U.S. patent application number 11/746232 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-13 for lawful intercept service.
This patent application is currently assigned to Openwave Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Athanassios DIACAKIS, Paul Joseph Hebert, Ioannis Pavlidis.
Application Number | 20070287428 11/746232 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32830056 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070287428 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DIACAKIS; Athanassios ; et
al. |
December 13, 2007 |
LAWFUL INTERCEPT SERVICE
Abstract
A system and method is provided for monitoring the activities
and/or locations of wireless units in a wireless network
independent of location-based service preferences of those wireless
units. That is, a system and method is provided that allows an
authorized requester override location-based service preferences
(e.g., privacy settings) that may be set for a wireless unit. In
this regard, an authorized entity may be able to effectively locate
and/or monitor the activities of a wireless unit associated with an
individual of interest. Furthermore, if proper authorization
exists, such monitoring may be done surreptitiously without the
wireless unit user's knowledge and/or consent. For example, in some
instances, law enforcement agencies may be authorized to monitor
call traffic and/or the location of persons utilizing wireless
units.
Inventors: |
DIACAKIS; Athanassios;
(Boulder, CO) ; Pavlidis; Ioannis; (Boulder,
CO) ; Hebert; Paul Joseph; (Longmont, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TOWNSEND AND TOWNSEND AND CREW LLP
TWO EMBARCADERO CENTER
EIGHTH FLOOR
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94111-3834
US
|
Assignee: |
Openwave Systems, Inc.
Redwood City
CA
|
Family ID: |
32830056 |
Appl. No.: |
11/746232 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10802323 |
Mar 16, 2004 |
7231218 |
|
|
11746232 |
May 9, 2007 |
|
|
|
60456656 |
Mar 18, 2003 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/414.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 64/00 20130101;
H04L 63/306 20130101; H04W 12/80 20210101; H04W 12/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/414.1 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/42 20060101
H04M003/42 |
Claims
1. A method for monitoring a location of a wireless unit of
interest across multiple wireless networks, comprising the steps
of: establishing communication between an entity requesting
location information for a wireless unit of interest and a system
operative to procure the location information, the communication
utilizing a standardized format for requesting and providing said
location information from any of multiple location information
sources associated with any of multiple wireless networks;
obtaining the location information from the system, including
overriding a privacy setting associated with said wireless unit of
interest where necessary to obtain the location information;
analyzing the location information to monitor a location of the
wireless unit over-time; and providing the monitored location
information in response to the request.
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: verifying
authorization for said entity to obtain the location information
for said wireless unit of interest independent of location finding
preferences of the wireless unit of interest.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein: the obtaining is
performed without the wireless unit of interest being notified of
said location information being procured.
4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: procuring the
location information from at least first and second location
information sources, wherein said first and second location
information sources employ first and second different location
finding technologies.
5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising: aggregating
information from said at least first and second different location
finding technologies to enhance the accuracy of said location
information.
6. A method according to claim 2, wherein: verifying authorization
includes verifying court ordered authorization.
7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: providing
said monitored location information to a recipient at a location
other than that associated with said requesting entity.
8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: comparing
said location information to at least one location of interest to
monitor the movement of said wireless unit relative to said point
of interest.
9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: upon an
uncertainty associated with said location information overlapping
at least one location of interest, notifying a third party that
said wireless unit is proximate to said at least one location of
interest.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said third party is one
of an owner of the wireless device, a law enforcement agency, a
parent, and an employer.
11. A system for monitoring a location of a wireless unit of
interest across multiple wireless networks, the system including a
processor and a memory device including instructions that when
executed by said processor causes the processor to: establish
communication between an entity requesting location information for
a wireless unit of interest and a system operative to procure the
location information, the communication utilizing a standardized
format for requesting and providing said location information from
any of multiple location information sources associated with any of
multiple wireless networks; obtain the location information from
the system, including overriding a privacy setting associated with
said wireless unit of interest where necessary to obtain the
location information; analyze the location information to monitor a
location of the wireless unit over time; and provide the monitored
location information in response to the request.
12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions when
executed by said processor further cause the processor to: verify
authorization for said entity to obtain the location information
for said wireless unit of interest independent of location finding
preferences of the wireless unit of interest.
13. A system according to claim 11, wherein: the processor obtains
the location information without the wireless unit of interest
being notified of said location information being procured.
14. A system according to claim 11, wherein: the processor procures
the location information from at least first and second location
information sources, wherein said first and second location
information sources employ first and second different location
finding technologies.
15. A system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions when
executed by said processor further cause the processor to:
aggregate information from at least first and second different
location finding technologies to enhance the accuracy of said
location information.
16. A system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions when
executed by said processor further cause the processor to: provide
said monitored location information to a recipient at a location
other than that associated with said requesting entity.
17. A system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions when
executed by said processor further cause the processor to: compare
said location information to at least one location of interest to
monitor the movement of said wireless unit relative to said point
of interest.
18. A system according to claim 11, wherein the instructions when
executed by said processor further cause the processor to: upon an
uncertainty associated with said location information overlapping
at least one location of interest, notify a third party that said
wireless unit is proximate to said at least one location of
interest.
19. A computer program product embedded in a computer readable
medium for monitoring a location of a wireless unit of interest
across multiple wireless networks, comprising: program code for
establishing communication between an entity requesting location
information for a wireless unit of interest and a system operative
to procure the location information, the communication utilizing a
standardized format for requesting and providing said location
information from any of multiple location information sources
associated with any of multiple wireless networks; program code for
obtaining the location information from the system, including
overriding a privacy setting associated with said wireless unit of
interest where necessary to obtain the location information;
program code for analyzing the location information to monitor a
location of the wireless unit over time; and program code for
providing the monitored location information in response to the
request.
20. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: program code for verifying authorization for said
entity to obtain the location information for said wireless unit of
interest independent of location finding preferences of the
wireless unit of interest.
21. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: program code for obtaining the location information
without the wireless unit of interest being notified of said
location information being procured.
22. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: program code for procuring the location information
from at least first and second location information sources,
wherein said first and second location information sources employ
first and second different location finding technologies.
23. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: aggregating information from at least first and second
different location finding technologies to enhance the accuracy of
said location information.
24. A computer program product according to claim 19, wherein:
program code for providing the monitored location information
includes program code for providing said monitored location
information to a recipient at a location other than that associated
with said requesting entity.
25. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: program code for comparing said location information to
at least one location of interest to monitor the movement of said
wireless unit relative to said point of interest.
26. A computer program product according to claim 19, further
comprising: program code for notifying a third party that said
wireless unit is proximate to said at least one location of
interest upon an uncertainty associated with said location
information overlapping at least one location of interest.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/802,323, entitled "Lawful Intercept
Service," filed Mar. 16, 2004, which claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/456,656, filed Mar. 18, 2003,
each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates in general to location
monitoring of wireless communication devices. More specifically,
the present invention relates to location monitoring of a wireless
communications device irrespective of privacy settings associated
with the device and/or without notification of the device. Such
functionality may have applications, for example, for law
enforcement and homeland security purposes.
[0003] Wireless communications networks generally allow for voice
and/or data communications between wireless units, e.g., wireless
telephones (analog, digital, cellular, and PCS), pagers, or data
terminals that communicate using RF signals. In recent years, a
number of location-finding technologies have been developed that
allow for determining the location of such wireless units. These
location-finding technologies may utilize any of various location
information sources and/or location-finding equipment (LFE)
associated with the wireless network.
[0004] Due to variations in network environments and location
finding technologies, location information for wireless devices is
often provided on an application-by-application basis for
subscribers of a particular network service application. Moreover,
different wireless networks (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, GSM, and iDEN) may
require adaptations to the location-based service application and
associated interfaces. Accordingly, some applications are
specifically adapted for a particular location-finding technology
and a particular target network environment. Such location-finding
technologies may include, but not be limited to: angle of arrival
(AOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), handset global
positioning system (GPS), as well as network architecture
(cell/sector). These different technologies involve different
location accuracies and formats.
[0005] More recently, gateway systems have been developed to
alleviate some of the difficulties encountered in positioning
wireless units in various network environments. For example, these
gateways may provide location information in a format that is
independent of the source of the location information, and may
provide a standardized interface for requesting and obtaining
location information. In this manner, applications can be developed
substantially independent of the particular network environment of
a serviced subscriber. Accordingly, the location of many wireless
units may be obtained from such gateway systems utilizing one or
more of the above-listed technologies.
[0006] Concurrent with the development of location-based service
applications, has been the development of privacy settings for
wireless units. In this regard, wireless units may request that no
location information be provided to location-based service
providers or other entities attempting to obtain the location of
the wireless unit. Additionally, systems have been developed to
allow wireless units to be notified when location information for
that wireless unit is requested. Such privacy settings have
increased consumer acceptance of a variety of location-based
service applications.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The ability to monitor the location of a wireless unit free
of any privacy settings associated with the wireless unit and/or
utilizing one or more location finding technologies across one or
more networks may in some instances be desirable. For example, in
emergency situations it may be desirable to locate wireless units
irrespective of any location-finding preferences of the wireless
units and independent of the particular network environments of
those units. Likewise, owners of wireless units may desire to
monitor the activities of those wireless units independent of
preferences of the user of the wireless unit. Moreover, in some
instances, law enforcement agencies may be authorized to monitor
persons utilizing wireless units. Accordingly, by being able to
override location-finding preferences that may be set for wireless
units and by being able to locate units in a variety of network
environments, an authorized entity may be able to effectively
locate and/or monitor the activities of wireless units associated
with targeted individuals. Furthermore, if proper authorization
exists, such monitoring may be done surreptitiously without the
wireless unit user's knowledge and/or consent.
[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a
method is provided for interfacing a requesting entity with one or
more applications operable to provide location information for an
identified wireless unit, wherever the location information can be
accessed independent of location finding preferences of the user.
The method entails establishing an interface for communications
between a system operative to procure location information from at
least one location information source associated with a wireless
network for a wireless unit of interest. The interface defines a
standardized form for requesting and providing information. The
interface may control communications between the requesting entity
and the location provisioning platform, between the platform and a
location-based services platform, and/or between the location-based
services application and the subscriber wireless units. In this
regard, the interface may act as an application program interface
that supplies messages to a location information source or gateway
application in a standardized form such that a user requesting
location information does not have to supply a source-specific
location information request. That is, a requestor may provide
information in a standardized location request that may be utilized
with any of a variety of differently configured location
information sources and network environments. Once the interface
receives a request for location information for a wireless unit of
interest, authorization of the requesting entity to obtain such
location information independent of the location finding
preferences of the identified wireless unit is verified. Once so
verified, location information for the wireless unit of interest is
procured utilizing the identified system. This location information
may be provided in a standardized output form to the requesting
entity or to a third party (e.g., via the interface).
[0009] The interface may comprise any platform or processor
operative to receive a location information request (e.g., in the
standardized format) and access location information from any one
or more of a number of wireless location information sources or
location gateways associated with the wireless network. In this
regard, the interface may be accessed via any suitable user
interface such as a graphical user interface, telephonic interface
(e.g., utilizing voice activated software and/or computerized
prompts), or other input mechanism. In any case, the interface may
be configured in a manner that allows a requesting entity to supply
one or more fields of information that are subsequently supplied to
one or more location information sources. For instance, the
interface will typically include fields that allow a requesting
entity to identify themselves, a recipient of the location
information (e.g., if different than the requesting party) as well
as a wireless unit of interest. In the latter regard, such
identification may comprise, for example, a mobile identification
number (MIN).
[0010] The interface may also allow a requesting entity to specify
one or more triggering events that will prompt the procurement of
location information from one of the sources. Such triggers may be
based on wireless unit actions, or, may be independent of wireless
units actions or a combination thereof. For example, wireless unit
actions that trigger procurement of location information may
include, inter alia, sending and/or receiving wireless
communications as well as movements of the wireless unit relative
to one or more predetermined boundaries or zones. Independent
triggers may include procuring location information upon receiving
a location request (i.e., ad-hoc), on a periodic basis, or upon a
predetermined schedule.
[0011] When the procurement of location information is based on the
wireless unit's location relative to a zone, boundary or point of
interest (hereinafter "zones"), such zones may be identified
through the interface. Examples of such zones may include
addresses, a point and radius, another wireless unit, as well as
geographic boundaries such as, but not limited to, cities,
counties, states, and/or legal jurisdictions. In this regard, the
interface may be operable to prompt information that enables a
requesting entity to define one or more zones.
[0012] In addition to requesting entity identification, wireless
unit identification, triggering events, and location information
routing, the interface may also allow for the requesting entity to
supply additional information the may be utilized for procuring the
location information. For instance, the requesting entity may
provide authorization information indicating the authority of the
requesting entity to receive location information for the mobile
unit of interest. Such authorization information may allow, inter
alia, overriding privacy functions associated with the wireless
unit of interest that would otherwise prevent the provision of
location information to a requesting entity. Additionally, such
authorization may allow a requesting entity to request location
information without the wireless unit of interest being notified of
the location request and/or procurement of location information. In
this regard, a requesting entity may surreptitiously obtain
location information and/or monitor the movements of the wireless
unit of interest.
[0013] Such authorization may be in the form of a code, such as an
owner's code, wherein an owner of a wireless unit may retain the
authority to identify the location of that wireless unit while the
unit is utilized by a third party. This may be applicable in
employer-employee applications (e.g., for fleet tracking purposes)
in parent-child relationships, as well as for the recovery of lost
or stolen wireless units (e.g., tracking stolen vehicles). Such
authorization may alternately be legal authorization wherein a
requesting person or entity other than an owner of the wireless
unit has obtained legal authority (e.g., a court order) to obtain
location information for a wireless unit of interest. In the
context of legal authority, authorization may entail accessing an
official database and/or verifying court documents. In this regard,
a legally authorized entity may provide an interface service
provider or an official database with appropriate documentation
prior to requesting location information. Such legally authorized
entities may include law enforcement agencies (LEA) such as local
police, probation, and/or federal authorities (e.g., FBI).
[0014] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a
method is provided for monitoring the location of a wireless unit a
wireless network free of any location-finding preferences of the
wireless unit and irrespective of that wireless unit passing from a
first carrier network to a second carrier network. That is, the
method provides a system for aggregating information from separate
carrier networks such that monitoring may be effectuated over an
enhanced area with improved inclusiveness of subscribers of
different carriers, and/or with an enhanced accuracy. The method
includes providing a system in communication with a first wireless
carrier network having a first subscriber set and a second carrier
network having a second subscriber set, wherein the system is
operative to provide location information for each of the carrier
networks. A location information inquiry for a wireless unit of
interest may be received and location information may then be
procured irrespective of the carrier network currently servicing
the wireless unit and provided to a location associated with the
request. As will be appreciated, the location request may include,
in addition to wireless unit of interest information,
specifications regarding the desired location information, for
example, indicating how recent or how accurate the information
should be.
[0015] The first and second carrier networks may employ different
location finding technologies, e.g., GPS, AOA, TDOA, and
cell/sector technologies. In this regard, a location request from
the requesting entity may result in prompting one or more different
location information sources to obtain the location information. If
multiple location information sources are available to make a
location determination regarding a wireless station the method may
include receiving a first location input from a first location
information source and receiving a second location input from a
second location information source. Furthermore, this first and
second information may be combined to provide combined location
information having an enhanced accuracy.
[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method for obtaining location information of a wireless unit free
of any location finding preferences is provided wherein a
requesting entity may define one or more events that will trigger
the procurement of such location information. The method includes
the steps of accessing a system operative to provide location
information for wireless units within a wireless network. A
requesting entity may then identify a wireless unit and define at
least one event that will result in the providing of location
information for a wireless unit of interest wherein the location
information is provided independent of any location finding
preferences of the wireless unit of interest. Upon the occurrence
of the defined event(s), location information of the wireless unit
of interest may be received.
[0017] The present aspect allows a requesting entity to be updated
with regard to the location of a wireless unit of interest. In this
regard, the location updates may be provided based on trigger
events that are wireless unit initiated (e.g., wireless
communications to an from the wireless unit) as well as trigger
events that are free of wireless unit actions (e.g., scheduled
location updates). For instance, location updates may be procured
for a wireless unit of interest on a periodic schedule for a
predetermined portion of the day (working hours) to verify, for
example, that the user of the wireless unit (e.g., an employee) is
located within a predetermined area.
[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method for obtaining location information for a wireless unit of
interest based on the location of that wireless unit relative to
one or more zones is provided. The method includes identifying a
wireless unit of interest and establishing at least one zone of
interest associated with that wireless unit. Location information
for the wireless unit is obtained from at least one location
information source associated with the wireless network. This may
be performed on a period basis or on another schedule based on the
location of the wireless unit of interest relative to the zone of
interest. In any case, the location information is utilized to
monitor a location of the wireless unit relative to the zone of
interest. Upon the uncertainty of the location of the wireless unit
of interest overlapping with one of the zones of interest, a third
party may be notified. Likewise, when an uncertainty associated
with the area of the wireless unit overlaps one or more zones of
interest, a second monitoring schedule may be implemented: For
instance, the rate and/or accuracy of the location monitoring may
be increased.
[0019] As will be appreciated, the present aspect has numerous law
enforcement and/or homeland security applications. In this regard,
one or more locations of interest such as, for instance, airports
may be defined. Such zones of interest may be global zones of
interest applicable to a wide number of wireless units of interest.
In this regard, all wireless units associated with a list of
suspects (e.g., suspected terrorists) may be monitored relative to
the global zones of interest. In this case, if any of the monitored
wireless units were to approach within a predetermined distance of
the zone of interest, a third party may be notified of the
encroachment. For example, a law enforcement agent closest to the
encroaching wireless unit may be notified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network implementing the
present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a graphical user interface that may be utilized
with the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a user profile that may be utilized with the
present invention; and
[0023] FIGS. 4a and 4b provide a process flow sheet of one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] The invention described below allows for procuring location
information for a wireless unit without necessarily obtaining the
permission of a user of the wireless unit. That is, a method is
provided for overriding user preferences such that surreptitious
monitoring of wireless units may be conducted. As will be
appreciated, such monitoring is particularly well suited for law
enforcement operations. In this regard, a wireless unit may be
monitored or tracked relative to one or more predetermined zones or
boundaries. This may allow for, inter alia, improved enforcement of
restraining orders, terrorist suspect tracking, and otherwise
monitoring the position or movement of assets of interest. Of
course, in some instances the surreptitious monitoring may require
official authorization (e.g., court order) due to privacy issues.
However, it will be noted that the system described herein is not
limited to law enforcement activities. For example, certain aspects
may be applicable to monitoring employees and/or parental
monitoring of minor children (e.g., situations where consent or
implied consent is present).
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network 100 implementing the
present invention. In the network 100, a wireless unit of interest
102 communicates with cell site equipment 104 via an RF interface
105. In the illustrated example, the wireless unit 102 is shown as
being a wireless telephone. It will be appreciated, however, that
any suitable wireless unit can be utilized including, for example,
personal digital assistants, data terminals having a wireless
modem, etc. The cell site equipment 104 may be, for example, a cell
sector antenna or the like. In the illustrated network 100, the
cell site equipment 104 is interconnected to a switch 106. Although
only one piece of cell site equipment 104 is illustrated, it will
be appreciated that switch 106 may service multiple cells. The
switch 106 may include, for example, a home location register (HLR)
for a wireless unit of interest 102, a mobile switching center
(MSC), Service Control Point (SCP) or any other structure for
routing communications between a calling unit and a called unit.
Among other things, the switch 106 is operative for routing calls
between the wireless network 100 and a wireline network 107 (e.g.
an SS7 and/or PSTN network) for communications between the wireless
unit 102 and another mobile unit, a wireline unit or a data network
node.
[0026] FIG. 1 also shows a location manager or gateway 108,
illustrated in connection with the switch 106. It will be
appreciated that such a gateway 108 may be associated with one or
more (typically numerous) switches. Moreover, different gateways
may service different subscribers, carriers, applications,
equipment, network areas, etc. The gateway 108 may be, for example,
a computer platform for executing a variety wireless network
applications. The gateway 108 may be physically located proximate
to the switch 106 or may be remotely located and interconnected to
the switch 106 by a local area network, wide area network or other
communications pathway. The illustrated gateway 108 includes a
processor 110 for running source selection and location
provisioning applications.
[0027] In order to implement the lawful intercept service, the
gateway 108 communicates with an intercept server 200, as will be
more fully discussed below. To provide requested location
information, applications running on processor 110 at the gateway
108 are operative to obtain location information from multiple
sources 126-129 associated with the network 100. As shown, these
sources may be connected to the gateway 108 via the switch or
independent of the switch. These sources may employ any of a
variety of location finding technologies including AOA, TDOA such
as GPS and cell/sector technologies. It will be appreciated that
the nature of the data obtained from the sources 126-129 as well as
the path by which the data is transmitted varies depending on the
type of source and that the ability to accommodate a variety of
sources is an important aspect of the present invention. Some types
of sources include equipment in the handset. Examples include
certain GPS and other TDOA systems. In such cases, location
information may be encoded into signals transmitted from the
handset to a cell site or other receiver, and the information may
then be transferred to the gateway 108 via the switch 106 or
otherwise. Other sources, e.g., network-based systems, use
equipment associated with individual cell sites such as specialized
antennae to make location determinations such as by triangulation
and, again, the resulting location information may be transferred
to the gateway 108 via the switch 106 or otherwise. Still other
sources employ a network of dedicated source equipment that is
overlaid relative to the wireless network 100. Such systems may
communicate location information to the gateway 108 independent of
the switch 106 and network cell site equipment. In addition, some
source technologies can be implemented via equipment resident in
the handset, in cell sites or other network locations and/or in
dedicated sites such that the data pathway of the location
information may vary even for a given source technology.
[0028] Although a number of the illustrated sources 126-129 are
shown as operating separate from the switch 106, in reality,
certain ones of the sources, such as a cell ID source, would likely
provide information via the switch 106. The sources may further
include network-based AOA systems and network-based TDOA systems
and external systems such as GPS. Generally, the illustrated
network based systems such as AOA and network TDOA systems
determine the location of a wireless unit 102 based on
communications between the wireless unit 102 and the cell site
equipment of multiple cell sites. For example, such systems may
receive information concerning a directional bearing of the
wireless unit 102 or a distance of the wireless unit 102 relative
to each of multiple cell sites. Based on such information, the
location of the unit 102 can be determined by triangulation or
similar geometric/mathematic techniques. External systems such as
GPS systems, determine the wireless station location relative to an
external system. In the case of GPS systems, the wireless station
102 is typically provided with a GPS receiver for determining
geographic position relative to the GPS satellite constellation or
forwarding satellite based information to a network element that
computes location. Thus, various types of location information may
be transmitted across an air interface to the network 100.
Additionally, in the case of network assisted GPS or A-GPS, certain
GPS information may be combined with network information to compute
the location of a wireless unit.
[0029] As shown, the gateway 108 receives location information from
the various sources 126-129. Generally, such information is
processed by source selection and location provisioning
applications supported by the gateway 108 to provide location
outputs for use by authorized users of the lawful intercept server
200. Location information may be stored in a cache 122 at the
gateway 108 for subsequent retrieval. In this regard, the location
cache 122 may include location information for wireless units at
various times indexed, for example, to a mobile unit identifier
such as a MIN/ESN.
[0030] The intercept server 200 may communicate with the gateway
108 over any appropriate communications link. The intercept server
200 may be, for example, a computer platform for executing a
variety of intercept-related functions. Such functions may include
providing a secure platform that allows access only to authorized
users. The intercept server 200 may be physically located proximate
to the gateway 108 or may be remotely located. Alternatively, the
intercept server 200 may be incorporated onto the same platform as
the gateway 108. What is important is that the intercept server
provides an interface for client applications 114, 116 and 118 such
as law enforcement agencies (LEAs) or otherwise authorized users,
to access the location provisioning applications of the gateway 108
and obtain location information for a wireless unit of interest. As
will be appreciated, for many law enforcement related tracking
purposes, the obtainment of location information for a wireless
unit of interest 102 may be done without the knowledge or
permission of the user of the mobile unit. In this regard, some
sort of official authorization (e.g., a court order) may be
required before location information is provided for a mobile unit
of interest 102. Furthermore, even if official authorization is
obtained, such authorization may be limited in scope. For example,
a court order may limit a law enforcement agency 114-118 to
tracking a person of interest within a limited geographic boundary
(e.g., a state, county, city). Accordingly, an application running
on processor 210 within the intercept server 200 allows for
validating official authorization as well as defining tracking
zones for a wireless unit of interest 102 in which an authorized
requesting LEA 114-118 may obtain location information.
[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, authorized areas or tracking
zones for a wireless unit of interest 102 are stored at the
intercept server 200. The tracking zone information 112 stores
definitions of locations of interest for use by the LEA
applications 114, 116 and 118. The definitions of these locations
of interest may be provided in any suitable form. For example, an
application for identifying when a wireless unit 102 crosses
restricted a boundary may define boundaries in terms of cell
identifiers and/or cell sector identifiers. Alternatively, the
tracking zone information may be stored as a set of geographical
coordinates or geographical boundaries that define a given zone.
For cell sector implementations, such geographical information may
be converted into current network topology, e.g., cell sector
identifiers, at the time of a location comparison. It will be
appreciated that other conventions may be utilized for storing a
representation of a tracking zone area.
[0032] In addition, it will be appreciated that a GIS system 131
may be utilized for inputting and/or formatting the tracking zone
information. For example, a service provider or other person
defining a tracking zone may wish to input tracking zone boundaries
relative to an address, streets, county lines, statelines, or other
topological information. A GIS application, such as the MAPS
application marketed by Openwave Systems, Inc. of Redwood City,
Calif. may be utilized to receive such inputs and convert the
associated tracking zone definitions into geographical information
formatted for convenient handling by, for example, a boundary
crossing application. Thus, tracking zone definitions may be
converted from one topological system, e.g., addresses or street
boundaries, to another topological system, e.g., geographical
coordinates or cell/cell sector identifiers. In any case, the
definition of the location of interest as well as the location of a
mobile unit may be expressed in terms of a quadtree data structure
as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,392, entitled "Method for
Determining if the Location of a Wireless Communication Device is
Within a Specified Area," which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0033] Depending on the specific LEA application 114-118 and other
factors, procured location information can be transmitted to
different recipients via different pathways. For example, in the
case of a restraining order violation, where a wireless unit of
interest 102 has entered a restricted zone, a notice of the
violation and or the current location of the wireless unit of
interest 102 may be provided to a mobile terminal located near the
area (e.g., a police car). In this regard, the location information
may be provided to locations remote from the requesting LEA
application 114-118. For example, such information may be
transmitted from the illustrated gateway 108 and/or intercept
server 200 to a data network interface 124 for transmission across
a data network such as the Internet. Thus, the information may be
packetized for transmission across the Internet in accordance with
IP protocols. Data may also be transmitted to a recipient utilizing
proxies, a microbrowser and other elements for executing a wireless
data communications protocol. Similarly, in the case of a CDR
output, the CDR may be populated in accordance with
telecommunications network protocols.
[0034] When location information is provided over a data network,
such information may include mapping information. In this regard,
the location of the mobile unit of interest may be superimposed on
mapping information for receipt by a graphical display. To
facilitate such functionality, the intercept server 200 and/or the
gateway may be operatively interconnected to a mapping application
260. Such a mapping application 260 may include an archive of
mapping information in a form that may be readily incorporated into
location information packages for transfer to desired
recipients.
[0035] Furthermore, the tracking information may be presented in
various forms. For example, information may be transmitted to a
desired recipient via a short messaging system via a data channel
or via an audio channel for providing an audio message that can be
played on the unit 102. Likewise, a text message may be displayed
on a LCD display or other display of the mobile unit 102.
[0036] The LEA applications 114, 116 and 118 may run on the
intercept server 200 or on other platforms. In any case,
communications between the LEA applications 114, 116 and 118
intercept server 200 and thereby the source selection and location
provisioning applications of the gateway 108 may be handled via
wireless location interface (WLI) 113. This interface preferably
provides a standardized form, message sets and data fields for
transmitting/receiving location and tracking requests and
receiving/transmitting location information as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,321,092 entitled "Multiple Input Data Management for
Wireless Location-Based Applications," which is incorporated herein
by reference. Such an interface advantageously allows LEA
applications 114, 116 and 118 to operate without compatibility
concerns regarding network environment and the nature of the
location sources 126-129.
[0037] The WLI 113 allows the LEA applications 114-118, via the
intercept server 200, to selectively access information stored in
the cache 122 at the gateway 108 and/or prompt one or more of the
sources 126-129 to initiate a location determination. As noted, the
WLI 113 provides a standard format for submitting location requests
to the gateway 108 and for receiving responses from the gateway 108
independent of the location finding technology(ies) employed. In
this manner, the applications 114-118 can make use of the best or
most appropriate location information available originating from
any available sources 126-129 without concern for source dependent
data formats or compatibility issues. Moreover, new location
finding technologies can be readily incorporated into the system
100 and used by the applications 114-118 without significant
accommodations.
[0038] The WLI 113 of the illustrated implementation allows the LEA
applications 114-118 to include specifications with location and
tracking requests for a wireless unit of interest 102. For example,
these specifications may include one or more triggering events that
dictate when location information for a wireless unit of interest
102 is procured. Such triggering events may include, without
limitation: periodic determinations, ad hoc (i.e., one time
requests), upon the wireless unit 102 nearing a predetermined
border, zone or another wireless unit, upon the wireless unit 102
making or receiving a wireless communication (e.g., phone calls).
Furthermore, such specification may include any of the following:
the timeliness of the location information (e.g., not older than
[date stamp parameter]), the accuracy of the information (e.g.,
uncertainty not exceeding [uncertainty parameters]), confidence
(confidence at least equal to [confidence parameter]).
Alternatively, the request may specify the use of the most recent
available information, most accurate available information, etc. In
addition, the location request can specify whether the gateway 108
should wait for the next available update or force a location
determination, whether redundant or unnecessary updates should be
filtered (e.g., do not send updates more often than once a minute
or if wireless unit has moved less than 50 meters), and what the
priority of the request is. In this manner, ongoing monitoring may
be employed, for example, by applications such as vehicle tracking
and 911.
[0039] In one embodiment, the WLI 113 provides a graphical user
interface to the LEA applications 114-118 such that users may
select from a set of predetermined options. See FIG. 2. For
example, a window 300 having one or more user entry fields 302-306
allows a user to provide their identity 302, case number 304, and
an authorization code 306. As will be appreciated, in cases where a
court order is required, such an order may be provided to an
intercept server service provider who in turn may verify the
authenticity of the court order and provide the requesting LEA the
authorization code. Alternatively, the intercept server 200 may be
configured to access an official database (e.g. via the data
network interface 124) in order to verify official authorization
such as court orders. A wireless unit identification field 308 may
also be provided for identification of, for example, MIN/MSISDN,
etc. The window 300 also includes pull down menus that allow a user
to select trigger events 310 and select tracking areas of interest
312. The trigger events 310 may include, for example, any of those
discussed above. The area of interest menu 310 may provide a user
with the ability to select and/or specify states, counties, cities,
zip codes, a specific address, a point and radius, a boundary etc.
In this regard, once a user makes an initial selection, additional
menus may be provided to fully identify an area of interest. The
window 300 may also include a recipient field 314 that will allow a
user to specify where tracking information is to be provided. Such
a recipient could be identified using e-mail addresses, a telephone
numbers (e.g., for SMS and/or voice messages), IM addresses, IP
addresses etc. Alternatively, such information may be provided
through the requesting window 300. When the intercept server 200
receives tracking requests from the WLI 113, the processor 210 may
compare the request with a stored client profile to ensure that the
requesting user is currently authorized to obtain the requested
tracking information.
[0040] Disclosed in FIG. 3 is a standardized profile 400 for use
with the WLI which includes information employed during the
authorization and authentication process for client application. In
this embodiment, the standardized profile 400 may be entered or
modified in a manner other than that described in FIG. 3 (e.g.,
telephonically, etc.). In some instances, a client application may
access and modify portions of the profile 400. The client ID 402 is
a unique identifier for a LEA and the case ID 406 is a unique
identifier for each of the client's active cases. Each client who
employs the system described herein may employ multiple case ID's
406 for which location information may be requested. The client ID
402 and the case ID 406 may be employed in conjunction with
authorization codes or passwords 404, 408, respectively, when a
client application logs into the system. In this regard, a client
may restrict access to a particular case to a particular set of
that client's employees.
[0041] Status 410 may indicate whether the particular case is
active or inactive. In this regard, status 410 may indicate if a
court order is still valid such that a client may continue
monitoring a mobile unit of interest 102. Only active cases may be
allowed to make location requests to the gateway platform 108. The
mobile unit ID 412 of the client application profile 400 provides
an identifier for a mobile unit of interest 102. Such an identifier
may include: MIN/MSISDN etc.
[0042] The privacy override 414 allows overriding a privacy setting
on a wireless unit 102. In this regard, if a mobile unit 102
enables its user to specify that no location-based applications be
allowed to obtain location information for the unit 102, the
privacy override allows procuring location information irrespective
of this mobile user request. The jurisdiction 416 entry provides
information in a form (e.g. quad-tree structure) that delineates
one or more authorized tracking zones and/or boundaries. This entry
may be linked to additional records.
[0043] The cache option 418 provides an indication of the maximum
age of the location information stored in a cache that may be
provided to the client application. The location notification entry
420 identifies the type of notification a client may receive when
location information is procured (i.e. textual, audio, etc.).
Finally the provision notification entry 422 provides an indication
of the where notification will be delivered.
[0044] The first step performed when an LEA application 114-118
makes a location information request is the authentication and
authorization of that particular application. Disclosed in FIG. 4
is a flow chart which describes in detail the steps performed when
authenticating and authorizing an application. Initially, the LEA
application 114-118 will access the intercept server 200 either
through the WLI 113 or alternatively though a data network
interface 124. Once the location request is received (510) from the
LEA application 114-118, authentication and authorization (512)
begin. As an initial step, a query may be made as to whether the
client identification number, case number and/or corresponding
passwords have been received (514). When received, the intercept
server 200 will search for the corresponding client application
profile 400 in memory.
[0045] Once the client application profile 400 is retrieved (516)
from memory, a comparison (518) is made between identification
information included in the profile 400 and that provided by the
WLI 113. If the information does not match, a "denied access"
message will be presented (519) to the requesting application. If
the proper identification and password information is provided,
before any location information is identified and retrieved, a
query (520) will be made as to whether official authorization for
monitoring a particular wireless unit 102 is currently valid. If
the official authorization is not valid, the intercept server 200
system will deny (521) the request and log the activity.
[0046] A further query (522) is made as to whether the wireless
unit of interest 102 is within an area where surreptitious location
monitoring is authorized. If the wireless unit of interest 102 is
outside an authorized area, the request is denied (523) and the
activity is logged in memory. If the wireless unit of interest 102
is within an authorized area, location information privacy settings
query for the wireless unit of interest 102 is performed (524) to
determine if any privacy settings are active. This may entail the
intercept server 200 contacting the HLR of the wireless unit of
interest 102. If no privacy settings are active, location
information is provided (528) to the LEA in accordance with the
triggering events and/or other user specified constraints. If
privacy settings are active, an override query 526 is performed to
see if the requesting LEA application 114-118 is authorized to
override (526) the privacy settings. If not so authorized, the
request is denied (527) and the activity is logged in memory. If
authorized, location information is provided (528) to the LEA.
[0047] The foregoing description of the present invention has been
presented for purposes of illustration and description.
Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention
to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and
modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and
knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present
invention. For instance, it may be desirable to monitor more than
one wireless unit (e.g., multiple cell phones, pagers etc.) for an
individual of interest in this regard, a single profile may allow
for entry of multiple mobile unit identifiers. Likewise,
functionality may be incorporated that allows entry of the name of
a person of interest. In this instance, a search may be performed
to identify wireless units (i.e., for subsequent monitoring)
believed to be associated with the identified person of interest.
Logging functionality may be incorporated into the intercept server
200 as well. In this regard, information for a wireless unit of
interest may be monitored over time and stored for later retrieval
and analysis. The embodiments described hereinabove are further
intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention
and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in
such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required
by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present
invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to
include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the
prior art.
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