Patent ID: 8818401

Claim:
A method comprising, at a mobile station: transmitting a request for a repository device identifier to a directory device, said request for said repository device identifier being indicative of at least a first estimated location of said mobile station; receiving a response from said directory device, said response identifying one or more identifiers for preliminary positioning assistance data for one or more indoor regions determined to be at or nearby to said first estimated location; transmitting a request for said preliminary positioning assistance data for at least one of said one or more indoor regions to a repository device corresponding to at least one of said identifiers; receiving said preliminary positioning assistance data from said repository device; determining that said mobile station is in a first one of said one or more indoor regions based, at least in part, on a signal characteristic measurement for a signal received from a transmitter identified in said at least said portion of said preliminary positioning assistance data: transmitting a request for positioning assistance data for said first one of said one or more indoor regions to said repository device; receiving said positioning assistance data from said repository device, said positioning assistance data comprising encoded metadata corresponding to at least one of an electronic map for said first one of said one or more indoor regions, or an access point locator for said first one of said one or more indoor regions; decoding said encoded metadata; and providing at least a portion of said decoded metadata to at least one function.