Telecommunication Systems, Inc.

Paul Thompson

Gordon John Hines

Kambiz Ghozati

Joseph Hannan

Lynne Seitz

Yinjun Zhu

Mark Titus

A practical inter-carrier roaming solution by way of a roaming location protocol (RLP) router that provides consistent location support across heterogeneous wireless network standards. The RLP router maintains connectivity to each location server in a roaming ecosystem, alleviating the need for an expensive and impractical mesh network of location servers. When a home location server (H-LS) determines it cannot locate a subscriber device because the subscriber device is roaming, the H-LS sends an RLP request to the RLP router. The RLP router then routes the RLP request to a serving location server (S-LS), which subsequently returns location information for the roaming subscriber device. The RLP router maintains mobile switching center ID (MSCID) to location based services (LBS) mappings for routing RLP requests. The RLP router may also maintain rough MSC-level positioning data for each MSCID to enable the RLP router to resolve certain location fixes without utilizing an S-LS.

RLP router

Enhanced intelligent routing logic for routing and load balancing a SET-initiated SUPL session request based on SET capabilities (e.g. SET-supported positioning protocols) and a roaming status identified for a requesting SET. When a SET capabilities parameter in a SUPL START message initiated by a requesting SET indicates that the SET supports a LTE positioning protocol (LPP), only, enhanced intelligent routing logic routes the SUPL session request to newly configured SUPL servers that support the LTE positioning protocol (LPP), only. Alternatively, when SET capabilities indicate that a requesting SET supports a radio resource location services protocol (RRLP), in addition to or in exclusion of a LPP, the intelligent router routes the session request message to SUPL servers that support the RRLP, in addition to or in exclusion of the LPP. Intelligent routing logic may also be enhanced to support SUPL intelligent off load (SI-OL) based on SET capabilities.

Intelligent load balancer enhanced routing

A WiFi Access Point (AP) controller with location capabilities (e.g., an MSE) provides location to a SUPL location server platform (SLP), for response to a network location request. WiFi AP controllers are enabled to communicate with the SLP. WiFi location measurements are transferred via SUPL to the SUPL location server. An AP to WiFi AP controller mapping database provides an association of a WiFi AP controller list to the access points (AP) they manage. The AP to WiFi controller mapping database, together with SUPL messaging between a SUPL location server and the AP controllers, provides WiFi-determined precise location across networks from the SLP. A specific MSE is identified by the AP to WiFi controller mapping database, and queried, by the SLP for WiFi based positioning of mobile devices. In other embodiments a plurality of MSE's are identified, and queried, and a WiFi location is received from at least one.

SUPL-WiFi access point controller location based services for WiFi enabled mobile devices

A network tracking server-based service that implements an efficient network management of location requests associated with tracking a prisoner's wireless tracking device. The tracking server initiates location requests associated with a given prisoner (or the like) tracking device in a trustworthy, but much more efficient and manageable technique, from the perspective of the network. Network management of prisoner device tracking is made efficient when inside a given geofence, but once outside the prescribed geofence a more detailed inquisition is immediately launched&#x2014;even before the top of the hour (or whenever the typical periodic location request occur). From a management perspective, once detected to no longer be inside (and thus is outside) an expected or assigned geofence, the prisoner tracking device is presumed less trustworthy, and thus then periodic location requests to the tracking device are initiated.

Efficient prisoner tracking

A method and apparatus for steering location requests to a serving one of a plurality of possible location positioning devices. A location request may be steered base on an emergency status of the location request, whether or not the subscriber device has a valid data plan established, based on the device type of the wireless device, or based on the type of application running on the wireless device. A location request may also be steered to a fallback location device if a steering to a primary selected location device fails and sufficient time remains to locate via the fallback location device.

Location services gateway server

Area event triggers are handled by receiving an original area event trigger with an initial target area within a given mobile network, for a given target mobile device. When the target mobile device is outside the mobile network serving the target area, a first changed area event trigger based on entry into the given mobile network is transmitted to the given target mobile device. When the first changed area event trigger becomes satisfied, a second changed area event trigger is generated based on entry into the initial target area, and transmitted to the given target mobile device. The second changed area event trigger may be based on entry into a region larger than, but including, the initial target area. Then when the second changed area event trigger becomes satisfied, the original area event trigger may be transmitted to the target mobile device.

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Bothell, WA, United States of America

Paul Thompson