System to control the location of a Mobile Station

A set used to control access to location information of a mobile device user.

The invention more specifically set to enable or disable the transmission of information to selectively location from a wireless terminal.

The user of a mobile telephone terminal is locatable as it has its terminal with a device for determining its geographical position. The means for determining the position may belong to the terminal itself (for example a GPS receiver - initials, standing for Global Positioning System for Global Positioning System), or may be remote therefrom (For example using the positioning of the base station by through which it communicates).

The geographic position of the terminal may be made to a person seeking the terminal user or be referred to a provider who will use it to provide services based on the location of the user is at a given moment.

by applying user means a software application hosted on a server of a service provider offering location-based services (That is to say using the user location information) to mobile device users.

The applications allow users, once achieved localization a mobile device user to send said user information relating for example to shops, services, remarkable places near to where he is.

If today is a rapid application development user location information, the fact remains that the implications of this development should be controlled.

Indeed, these user applications treat data staff (location information) and are therefore potentially intrusive in user privacy.

The expectation of the users of location-based services and is set balance with their legitimate desire to have their privacy respected.

But for now, only an approach based on principles Best was selected: Users should thus be entitled to to exercise some control over the dissemination of their information location.

The recommendations of the CNIL (Commission Nationale Informatics and Liberties) and state that no one shall be located unwittingly (with the exception of situations of use of services urgent or emergency).

Transmission to a third party (including a user application) location information must therefore be an information persons concerned and must necessarily be subject to their consent.

To meet the recommendations of the CNIL, it was proposed solution according to which the location function of a telephone terminal Mobile is inhibited by default, a warning message is always transmitted to the user of said terminal so as to obtain consent before any localization.

This solution is however not entirely satisfactory for the user. The latter, suspicious, can actually estimate that location information is transmitted without being notified, or without he has given his consent. The user does not with this solution guarantee that he is not "tracked" without his knowledge.

Solutions by implementing hardware devices also been proposed.

EP 1113678 proposes the integration of a circuit control in a mobile terminal to disable selectively transmitting the location information to a user application requesting such information.

When the location information is required, the user may be invited, via the screen of the terminal to allow or not the transmission of this information.

The circuit may further include a directory with numbers (ID including user applications) authorized by the user still receive its location information.

The solution proposed in EP 1113678 is not more satisfying and in particular has limitations and drawbacks following.

This solution first requires a hardware implementation particular at the terminal to include the control circuit.

Due to this particular implementation, most terminals currently available do not include such a control circuit.

Furthermore, the user has no guarantee that a message Warning is always notified him and / or his answer is actually taken into account. The user does not actually mastery the integrated control circuit in the terminal.

Note also that the user must also meet case by case of a location information request (except to use the directory listing the applications allowed users to always receive this information). Or this can be particularly burdensome for the user, especially when a query is regularly repeated (as is the If such a service to help car navigation which to be effective, requires regular location of the user, e.g. every twenty seconds).

Finally, if the user can use the directory of numbers allowed receive location information, the configuration of such a directory is not easier for a common user.

Finally this solution does not guarantee that a user completely control the supply of its location.

An object of the invention is to provide a technique for control of flexible and efficient access to information location for one or more users and applications to ensure completely to a user that its location is not transmitted without his knowledge.

To this end, the invention provides, in a first aspect, a set to control the provision of location information including a mobile terminal adapted to interact remotely with one or several applications known users employing services using the user location information of said terminal, characterized in that it comprises a location control module separate from the terminal and adapted to be connected to said terminal by the user, said module comprising means for authorizing or not the supply user of the terminal location information to one or more user applications.

In other aspects, the invention also relates to a terminal mobile location and a control module for a set according to the first aspect of the invention.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will on reading the detailed description which follows, and in view of the drawings accompanying, given as nonlimiting examples and in which:<ul><li>Figure 1 is a schematic representation illustrating the principle of a system in one possible embodiment of the invention;</li><li>Figures 2a, 2b and 2c are schematic representations illustrating different scenarios for trade between the different elements of system of Figure 1.</li></ul>

The assembly which is shown in Figure 1 comprises a terminal 1 mobile phone which can be connected to a module 2 control location.

For mobile terminal is meant here any conventional terminal for establishing communications over the air, such as a cell phone dial pad and screen or a terminal type PDA integrating communications.

The terminal 1 and Module 2 locating control form two separate elements of the system according to the invention.

The user of the terminal 1 is advantageously the use of the module 2. So, and as will be more particularly detailed below, the user, by simply manipulating said module 2, control can come access to location information.

The terminal 1 is adapted for communication via a network 3 including cellular communication with emergency services or Relief 4 or location-based services offered by 5 users providers developing applications.

These user applications are developed so as to provide users of services eg using i-mode technology (Trademark) or GPRS (initials of the English expression General Packet Radio Service for General Radiocommunication Service Packet mode).

In general, the user of terminal 1 can be located if only because the infrastructure of the cellular network 3 allows locate said terminal 1 on the basis of the cell where it is located.

It is hereinafter refers to the different techniques for locate a mobile terminal. The different methods of location can be grouped by family, namely:<ul><li>the methods used by the network infrastructure;</li><li>the methods used by a localization device;</li><li>hybrid methods;</li><li>local methods using transmitters short-range type Bluetooth or WiFi, or reading transponder labels.</li></ul>

The infrastructure of the cellular network allows you to locate the terminal on the base of the cell where it is located. Localization according to Cell-ID method therefore indicates the position of the base station with which the terminal is currently communicating, or the position of the station which senses response to a paging terminal when the control terminal, in Standby is not currently communicating.

The Cell-ID method can be improved particularly by using the measurement of the propagation time proportional to the distance between the base station and mobile.

The method of triangulation network is itself an implementation method implemented by the network infrastructure based on cross processing three or more measurements. Indeed, if a mobile phone depends on one cell, it generally captures the at least two other stations signal. The information can then be crossed as a function of time transmission of the signal to each cell.

It is one of the methods implemented by means of a device Location, methods called GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System or Global Positioning System, a generic term covering GPS and Galileo, among others)

A terminal may be equipped with a tracking device, typically the type GPS module, enabling its location by using a constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth.

Among the hybrid methods include A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System GPS or assisted by the network) that uses the mobile network to transmit to the terminal assistance data (data differential corrections, ephemeris and clock correction data, etc.) to greatly reduce the response time GPS conventional.

It also mentions local methods using terminals radio installed for example in public places (airports, subways, streets busy, etc.). A terminal can be connected to such terminal, including over the air (such as Bluetooth technologies or Wi-Fi) so the network have the knowledge of the position terminals, can operate the location of the device.

This local technology can also be implemented using transponder tags disposed at known locations by the network. A terminal comprising means for transmitting / receiving able to query a tag and to receive the signal emitted by the latter may for example be configured so that the labels can trigger the sending of a Message from the device to the network, knowing the location of these labels, inferred at a position of the terminal.

Returning to the description of a possible embodiment of the invention, the network 3 has thus always means (Cell-ID method, triangulation for example) for locating the terminal 1.

As part of this possible embodiment of the invention, the terminal and / or the module 2 localization control can also be equipped with a locating device (such as a GPS or A-GPS) or include implementation of local methods means location of the type mentioned above.

As seen above, the terminal location function 1 is inhibited by default, that is to say, a user application can not have access to the terminal location information (except that the user expressly authorizes the transmission of this information by example after receiving a warning message).

Of course, emergency and rescue services are for their always entitled to have access to this location information.

In general, the module 2 locating control 6 includes means managing the exchange of the said module with 2 terminal 1 of mobile telephony.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said module 2 is adapted to be mechanically attached, and optionally electrically connected at 1 terminal.

Module 2 and Terminal 1 advantageously comprises means Further ensuring mechanical attachment of the module 2 of the 1 terminal.

According to a basic embodiment of the invention, the module Location of control may well be a simple physical key that the user has just plugged into the terminal to disinhibit the function of location of the terminal.

Securing the module to the terminal is advantageously removable.

The module can thus be connected to the terminal 1 via the serial port this last.

One such module connection to the terminal serial port can also as to enable the power supply to said module 2 from the said battery terminal 1.

Said connection through the serial port allows further exchange data according to means known per se between the module and the terminal.

Of course, said module 2 can have its own power to ensure its electrical autonomy.

According to another possible embodiment of the invention, the module 2 may not have to be mechanically fastened to said terminal for the connecting said module 2 and of the terminal 1 can be realized.

The module then contain autonomous supply means.

Module 2 and Terminal 1 then have the means to exchange data between them over the air, typically as Bluetooth or WiFi technology without wire.

The module connection 2 Terminal 1 is in this case also initiated by the user, it actuates for this purpose, and as will be detailed below, switch means.

The module 2 further comprises means 8 to allow one or the provision of terminal location information to an application user, in particular in response to an information access request exit location of said user application.

Said means 8 to allow or not providing information location are more particularly suitable for disinhibiting the function location of the terminal, thereby enabling one or more applications users get the request said location information.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, .ledit module can 7 comprise means for forming a switch adapted on command Manual of the user, perform the connection module 2 to Terminal 1 so that said means 8 to allow or not the transmission of location information to one or more user applications are enabled.

Thus, the user can choose to actuate said means 7 forming switch to connect the module 2 and Terminal 1, and thus the inhibitions terminal location function (means 7 forming switch ON position).

The user may instead choose to operate said means switch so as to inhibit (or at least inhibited to retain) the terminal location function (means 7 forming switch OFF position).

According to another embodiment, the ON position is automatically activated (and the location function and uninhibited) soon in that said module and said terminal are mechanically and electrically connected (in particular whenever said module is energized by the terminal).

Disinhibition of the location function can also be performed automatically since the module and the terminal are synchronized (that is to say, when their operations are Concordance).

It is specified here that according to the different cases, connecting the module 2 to the terminal 1 may be produced by:<ul><li>simple mechanical attachment (and possible electrical connection) of the module 2 Terminal 1; </li><li>mechanical attachment (and possible electrical connection) of the module 2 terminal 1 associated with setting means 7 of the terminal forming switch in the ON position;</li><li>remote connection module 2 Terminal 1 following the implementation of means 7 of the terminal forming a switch in the ON position;</li></ul>

Specifically, the terminal can have an internal register Management providing location information which indicates whether the state the location function is inhibited (as is the case by default) or no.

The module connection 2 Terminal 1 can then cause change of state of the register so that it indicates that the function Location is uninhibited.

also be mentioned the case where the terminal comprises means software localization (default disabled), for example in the form of a Java application. The update such means of localization is then advantageously easily achieved by simply downloading a new version of said software means. In such a case, the the terminal module connection comes unlock said software means localization.

In another case, when the terminal receives a request Access to the end location information of a user application, said terminal can systematically check that the module 2 it is connected to whether the location function is uninhibited or not.

By manipulating the module 2 locating control, a user can control by itself the provision of location information to one or more user applications.

When the user wants its location information can be transmitted, it is sufficient to connect the said module 2 has its terminal.

Furthermore, the localization function thus being uninhibited, all Rental requests are accepted. This is particularly the case for repetitive applications, such as those from a support service car navigation.

However, when the user does not wish its location is known, it is sufficient to disconnect said module 2 of the terminal (by eg by uncoupling the terminal or module by putting 7 means forming a switch in the OFF position).

The user, realizing itself connecting the module to the terminal 2, thus truly master the provision of its information location. The use of the location control module allows particularly to ensure a user that is not tracked without their knowledge.

It is further noted that the location control module can be connected to any type of mobile terminal.

When the exchange between the module and the terminal are in particular made through the serial port of the terminal, it will be noted that no particular implementation is required at the level thereof.

The following describes a preferred embodiment of the invention in which a cryptographic system digital certificate type is used to encrypt the communication between the module 2 and Terminal 1.

A certificate is linked to the user of a terminal and may contain information such as, for example, the terminal serial number, the identity of the certification authority, an expiration date, type of encryption used, etc.

This certificate is to be read once when the module connection terminal (for example, during the ON position setting means 7 forming module 2 switch once said mechanically fixed modulus terminal) or consecutively to each access request to information received by the terminal and after a user application.

This certificate is recognized as valid in the terminal, the localization function can effectively be uninhibited, and the user can finally access services that require this feature.

Two identical private keys used for example to encode / decode the messages passing between Terminal 1 and Module 2. These keys are respectively on the SIM card of the terminal 1 and the module 2.

So only the module is authorized to function disinhibit and a third location so can not come to exchange messages with Terminal posing by said module. The system the invention thus has a greater level of confidentiality for the client and potential abuse of certain services are bad intentions particularly limited.

When the mobile operator of the user does not have of such private key, only one location from the network is possible. However, this can be problematic in cases of emergency calls or loss / theft of the terminal for which the operator must be able to providing the best location that can technically collect. to advantage of localization methods implemented (at least in part) using an integrated device for locating the terminal and / or to the module 2 and more accurate than those performed using the network infrastructure, it is contemplated that the operator may dispose of the said private key. The operator disinhibit can thus, in certain situations (theft / loss terminal, emergency calls), the terminal location function.

following various possible scenarios are detailed for exchanges between the different elements of the system as a way of possible embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2a is a schematic representation illustrating the exchanges between the various elements of the system of Figure 1 when the module 2 Location control is not connected to the terminal 1, or possibly when the module 2 is connected to the terminal but its 7 means forming a switch in the OFF position.

In such cases, the terminal location features are inhibited.

In a first step (step 1a), the user of the terminal 1 requires access to a service based on one or more locations and implemented 5 by a user application.

In a second step (step 2a), said application user 5 contact the user to obtain his consent to a location is performed (the terminal receiving a location request sent by said application).

The authorized or not condition the provision of location information is then determined.

In the case of this figure 2a, the localization functions being inhibited, in a third step (step 3a), the terminal transmits a end of inadmissibility at the request of the user application. The service requiring location is then rendered unavailable and during a fourth step (step 4a), unavailability of service is notified to the client.

Figures 2b and 2c are schematic representations illustrating exchanges between different elements of the system of Figure 1 when Module 2 localization control is connected to Terminal 1.

Referring to Figure 2b, exchanges are as follows when the Module 2 includes advanced location means.

By means of advanced location, generally refers to means to achieve a more accurate location than may be achieved by the network. By way of nonlimiting example, the module may thus include a GPS type location module or A-GPS.

Module 2 is connected to terminal 1, it determines if the terminal is permitted to transmit or not the location information one or more user applications.

In a first step (step 1b), the user terminal 1 is connects to a user application 5 developing a service based on a or more locations.

In a second step (step 2b), said application user 5 contact the user to obtain his consent to a location is performed (the terminal receiving a location request sent by said application).

According to the case, and as has already been mentioned above, or the location function is uninhibited because of the easy module connection 2 Terminal 1 (for example because the module mechanically attached to terminal 1, has its means switch in the ON position) or the terminal interrogates the module 2 whether the location function is uninhibited or not.

When the Location feature is actually uninhibited, the terminal 1 transmits, in a third step (step 5b), a request Module 2 question to determine if it includes advanced localization features.

In the context of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2b, the module provides a positive reply to the terminal (step 6b). The terminal transmits then the application user a positive response (step 7b) to his request location information in which is mentioned that the Module integrates well advanced localization features.

The user application then requires the terminal (step 8b) that precise location of the terminal is performed, the terminal passing this request (step 9b) audit module.

The module then sends the location of the terminal user and sends back to the user application (step 10 b) Information location of the terminal user.

The user application is then able to offer the user a location-based service (step 11 b).

Alternatively to the embodiment shown in Figure 2b, it is considered If the terminal has advanced locating means, by eg a GPS-type locator or A-GPS, while the Module 2 also includes advanced location means.

In such a case, one or other of the information location (that is to say that from the terminal, from one module or the one from the network) is transmitted to the user application, and preferably it is the information of more accurate location which is transmitted to and used by the user application.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the terminal has information on the module location capabilities (Accuracy, availability) and to its own location capabilities.

Such information may be notified by the terminal to the network and / or to the user application.

The network or the application may then choose, in particular depending on the circumstances (availability of various information to a point accuracy required by the application depending on the service offered the user) to one or the other location information.

Referring to Figure 2c, the exchanges are when neither the Module 2, or Terminal 1 will incorporate advanced location means.

In a first step (step 1c), the user terminal 1 is connects to a user application 5 developing a service based on a or more locations.

In a second step (step 2c), said application user 5 contact the user to obtain his consent to a location is achieved.

According to the case, and as has already been mentioned above, or the location function is uninhibited because of the easy module connection 2 Terminal 1 (for example because the module mechanically attached to terminal 1, further its means 7 forming switch in the ON position) or the terminal interrogates the module 2 whether the location function is uninhibited or not.

When the Location feature is actually uninhibited, the terminal can transmit, during a third step (step 5c), a Query module to determine if it integrates functions of Advanced location.

Alternatively, particularly when the module is a single key physical, when the location function is actually uninhibited, the terminal can provide directly (without module interrogation) to the application user a response to its request in which is mentioned that neither he nor the module does include functions Advanced location, location but that the network is authorized by the user.

In the context of the embodiment illustrated by Figure 2c, the module questioned (step 5c) and said module provides a negative response to terminal (12c step). The terminal then sends the application a user negative response (step 13c) at its location information request in which is mentioned that the module does not integrate functions Advanced location.

The only available location shall be those can be determined by the network. The user service application is thus provided to the user (step 11c) on the basis only of those location information determined by the network.

Alternatively to the embodiment shown in Figure 2c, it is considered the case where the terminal 1 has developed means of tracing, eg a GPS-like location module or A-GPS, while the Module 2 has no advanced location means.

In such a case, one or other of the information location (that is to say here that from the network or from one of the terminal) is transmitted to the user application, and preferably this is the most accurate location information of the two (usually that from the terminal), which is transmitted to and used by the application user.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the terminal offers information on its own location capabilities (Accuracy, availability).

Such information may be notified by the terminal to the network and / or to the user application.

The network or the application may then choose, in particular depending on the circumstances (availability of various information to a point accuracy required by the application depending on the service offered the user) to one or the other location information.

The following mentions the case of emergency calls. When a user requires emergency or rescue services, it must actually can be located, even if the localization function is inhibited.

The mobile telephony operator to which the user is subscriber has then a referencing service numbers database always entitled to emergency and relief to receive information location.

Thus, when a user requests these services, its location must be supplied to said services, and that the location control module either connected or not said terminal.

The user's location is determined at least with the localization methods implemented by the network infrastructure.

The operator must, however, be able to provide information The most accurate location it has.

That is why if the terminal incorporates a locating device is location information determined by the device which will be transmitted said emergency and rescue services.

In the same way if the location of the control module incorporates a locating device (said module being connected to e.g. but having its terminal means switch in the OFF position) However, the operator can activate the location and dispose (Possibly retaining the private key of the cryptographic system mentioned earlier) the location provided by said integrated device said module.

Finally when the terminal and the location control module each include a locating device is preferably the accuracy of information that is transmitted to said emergency services and rescue.