Trusted Server Mediator for Mobile Location Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile stations may fail to respond to location-determination messages from a mobile location server (MLS) due to being provisioned with incorrect server addresses, leading to failed location determination processes.
Innovation Solution
The MLS detects the lack of response and initiates a communication from a trusted server, such as an OTASP server, to trigger a response from the mobile station, allowing for re-provisioning or alternative location determination methods if the issue is not resolved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the MLS sends location-determination messages directly to the mobile station, then the location determination process is simple and direct, but the mobile station may fail to respond due to incorrect server addresses stored in its provisioning data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted server as an intermediary between the MLS and the mobile station. The trusted server receives location-determination messages from the MLS and forwards them to the mobile station using the mobile station's stored provisioning data. This intermediary approach allows the MLS to avoid direct dependency on the mobile station's stored address correctness, thereby improving response reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the mobile station uses stored provisioning data for server addresses, then the mobile station can autonomously route communications, but incorrect provisioning data causes communication failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the trusted server receives messages from the MLS, attempts to deliver them to the mobile station using stored provisioning data, and monitors for responses. If no response is received within a threshold time, the system can re-provision the mobile station with corrected server addresses or retry the communication process. This feedback loop maintains autonomous routing capability while improving communication reliability through correction of provisioning errors.
3Reliability
If the system re-provisions the mobile station with correct server addresses, then communication reliability is improved, but the process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by having the trusted server attempt to deliver location-determination messages immediately upon receipt from the MLS, before any significant time has elapsed. The system monitors response times and can initiate re-provisioning only when necessary (when no response is received within a threshold time). This preliminary attempt to deliver messages reduces overall process time while maintaining the option to re-provision for improved reliability when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method and system for use of a trusted server such as an over-the-air provisioning server to facilitate mobile location determination. If a mobile location server (MLS) sends a location-determination message to a mobile station and does not receive a response back from the mobile station, there is a chance that the mobile station is not provisioned with a correct address of the MLS and that the mobile station therefore did not respond. To help jump start the location-determination process, the MLS may respond to that situation by instead causing a trusted server such as an over-the-air-service-provisioning (OTASP) server to send a location-determination message to the mobile station, triggering a response from the mobile station.