US5963866A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wireless location messaging
Assignee: Nokia of America Corp
•
Filing: 1997-01-15
•
Granted: 1999-10-05
•
Expires: 2017-01-15
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is a wireless location messaging system and method for determining the location of a mobile-telephone in a home or roaming wireless communication system, and in a multitude of call states using an audit signal and a confirmation signal that provides enhanced location accuracy. In one embodiment, the present invention wireless location messaging system is implemented in a wireless communication system comprising a base station for transmitting an audit signal, receiving a confirmation signal transmitted by a mobile-telephone in response to the audit signal and time stamping when the confirmation signal was received, and a location system for determining a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal. The audit signal and the confirmation signal are transmitted using a communication channel that depends on the current call state of the mobile-telephone. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a location register that indicates the wireless communication system last known to serve the particular mobile-telephone. If a second wireless communication system was last known to the serve the particular mobile-telephone, the second wireless communication system is cause to transmit the audit signal, receive the confirmation signal, and time stamp the confirmation signal using its base stations. Subsequently, these receive times are used to determine the location of the particular mobile-telephone.
Inventors
- 👤 Maria E. Palamara
- 👤 Robert Ellis Richton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 02:24
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W64/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 35
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, the location system being operable to cause a base station to transmit the audit signal via a voice overhead channel or a voice channel if the mobile-telephone is in a conversation call state.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, the location system being operable to cause a base station to transmit the audit signal via a voice overhead channel or a voice channel if the mobile-telephone is in a conversation call state.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the location system is operable to cause a base station nearest to the mobile-telephone to transmit the audit signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the location system uses the receive times of the confirmation signal at the plurality of base stations nearest the mobile-telephone to determine the location of the mobile-telephone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the location system is operable to cause a base station to transmit the audit signal via a set-up overhead channel if the mobile-telephone is in an idle call state.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the time indicators of each base stations are time synchronized with respect to the time indicators of each of the other base stations.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 5, wherein the time indicators are time synchronized to within nanosecond levels of the time indicators of each of the other base stations.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using a difference in receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using a direction of arrival and the receive times for the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the time indicator records a transmission time of the audit signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 9, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using the transmission time of the audit signal.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
158 words
A system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a first wireless communication system having a first database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by a mobile-telephone signals and received by a plurality of base stations in the first wireless communication system, and last known server information indicating an identity of a wireless communication system last known to serve the mobile-telephone, and a first location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the first database if the last known server information indicates the first wireless communication system, wherein the first location system determines the location of the mobile telephone using a second database belonging to a second wireless communication system if the last known server information indicates the second wireless communication system, the second database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone and received by a plurality of base stations in the second wireless communication system.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
158 words
A system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a first wireless communication system having a first database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by a mobile-telephone signals and received by a plurality of base stations in the first wireless communication system, and last known server information indicating an identity of a wireless communication system last known to serve the mobile-telephone, and a first location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the first database if the last known server information indicates the first wireless communication system, wherein the first location system determines the location of the mobile telephone using a second database belonging to a second wireless communication system if the last known server information indicates the second wireless communication system, the second database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone and received by a plurality of base stations in the second wireless communication system.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
67 words
The system of claim 11 further comprising: a second wireless communication system having a second database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone signals and received by a plurality of base stations in the second wireless communication system, the first location system using the receive times in the second database if the last known server information indicates the second wireless communication system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
81 words
The system of claim 11 further comprising: a second wireless communication system having a second database and a second location system, the second database containing receive times of at least one signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone signals and received by a plurality of base stations in the second wireless communication system, the second location system determining the location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the second database if the last known server information indicates the second wireless communication system.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 11 further comprising: a request system for permitting a user to submit a user location request to the first wireless communication system, the user location request containing information identifying the mobile-telephone.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 11 further comprising: a location authorization center for determining whether a user location request is authorized.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver receives at least one other signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone, and the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone if the other signals contains a predetermined code.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
56 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver receives at least one other signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone, the time indicator records receive times of the other signals, and the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the other signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 17, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone if the other signal contains a predetermined code.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
108 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, wherein the location system transmits the location of the mobile-telephone to the mobile-telephone.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
108 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, wherein the location system transmits the location of the mobile-telephone to the mobile-telephone.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising: a database that contains the receive times of at least one signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone and received by one or more of the plurality of base stations, the location system determining the location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the database.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
130 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the database if the mobile-telephone is not transmitting any signal to at least one of the plurality of base stations.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
130 words
A wireless location system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a plurality of base stations associated with cells, each of the base stations having a transmitter for transmitting an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond with a confirmation signal, a receiver for receiving the confirmation signal transmitted from the mobile-telephone, and a time indicator for recording a receive time of the confirmation signal; and a location system that determines a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at one or more of the plurality of base stations, wherein the location system determines the location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times in the database if the mobile-telephone is not transmitting any signal to at least one of the plurality of base stations.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising: a location authorization center for determining whether the location system is authorized to locate the mobile-telephone.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
95 words
A method for locating a mobile-telephone in a wireless communication system comprising the steps of: transmitting when the mobile-telephone is in a conversation call state over a voice overhead channel or a voice channel an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond by transmitting a confirmation signal; receiving the confirmation signal at a plurality of base stations; recording receive times when the confirmation signal arrives at the plurality of base stations; and determining a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at the plurality of base stations.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
95 words
A method for locating a mobile-telephone in a wireless communication system comprising the steps of: transmitting when the mobile-telephone is in a conversation call state over a voice overhead channel or a voice channel an audit signal that indicates to a particular mobile-telephone to respond by transmitting a confirmation signal; receiving the confirmation signal at a plurality of base stations; recording receive times when the confirmation signal arrives at the plurality of base stations; and determining a location of the mobile-telephone using the receive times of the confirmation signal at the plurality of base stations.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the audit signal is transmitted via a set-up overhead channel when the mobile-telephone is in an idle call state.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
70 words
A method for locating a mobile-telephone comprising the steps of: determining whether a particular mobile-telephone was last served by a first wireless communication system using a first database; and locating the mobile-telephone using receive times of a signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone and received by a plurality of base stations in the first wireless communication if the mobile-telephone was determined to be last served by the first wireless communication system.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
70 words
A method for locating a mobile-telephone comprising the steps of: determining whether a particular mobile-telephone was last served by a first wireless communication system using a first database; and locating the mobile-telephone using receive times of a signal transmitted by the mobile-telephone and received by a plurality of base stations in the first wireless communication if the mobile-telephone was determined to be last served by the first wireless communication system.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 25 comprising the additional step of: receiving a location of the mobile-telephone from a second wireless communication system if the mobile-telephone was determined to be last served by the second wireless communication system.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
49 words
A system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a database containing information identifying a wireless communication system last known to serve a particular mobile-telephone; and a request system for submitting a location request to the wireless communication system identified in the database as being last known to serve the mobile-telephone.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
49 words
A system for locating a mobile-telephone comprising: a database containing information identifying a wireless communication system last known to serve a particular mobile-telephone; and a request system for submitting a location request to the wireless communication system identified in the database as being last known to serve the mobile-telephone.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 27 further comprising: a location authorization center for determining whether the location request is authorized.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-10-04 | 2003-04-05 | 2003-10-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-10-04 | 2007-04-05 | 2007-10-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-10-04 | 2011-04-05 | 2011-10-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |