METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR USE IN DETERMINING THAT A MOBILE STATION IS AT ONE OR MORE PARTICULAR INDOOR REGIONS

1 . A method comprising, at a repository device:

receiving a request for preliminary positioning assistance data for an indoor region from a mobile station, said request for said preliminary positioning assistance data being indicative of an identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

transmitting said preliminary positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said preliminary positioning assistance data comprising at least a portion of an access point locator for said indoor region.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising, at said repository device:

receiving a request for positioning assistance data for said indoor region from said mobile station; and

transmitting said positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said positioning assistance data comprising encoded metadata corresponding to at least one of an electronic map for said indoor region, or said access point locator for said first indoor region.

3 . The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein at least one of: said preliminary positioning assistance data, or said positioning assistance data is transmitted to said mobile station using a web service.

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising, at said repository device:

receiving a message from said mobile station, said message being indicative of a signal characteristic measurement for a signal received by said mobile station from a transmitter identified in at least a portion of said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

determining that said mobile station is at said indoor region based, at least in part, on said signal characteristic measurement.

5 . The method as recited in claim 4 , and further comprising, at said repository device:

transmitting a response message to said mobile station, the response message being indicative that said mobile station is at said indoor region.

6 . The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein said response message to said mobile station comprises a location context identifier (LCI) for said indoor region.

7 . The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein said response message to said mobile station comprises said positioning assistance data for said indoor region.

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data was obtained by said mobile station from a directory device.

9 . The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of said encoded metadata was obtained from a directory device.

10 . An apparatus for use in a repository device, the apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining a request for preliminary positioning assistance data for an indoor region from a mobile station, said request for said preliminary positioning assistance data being indicative of an identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

means for transmitting said preliminary positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said preliminary positioning assistance data comprising at least a portion of an access point locator for said indoor region.

11 . The apparatus as recited in claim 10 , and further comprising:

means for obtaining a request for positioning assistance data for said indoor region from said mobile station; and

means for transmitting said positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said positioning assistance data comprising encoded metadata corresponding to at least one of an electronic map for said indoor region, or said access point locator for said first indoor region.

12 . The apparatus as recited in claim 11 , wherein at least one of: said means for transmitting said preliminary positioning assistance data, or said means for transmitting said positioning assistance data comprises a web service.

13 . The apparatus as recited in claim 10 , and further comprising:

means for obtaining a message from said mobile station, said message being indicative of a signal characteristic measurement for a signal received by said mobile station from a transmitter identified in at least a portion of said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

means for determining that said mobile station is at said indoor region based, at least in part, on said signal characteristic measurement.

14 . The apparatus as recited in claim 13 , and further comprising:

means for transmitting a response message to said mobile station, the response message being indicative that said mobile station is at said indoor region.

15 . The apparatus as recited in claim 14 , wherein said response message to said mobile station comprises said positioning assistance data for said indoor region.

16 . The apparatus as recited in claim 10 , wherein said identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data was obtained by said mobile station from a directory device.

17 . The apparatus as recited in claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of said encoded metadata was obtained from a directory device.

18 . A computing platform at a repository device, the computing platform comprising:

a network interface; and

a processing unit to:

obtain a request for preliminary positioning assistance data for an indoor region from a mobile station via said network interface, said request for said preliminary positioning assistance data being indicative of a identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

initiate transmission of said preliminary positioning assistance data to said mobile station via said network interface, said preliminary positioning assistance data comprising at least a portion of an access point locator for said indoor region.

19 . The computing platform as recited in claim 18 , said processing unit to further:

obtain a request for positioning assistance data for said indoor region from said mobile station via said network interface; and

initiate transmission of said positioning assistance data to said mobile station via said network interface, said positioning assistance data comprising encoded metadata corresponding to at least one of an electronic map for said indoor region, or said access point locator for said first indoor region.

20 . The computing platform as recited in claim 19 , wherein at least one of: said preliminary positioning assistance data, or said positioning assistance data is transmitted to said mobile station via said network interface using a web service.

21 . The computing platform as recited in claim 18 , said processing unit to further:

obtain a message from said mobile station via said network interface, said message being indicative of a signal characteristic measurement for a signal received by said mobile station from a transmitter identified in at least a portion of said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

determine that said mobile station is at said indoor region based, at least in part, on said signal characteristic measurement.

22 . The computing platform as recited in claim 21 , said processing unit to further:

initiate transmission of a response message to said mobile station via said network interface, the response message being indicative that said mobile station is at said indoor region.

23 . The computing platform as recited in claim 22 , wherein said response message to said mobile station comprises said positioning assistance data for said indoor region.

24 . The computing platform as recited in claim 18 , wherein said identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data was obtained by said mobile station from a directory device.

25 . An article comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer implementable instructions that are executable by a special purpose computing platform at a repository device to:

obtain a request for preliminary positioning assistance data for an indoor region from a mobile station via said network interface, said request for said preliminary positioning assistance data being indicative of a identifier for said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

initiate transmission of said preliminary positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said preliminary positioning assistance data comprising at least a portion of an access point locator for said indoor region.

26 . The article as recited in claim 25 , said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said special purpose computing platform to:

obtain a request for positioning assistance data for said indoor region from said mobile station via said network interface; and

initiate transmission of said positioning assistance data to said mobile station, said positioning assistance data comprising encoded metadata corresponding to at least one of an electronic map for said indoor region, or said access point locator for said first indoor region.

27 . The article as recited in claim 26 , wherein at least one of: said preliminary positioning assistance data, or said positioning assistance data is transmitted to said mobile station using a web service.

28 . The article as recited in claim 25 , said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said special purpose computing platform to:

obtain a message from said mobile station via said network interface, said message being indicative of a signal characteristic measurement for a signal received by said mobile station from a transmitter identified in at least a portion of said preliminary positioning assistance data; and

determine that said mobile station is at said indoor region based, at least in part, on said signal characteristic measurement.

29 . The article as recited in claim 28 , said computer implementable instructions being further executable by said special purpose computing platform to:

initiate transmission of a response message to said mobile station via said network interface, the response message being indicative that said mobile station is at said indoor region.

30 . The article as recited in claim 29 , wherein said response message to said mobile station comprises said positioning assistance data for said indoor region.