value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining an indicator relating to satisfaction of a condition relating to the shared access to the timed fingerprint location information has been received from the first device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition is updateable.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first user equipment comprising a processor, timed fingerprint location information for a second user equipment, wherein the timed fingerprint location information comprises a first differential time value for a NodeB site pair comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential time value for another NodeB site pair comprising a third NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential time values are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received by the first user equipment, and wherein the first and second differential time values are stored as part of the timed fingerprint location information to facilitate determining a first location corresponding to the first and second differential time values;

receiving, via an information interface of the first user equipment, a permission value related to allowing shared access to the timed fingerprint location information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; and

allowing the first user equipment to access a portion of the timed fingerprint location information, based on the permission value, to enable determining a second location for the first user equipment based on the timed fingerprint location information for the second user equipment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, determining, by the first user equipment, an access value based on the permission value and information related to the second user equipment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining the access value comprises identifying a user identity associated with the second user equipment.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining the access value comprises identifying the second user equipment.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the allowing the first user equipment to access to the portion of the timed fingerprint location information comprising the first and second differential time values is based on a privacy policy associated with the first user equipment.

15. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving timed fingerprint location information related to another mobile device, the timed fingerprint location information comprising a first differential time value for a NodeB site pair comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device and a second differential time value for another NodeB site pair comprising a third NodeB device, wherein the first and second differential time values are correlated to geographic location information determined before the timed fingerprint location information is received, and wherein the first and second differential time values are stored as part of the timed fingerprint location information to facilitate determining a first location corresponding to the first and second differential time values;

receiving, via an graphical user interface of the mobile device, a permission indicator related to a permission for sharing access to the timed fingerprint location information of the other mobile device; and

sharing the timed fingerprint location information with the mobile device based on the permission indicator, enabling determination of a second location for the mobile device based on the timed fingerprint location information related to the other mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the permission is based on receiving, by the mobile device, an identity of a user associated with the other mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the permission is based on receiving, by the mobile device, an identity of the other mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the permission is based on receiving, by the mobile device, a privacy value stored at the mobile device.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the permission is based on receiving, by the mobile device, a privacy value from the other mobile device.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the receiving the timed fingerprint location information comprising the first and second differential time values comprises receiving a historical differential time value.