Geo-locating end-user devices on a communication network
US8428098B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 6, 2006 |
| Grant date | Apr 23, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 7, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W80/04
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A scheme is provided for determining the geographical location of an active IP device coupled to an IP network. A network path to the user device is obtained to identify a last hop device having a known first geographical location. A last leg distance between the last hop device and the user device is calculated. The last leg bandwidth, propagation time, and propagation speed are also characterized to more accurately determine the last leg distance. By combining the known first geographical location and the distance of the last hop device and user device, a geographical location for the user device is obtained. To improve the accuracy of the geographical location of the user device, multiple last hop devices with known geographical locations are employed to obtain multiple geographical areas for the user device. The intersection or overlap of these geographical areas indicates a refined geographical location of the user device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.