Method and apparatus for enhanced indoor position location with assisted user profiles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9058732-B2
Application number	US-71288610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2010
Priority date	Feb 25, 2010
Publication date	Jun 16, 2015
Grant date	Jun 16, 2015

Abstract

A method of wireless communication includes maintaining user profile information, receiving a plurality of position locations, correlating the received position locations to determine failed correlations, determining blackout periods based on whether there is a gap in the received position locations, obtaining location information for the failed correlations and the blackout periods, updating the user profile information based on the obtained location information, receiving an emergency notification, and responding to the emergency notification based on at least one of the user profile information or an emergency position location received with the emergency notification.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:
receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a plurality of position locations of a user, each position location associated with a time period, the receiving occurring at a location away from the UE;
maintaining, remotely from the UE, user profile information associated with the UE based at least in part on the position locations and associated time periods;
associating a first time period with a location when the first time period corresponds to an unknown location;
updating the user profile information based on the association of the first time period with the location;
receiving an event trigger from the UE; and
estimating, upon receiving the event trigger, a current location of the user based at least in part on the user profile information when a position of the user is not received.

2. The method of claim 1 , in which the associating comprises receiving user input about the user's location during the first time period.

3. The method of claim 1 , in which maintaining the user profile information further comprises:
determining when a first user position location does not correlate to a known location in the user profile information; and
correcting the first user position location to correlate to a profiled location in the user profile information.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising notifying emergency personnel of the profiled location when a user's most recent available location at a time of an emergency event correlates to the first user position location.

5. The method of claim 1 , in which the estimating occurs in response to an emergency event.

6. The method of claim 5 , in which estimating the current location of the user comprises comparing the user profile information with a date and time corresponding to the emergency event.

7. The method of claim 1 , in which estimating the current location of the user comprises determining a plurality of potential user locations based at least in part on the user profile information.

8. An apparatus configured for wireless communications comprising:
means for receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a plurality of position locations of a user, each position location associated with a time period, in which the receiving means is remotely located from the UE;
means for maintaining user profile information associated with the UE based at least in part on the position locations and associated time periods, in which the maintaining means is remotely located from the UE;
means for associating a first time period with a location when the first time period corresponds to an unknown location;
means for updating the user profile information based on the association of the first time period with the location;
means for receiving an event trigger from the UE; and
means for estimating, upon receiving the event trigger, a current location of the user based at least in part on the user profile information when a position of the user is not received.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , in which the means for maintaining the user profile information further comprises:
means for determining when a first user position location does not correlate to a known location in the user profile information; and
means for correcting the first user position location to correlate to a profiled location in the user profile information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the estimating means operates in response to an emergency event.

11. An apparatus configured for wireless communications comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the memory and located remotely from the UE, the at least one processor being configured:
to receive, from a user equipment (UE), a plurality of position locations of a user, each position location associated with a time period;
to maintain user profile information associated with the UE based at least in part on the position locations and associated time periods;
to associate a first time period with a location when the first time period corresponds to an unknown location;
to update the user profile information based on the association of the first time period with the location;
to receive an event trigger from the UE; and
to estimate, upon receiving the event trigger, a current location of the user based at least in part on the user profile information when a position of the user is not received.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to receive user input about the user's location during the first time period.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to maintain the user profile information by:
determining when a first user position location does not correspond to a known location in the user profile information; and
correcting the first user position location to correspond to a profiled location in the user profile information.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to notify emergency personnel of the profiled location when a user's most recent available location at a time of the emergency event corresponds to the first user position location.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to estimate in response to an emergency event.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to estimate the current location of the user by comparing the user profile information with a date and time corresponding to the emergency event.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , in which the at least one processor is further configured to estimate the current location of the user by determining a plurality of potential user locations based at least in part on the user profile information.

18. A computer program product configured for wireless communication, the computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:
program code to receive, from a user equipment (UE), a plurality of position locations of a user, each position location associated with a time period, the receiving occurring at a location remote from the UE;
program code to maintain, remote from the UE, user profile information associated with the UE based at least in part on the position locations and associated time periods;

program code to associate a first time period with a location when the first time period corresponds to an unknown location;
program code to update the user profile information based on the association of the first time period with the location;
program code to receive an event trigger from the UE; and
program code to estimate, upon receiving the event trigger, a current location of the user based at least in part on the user profile information when a position of the user is not received.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 , in which the program code to maintain the user profile information further comprises:
program code to determine when a first user position location does not correlate to a known location in the user profile information; and
program code to correct the first user position location to correlate to a profiled location in the user profile information.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , in which the program code to estimate executes in response to an emergency event.

Assignees

• Chen An M
• Steenstra Jack
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Chen An M
• Steenstra Jack

Classifications

• G07C9/28

  the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence · CPC title

• H04W4/90 Primary

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• G08B21/043

  detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall · CPC title

• G08B21/0269

  System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• H04W8/18

  Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title