Private Location Database for Mobile Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile device location techniques relying on fixed or semi-fixed terrestrial elements like cell towers and WiFi access points face challenges such as sparse tower locations, frequent tower relocations, and privacy concerns, leading to inaccurate or unavailable location data.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that create and utilize a private location database on mobile devices, allowing users to collect and share location-specific data of transmitting devices, enabling accurate location determination by associating signal metrics with indicated locations and restricting access based on sharing criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a master location database is used to store transmitting device locations, then location determination can be performed, but the database becomes outdated quickly due to frequent transmitter relocations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the location database into two segments: a master location database maintained by the location provider and a private location database maintained by individual mobile devices. The private database stores locally collected location information that can be updated independently by each device, allowing the system to maintain accurate location data without requiring constant updates to the central master database. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling each device to have its own fresh local data while still benefiting from the master database when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having mobile devices proactively collect and store location-specific data about transmitting devices in their private databases before needing to determine their own locations. Devices continuously monitor and record signal metrics and locations of nearby transmitters, so when location determination is needed, the device already has fresh, accurate data in its private database, eliminating the delay and inaccuracy associated with querying an outdated master database.
2Ease of operation
If location data from all transmitting devices is centralized in a master database, then location determination is simplified, but privacy concerns arise and data sharing becomes uncontrolled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized location database model into distributed private databases on individual mobile devices. Each device maintains its own private location database containing location information about transmitting devices in its vicinity, collected by that specific device. This segmentation allows location determination to remain simple for each device while giving users control over their own data, eliminating the privacy concerns associated with centralized data collection and enabling selective sharing on a device-by-device basis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling each mobile device to independently collect, store, and manage its own location data in a private database without requiring centralized control. Devices autonomously monitor transmitting devices, record signal metrics, and maintain their own location information, giving users direct control over their data and the ability to selectively share it with others, thereby resolving the privacy concerns inherent in centralized database models.
3Reliability
If a private location database is created and shared selectively, then user privacy is protected and data freshness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the private location database system to perform multiple functions within a unified framework. The same database structure and management mechanisms handle both location determination and selective data sharing operations. The system can automatically determine locations using the private database while also providing controlled sharing capabilities to other devices, reducing the need for separate complex systems and minimizing overall device complexity despite the enhanced functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device receives signals from transmitting devices and generates sets of signal metrics based on the received signals. The mobile device also receives indicated locations, where each indicated location is associated with a respective set of signal metrics. The mobile device provides location-specific data to a transmitting device locating engine to estimate locations of the transmitting devices, where the location-specific data includes data representing the sets of signal metrics and data representing the indicated locations. The mobile device further receives an indication of sharing criteria via a user interface of the mobile device, and causes the estimated locations to be selectively shared with one or more other mobile devices based on the sharing criteria.