Vendor Payload Extensions in SUPL Location Protocols

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current location-based services lack a standardized method to efficiently transmit vendor-specific or proprietary location information, requiring the development of new protocols and additional protocol stacks, which is time-consuming and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A vendor-defined payload structure is introduced within a standardized user-plane location protocol, allowing for the inclusion of proprietary extensions, enabling the transfer of both standard and proprietary location information within the same framework, and supporting updates without a standards cycle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a new proprietary positioning protocol is developed from scratch to transmit vendor-specific location information, then vendor differentiation and market advantage are achieved, but development time and complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevendor differentiation capabilityVSAvoidprotocol development time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent embeds proprietary extension elements within the standardized SUPL protocol message structure. The payload structure includes a standardized core portion and an optional proprietary extension portion, allowing vendor-specific information to be nested within the existing protocol framework without requiring a completely new protocol design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The standardized SUPL protocol serves multiple functions by accommodating both standard location information and proprietary extensions within the same message structure. The protocol remains universally applicable across different vendors while enabling customizations through optional extension elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple protocol stacks are maintained to support both standardized and proprietary location protocols, then comprehensive protocol support is achieved, but device complexity and implementation burden increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol support coverageVSAvoidprotocol stack complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges standardized SUPL protocol messages with proprietary extensions into a single unified protocol implementation. Instead of maintaining separate protocol stacks for standard and proprietary protocols, the solution combines them by allowing proprietary extensions to be appended to standardized message structures, reducing implementation complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If proprietary protocol extensions are added to standardized SUPL messages, then vendor-specific functionality is enabled, but message structure complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevendor-specific functionalityVSAvoidmessage structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the message payload into distinct portions: a standardized core payload structure and an optional proprietary extension portion. This segmentation allows proprietary extensions to be added as separate, identifiable elements within the message, making the message structure more manageable and easier to process while enabling vendor-specific functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2356801B1Proprietary extensions in user plane location protocols
Publication Date: 2018.10.10 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2356801B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2356801B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2356801B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided allowing for a vendor-defined payload in a standardized user-plane location solution / protocol, where proprietary extension support is introduced into one or more standardized solutions. In accordance with a first embodiment, a location payload consists of structures for transferring requests, assistance data, measurements and positioning instructions. Therefore, a proprietary extension is included in each of these structures so that, for example, proprietary assistance data can be requested in an appropriate structure. In accordance with another embodiment, a proprietary extension is introduced at the highest abstraction level. For example and in an actual implementation, a vendor can define that in the beginning of the proprietary payload, the proprietary extension is defined, whether the proprietary payload contains a request, assistance, etc.