System and method for positioning

A method for creating a short probe response in an Access Point (AP), the method comprising:

• receiving, by the AP, a short probe request;
• sending, by the AP, a short probe response, in response to determining that a service set identifier (SSID) of the short probe request has a global positioning system (GPS) prefix;
• and
• sending, by the AP, a regular probe response, in response to determining that the SSID of the short probe request does not have the GPS prefix, the short probe response being shorter than the regular probe response.

A mobile device comprising:

• a transceiver;
• at least one antenna coupled to the transceiver, for transmitting a signal over a wireless channel;
• a processor coupled to the transceiver;
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for execution by the processor, the program including instructions for:
• in response to determining that positioning of the mobile device is required, instructing the transceiver to transmit a short probe request, the short probe request being shorter than a regular probe request used for handover from one access point (AP) to another, the short probe request comprising:
• a SSID_Name field comprising a global positioning system (GPS) prefix and a Service Set Identifier (SSID), the GPS prefix indicating that the short probe request is being used for positioning purposes;
• and
• a short length supported transmission rates field.

An Access Point (AP) comprising:

• a transceiver;
• at least one antenna coupled to the transceiver, for transmitting a signal over a wireless channel;
• a processor coupled to the transceiver;
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for execution by the processor, the program including instructions for:
• receiving a short probe request;
• sending a short probe response, in response to determining that a service set identifier (SSID) of the short probe request has a global positioning system (GPS) prefix;
• and
• sending a regular probe response, in response to determining that the SSID of the short probe request does not have the GPS prefix, the short probe response being shorter than the regular probe response.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for execution by a processor of a mobile device, the program including instructions to:

• in response to determining that positioning of the mobile device is required, transmit a short probe request, the short probe request being shorter than a regular probe request used for handover from one access point (AP) to another, the short probe request comprising:
• a SSID_Name field comprising a global positioning system (GPS) prefix;
• and
• a short length supported transmission rates field, the GPS prefix indicating that the short probe request is being used for positioning purposes instead of handover purposes.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for execution by a processor of a mobile device, the program including instructions for:

• receiving a short probe request;
• sending a short probe response, in response to determining that a service set identifier (SSID) of the short probe request has a global positioning system (GPS) prefix;
• and
• sending a regular probe response, in response to determining that the SSID of the short probe request does not have the GPS prefix, the short probe response being shorter than the regular probe response.