Location of a mobile station using a plurality of commercial wireless infrastructures

A method for locating a particular wireless mobile station during a wireless communication for an emergency response, wherein an area about said particular mobile station is included in a first area for a first wireless network, and in a second area for a second wireless network, said particular mobile station registered with the first network for subscribing to a wireless service, wherein for each network of said first and second networks, the network includes a collection of one or more mobile switching centers, each of the mobile switching centers controlling communications with a corresponding predetermined plurality of geographically dispersed base stations of the network, and each mobile switching center of said collection:

• (a1) having access to predetermined identification information for identifying each mobile station registered with the network, said identifying information being accessible by the mobile switching center independently of a communication between the registered mobile station and the mobile switching center, and
• (a2) does not have independent access to said identification information for mobile stations not registered with the network,
• comprising:
• first receiving, during said emergency response communication, first data including:
• (b 1) said predetermined identification information for identifying said particular mobile station, and (b2) location related data obtained from wireless signals communicated between said particular mobile station and the first network, wherein said location data, is capable of changing when said particular mobile station changes location;
• selecting the second network as a different wireless network for obtaining additional location related data obtained from wireless signals communicated between said particular mobile station and the second network;
• second receiving said additional location related data;
• determining a location estimate of said particular mobile station using one or more of said location related data and said additional location related data;
• outputting a location estimate of said particular mobile station, wherein said location estimate is derived using said one or more estimates.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• receiving, by a receiving means, first data related to wireless signals communicated between a particular mobile station and at least a first network of a plurality of commercial mobile service provider networks, wherein for each said network, there are a plurality of base stations for at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals with a corresponding plurality of mobile stations registered with the network, and wherein said particular mobile station is registered with said first network for subscribing to a wireless service;
• first activating a first location estimator for providing a first estimate of a location of said particular mobile station, wherein said first location estimator is supplied with first location information from said receiving means for deriving said first estimate, said first location information including data obtained using the first data, said location information capable of changing with a change in a location of said particular mobile station;
• wherein when said location estimator supplied with said first location information, said first estimate is one of:
• (a) is deemed ambiguous, (b) can not be provided, (c) is not within a desired range of accuracy, and (d) has an extent greater than or equal to a predetermined size, then the steps (A1) and (A2) are performed:
• (A1) instructing said particular mobile station to communicate with a second network of the plurality of networks for supplying second data to said receiving means, wherein said particular mobile station is not registered with said second network for subscribing to a wireless service, and wherein said second data is derived using wireless signals communicated between the mobile station and the second network;
• (A2) second activating a second location estimator for providing a second estimate of a location of said particular mobile station wherein said second location estimator is supplied with additional location information from said receiving means, said additional location information including data obtained using the second data;
• outputting at least one of the first and second estimates of the location of the mobile station as an estimate of the location of the mobile station.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• first receiving first signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between a mobile station and a first network of base stations, wherein said base stations in the first network are cooperatively linked by a first wireless service provider for providing wireless communication;
• providing to a second network of cooperatively linked base stations for providing wireless services to registered mobile stations mobile station location data obtained using said first signal characteristic measurements, wherein said second network uses said mobile station location data for detecting wireless signals from the mobile station, and wherein said mobile station is a subscriber of said first wireless service provider's network and mobile station is not a subscriber of said second wireless service provider's network;
• second receiving second signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between the mobile station and said second network of base stations;
• estimating a location of the mobile station using said first and second signal characteristic measurements.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, wherein the mobile station communicates via wireless signals with a wireless network infrastructure having a plurality of spaced apart base stations for wireless communication with said first mobile station, wherein said wireless network infrastructure identifies said mobile station by a first identifier for routing substantially all of its communications to said mobile station, comprising:

• providing an in-premise transceiver at a predetermined premise address for communicating with said mobile station, wherein said in-premise transceiver routes substantially all communication with said mobile station through a communications network that identifies said mobile station by a second identifier different from said first identifier, wherein the communications network uses said second identifier for routing substantially all of its communications to said mobile station;
• storing information relating the premise address and said second identifier;
• transmitting, by said in-premise transceiver, a status to the communications network when there is a change as to whether said mobile station and said in-premise transceiver are within a range of one another to wirelessly communicate, wherein said status is indicative of said change;
• storing, in a predetermined storage, said status, wherein a first value is stored when said mobile station is within range for communicating with said in-premise transceiver, and has a second value which is stored when said mobile station communicates with stand in-premise transceiver;
• retrieving, using at least a portion of said information, said status from said predetermined storage;
• determining that the premise address is a location of said mobile station when said first value is retrieved as a value for said status.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• receiving data from wireless signals communicated between a mobile station and a wireless network including a plurality of distributed antennas;
• detecting, using said data, that the mobile station is in wireless communication with said distributed antenna system having a plurality of antennas connected in series and distributed along a signal conducting line so that there is a predetermined and purposefully introduced signal time delay between said antennas and at predetermined locations;
• determining a plurality of signal time delay measurements for signals transmitted between the mobile station and a collection of some of said antennas, wherein said signals are also communicated through said line;
• estimating a locating of the mobile station using said plurality of signal time delay measurements.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• first receiving first signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between a mobile station and a first network of base stations, wherein said base stations in the first network are cooperatively linked by a first wireless service provider for providing wireless communication;
• instructing the mobile station to search for a wireless signal from a second network of base stations that are cooperatively linked by a second wireless service provider for providing wireless communication, wherein said mobile station is a subscriber of said first wireless service provider, and said mobile station is not a subscriber of said second wireless service provider;
• second receiving second signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between the mobile station and said second network of base stations;
• estimating a location of the mobile station using said first and second signal characteristic measurements.

An apparatus for locating a first mobile station, wherein the first mobile station communicates via wireless signals with a first wireless network infrastructure having:

• a plurality of spaced apart base stations for wireless communication with said first mobile station, wherein at least one of said first mobile station and said first wireless network infrastructure has a capability for obtaining a plurality of multipath measurements for one of:
• one or more forward transmissions to said first mobile station, and one or more reverse transmissions from said first mobile station to said first wireless network infrastructure, and wherein said multipath measurements are derived from both fixed clutter and variable clutter, comprising:
• a mobile station location determining system for locating said first mobile station, wherein said location determining system is capable of transforming values indicative of said multipath measurements for at least one of said forward transmissions and said reverse transmissions, wherein said transformed values have an enhanced dependence on multipath measurements derived from fixed clutter as compared to multipath measurements derived from variable clutter;
• wherein said mobile station location determining system includes at least one wireless location determining model for estimating a location of said first mobile station, said at least one model uses one or more of said transformed values;
• a means for transmitting, to said location determining system, said values indicative of said multipath measurements;
• a means for outputting, from said location determining system, a resulting location estimate of said first mobile station.

An apparatus for locating a mobile station, comprising:

• a wireless network infrastructure for communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, each said mobile station for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, wherein said wireless signals are received in a forward bandwidth and said wireless signals are transmitted in a different reverse bandwidth, and, said wireless network infrastructure having a plurality of spaced apart base stations for communicating via said wireless signals with said plurality of mobile stations;
• a location determining means for communicating with said plurality of mobile stations, via said radio signals with the base stations, wherein said location determining means communicates with said plurality of base stations for receiving CDMA finger measurements related to said radio signals for estimating a location of at least a first of said plurality of mobile stations, said measurements including:
• (i) first measurements of said wireless signals received by said first mobile station in said forward radio bandwidth, and (ii) second measurements of said wireless signals transmitted by said first mobile station in said reverse radio bandwidth;
• wherein said location determining means estimates a location of said first mobile station using both said first measurements and said second measurements.

A method for locating a mobile station, comprising:

• receiving, by said mobile station, a request control message from one of a plurality of base stations, wherein said message is received by a receiving antenna of said mobile station;
• the control message providing information related to said message to at least one of a control processor and a searcher receiver in said mobile station;
• determining, using at least one of said control processor and said searcher receiver, a plurality of multipath finger sets for a wireless communication between said mobile station and at least a first of the base stations, wherein for at least some of said multipath finger sets are different;
• transmitting signals for said finger sets to one or more of the base stations via a transmitting antenna of said mobile station;
• routing data for at least one of said finger sets from said one or more base stations to a mobile station location estimator for estimating a location of said mobile station.

A method for obtaining data related to wireless signal characteristics, comprising:

• providing a user with a mobile station for use when the user tranverses a route having one or more predetermined route locations, wherein one or more of the route locations have a corresponding telephone number and a corresponding description stored in the mobile station;
• performing the following substeps when the user visits each of the route locations:
• activating a call to said corresponding telephone number;
• transmitting a code identifying the route location when the user is substantially at the route location;
• storing an association of:
• (a) signal characteristic measurements for wireless communication between the mobile station and one or more base stations, and
• (b) a unique identifier for the route location obtained using said code transmitted by said call;
• wherein said stored signal characteristic measurements are accessible using said unique identifier.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• first receiving first signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between a mobile station and a first network of base stations, wherein said first signal characteristic measurements includes:
• (a) one or more multipath finger data sets for a wireless communication between the mobile station and at least a first of the base stations;
• (b) data identifying operational characteristics of the mobile station including information related to a signal transmission power for the mobile station and information for determining a maximum transmission power level of the mobile station;
• adjusting, for at least one of said data sets, using said data, data set has the corresponding adjusted value wherein said adjusted value is an expected value of a predetermined standardized mobile station transmitter power level having a predetermined maximum transmission power and operating at a predetermined transmission power level;
• outputting second signal characteristic information, obtained using said adjusted signal strength, to a mobile station location estimator for determining a location estimate of said first mobile station.

A method for locating a wireless mobile station, comprising:

• first receiving first signal characteristic measurements of wireless signals communicated between a mobile station and a first network of base stations, wherein said first signal characteristic measurements includes one or more multipath finger measurement sets for a wireless communication between the mobile station and at least a first of the base stations;
• categorizing said sets into categories according to ranges of related values for obtaining a representation of a frequency of occurrence of said one or more pairs in said categories;
• applying one or more filters to said categorizing sets for one of:
• (a) reducing characteristics of said representation that are expected to be insufficiently repeatable for use in identifying a location of the mobile station, and (b) enhancing a signal to noise ratio;
• supplying an output obtained from said step of applying to a mobile station location estimator;
• estimating a location of the mobile station using said mobile station location estimator.

A method for locating a first mobile station, wherein the first mobile station communicates via wireless signals with a first wireless network infrastructure having a plurality of spaced apart base stations for wireless communication with said first mobile station, wherein at least one of said first mobile station and said first wireless network infrastructure has a capability for obtaining a plurality of multipath measurements for one of:

• one or more forward transmissions to said first mobile station, and one or more reverse transmissions from said first mobile station to said first wireless network infrastructure, and wherein said multipath measurements are derived from both fixed clutter and variable cluster, comprising:
• transmitting, from said first wireless network infrastructure to a location determining system, values indicative of said multipath measurements;
• transforming said values indicative of said multipath measurements for at least one of said forward transmissions and said reverse transmissions, wherein said transformed values have an enhanced dependence on multipath measurements derived from fixed clutter as compared to multipath measurements derived from variable cluster;
• determining at least one wireless location estimate of said first mobile station using one or more of said transformed values;
• outputting said location estimate of said first mobile station.