NILR-Based UE Location Sharing With Privacy-Gated Related Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network-initiated location request (NILR) systems provide highly specific UE locations, impacting privacy and requiring stringent access controls, while lacking flexibility for non-emergency scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A telecommunications network node configures UEs with emergency or lost modes to respond to NILRs, allowing trusted related parties to obtain UE locations through pre-established relationships, authenticated via a subscriber database, enabling repeated location queries without re-authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If highly specific UE location is obtained through NILR in emergency mode, then location precision is improved, but user privacy is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating access rights based on the requesting entity's identity and relationship to the UE. Different users or applications receive different levels of location access - emergency services get full access while other applications receive limited or no access. This creates localized quality in the privacy-policy sense, where privacy protection is not uniform but tailored to specific contexts and entities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the network node or location server) that mediates between location requests and the UE. This intermediary evaluates the request context, determines whether the UE should be placed in emergency mode, and controls whether location information is disclosed. The intermediary acts as a privacy gatekeeper that enables precise location only when necessary and appropriate.
2Productivity
If UE is placed in emergency mode to answer NILR, then location accessibility for emergency services is improved, but location accessibility for other applications is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the UE's location response behavior changeable rather than fixed. The UE can transition between normal mode (where it does not answer NILR) and emergency mode (where it does answer NILR). This dynamic state change allows the system to adapt location accessibility based on the immediate context - emergency situations trigger high accessibility while non-emergency situations maintain low accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of UE operational state from normal to emergency mode, which fundamentally alters the UE's response behavior to location requests. This parameter change enables the system to optimize location accessibility for emergency services when needed while maintaining restrictions for other applications during normal operation.
3Productivity
If repeated location queries are allowed without re-authentication, then query efficiency is improved, but security control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing authentication and authorization decisions before the location query process begins. The network node evaluates whether the requesting entity has the right to access location information and whether the UE should be in emergency mode before allowing any location requests. This preliminary security check ensures that only authorized entities can benefit from repeated queries without continuous re-authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the network node monitors and tracks location request patterns and UE state. This feedback allows the system to maintain security by detecting abnormal patterns while enabling efficient repeated queries from authorized entities. The feedback loop ensures that security controls adapt to the operational context without requiring continuous re-authentication.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein is a network node configured to receive a request for a location of a user equipment (UE) from a related party having a pre-established relationship with the UE or to receive an indication from the UE that it is in a lost mode. The network node is further configured to send a network-initiated location request (NILR) to the UE in response to receiving the request for the location or the indication, to receive the location of the UE from the UE in response to the NILR, and to provide the location of the UE to the related party.