Patent Publication Number: US-2009238112-A1

Title: Apparatus and method for location information service of terminal in broadband wireless communication system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to a Korean patent application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Mar. 19, 2008 and assigned Serial No. 10-2008-0025552, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a location information service. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for a location information service of a terminal in a broadband wireless communication system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In a conventional location information service, for an Internet Service Provider (ISP) server to acquire location information of a terminal, the ISP server needs to transmit a signal to the terminal. Naturally, the location information service can provide only the standardized service which takes a certain time and cannot provide services of various requirements according to accuracy or time. 
     In other words, to acquire the location information of the terminal, the ISP server has to transmit the signal by searching for the terminal. As the ISP server cannot utilize a Database (DB), there is no way to attain the location information within a short time using the pre-stored location information of the terminal. In addition, when the ISP server intends to acquire the accurate or the cell-based location information of the terminal, there is no way to acquire the differentiated location information of the terminal according to the accuracy because an access control router has no paging function based on the active state of the terminal. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is a primary aspect of the present invention to address at least the above mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for a location information service of a terminal in a broadband wireless communication system. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for a location information service of various requirements based on accuracy or time in a broadband wireless communication system. 
     Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for, when an Internet Service Provider (ISP) server requests location information of a terminal, responding a location information request demanding a prompt response immediately by retrieving location information of the corresponding terminal from a database, and responding a location information request demanding a differentiated response based on accuracy by acquiring accurate current location information of the terminal through a paging procedure at an Access Control Router (ACR) or by retrieving cell-based location information without the paging procedure in a broadband wireless communication system. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for a location information service of a Mobile Station (MS) at a service interface server in a wireless communication system includes receiving a first location information request message requesting location information of the MS from an ISP server; forwarding the first location information request message to a DB that stores the location information of the MS; receiving a first location information response message comprising the location information of the MS from the DB; and forwarding the received first location information response message to the ISP server. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for a location information service of an MS at an ACR in a wireless communication system includes receiving a location information request message requesting the location information of the MS from a location server; searching an RAS of the MS; and sending a first location information response message comprising information of the searched RAS to the location server. 
     According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for a location information service of an MS in a wireless communication system includes a DB for storing the location information of the MS; and a service interface server for, when receiving a first location information request message requesting location information of the MS from an ISP server, forwarding the first location information request message to the DB, and when receiving a first location information response message comprising the location information of the MS from the DB, forwarding the received first location information response message to the ISP server. 
     Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention. 
     Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a network of a broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrate signal flows for storing location information of a MS to a database in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates signal flows for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates operations of a universal service interface server for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates operations of an access control router for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components and structures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1 through 5 , discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless communication system. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and a method for a location information service of a terminal in a broadband wireless communication system. 
     Herein, the broadband wireless communication system represents Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3GPP2 Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) and exiting Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 1x/1x EVolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA)/High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA). In what follows, while the WiMAX is illustrated by way of example, the present invention is applicable to other broadband wireless communication technologies. 
     While a server for servicing a user using location information is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) server, the present invention is applicable to every server which services the user using the location information. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a network of a broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     The broadband wireless communication system includes MS  100 , a Radio Access Station (RAS) or Base Station (BS)  110 , an ACR or Access Service Network-GateWay (ASN-GW)  120 , a location server  130 , DB  140 , a Universal Service Interface (USI) server  150 , and an ISP server  160 . 
     The ISP server  160  represents an Internet service provider company (e.g., Google and Yahoo). The ISP server  160  offers various services (e.g., Find Friends) to a user using location information of the MS  100 . Herein, the location information of the MS  100  is requested to and provided from the USI server  150 . 
     The USI server  150  openly provides the function of the broadband wireless communication network to the ISP server  160  and charges a fee for that. In addition to typical functions, when the ISP server  160  requests the location information of the MS  100 , the USI server  150  offers location information of various requirements to the ISP server  160  based on accuracy or time. For example, for the location information request for a prompt response, the USI server  150  offers the location information of the MS  100  pre-stored to the DB  140  to the ISP server  160  in association with the DB  140 . For the location information request for a differentiated response based on the accuracy, the USI server  150  offers cell-based location information or accurate current location information in association with the ACR  120  through the location server  130 . 
     The DB  140  stores the location information of the pre-registered MS  100 . According to the location information request from the USI server  150 , the DB  140  retrieves and provides the location information of the MS  100  to the USI server  150 . 
     The location server  130 , which is a server for the location information service, requests the location information of the MS  100  to the ACR  120  in response to the location information request from the USI server  150 , receives the location information of the MS  100  from the ACR  120 , and forwards the location information to the USI server  150 . In response to a DB update request of the USI server  150 , the location server  130  updates the location information of the MS  100  registered to the DB  140  on a periodic basis or only when the location information of the MS  100  changes. 
     The ACR  120  manages connection and mobility of the MS  100 . In addition to its typical functions, the ACR  120  retrieves and offers the location information of the MS  100  to the location server  130  in response to the location information request of the location server  130 . In particular, depending on whether the MS  100  is active or not, the ACR  120  retrieves and offers the cell-based location information or the accurate current location information to the location server  130 . When the MS  100  is active, the ACR  120  requests a paging procedure with the MS  100  to the RAS  110 , receives the accurate current location information of the MS  100  from the RAS  110  according to the paging procedure request, and forwards the received location information to the location server  130 . In contrast, when the MS  100  is not active, the ACR  120  retrieves the cell-based location information without the paging procedure and offers the location information to the location server  130 . 
     The RAS  110  provides the radio connection to the MS  100 . The RAS  110  performs the paging with the MS  100  according to the paging procedure request from the ACR  120 , obtains the accurate current location information of the MS  100 , and offers the location information to the ACR  120 . 
     The MS  100  represents a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistance (PDA), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), and a note-Personal Computer (PC) supporting the broadband wireless communication system. 
       FIG. 2  is a signal flow diagram for storing the location information of the MS to the DB in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     The MS  200  pre-registers and stores its location information to the DB  240  in step  201 . 
     In step  203 , the USI server  250  transmits a DB update request message to the location server  230  to request the periodic update of the location information of every MS  200  pre-registered to the DB  240 . The location server  230  sends a location information request message to the ACR  220  to request the location information of every MS  200  in step  205 . Receiving the location information request message, the ACR  220  forwards the location information request message to the RAS  210  in step  207 . In step  209 , the RAS  210  broadcasts the location information request message to every MS  200  currently connected to the RAS  210 . 
     In step  211 , the MS  200  receiving the broadcast location information request message sends a response signal to the RAS  210  to inform of its location. That is, the MS  200  transmits its location information to the RAS  210 . The RAS  210  generates a location information response message including the location information of the MS  200  and sends the response message to the ACR  220  in step  213 . Likewise, the ACR  220  forwards the location information response message to the location server  230  in step  215 . The location server  230  sends a DB update response message including the location information of the MS  200  to the DB  240  in step  217 . The DB  240  updates the location information of the corresponding MS  200  using the location information and then sends an update complete notification message to the USI server  250  in step  219 . 
     In  FIG. 2 , the location information of the MSs registered to the DB is updated on the periodic basis. Alternatively, the location information of the corresponding MS may be updated only when the location information is changed. In this case, the DB update request message sent from the USI server  250  to the location server  230  requests to update only the changed location information of the corresponding MS among the MSs  200  pre-registered to the DB  240 . The subsequent steps are substantially the same as in  FIG. 2 . The only difference lies in that the MS  200  receiving the broadcast location information request message waits until its location information is changed and sends the response signal to the RAS  210  to inform of its changed location when its location is changed. 
       FIG. 3  is a signal flow diagram for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     In step  301 , the MS  300  stores its location information to the DB  340 , updates the location information, and completes the update of the DB  340  as in  FIG. 2 . 
     In step  303 , the ISP server  360  sends a location information request message to the USI server  350  to request the transmission of the location information of one or more MSs  300 . The USI server  350  checks whether the location information request message is an urgent message which requests a prompt response based on the time in step  305 . The USI server  350  can determine the urgent message based on the location information request message received within a certain time after the DB  340  is updated, and determine the non-urgent message based on the location information request message received in the certain time. 
     When the location information request message is the urgent message requesting the prompt response in step  305 , the USI server  350  sends the location information request message to the DB  340  in step  307 . The DB  340  retrieves the pre-stored location information of the MS  300  pre-stored to the DB  340  and sends the location information response message including the retrieved location information to the USI server  350  in step  309 . The USI server  350  forwards the location information response message to the ISP server  360  in step  311 . Hence, the ISP server  360  can obtain the location information of the MS  300  using the DB  340 . 
     By contrast, when the location information request message is not the urgent message demanding the prompt response in step  305 , the USI server  350  forwards the location information request message of the ISP server  360  to the location server  330  in step  313 . Likewise, the location server  330  forwards the location information request message to the ACR  320  in step  315 . 
     The ACR  320  checks whether the MS  300  is active or not in step  317 . When the MS  300  is active in step  317 , the ACR  320  identifies the RAS of the MS  300  and sends the location information response message including an Identifier (ID) of the identified RAS to the location server  330  in step  319 . The location server  330  forwards the location information response message to the USI server  350  in step  321 . Similarly, the USI server  350  forwards the location information response message to the ISP server  360  in step  323 . Thus, the ISP server  360  can acquire the location information of the MS  300  based on the RAS. 
     By contrast, when the MS  300  is not active in step  317 , the ACR  320  sends the paging request message of the MS  300  to the RAS  310  in step  325 . The RAS  310  acquires the accurate current location information of the MS  300  through the paging procedure with the MS  300  in step  327  and sends the paging response message including the accurate current location information of the MS  300  to the ACR  320  in step  329 . The ACR  320  sends the location information response message to the location server  330  in step  331 . Likewise, the location server  330  forwards the location information response message to the USI server  350  in step  333  and the USI server  350  forwards the location information response message to the ISP server  360  in step  335 . Hence, the ISP server  360  can acquire the accurate current location information of the MS  300 . 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart outlining the operations of the USI server for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     In step  401 , the USI server checks whether the location information request message requesting the transmission of the location information of one or more MSs is received from the ISP server. When receiving the location information request message, the USI server checks whether the location information request message is the urgent message demanding the prompt response based on time in step  403 . Herein, the USI server can determine the urgent message based on the location information request message received within a certain time after the DB is updated, and determine the non-urgent message based on the location information request message received in the certain time. 
     When the location information request message is the urgent message requesting the prompt response in step  403 , the USI server sends the location information request message to the DB in step  405 . In step  407 , the USI server checks whether the location information response message including the location information of the corresponding MS pre-stored to the DB is received from the DB. When receiving the location information response message, the USI server forwards the location information response message to the ISP server in step  409 . Hence, the ISP server can obtain the location information of the MS by use of the DB. 
     By contrast, when the location information request message is not the urgent message requesting the prompt response in step  403 , the USI server forwards the location information request message of the ISP server to the location server in step  411 . In step  413 , the USI server checks whether the location information response message including the information of the RAS of the MS or the accurate current location information of the MS is received from the location server. When receiving the location information response message, the USI server forwards the location information response message to the ISP server in step  409 . Hence, the ISP server can obtain the MS location information based on the RAS or the accurate current location information of the MS. 
     Next, the USI server finishes this process. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart outlining the operations of the ACR for servicing the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     In step  501 , the ACR checks whether the location information request message requesting the transmission of the location information of one or more MSs is received from the location server. When receiving the location information request message, the ACR checks whether the MS is active or not in step  503 . 
     When the MS is active in step  503 , the ACR identifies the RAS of the MS in step  511  and sends the location information response message including the information of the identified RAS to the location server in step  513 . Thus, the ISP server can obtain the location information of the MS based on the RAS. 
     When the MS is not active in step  503 , the ACR sends the MS paging request message to the RAS of the MS in step  505  and checks whether the paging response message including the accurate current location information of the MS is received from the RAS in step  507 . Upon receiving the paging response message, the ACR sends the location information response message including the accurate current location information of the MS to the location server in step  509 . Thus, the ISP server can obtain the accurate current location information of the MS. 
     Next, the ACR finishes this process. 
     In this embodiment of the present invention, the USI server and the ACR determine whether the location information request message from the ISP server is the urgent message demanding the prompt response and whether the MS is active or not, retrieve and provide the location information of the corresponding MS pre-stored DB to the ISP server or provide the MS location information based on the RAS or the accurate current location information of the MS. Alternatively, by including information relating to the service type to the location information request message sent by the ISP server, the USI server and the ACR may provide the location information service of various requirements using the information relating to the service type. The information of the service type can include information relating to a service demanding the prompt response, a service demanding the RAS based location information, and a service demanding the accurate current location information of the MS. Accordingly, when receiving the location information request message including the service information demanding the prompt response, the USI server retrieves and offers the location information of the corresponding MS pre-stored to the DB. When receiving the location information request message including the other service information, the USI server can forward the corresponding location information request message to the ACR. Herein, when the received location information request message includes the other service information and the corresponding service demands the RAS based location information, the ACR can retrieve and offer the RAS information of the corresponding MS. When the corresponding service demands the accurate current location information of the MS, the ACR can acquire and provide the accurate current location information of the MS through the paging procedure. 
     When the ISP server requests the location information of the MS in the broadband wireless communication system, the location information request demanding the prompt response is responded immediately by retrieving the location information of the corresponding MS in the DB. The location information request demanding the differentiated response based on the accuracy is responded by acquiring the accurate current location information of the MS through the paging procedure at the ACR or by retrieving the cell-based location information without the paging procedure. Therefore, the location information service of various requirements based on the accuracy or the time can be provided. Further, new services or various values added can be created. 
     Based on the location information of the MSs stored to the DB, the flows or the time-based traffic of the corresponding MSs can be acquired and utilized for the efficiency network resource management. Since the location information service is offered without the signal delivery from the ISP server to the MS, the network resources can be saved and utilized efficiently. The cell-based location information can be applied to other services such as advertisement, status acquisition of MSs, and time-based integration of a particular RAS. The accurate location information of the MS using the paging can be used to find missing children or to locate friends. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described with an exemplary embodiment, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.