Abstract:
A method and arrangement for providing location information of a called mobile communication device to a calling party are implemented through a mobile device locator platform disposed in the communication network. A mobile device subscriber to the location service initiates a process where the location of his mobile device is updated on a regular basis and the location information stored in a database on the platform. When a call is placed to his subscribed device, the location information is transmitted to the calling party prior to setting up the call to the called device, allowing the calling party to determine whether or not to proceed with the call, as well as eliminating the need to ask the common question “where are you?” when placing a call to a mobile device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/321,827, filed Dec. 29, 2005, and titled “Transmission of Location and Directional Information Associated with Mobile Communication Devices”, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,670,787, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to improved usage of mobile communication devices and, more particularly, to the ability to provide location and directional information of a called mobile communication device to the calling party. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With the ever-increasing proliferation of mobile communication devices, there are opportunities daily for one to place a call to a cell phone number of a friend, family member or co-worker. Invariably, the conversation begins with the greeting “Hi, where are you?”. In days past, when the telecommunications network was only a wireline network, such a greeting would be considered comical—the called party was at the residence/office associated with his telephone. However, it is now often useful, if not vital information, for the calling party to know the location of a called party using a mobile communication device. 
     There exists various systems for determining, with extreme precision, the location of each mobile communication device. Geocoding—a triangulation method involving the use of at least a pair of mobile base stations—is a well-understood technique for ascertaining the location of a mobile telephone. Global positioning systems (GPS) have become popular in recent years and are also capable of ascertaining the location of a mobile communication device including the appropriate type of transponder. 
     In the past, the location information of a mobile device has been used for a variety of applications, such as determining if the device is in a location (such as a hospital) where usage of such a device is prohibited. In this scenario, incoming calls will be immediately sent to the device&#39;s voice mail system (or to another “reach” telephone number). The location information of a mobile device may also be used to inhibit the device from initiating outbound calls to “forbidden” geographic areas (i.e., the mobile device may be restricted from placing any long distance and/or international calls). 
     To date, however, there has not been any development or methodology for providing this location information to a calling party, who may then determine whether or not to complete the call as a function of such location information. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The need remaining in the prior art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to improved usage of mobile communication devices and, more particularly, to the transmission of the mobile device&#39;s current location to someone placing a call (wireline or wireless) to the mobile device user. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a mobile device user subscribes to a “location” service, such that when others initiate calls to the subscriber&#39;s mobile device, his current location information is transmitted during call set-up to the calling party. Since the information is transmitted prior to completing call set up, the calling party may decide to terminate the call without incurring any expenses for either party. 
     In an advanced embodiment of the present invention, the location information may be enhanced to further include the “direction” and “speed” information associated with the mobile device (if the device is not stationary). 
     The dissemination of location information is controlled by the subscriber and, as such, the subscriber may determine the population of calling parties that may receive this information. For example, the subscriber may have a “buddy list” of calling party numbers associated with his subscriber record, where only calling parties on this buddy list may receive his location information. Alternatively, the subscriber may allow only incoming calls whose source can be identified (e.g., with CallerID capability) to read his location information (preventing unwanted incoming callers without full identification—“anonymous” or “unknown”) from obtaining this information. In its most general form, however, the dissemination of this information does not have to be restricted at all by the subscriber. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber&#39;s location information may be provided as an “audio” message to the calling party. Alternatively, a text message or video message (map) may be transmitted to calling devices with screen capabilities. 
     Other and further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary mobile communication network suitable for implementing the location service of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary subscriber record; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of an exemplary process of using the location service of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates, in a simplified diagram, a network architecture  10  for providing mobile communication device location information to a calling party. As shown, architecture  10  includes a conventional telecommunications network  12 , such as the Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), including a plurality of switches  14  for routing voice traffic between calling and called parties. Also illustrated in  FIG. 1  is a pair of mobile base stations  16 - 1  and  16 - 2 , where these base stations are in communication with PSTN  12  and used as a “link” in communications between “wired” telephones communicating via the PSTN and “wireless” devices, such as a mobile communication device  18 . 
     In placing a call to mobile device  18 , a calling party at a “wired” (i.e., conventional) telephone  20  will go off-hook, receive a dialtone from a local telecommunications switch  22 , and enter the digits associated with the cell phone number of mobile device  18  (in most cases, in the NPA-NXX-XXXX format). These digits are collected by switch  22  and forwarded to PSTN  12 , in particular to an originating switch  14 - 0  associated with local switch  22 . Originating switch  14 - 0  determines the necessary routing through PSTN  12  required to set up a communication path between the calling party at telephone  20  and the called party at mobile device  18 , and forwards the call to a terminating switch  14 -T within PSTN  12 . 
     Up to this point in the call set-up process, there is no difference between the present invention and the prior art. However, in accordance with the present invention, the number associated with the called party (the “dialed number”) is checked against a subscriber database  24  located within a mobile locator platform  26  formed in accordance with the present invention to determine if the called party has subscribed to the “location information” service of the present invention. If the dialed number is not found, the call progresses in conventional fashion, outward from PSTN  12  to the appropriate mobile base station for communication to mobile device  18 . 
     If the called party/mobile device user is determined to have subscribed to the inventive “location information” service, the method of the present invention proceeds to first determine if there are any restrictions on the distribution of this information to calling parties. This restriction will be discussed below in association with the description of the database record in  FIG. 2 . Presuming that restrictions are not placed on the distribution of this information, the next step in the inventive method is to ascertain the current location of mobile device  18 . In one implementation of the present invention, a geographic locator database  28  within mobile locator platform  26  is queried to determine the current location of the called party&#39;s mobile device  18 . Geographic locator database  28  is maintained, for example, through regular updates (at five minute intervals, for example), through mobile base stations  16  that are also in communication with mobile locator platform  26 . Alternatively, a real-time locating method (such as gee-coding triangulation) may be used to determine the location of mobile device  18 . 
     Once the location information has been collected, this information is transmitted on the return call set-up path to the calling party&#39;s telephone  20 , enabling the calling party to learn the geographic location of the called party without having to ask the called party “where are you?” once their conversation has begun. In one embodiment, the geographic location information may be converted to audio information within a translation unit  30  at locator platform  26  and transmitted as a return voice message to the calling party. For example, the message may be “you are now being connected to John Doe in Smithtown New York”. The message may also include “branding” information identifying the particular wireless service provider that is placing the call (i.e., “AT&amp;T Wireless Services is now connecting you to John Doe in Smithtown, New York”). 
     It is known that the use of various “locator” methods may also obtain information regarding the current movement of a mobile device. For example, if mobile device  18  includes a location transponder  32 , the real-time movement of mobile device  18  may be tracked and recorded. This speed and direction information may thus also be collected at mobile locator platform  26  and provided with the basic “location” information to the calling party. For example, the message to the calling party may be, “you are now being connected to John Doe, in Smithtown, New York, traveling south at 30 miles per hour”. Therefore, with this additional information the calling party may decide to terminate the call, on the presumption that the called party is driving and should not be bothered. Many times, a calling party may only be interested in knowing the location of the called party (for example, a parent calling a teenaged child) and once this information is obtained, the call may be terminated (that is, prior to completing call set-up and initiating conversation and incurring expense). 
     In an alternative embodiment, if it is known that the calling party&#39;s device includes a video display (such as, for example, on another cell phone or computer-based calling device), the location information may be converted into a video file within a video conversion unit  34  at platform  26  and then transmitted as a video file (either still-frame or moving frame), indicating the current location of the called party. Obviously, both the audio and video information may be transmitted, if desired, to the calling party. The location information, alternatively, may be directly transmitted as a text message from database  28  to calling party  20 . 
     Once the location message has been delivered to calling party  20 , the call set-up process will suspend action for a brief period of time (no more than a few seconds) so as to allow for the calling party to terminate the call without incurring any charges. That is, if the calling party determines, based on the received location information, that it would not be appropriate (or necessary) to try to contact the called party at that time, the calling party can merely hang up without incurring any charges. Otherwise, call set-up proceeds in conventional fashion and a voice call between the two parties can be initiated. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates one exemplary configuration for subscriber database  24  as may be employed within mobile locator platform  26 . As shown, this particular embodiment of database  24  includes a first field  40  listing the mobile device numbers (e.g., “cell phone” numbers) for the various subscribers to the inventive location identification service. A second field  42 , defined as “location information restrictions”, is used to determine to whom the subscriber&#39;s location information may be given. In this particular embodiments, restriction field  42  is broken down into three sub-fields, defined as “all” (sub-field  42 - 1 ), “identified callers only” (sub-field  42 - 2 ), and “restricted list” (sub-field  42 - 3 ). Of course, various other configurations and definitions of restrictions may be implemented in accordance with the present invention. For each subscribed mobile device telephone number, only one sub-field may be flagged as the defined restrictions. As shown, for cell phone number AAA-BBB-CCCC, sub-field  42 - 1  is flagged. In this case, therefore, the location information associated with mobile device AAA-BBB-CCCC may be given to every calling party. For mobile device  18  as discussed above in association with  FIG. 1 , restricted or “buddy list” sub-field  42 - 3  is flagged. In this particular arrangement, this flag is linked to a particular “buddy list”  44  provided by the subscriber, where his location information will be given only to the small set of calling numbers included on the buddy list. At any given time, a subscriber may turn “off’ the location service by disabling one or more of the sub-fields. For example, over the weekend the called party&#39;s location information may not be germane to co-workers. The subscriber is permitted to gain access to database  28  and thus modify the activation of the various fields, as need be. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber is permitted access to his specific record within database  24  and can, accordingly, modify the entries in his buddy list, or change the “restriction” sub-field flag in general. Moreover, it is presumed that a subscriber will have access to information at platform  26  in terms of generating a “report” identifying the frequency of callers, identity of callers, who (if any) terminated calls prior to set-up, etc. 
       FIG. 3  contains a flowchart of an exemplary process of providing mobile device location information in accordance with the present invention. As shown, the process begins at step  100  with an individual placing a call to a mobile device number. When the call is initiated, a query is made to subscriber database  24  (step  110 ) to determine if the called number is subscribed to the location service. If not, the call set-up will continue in conventional fashion—that is, without transmitting any location information (step  400 ). If the called party is a subscriber, the next step (step  120 ) is to check for permission to distribute location information to the calling party (since the invention includes the ability for the subscriber to turn the permissions “on” and “off”, as desired). If the permission is indeed turned “off”, no location information may be transmitted and the process moves to step  400  for conventional call set-up. 
     Presuming that distribution of location information is permitted, the next step in the process (step  130 ) is to determine if the location information may be distributed to all calling parties (i.e., no restrictions). If the response to this query is in the negative, the next step (step  140 ) begins the process of determining what “class” of calling parties may receive the location information by determining if calling number identification information (such as ANI) is present. If no such information exists (thus indicating that the incoming call is a “nuisance” call), then the process again proceeds to step  400  for conventional call set-up. Otherwise, if caller identification information is present, a query is performed (step  150 ) to determine if the subscriber has given permission to distribute the location information to all identified callers. If the response to this query is in the negative, the next step in the process (step  160 ) is used to determine if the subscriber has supplied a “buddy list” of identified calling parties to which the location information may be distributed. If no buddy list is found, then conventional call set-up process is performed (step  400 ). If a buddy list for the subscriber is found, step  170  then determines if there is a match between the calling party&#39;s identification information (e.g., ANI) and an entry in the subscriber&#39;s buddy list. If there is no match, the process returns to conventional call set-up at step  400 . 
     If there is a match between the calling party&#39;s identification information and a buddy list entry, the process continues to step  180  to retrieve the location information from geographic database  28  and transmit the location information to the identified calling party. Referring to the flowchart of  FIG. 3 , it is shown that a positive result to the queries of steps  130  and  150  (“all callers”, and “all identified callers”) also results in the process progressing to step  180  to retrieve the location information from database  28  and transmit to the calling party. 
     Once the calling party has received this information, the process “waits” for a response from the calling party (step  200 ) to see if the calling party wishes to continue with the call set-up process. If the response is negative, call set-up ceases and no charges are incurred by either party. Otherwise, the process then moves forward to step  400  to complete the call set-up. 
     The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in only the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular contemplated use.