Locating a mobile station and applications therefor

A method for providing for each user of a plurality of users, each user having a corresponding mobile unit (M), corresponding one or more notifications for utilizing or accessing 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 user's corresponding mobile unit M, comprising performing, for each of the users, the following steps by computational equipment:

• (a) receiving input from the user for providing the corresponding one or more notifications to the user's mobile unit M;
• (b) receiving geolocation data for the user's mobile unit M, the geolocation data indicative of a location, L, for the user's mobile unit M;
• wherein the geolocation data is obtained using location indicative data obtained from measurements of signals, S, communicated wirelessly to or from the user's mobile unit M, at least some of the signals S having corresponding different locations for (i) being transmitted to the user's mobile unit M, or (ii) being received by one of the access units from the user's mobile unit M;
• (c) determining, according to a performance of machine executable instructions using the geolocation data, whether to notify the user, via one notification of the notifications, for utilizing or accessing one of the resources, R;
• wherein the determining step, is dependent upon a time of travel estimate or a proximity or nearness for a location of the user's mobile unit M to a location for the resource R;
• wherein a result of the determining step is further dependent upon (1) for another user of the users, a time of travel estimate, or a proximity or nearness, according to a wireless location of the another user's mobile unit M, to a location for the resource R for an additional determining whether to notify the another user of the resource R instead of notifying the user of the resource R, or (2) for at least one user of the user and one other of the users, use information related to whether the at least one user previously utilized or accessed each resource, RP, of one or more of the resources, for which the at least one user previously received a corresponding notification of the notifications, wherein the computational equipment evaluated whether to notify the at least one user of the resource RP for utilizing or accessing by the at least on user, the evaluation being dependent upon a time of travel estimate or a proximity or nearness for a location of the at least one user's mobile unit M to a location for the resource RP;
• and
• (d) when a first result, obtained from the determining step, indicates that the one notification is to be provided to the user for utilizing or accessing the resource R, (i) allocating the resource R for notification to the user, wherein notification of the resource R becomes unavailable to one or more of the users, (ii) transmitting to the user by a wireless network transmission the one notification for identifying, on the user's mobile unit M, the resource R, and (iii) routing the user and the resource R together, wherein the routing uses additional geolocation data indicative of locations of the user's mobile unit M as determined from location indicative wireless signal measurements, and of one or more locations of the resource R, wherein the resource R moves towards a location of the user's mobile unit M.

A method for providing for each user of a plurality of users, each user having a corresponding mobile unit (M), corresponding one or more notifications for utilizing or accessing 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 user's corresponding mobile unit M, comprising performing, for each of the users, the following steps by computational equipment:

• (a) receiving input from the user for providing the corresponding one or more notifications to the user's mobile unit M;
• (b) receiving geolocation data for the user's mobile unit M, the geolocation data indicative of a location, L, for the user's mobile unit M;
• wherein the geolocation data is obtained using location indicative data obtained from measurements of signals, S, communicated wirelessly to or from the user's mobile unit M, at least some of the signals S having corresponding different locations for (i) being transmitted to the user's mobile unit M, or (ii) being received by one of the access units from the user's mobile unit M;
• (c) determining according to a performance of machine executable instructions indicative of notification criteria where the performance uses the geolocation data, whether to provide one of the notifications to the user, for utilizing or accessing one of the resources, R;
• wherein the determining step is dependent upon an expected timely arrival of the user within a geographic area or proximity for the resource R for utilizing or accessing the resource R by the user;
• wherein the determining step is further dependent upon (1) a proximity of another of the users to the resource R, the proximity of the another user determined using one or more wireless locations of the another user's mobile unit, or (2) use information related to whether at least one user of the user and one other of the users previously utilized or accessed each resource, RP, of one or more of the resources, for which the at least one user previously received a corresponding notification of the notifications;
• and
• (d) when a first result, obtained from the determining step, indicates that the one notification is to be provided to the user for utilizing or accessing the resource R, (i) allocating the resource R for notification to the user, wherein notification of the resource R becomes unavailable to one or more of the users, (ii) transmitting to the user by a wireless network transmission the one notification for identifying, on the user's mobile unit M, the resource R, and (iii) routing the user and the resource R together, wherein the routing uses a wireless location estimate of one or more locations of the user's mobile unit M determined from location indicative wireless signal measurements, and of one or more locations of the resource R, wherein the resource R moves towards a location of the user's mobile unit M.