Determining a base location of a user associated with a mobile device

• US 9,843,902 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Skudlark, Ann E., Hong, Olivia, Aktaran Kalayci, Tuba, Joseph, Amritha, Volinsky, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US15/221,578
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• 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 base location associated with a user of a communication device can be determined. A location identifier component can determine the base location, such as a home location, of the user based on activity data and/or other data, wherein the activity data can be obtained from base stations with which the user'"'"'s communication device communicates during a defined time period. The location identifier component can designate a defined area as the base location, wherein the defined area can be associated with the base station with which the communication device most frequently communicates during the defined time period or can be an area that is determined based on the activity data and the other data, in accordance with a defined location algorithm. To facilitate maintaining the privacy of users, the activity data can be anonymized and/or the granularity of defining the base location can be adjusted.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, respective frequencies of respective communications of a device associated with a subscriber identity with respective base station devices associated with a communication network over a defined time period, based on activity data associated with the respective communications of the device with the respective base station devices, wherein the respective base station devices comprise a first base station device and second base station devices other than the first base station device, and wherein the respective frequencies comprise a first frequency associated with the first base station device and second frequencies other than the first frequency that are associated with the second base station devices; and

determining, by the system, a defined base location associated with the subscriber identity, based on the first frequency of the respective communications of the device with the first base station device relative to the second frequencies of the respective communications of the device with the second base station devices, over the defined time period, and further based on address data relating to the subscriber identity and a distance parameter usable to facilitate evaluating the address data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the address data comprises registered address data, and wherein the determining the defined base location associated with the subscriber identity comprises determining the defined base location associated with the subscriber identity based on the registered address data associated with a defined geographical area associated with the defined base location and based on the first frequency relative to the second frequencies.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

designating, by the system, the defined base location as a defined home location associated with the subscriber identity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the address data comprises registered address data, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the system, a first potential base location associated with the subscriber identity based on the activity data;

analyzing, by the system, the registered address data relating to the subscriber identity;

determining, by the system, a second potential base location associated with the subscriber identity based on the registered address data; and

determining, by the system, the defined base location associated with the subscriber identity based on the first potential base location, the second potential base location, a distance between the first potential base location and the second potential base location, and a distance parameter, in accordance with a defined location criterion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity data comprises anonymized communication data associated with the subscriber identity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined base location is associated with a sector covered by the first base station device, and wherein the sector covers a defined geographical area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined base location is a defined geographical area associated with a postal code.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, respective voice communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on first activity data of the activity data that relates to voice communications between the device and the respective base station devices;

determining, by the system, respective data communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on second activity data of the activity data that relates to data communications between the device and the respective base station devices; and

determining, by the system, respective messaging communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on third activity data of the activity data that relates to messaging communications between the device and the respective base station devices.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the system, respective voice weighting values associated with the respective base station devices based on the first activity data;

generating, by the system, respective weighted voice communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on the respective voice communication values and the respective voice weighting values;

determining, by the system, respective data weighting values associated with the respective base station devices based on the second activity data;

generating, by the system, respective weighted data communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on the respective data communication values and the respective data weighting values;

determining, by the system, respective messaging weighting values associated with the respective base station devices based on the third activity data; and

generating, by the system, respective weighted messaging communication values associated with the respective base station devices based on the respective messaging communication values and the respective messaging weighting values.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the system, respective final weighted scores associated with the respective base station devices based on the respective weighted voice communication values, the respective weighted data communication values, and the respective weighted messaging communication values, wherein the respective final weighted scores comprise a first final weighted score associated with the first base station device and second final weighted scores associated with the second base station devices;

identifying, by the system, the first final weighted score as having a highest weighted score relative to the second final weighted scores; and

determining, by the system, the defined base location associated with the subscriber identity based on the first base station device having the highest weighted score and a geographic location associated with the first base station device.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

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

determining respective levels of respective communications of a device associated with a user identity with respective base station devices associated with a communication network over a defined time period, based on activity data associated with the respective communications of the device with the respective base station devices; and

determining a defined base location associated with the user identity based on a level, of the respective levels, of the respective communications of the device with a base station device of the respective base station devices relative to other levels, of the respective levels other than the level, of the respective communications of the device with other base station devices of the respective base station devices other than the base station device, over the defined time period, and further based on address-related information associated with the user identity and a distance parameter that is applicable with respect to the address-related information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

assigning the defined base location to be a defined home location associated with the user identity.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a first potential base location associated with the user identity based on the activity data;

analyzing the address-related information relating to the user identity;

determining a second potential base location associated with the user identity based on the address-related information; and

determining the defined base location associated with the user identity based on the first potential base location, the second potential base location, a distance between the first potential base location and the second potential base location, and the distance parameter, in accordance with a defined location criterion.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

applying respective weight factors to respective portions of the respective communications to facilitate the determining the defined base location, and

wherein the respective portions of the respective communications comprise a first portion of the respective communications that relates to voice communications associated with the device, a second portion of the respective communications that relates to data communications associated with the device, and a third portion of the respective communications that relates to messaging communications associated with the device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the activity data comprises anonymized communication data associated with the user identity.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the defined base location is associated with a coverage area associated with the base station device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the defined base location is a defined geographical area associated with a postal code.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the activity data, wherein at least a portion of the activity data is derived from call detail records associated with the respective communications of the device.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining respective frequencies of respective communications of a device associated with a user identity with respective base station devices associated with a communication network over a defined time period, based on activity data associated with the respective communications of the device with the respective base station devices; and

identifying a defined base location associated with the user identity, based on a frequency, of the respective frequencies, of a first portion of the respective communications of the device with a base station device of the respective base station devices relative to a group of the respective frequencies not comprising the frequency of a second portion of the respective communications of the device with a group of the respective base station devices not comprising the base station device, over the defined time period, based on address-related data associated with a defined geographical area that is associated with the user identity, and based on a distance value that is applicable to the address-related data.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the identifying the defined base location associated with the user identity comprises identifying the defined base location associated with the user identity based on the address-related data associated with the defined geographical area and based on the frequency of the first portion of the respective communications of the device with the base station device relative to the other frequencies of the second portion of the respective communications of the device with the group of the respective base station devices over the defined time period.