Short message service initiated cellular mobile positioning system

Abstract

The position of a mobile station in a cellular mobile telephone system, particularly a GSM system, is determined by carrying out a simulated call setup, i.e., the call setup is interrupted subsequent to a telephone switching center (MSC) having received a paging response containing the identity of the cell and, optionally, a timing advance. The simulated call setup is initiated by generating a modified short message signal (SMS) which is not registered in the SMS catalogue of the mobile station and which is not shown to the user of the mobile station. The SMS commands the mobile station to carry out a position determining sequence in order to establish parameters for use in establishing the position of the mobile station, for example by commanding the mobile station to connect itself to a base station contained in its neighbor list, analyze the geographical position of the base station, and subsequently send the position determining parameters to a position handler. The geographical position of the base station is analyzed from the cell identity and, if available, the timing advance, the position of the mobile station being presented graphically on a picture screen and constantly updated after each call setup. The call setups are generated by the position handler.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.