Patent ID: 8781503

Claim:
A system to provide location-based services for a mobile station in communication with a base station, the base station communicating with a base station controller via a communication link, comprising: a protocol analyzer for extracting data from a copy of a signal provided by a tap on the communication link between the base station and the base station controller, the extracted data related to a location of the mobile station, wherein the extracted data includes contents of one or more specific data fields in the copy of the signal, and wherein the protocol analyzer further comprises one or more probes, each probe configured to filter out the contents of a specific data field in the copy of the signal; and a location processor for receiving the extracted data and deriving location data therefrom, the location data being indicative of the location of the mobile station, wherein the extracted data comprises received signal strength indication measurement sets related to the location of the mobile station associated with the base station, each set including received signal strength indications measured by the mobile station of control signals from base stations within range of the mobile station, and wherein the location processor derives location data from the extracted data by: comparing one of the received signal strength indication measurement sets with a database of predetermined received signal strength indication measurement sets associated with geographical location data and selecting as the derived location data the geographical location data associated with the predetermined received signal strength indication measurement set that most closely matches the one received signal strength indication measurement set; or determining distances from the mobile station to base stations within range of the mobile station using one of the received signal strength indication measurement sets and an algorithm based on a radio frequency propagation model and determining the derived location data by triangulation using the determined distances and data relating to the geographical locations of the base stations.