Subscriber location database

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9521510-B2
Application number	US-201414315037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A system may be configured to allow for storage of location information regarding a set of user devices. The location information may be updated relatively frequently, and without introducing additional traffic into a wireless telecommunications network associated with the user devices. The location information may be made available to internal devices associated with the wireless telecommunications network and/or to external third party devices (such as banks, payment card processors, or advertisers) with user consent. Since the information is obtained and stored prior to requests, the location information may be provided, in response to requests, relatively quickly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, location information for each of a plurality of user devices;
storing, in a storage device associated with the device, the received location information for each of the plurality of user devices, the storing including:
associating a mobile directory number (“MDN”), associated with each of the plurality of user devices, with the location information associated with the each user device;

receiving, by the device and from a requestor, a request for location information associated with a particular user device,
the request including an MDN associated with the particular user device;

determining, by the device, whether the requestor is authorized to access the location information associated with the particular user device;
locating, by the device and based on determining that the requestor is authorized to access the location information associated with the particular user device, the requested location information in the storage device, the locating including:
using the MDN, included in the request, to identify the stored location information associated with the MDN included in the request; and

providing, by the device and to the requestor, the requested location information associated with the MDN included in the request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information, for the particular user device, is determined based on occurrences of network events associated with the user device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the network events include at least one of:
initiating a voice call by the particular user device,
receiving a voice call by the particular user device,
establishing a data connection with the particular user device,
tearing down a data connection with the particular user device,
receiving a message by the particular user device, or
sending a message by the particular user device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a user, associated with the user device, has provided consent for the requestor to receive the location information associated with the user device,
wherein the providing is performed based on determining that the user has provided consent for the requestor to receive the location information associated with the user device.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving another request, from another requestor, for the location information associated with the particular user device;
determining that the user has not provided consent for the other requestor to receive the location information associated with the user device; and
denying the other request, from the other requestor and based on the determining, for the location information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor is associated with a bank or payment card processor, and
wherein the request is made based on a payment attempt by a user associated with the particular user device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the requestor maintains information associating a payment card, associated with the user, with the MDN, associated with the particular user device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requestor is associated with an advertiser, and
wherein the advertiser uses the location information to generate or provide location-based advertising to the particular user device.

9. A subscriber location database device, comprising:
a memory device storing:
location information for a plurality of user devices, the location information associating a mobile directory number (“MDN”), associated with each of the plurality of user devices, with the location information associated with the each user device, and
a set of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions causes the processor to:
receive, from a requestor, a request for location information associated with a particular user device, of the plurality of user devices,
the request including an MDN associated with the particular user device;
determine whether the requestor is authorized to access the location information associated with the particular user device;
identify, based on determining that the requestor is authorized to access the location information associated with the particular user device, the location information, stored in the storage device, that is associated with the MDN included in the request; and
provide, to the requestor, the identified location information that is associated with the MDN included in the request.

10. The subscriber location database device of claim 9 , wherein the location information, for the particular user device, is determined based on occurrences of network events associated with the user device.

11. The subscriber location database device of claim 10 , wherein the network events include at least one of:
initiating a voice call by the particular user device,
receiving a voice call by the particular user device,
establishing a data connection with the particular user device,
tearing down a data connection with the particular user device,
receiving a message by the particular user device, or
sending a message by the particular user device.

12. The subscriber location database device of claim 9 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further cause the processor to:
determine that a user, associated with the particular user device, has provided consent for the requestor to receive the location information associated with the particular user device,
wherein the providing is performed based on determining that the user has provided consent for the requestor to receive the location information associated with the particular user device.

13. The subscriber location database device of claim 12 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further cause the processor to:
receive another request, from another requestor, for the location information associated with the particular user device;
determine that the user has not provided consent for the other requestor to receive the location information associated with the user device; and
deny the other request, from the other requestor, for the location information.

14. The subscriber location database device of claim 9 , wherein the requestor is associated with a bank or payment card processor, and
wherein the request is made based on a payment attempt by a user associated with the particular user device.

15. The subscriber location database device of claim 14 , wherein the requestor maintains information associating a payment card, associated with the user, with the MDN, associated with the particular user device.

16. The subscriber location database device of claim 9 , wherein the requestor is associated with an advertiser, and
wherein the advertiser uses the location information to generate or provide location-based advertising to the particular user device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:
store, in a memory of the device, location information for a plurality of user devices, the location information associating a mobile directory number (“MDN”), associated with each of the plurality of user devices, with the location information associated with the each user device, and
receive, from a requestor, a request for location information associated with a particular

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Prehn Paul H
• Olson Brian
• Kalukuta Cora Kasaji
• Lopez Javier M

Classifications

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G06F17/3087

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/9537

  Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title