Polaris Wireless, Inc.

Other

Robert Lewis Martin

David Stevenson Spain, Jr

Scot Douglas Gordon

Tarun Kumar Bhattacharya

Robert Morris Dressler

Manlio Allegra

Hassan Mohamed El-Sallabi

James Vincent Steele

Luis Perez-Breva

Mark Douglas Reudink

Martin J Feuerstein

Jerome Arthur Blaha, Jr

Mahesh B Patel

Ankit Bansal

Aamir Abdul Sattar

Anjui Bahuguna

Anjul Bahuguna

A wireless telecommunication system is described that denies wireless telecommunication service to a wireless terminal in a proscribed area (e.g., prison, military installation, academic testing center, school, etc.). The system comprises an adjunct called a 'service sentry.' The service sentry uses measurements of the location-dependent traits of the radio signals transmitted to, and received from, each wireless terminal in its purview to generate an estimate of the location of the wireless terminal. When the service sentry estimates that the wireless terminal has entered the proscribed area, it requests that the wireless switching center that services the proscribed area deny service to the wireless terminal. When the service sentry estimates that the wireless terminal has exited the proscribed area, it requests that the wireless switching center that services the proscribed area restore service to the wireless terminal.

Preventing the use of a wireless terminal in a proscribed area

A method for performing contact tracing. An analysis system performing the method receives geo-temporal data comprising location data points for various wireless terminals, including the wireless terminals being used by people diagnosed as having a specified disease and the wireless terminals of others, one of whom having possibly infected those diagnosed with the disease. Based on filtering the geo-temporal data, the analysis system generates relatively-condensed mobility profiles that are representative of each person's locations and movements, and analyzes the mobility profiles. Through careful selections of various parameters based on the disease that is being analyzed, the mobility profiles are used instead of the relatively large amounts of geo-temporal data, to represent users of wireless terminals and to determine their interactions in regard to disease transmission.

Contact tracing involving an index case, based on comparing geo-temporal patterns that include mobility profiles

A method for performing contact tracing. An analysis system performing the method receives geo-temporal data comprising location data points for various wireless terminals, including the wireless terminal being used by a person diagnosed as having a specified disease and the wireless terminals of people who possibly have come in contact with the infected person. Based on filtering the geo-temporal data, the analysis system generates relatively-condensed mobility profiles that are representative of each person's locations and movements, and analyzes the mobility profiles. Through careful selections of various parameters based on the disease that is being analyzed, the mobility profiles are used instead of the relatively large amounts of geo-temporal data, to represent users of wireless terminals and to determine their interactions in regard to disease transmission.

Contact tracing based on comparing geo-temporal patterns of wireless terminals, including mobility profiles

A technique for estimating the location of a wireless terminal at an unknown location in a geographic region is disclosed. The technique is based on the recognition that there are location-dependent traits of electromagnetic signals. In environments where multiple antennas are radiating the same signal, as in the case of distributed antennas or host-repeater configurations, one or more possible locations of the wireless terminal can be designated as improbable based on i) a measure of the propagation delay of a signal traveling between a) a base station and b) the wireless terminal or an infrastructure antenna, or ii) the maximum distance at which a signal is detectable by the wireless terminal. Additionally, the applicable set of values for the location-dependent traits is selected based on similar criteria.

Estimating the location of a wireless terminal in wireless telecommunications systems that comprise distributed and/or repeater antennas

A technique for designing and testing drive-test plan for gathering location-dependent RF data is disclosed. In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, one candidate drive-test plan is chosen for implementation over a second based on an economic cost-benefit analysis of both plans. This is in marked contrast to, for example, a selection of drive-test plans, or the design of a drive-test plan, based on a calibration-cost analysis, in which the data estimated to be the most effective to calibrate a radio-frequency tool is sought for a given cost or the least cost. Although a data-estimated-to-be-most-effective-to-calibrate-a-radio-frequency-tool vs. cost analysis is a species of cost-benefit analyzes in general, it is not an economic cost-benefit analysis because a data-estimated-to-be-most-effective-to-calibrate-a-radio-frequency-tool vs. cost analysis has deficiencies that an economic cost-benefit analysis does not.

Efficient deployment of mobile test units to gather location-dependent radio-frequency data

A method and system that account for one or more propagation-time components in a transmission path between a base station and a wireless terminal in a coverage area being served by the system. One such component is in the base station equipment between the radio that serves a wireless terminal and the antenna element that radiates and/or receives electromagnetic signals that involve the terminal. Another component of the transmission path is the one or more paths over which a radiated signal travels between the base station antenna element and the wireless terminal. By accounting for these propagation components through the use of measurement data provided by possibly a large number of wireless terminals, a disclosed location engine is able to derive adjusted measurements that are more representative of the propagation-time characteristic being measured by the individual terminals. These adjusted measurements can then be used to estimate the location of a wireless terminal more accurately.

Determining a propagation-time adjustment for a wireless coverage area, based on information provided by wireless terminals

A technique for providing a location estimate of a mobile station, with increased accuracy. An unenhanced estimate of the location of a target mobile station is first obtained. A portable transmitter is then situated in an initial geographic area defined by the unenhanced estimate. The transmitter is then tuned to transmit a particular identifier on a particular frequency. When the transmitter is moved close enough to the mobile, the mobile starts reporting the identifier to the mobile's wireless network. Because the identifier and frequency are carefully selected so as not into interfere with ongoing operations of the wireless network, the wireless network itself merely regards the reported data to be invalid for handoff purposes. The estimated distance from the transmitter to the mobile depends on the transmit signal strength used by the transmitter. By considering these details, an enhanced estimate of the location of the mobile can then be deduced.

Estimating proximity to a mobile station by manipulating a signal that is decodable, but unexpected in the wireless network serving the mobile station

An apparatus and method are disclosed for tracking a large number of wireless terminals and for estimating the location of the terminals at each instant. Some embodiments of the present invention use a wide variety of factors to determine the order and frequency with which each wireless terminal is located. These factors include, but are not limited to, the history of the location of the wireless terminal, the time of day, and the weather.

Tracking large numbers of wireless terminals

A location engine that accounts for propagation-time components in an antenna system disposed between i) the base station that serves a wireless terminal and ii) the airwaves over which electromagnetic signals propagate between the antenna elements and wireless terminal. By considering and accounting for these propagation components, the location engine is able to estimate information about the antenna system, such as i) whether the antenna system is a distributed antenna system and ii) the configuration of the antenna system. Based on this estimated information, the location engine is also able to estimate adjustments that can be made to location-related measurements, and, with these adjustments, estimate the location of one or more wireless terminals.

Estimating information about an antenna system, based on propagation-time measurements that are provided by wireless terminals

A technique for designing and testing drive-test plan for gathering location-dependent RF data is disclosed. In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, one candidate drive-test plan is chosen for implementation over a second based on an economic cost-benefit analysis of both plans. This is in marked contrast to, for example, a selection of drive-test plans, or the design of a drive-test plan, based on a calibration-cost analysis, in which the data estimated to be the most effective to calibrate a radio-frequency tool is sought for a given cost or the least cost. Although a data-estimated-to-be-most-effective-to-calibrate-a-radio-frequency-tool vs. cost analysis is a species of cost-benefit analyses in general, it is not an economic cost-benefit analysis because a data-estimated-to-be-most-effective-to-calibrate-a-radio-frequency-tool vs. cost analysis has deficiencies that an economic cost-benefit analysis does not.

A method of using a non-GPS-derived technique to estimate the location of an Assisted-GPS-enabled wireless terminal for the purposes of generating location-specific assistance data for the wireless terminal is disclosed. The wireless terminal then uses the assistance data to acquire and process one or more GPS signals and to derive information that is probative of the wireless terminal's location. The GPS-derived location information is then combined with non-GPS-derived location to form an estimate of the location of the wireless terminal that is better than can be derived from either alone. This combination of GPS-derived and non-GPS techniques is particularly useful when the wireless terminal can only acquire one or two GPS signals because it is not possible to determine the location of the wireless terminal with only two GPS signals alone.

Growing community of inventors

Antioch, CA, United States of America

Robert Lewis Martin