Patent ID: 9560534
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: G01S,H04W

Claim:
1. A method comprising: respectively linking, by a server, at least two objects of a plurality of objects to one or more respective geographic regions of a grid of contiguous non-overlapping geographic regions, wherein said at least two objects respectively serve to identify at least one of a respective coverage area representation or a respective coverage-providing entity; receiving, at the server, a request from a mobile terminal for information on objects relating to a plurality of communication systems whose signals are heard by the mobile terminal; the signals heard by the mobile terminal including signals in a first communication system comprising information on a first object of the at least two objects, the first object characteristic of the first communication system, the signals comprising the information on the first object being heard by the mobile terminal scanning or sniffing one or more signals broadcast by a first coverage-providing entity, the first object serving to identify the first coverage providing entity; the signals heard by the mobile terminal further including signals in a second communication system comprising information on a second object of the at least two objects, the second object characteristic of the second communication system, the signals comprising the information on the second object being heard by the mobile terminal scanning or sniffing one or more signals broadcast by a second coverage-providing entity, the second object serving to identify the second coverage providing entity; the request received by the server comprising at least information on the first object characteristic of the first communication system and information on the second object characteristic of the second communication system; associating, by the server, in response to said request, at least the first and second objects with each other based on a finding that both the first object characteristic of the first communication system and the second object characteristic of the second communication system have been linked to at least one same geographic region of said grid of contiguous non-overlapping geographic regions, wherein the second communication system that is at least one of different from or operated by another operator than said first communication system; and transmitting, by the server to the mobile terminal, information on the at least one same geographic region of said grid of contiguous non-overlapping geographic regions, in response to finding that both the first object characteristic of the first communication system and the second object characteristic of the second communication system have been linked to the at least one same geographic region.