Location system with enhanced security

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a plurality of client terminals for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• and
• a plurality of gateways for maintaining privacy settings of the mobile terminals,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, determining which of the gateways maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, and transmitting the location request to a gateway which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal,
• each gateway, which maintains privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, performing a first privacy check on a location request received either from the client terminal or from other gateway using the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal maintained in the gateway, transmitting the request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and performing a second privacy check on said location information using the privacy settings maintained in the gateway.

A method of protecting privacy of the location of mobile terminals in a location system which includes a gateway and a positioning system, comprising:

• a) receiving, at said gateway, a location request from a client terminal specifying a target mobile terminal;
• b) performing a first privacy check on the location request using the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal;
• c) transmitting the location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal;
• and
• d) performing a second privacy check on said location information using the privacy settings of said target mobile terminal.

A gateway of a location system, wherein the gateway is one of a plurality of gateways of the location system, wherein the gateways respectively maintain privacy settings of the mobile terminals, comprising:

• means for receiving a location request from a client terminal specifying a target mobile terminal and determining which of said gateways maintains the privacy settings of the specified mobile terminal;
• means for performing a first privacy check on the location request using the privacy settings maintained by the gateway for the specified target mobile terminal;
• means for transmitting the location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal if the request conforms to said privacy settings;
• and
• means for performing a second privacy check on said location information using the privacy settings maintained in the gateway for said target mobile terminal.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• and
• a plurality of gateways for holding privacy settings of the mobile terminals, transmitting the location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and performing a privacy check on said location information using the privacy settings of said target mobile terminal.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of privacy managers for maintaining the privacy settings of the mobile terminals and performing a privacy check using the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal;
• and
• a plurality of gateways for transmitting said location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and requesting the privacy managers to perform a privacy check on the obtained location information.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of privacy managers for maintaining the privacy settings of the mobile terminals and performing a privacy check using the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal;
• and
• a plurality of gateways for requesting said privacy manager, which maintains the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal specified by the request, to perform a first privacy check on a location request of the client terminal, transmit said location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and requesting said means to perform a second privacy check on the location information of the target mobile terminal.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of gateways for maintaining privacy settings of the mobile terminals,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, determining which of the gateways maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, and transmitting the location request to a gateway which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal,
• each gateway, which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, performing a first privacy check on a location request received either from the client terminal or from other gateway using the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, transmitting the request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and performing a second privacy check on said location information using the privacy settings maintained in the gateway.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of gateways for maintaining privacy settings of the mobile terminals,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, determining which of the gateways maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, and transmitting the location request to a gateway which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal,
• each gateway, which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, transmitting said location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and performing a privacy check on the location information of the target mobile terminal using the privacy settings maintained in the gateway.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of privacy managers for maintaining the privacy settings of the mobile terminals and performing a privacy check using the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal;
• and
• a plurality of gateways,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, determining which of the gateways is associated with the privacy manager which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, and transmitting the location request to the determined gateway,
• each gateway, associated with the privacy manager which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, requesting the associated means to perform a first privacy check on a location request of the client terminal, transmitting the location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and requesting the associated means to perform a second privacy check on the obtained location information using said privacy settings.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a plurality of privacy managers for maintaining the privacy settings of the mobile terminals and performing a privacy check using the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal;
• and
• a plurality of gateways,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, determining which of the gateways is associated with the privacy manager which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, and transmitting the location request to the determined gateway,
• each gateway, associated with the privacy manager which maintains the privacy settings of the specified target mobile terminal, requesting the associated means to perform a first privacy check on a location request of the client terminal, transmitting the location request to the positioning system to obtain location information of the target mobile terminal, and requesting the associated means to perform a second privacy check on the obtained location information using said privacy settings.

A location system comprising:

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a home register which stores identity of a gateway which maintains privacy settings of the mobile terminals;
• and
• a plurality of gateways for maintaining privacy settings of the mobile terminals,
• each gateway receiving a location request from a client terminal, sending an enquiry message to the home register to obtain the identity of the gateway if said identity is not known, and transmitting the location request to a gateway identified by the obtained identity.

A location system comprising;

• a plurality of mobile terminals;
• a client terminal for transmitting a location request specifying a target mobile terminal;
• a positioning system accessible to said mobile terminals for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a location request;
• a home register which stores identity of a gateway which maintains privacy settings of the mobile terminals;
• a privacy manager for maintaining privacy settings of the mobile terminals and performing a privacy check using the privacy settings of a target mobile terminal;
• a home register for maintaining identity of a gateway which accesses the privacy manager that maintains privacy settings of the mobile terminals;
• and
• a plurality of gateways, each gateway receiving a location request from the client terminal, sending a message to the home register that stores the identity of the gateway which accesses the a privacy manager which maintains privacy settings of the target mobile terminal to obtain the identity of the gateway if the identity is not known, and transmitting the location request to a gateway identified by the obtained identity.

A location method, comprising;

• receiving a location request from a client terminal;
• obtaining location information of a target mobile terminal specified by the location request;
• and
• performing a privacy check on the location information of the target mobile terminal.