Locating a mobile station and applications therefor

• US 9,538,493 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FineTrak, LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Original Assignee: FineTrak, LLC (Dennis J. Dupray)
• Inventors: Leblanc, Frederick W., Dupray, Dennis J., Goldberg, Sheldon F., Karr, Charles L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US13/844,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 342/450, 342/457, 342463-465, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/450
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/026 of associated receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/028 Simulation means, e.g. of beacon signals therefor for teaching or training purposes G09B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/045 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/006 for emergency situations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0054 of actual mobile position, i.e. position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0257 Hybrid positioning by coordinating position lines of different shape G01S5/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A location system and applications therefor is disclosed for wireless telecommunication infrastructures. The system is an end-to-end solution having one or more location systems for outputting requested locations of handsets or mobile stations (MS) based on, e.g., CDMA, GSM, GPRS, TDMA or WIFI communication standards, for processing both local mobile station location requests and more global mobile station location requests via, e.g., Internet communication between a distributed network of location systems. The following applications may be enabled by the location system: 911 emergency calls, tracking, navigation, people and animal location including applications for confinement to and exclusion from certain areas, friend finder applications, and applications for allocating user desired resources based on the user'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A method for providing for each mobile unit (M) of more than one of a plurality of wireless mobile units, corresponding one or more notifications for a condition related to a user of the mobile unit M utilizing one of a plurality of resources, wherein there is a network having a plurality of geographically spaced apart stationary network access units for receiving wireless signals from the mobile unit M, comprising performing, for each mobile unit, M, of the mobile units, the following steps by computational equipment:

(a) receiving input from a user of a service, the service for providing the corresponding one or more notifications to M;

wherein the input includes;

a user request for receiving at M a wireless transmission of the notifications when an occurrence of the condition is identified, wherein one or more notification criteria are available whose evaluation is for identifying the occurrence of the condition;

(b) subsequently, receiving geolocation data for the mobile unit M, the geolocation data indicative of a location, L, for the mobile unit M,

wherein the geolocation data is obtained using location indicative data having measurements of signals, S, communicated wirelessly to or from the mobile unit M, at least some of the signals S having corresponding different locations for (i) being transmitted to the mobile unit M, or (ii) being received by one of the access units from the mobile unit M;

wherein for each of the different locations, the geolocation data includes data indicative of a geographic position of the different location; and

(c) evaluating a portion of the notification criteria using the geolocation data, the evaluation for determining whether one of the resources is (i) available for utilization by the user, and (ii) in a predetermined proximity of the mobile unit M, and wherein the evaluation is dependent upon a priority for the user to utilize one of the resources; and

(d) when the portion of the notification criteria evaluates to a first result, a step is performed of notifying the user by a wireless network transmission of at least one of the notifications, the at least one notification including location information for routing the mobile unit M to one of the resources, R, wherein the location information is obtained using the geolocation data;

(e) determining a further result indicative of the one resource R being unavailable before the mobile unit M is identified as being at the resource R; and

(f) performing the steps (b), (c), and (d) again for identifying another resource for the user to utilize when the further result is determined, wherein the priority for the user increases with each performance of step (d).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more additional notifications for corresponding one or more additional conditions related to events or circumstances for the mobile unit M or a user thereof is provided, each of the additional conditions includes one of:

a user emergency or distress call, or a vehicle sensor input signal to the mobile unit M;

wherein each of the additional notifications has a corresponding notification condition for evaluation for determining whether an occurrence of the corresponding additional condition, for the additional notification, has occurred, wherein a location estimate of the mobile unit M is provided to an authorized entity when the evaluation results in at least one result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of notifying includes providing routing or direction information to the mobile unit M for navigating the user to the resource R.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to a geographic position of one of the different locations includes one or more signal characteristics used for determining the location L, the signal characteristics used includes one of:

a signal strength, a signal transmission time, and a characteristic for identifying signal multipath.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one mobile unit (M1) of the plurality of mobile units, further including:

obtaining a second status information for the mobile unit M1, wherein the second status information includes second geolocation data indicative of a location, L1, for the mobile unit M1, wherein the second geolocation data is obtained from second location indicative measurements of a plurality of second wireless signals communicated to or from the mobile unit M1, each of the second wireless signals having a different corresponding location for (i) being transmitted to the mobile unit M1, or (ii) being received from the mobile unit M1;

wherein there are one or more corresponding measurements of the second location indicative measurements for each of the different corresponding locations; and

wherein for each of the different corresponding locations, the corresponding measurements therefor are indicative of a geographic position of the different corresponding location;

a step of evaluating second one or more notification criteria using the second status information for the mobile unit M1, for determining an availability of one or more resources, which a user of the mobile unit M1 desires to utilize, and

a step of transmitting to the mobile unit M1 a corresponding notification related to the availability of one of the resources according to a result from the evaluation of the second notification criteria.

6. The method of claim 5, further including transmitting at least one navigation instruction to the mobile unit M1, the navigation instruction for navigating the user of the mobile unit M1 to the one resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one resource is one of a single parking space to be utilized for parking a user vehicle, and a gaming station.

8. A method, for each mobile unit (M) of more than one of a plurality of wireless mobile units, of providing for a condition related to a user of the mobile unit M utilizing one of a plurality of resources, wherein there is a network having a plurality of spaced apart stationary network access units, the access units selectively available for receiving wireless signals from the mobile unit M as it moves in an area having wireless coverage provided by the network, comprising performing the following steps by computational equipment:

(a) receiving input from a first user for a wireless service to the mobile unit M, wherein the input is used for establishing a data content of a persistent data storage, the data content including an authorization by the first user for providing the service with one or more wireless locations of the mobile unit M;

wherein one or more notification criteria are available whose evaluation is for determining whether there is an occurrence of the condition;

(b) receiving, from the mobile unit M, a communication via one of the access units of the network, the communication including geolocation data for the mobile unit M, the geolocation data indicative of a location, L, for the mobile unit M, wherein the geolocation data is obtained from location indicative measurements of a plurality of wireless signals communicated to or from the mobile unit M, each of the wireless signals having a different location for being transmitted to or received from the mobile unit M, the measurement for each of the different locations being indicative of a geographic position of the different location;

(c) evaluating at least a portion of the notification criteria for determining (i) whether one of the resources is available for utilization by the user, and (ii) whether the geolocation data identifies that the mobile unit M is in a predetermined proximity of the resources, and wherein the evaluation is dependent upon a priority for the user to utilize one of the resources;

when the portion of the notification criteria evaluates to a first result, a step is performed of notifying the user by a wireless network transmission, the transmission including location information for routing the mobile unit M to one of the resources, R, wherein the location information is obtained using the geolocation data;

(d) determining a further result indicative of the one resource R being unavailable before the user of the mobile unit M utilizes the resource R; and

(e) performing the steps (b) and (c) again for identifying another resource for the user to utilize when the further result is determined, wherein the priority for the user increases with each performance of step (d).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein an instance of a notification includes location information for identifying the location L, the location information determined using the geolocation data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location information includes a confidence value, wherein the confidence value provides an indication of the reliability or accuracy of the at least one location estimate.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the geolocation data and the location information is dependent upon one of triangulation, a trilateration and a multilateration wireless location determining process that uses the measurements.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the measurements include one or more of a signal strength, a signal time delay, and a characteristic for identifying signal multipath.

13. The method of claim 8, further including a step of determining that at least one entity is nearer for reaching the mobile unit M than another entity.