Location system

A location method of a location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, wherein a positioning system for producing location information of the target mobile terminal in response to a request from a gateway is provided, the method comprising:

• transmitting, at a client terminal, a location request specifying the target mobile terminal, requested accuracy and requested allowable age;
• performing, at the gateway which stores previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, a first privacy check for verifying the location request from the client terminal by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;
• performing, at the gateway, a reusability check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age specified in said verified location request;
• and
• performing, at the gateway, a second privacy check on said stored, previously obtained, location information by referring to information specified in the verified location request in order to decide whether the gateway can transmit the stored, previously obtained, location information to the client terminal without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system if said reusability check is affirmative.

A gateway of a location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, wherein a positioning system for producing location information of the target mobile terminal is provided, the gateway comprising:

• storage means for storing previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal from the positioning system and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;
• first privacy check means for verifying a location request specifying the target mobile terminal, requested accuracy, and requested allowable age from a client terminal by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal stored in the storage means;
• reusability check means for determining if the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means satisfies the requested accuracy and the requested allowable age specified in the verified location request;
• and
• second privacy check means for performing, if the reusability check is affirmative, a second privacy check on said stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means by referring to information specified in the location request, without transmitting the verified location request to the positioning system, in order to decide whether the stored, previously obtained, location information stored in the storage means can be transmitted to the client terminal.

A location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, comprising:

• a plurality of client terminals which transmit a location request specifying the target mobile terminal, and accuracy and allowable age of stored location information;
• a positioning system which produces location information of the target mobile terminal;
• and
• a gateway which stores a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal and location information of the target mobile terminal previously obtained from said positioning system as a result of the gateway transmitting thereto an initial location request from one of said client terminals,
• wherein the gateway performs a first privacy check for verifying a current location request from any of said client terminals by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, performs a reusability check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information satisfies the accuracy and allowable age specified in said verified current location request, and if the reusability check is affirmative, then performs a second privacy check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information further satisfies a condition specified by said target mobile terminal in the privacy profile and transmits the stored, previously obtained, location information to the requesting client terminal if the second privacy check is affirmative.

A location method of a location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

• a) transmitting, from one of a plurality of client terminals, a location request specifying the target mobile terminal;
• b) transmitting, from a gateway, an initial location request from one of said client terminals to a positioning system to obtain current location information of the target mobile terminal and storing the current location information as previously obtained location information of the target mobile terminal;
• c) transmitting, from any of said client terminals, a current location request specifying the target mobile terminal, and accuracy and allowable age of stored location information;
• d) storing at the gateway the previously obtained location information and a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, and performing, at said gateway, a first privacy check for verifying said current location request be referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal;
• e) performing, at the gateway, a reusability check to determine whether the stored, previously obtained, location information satisfies the accuracy and allowable age specified in said verified current location request;
• and
• f) if the reusability check is affirmative, performing, at said gateway, a second privacy check by referring to the information specified in the verified location request to determine whether the stored location information satisfies a condition specified by said target mobile terminal and transmitting the stored location information to the requesting client terminal if the second privacy check is affirmative.

A gateway of a location service system for locating a target mobile terminal, wherein the location service system comprises:

• a plurality of client terminals which transmit a location request specifying the target mobile terminal, and accuracy and allowable age of stored location information;
• and
• a positioning system which produces location information of the target mobile terminal,
• wherein said gateway stores a privacy profile of the target mobile terminal and location information of the target mobile terminal previously obtained from said positioning system as a result of the gateway transmitting an initial location request from one of said client terminals to said positioning system, performs a first privacy check for verifying a current location request from any of said client terminals by referring to the privacy profile of the target mobile terminal, performs a reusability check to determine if the stored location information satisfies the accuracy and allowable age specified in said verified current location request, and if the reusability check is affirmative, then performs a second privacy check to determine if the stored, previously obtained, location information further satisfies a condition specified by said target mobile terminal in the privacy profile and transmits the stored location information to the requesting client terminal if the second privacy check is affirmative.