US 8,509,822 B1Granted

Highly scalable, lower precision idle mode locating method for wireless devices

AssigneeSprint Spectrum L.P.

InventorsJiongkuan Hou, David Mohan, Kenneth Wayne Samson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Methods of determining and providing location information as to the whereabouts of a wireless device are disclosed which have less geographical precision that those based on GPS or triangulation algorithms, but which are much more scalable, efficient and less costly. The methods make use of SMS paging and in particular obtain cell and cell sector information from a wireless device from a response message to an SMS page to the device. The cell and cell sector is converted to user-friendly geographical information such as an address or name of a building using a database correlating cell sectors to landmarks, location or addresses, and this user-friendly information is returned to the requestor.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method using SMS and paging messages to facilitate reporting a location of a wireless device, comprising:

a node in a network receiving an SMS message for delivery to the wireless device;
in response to receiving the SMS message, the node (i) sending a general page message to the wireless device and as a result of sending the general page message, the node receiving a general page message response indicating a cellular coverage area in which the wireless device is located and then (ii) transmitting the received SMS message to the wireless device in the cellular coverage area indicated by the general page message response, wherein the SMS message contains a message selected from the group consisting of (a) a message indicating that the wireless device has been located, (b) a message indicating that the location of the wireless device has been requested, and (c) a message indicating that the location of the wireless device has been requested by the requester;
translating the cellular coverage area indicated by the general page message response into geographic information;
and
outputting the geographic information for delivery to a requester.

2 more elements

A method using SMS and paging messages to facilitate reporting a location of a wireless device, comprising:

a node in a network receiving, from a requester, a request for the location of the wireless device;
in response to receiving the request, the node generating and sending an SMS message for delivery to the wireless device;
a mobile switching center (MSC) in the network receiving the SMS message;
in response to receiving the SMS message, (i) the MSC sending a general page message to the wireless device and as a result of sending the general page message, the MSC receiving a general page message response indicating a cellular coverage area in which the wireless device is located and (ii) the MSC then transmitting the received SMS message to the wireless device in the cellular coverage area indicated by the general page message response, wherein the SMS message contains a message selected from the group consisting of (a) a message indicating that the wireless device has been located, (b) a message indicating that the location of the wireless device has been requested, and (c) a message indicating that the location of the wireless device has been requested by the requester;
the MSC further forwarding an indication of the cellular coverage area indicated by the general page message response to the node, for use in providing the location of the wireless device to the requester;
and
the node receiving the indication of the cellular coverage area forwarded by the MSC and in response to receiving the indication of the cellular coverage area, the node (i) translating the cellular coverage area into geographic information and (ii) outputting the geographic information for delivery to the requester.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/655,341Filed 19 Jan 2007
Granted: 13 Aug 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04W 4/02
Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor: services making use of location information
H04W 4/029
Services making use of location information: location-based management or tracking services
H04W 4/14
Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements: short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
H04W 4/20
Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor: services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e.…