Patent ID: 8033149

Claim:
A method for determining estimated location of a wireless communication device operating in a network comprising a first access point that the wireless communication device is currently associated with, a second access point, and a third access point, the method comprising: transmitting, from the first access point to the wireless communication device at a first time over a radio channel, a first Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) data request message comprising a basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first access point; transmitting a first response message from the wireless communication device to the first access point; and transmitting a first measured RSSI value from the first access point to a trilateration engine in response to the first response message; switching, at the second access point, from a normal radio channel of the second access point to the radio channel, and transmitting a second RSSI data request message from the second access point to the wireless communication device over the radio channel at a second time different than the first time, wherein the second RSSI data request message comprises the BSSID of first access point; transmitting, in response to the second RSSI data request message, a second response message from the wireless communication device to the second access point; and transmitting a second measured RSSI value from the second access point to the trilateration engine in response to the second response message; and switching, at the third access point, from another normal radio channel of the third access point to the radio channel, and transmitting a third RSSI data request message from the third access point to the wireless communication device over the radio channel, wherein the third RSSI data request message comprises the BSSID of the first access point; transmitting, in response to the third RSSI data request message, a third response message from the wireless communication device to the third access point, and transmitting a third measured RSSI value from the third access point to the trilateration engine in response to the third response message.