Terminal Area Shape Capability Indication for Location Servers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional location protocols, such as OMA SUPL, lack a system for terminals to indicate supported area shapes and do not address unspecified preferences, leading to potential misconfiguration and incorrect triggering of area events.

Innovation Solution

A terminal sends an area shape capability indication to a location server, allowing the server to select a supported shape, convert unsupported shapes, or terminate the session if unsupported, ensuring correct area event triggering by determining the best fit for each use case scenario.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the location server uses conventional area shapes (circle, ellipse, polygon) as defined in standards, then the area event triggering follows standard protocols, but the terminal may not support all shape types leading to misconfiguration and incorrect triggering

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvearea event triggering accuracyVSAvoidterminal shape support compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal performs preliminary action by indicating its supported area shapes to the location server before area event triggering. This allows the server to pre-select or convert shapes that are actually supported by the terminal, preventing misconfiguration and ensuring reliable triggering from the outset

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter state by introducing a capability indication mechanism that reveals terminal shape support status. The location server then adapts its shape selection based on this parameter change, converting unsupported shapes into supported ones to maintain triggering accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If the location server selects area shapes without considering terminal capabilities, then the protocol implementation is simple, but the area event triggering may be incorrect due to unsupported shapes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol implementation complexityVSAvoidarea event triggering accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal sends capability indication information to the location server before area event configuration. This preliminary action provides the server with necessary terminal capability data, enabling informed shape selection that balances implementation simplicity with triggering accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal provides feedback to the location server about its supported area shapes. The server uses this feedback to adjust its shape selection strategy, converting shapes as needed to ensure the terminal can correctly process and trigger area events

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2266330B1Area event support indication
Publication Date: 2018.05.02 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2266330B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2266330B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2266330B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided enabling a terminal to send an area shape capability indication to a location server. Depending on the use case scenario, the location server can perform at least one of the following operations, before sending the area event request to the terminal. The location server can select a shape that is both allowed by the requesting entity and supported by the terminal. Alternatively, the location server can convert the requested shape into a supported one by some approximation function if the requested shape(s) is/are not supported by the terminal. Furthermore, the location server can choose to terminate the session if the terminal does not support any of the requested (allowed) shapes. It should be noted that different priorities can be assigned to or associated with various area shapes as well.