Patent ID: 8200239
Filing Date: 2012-06-12
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for use by a wireless location system (WLS) in locating a femto-cell device operating in a wireless communications system, wherein the WLS includes a serving mobile location center (SMLC), a plurality of location measuring units (LMUs) in communication with the SMLC, a plurality of link monitors in communication with the SMLC, and an SMLC database in communication with the SMLC and containing cell locations and other radio aspects of the wireless communications system, the method comprising: (a) discovering and initiating location of the femto-cell device, wherein said discovering and initiating comprises at least one of the following procedures: (a1) receiving femto-cell ID information from the wireless communications system; (a2) discovery of the femto-cell ID information via analysis of call detail records; and (a3) discovery of the femto-cell ID information via monitoring of wireless communications system link traffic for new cell-IDs within messages related to call events; (b) storing the femto-cell ID information in the SMLC database; (c) setting a trigger for location of the femto-cell device, wherein said setting a trigger comprises at least one of the following procedures: (c1) setting a femto-cell cell-ID trigger in the SMLC database via a wireless intelligent network (WIN) facility; (c2) setting an internal femto-cell cell-ID trigger in the SMLC database to indicate to the WLS that mobile station (MS) location information should be examined to identify when the femto-cell device is serving the MS; (c3) setting a femto-cell cell-ID trigger in a radio network monitor (RNM) or link monitoring system (LMS) associated with the WLS, wherein the WLS is configured such that detection of the femto-cell cell-ID provokes the WLS to attempt location of the femto-cell device; (d) determining an identification of a MS being served by the femto-cell device; (e) determining the location of the MS and providing MS location information to the SMLC database; (f) calculating the location of the femto-cell device using the location of the MS; (g) calculating a confidence factor relating to the calculated location of the femto-cell device; (h) comparing the calculated confidence factor with a confidence factor stored in the SMLC database; (i) determining that the calculated confidence factor is better than the stored confidence factor; and (j) taking a further action including at least one of: notifying an operator of the wireless communications system of an error in stored location information associated with the femto-cell device; and updating the location information associated with the femto-cell device in the SMLC database.