US 2013/0157622 A1 · SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MOBILE HANDSET POSITION TO SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Providing information as to location of a mobile station involves receiving a mobile station location request from a requesting software application at an API gateway of a wireless communications network. The API gateway provides a network-initiated request to the wireless communications network for the location of the mobile station after determining that the requesting application is authorized to receive the location of the specified mobile station. The location of the mobile station can be determined, according to either a coarse or granular location position resolution, or accuracy, based on the request of the application and/or the conditions of the wireless communication network. Information as to location of the mobile station can be produced, and provided to the requesting software application, which can be resident on the mobile station itself or at a different location/platform.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving a mobile station location request from a software application, the location request including a request from the software application to receive triggered notifications of a location of a mobile station connected to a wireless mobile communications network;
transmitting a message to the mobile station through the wireless mobile communication network to cause the mobile station to provide mobile station location information upon trigger criteria being met;
and
upon the mobile station determining that the trigger criteria are met,
(a) receiving a request to authenticate the mobile station, the request including at least one identifier for the mobile station;
(b) in response to authenticating the mobile station using the at least one identifier, receiving a position report message including updated location information indicative of a location of the mobile station upon the trigger criteria being met;
and
(c) sending to the software application a message including the updated location information for the mobile station.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a wireless mobile communications network providing wireless mobile communication services to a plurality of mobile stations;
a location gateway server operative to communicate with the plurality of mobile stations across the wireless mobile communications network, and configured to perform functions including functions to:
receive a mobile station location request from a software application, the location request including a request from the software application to receive triggered notifications of a location of a mobile station connected to the wireless mobile communications network;
transmit a message to the mobile station through the wireless mobile communication network to cause the mobile station to provide mobile station location information upon trigger criteria being met;
and
upon the mobile station determining that the trigger criteria are met,
(a) receive a request to authenticate the mobile station, the request including at least one identifier for the mobile station;
(b) in response to authenticating the mobile station using the at least one identifier, receive a position report message including updated location information indicative of a location of the mobile station upon the trigger criteria being met;
and
(c) send to the software application a message including the updated location information for the mobile station.

7 more elements

An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable medium;
and
machine-executable instructions embodied in the medium that, if executed by a processor of a location gateway server, cause the location gateway server to perform functions including functions to:
receive a mobile station location request from a software application, the location request including a request from the software application to receive triggered notifications of a location of a mobile station connected to a wireless mobile communications network;
transmit a message to the mobile station through the wireless mobile communication network to cause the mobile station to provide mobile station location information upon trigger criteria being met;
and
upon the mobile station determining that the trigger criteria are met,
(a) receive a request to authenticate the mobile station, the request including at least one identifier for the mobile station;
(b) in response to authenticating the mobile station using the at least one identifier, receive a position report message including updated location information indicative of a location of the mobile station upon the trigger criteria being met;
and
(c) send to the software application a message including the updated location information for the mobile station.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods for providing mobile handset position to software applications

Life of this patent

Systems and methods for providing mobile handset position to software applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24