Methods and apparatuses for use in providing navigation assistance data to mobile stations

1. A method for use in a network comprising a positioning assistance server and a map server, an access point server or a point of interest server or any combination thereof, the method comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

obtaining metadata for at least a portion of at least one indoor region corresponding to an electronic map or an access point locator, or any combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of the metadata is obtained from the map server or the access point server or the point of interest server, or any combination thereof;

receiving a request for navigation assistance data for the at least one indoor region from a mobile station; and

transmitting at least a portion of the navigation assistance data to the mobile station, the navigation assistance data comprising the metadata and further comprising a portion of the electronic map corresponding to the metadata or the access point locator corresponding to the metadata, or any combination thereof,

wherein at least a portion of the metadata is for use by the mobile station in a positioning function, a navigation function or a location based service function, or any combination thereof, and

wherein the metadata comprises electronic map information or access point information or point of interest information, or any combination thereof, useful in navigation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the metadata is encoded metadata, and wherein the at least a portion of the metadata has been encrypted by the map server or by the access point server or by the point of interest server, or by any combination thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the obtaining the metadata further comprises, at the positioning assistance server:

establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the mobile station is a first mobile station, the method further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

obtaining additional metadata for the at least one indoor region from a crowd-sourcing device,

wherein the establishing the at least a portion of the encoded metadata further comprises establishing the at least a portion of the encoded metadata based, at least in part, on at least a portion of the additional metadata, and

wherein the additional metadata comprises other electronic map information or other access point information or other point of interest information, or any combination thereof based, at least in part, on information obtained by the crowd-sourcing device from at least one mobile station other than the first mobile station.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the encoded metadata is established, at least in part, prior to receiving the request for navigation assistance data.

6. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the at least a portion of the encoded metadata is established, at least in part, in response to the request for navigation assistance data.

7. The method as recited in claim 2 , and further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

establishing the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof, based, at least in part, on at least one venue diagram for the at least one indoor region.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

encrypting the metadata to create encoded metadata,

wherein the at least a portion of the navigation assistance data transmitted to the mobile station comprises the encoded metadata, and

wherein the at least a portion of the metadata that is for use by the mobile station in the positioning function, the navigation function or the location based service function, or any combination thereof, is the encoded metadata.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the obtaining the metadata further comprises, at the positioning assistance server:

establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the mobile station is a first mobile station, the method further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

obtaining additional metadata for the at least one indoor region from a crowd-sourcing device,

wherein the establishing the at least a portion of the encoded metadata further comprises establishing the at least a portion of the encoded metadata based, at least in part, on at least a portion of the additional metadata, and

wherein the additional metadata comprises other electronic map information or other access point information or other point of interest information, or any combination thereof based, at least in part, on information obtained by the crowd-sourcing device from at least one mobile station other than the first mobile station.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the encoded metadata is established, at least in part, prior to receiving the request for navigation assistance data.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the encoded metadata is established, at least in part, in response to the request for navigation assistance data.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 , and further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

establishing the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof, based, at least in part, on at least one venue diagram for the at least one indoor region.

14. A device for use in a positioning assistance server and for use in a network comprising the positioning assistance server and a map server, an access point server or a point of interest server or any combination thereof, the device comprising:

means for obtaining metadata for at least a portion of at least one indoor region corresponding to an electronic map or an access point locator, or any combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of the metadata is obtained from the map server or the access point server or the point of interest server, or any combination thereof;

means for receiving a request for navigation assistance data for the at least one indoor region from a mobile station; and

means for transmitting at least a portion of the navigation assistance data to the mobile station, the navigation assistance data comprising the metadata and further comprising a portion of the electronic map corresponding to the metadata or the access point locator corresponding to the metadata, or any combination thereof,

wherein at least a portion of the metadata is for use by the mobile station in a positioning function, a navigation function or a location based service function, or any combination thereof, and

wherein the metadata comprises electronic map information or access point information or point of interest information, or any combination thereof, useful in navigation.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the metadata is encoded metadata, and wherein the at least a portion of the metadata has been encrypted by the map server or by the access point server or by the point of interest server, or by any combination thereof.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the means for obtaining the metadata further comprises, at the positioning assistance server:

means for establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

17. The device of claim 14 further comprising, at the positioning assistance server:

means for encrypting the metadata to create encoded metadata,

wherein the at least a portion of the navigation assistance data transmitted to the mobile station comprises the encoded metadata, and

wherein the at least a portion of the metadata that is for use by the mobile station in the positioning function, the navigation function or the location based service function, or any combination thereof, is the encoded metadata.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the means for obtaining the metadata further comprises, at the positioning assistance server:

means for establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

19. A positioning assistance server for use in a network comprising the positioning assistance server and a map server, an access point server or a point of interest server or any combination thereof, the positioning assistance server comprising:

a network interface; and

one or more processors configured to:

obtain metadata for at least a portion of at least one indoor region corresponding to an electronic map or an access point locator, or any combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of the metadata is obtained from the map server or the access point server or the point of interest server, or any combination thereof;

receive a request for navigation assistance data for the at least one indoor region from a mobile station; and

transmit at least a portion of the navigation assistance data to the mobile station, the navigation assistance data comprising the metadata and further comprising a portion of the electronic map corresponding to the metadata or the access point locator corresponding to the metadata, or any combination thereof,

wherein at least a portion of the metadata is for use by the mobile station in a positioning function, a navigation function or a location based service function, or any combination thereof, and

wherein the metadata comprises electronic map information or access point information or point of interest information, or any combination thereof, useful in navigation.

20. The positioning assistance server of claim 19 wherein the metadata is encoded metadata, and wherein the at least a portion of the metadata has been encrypted by the map server or by the access point server or by the point of interest server, or by any combination thereof.

21. The positioning assistance server of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain the metadata by establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for at least the portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

22. The positioning assistance server of claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

encrypt the metadata to create encoded metadata,

wherein the at least a portion of the navigation assistance data transmitted to the mobile station comprises the encoded metadata, and

wherein the at least a portion of the metadata that is for use by the mobile station in the positioning function, the navigation function or the location based service function, or any combination thereof, is the encoded metadata.

23. The positioning assistance server of claim 22 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain the metadata by establishing at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

24. A non-transitory storage medium for use with a network comprising a positioning assistance server and a map server, an access point server or a point of interest server, or any combination thereof, the non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable code, stored thereon, which is executable by a special purpose computing apparatus in the positioning assistance server, comprising:

code to obtain metadata for at least a portion of at least one indoor region corresponding to an electronic map or an access point locator, or any combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of the metadata is obtained from the map server or the access point server or the point of interest server, or any combination thereof;

code to receive a request for navigation assistance data for the at least one indoor region from a mobile station; and

code to transmit at least a portion of the navigation assistance data to the mobile station, the navigation assistance data comprising the metadata and further comprising a portion of the electronic map corresponding to the metadata or the access point locator corresponding to the metadata, or any combination thereof,

wherein at least a portion of the metadata is for use by the mobile station in a positioning function, a navigation function or a location based service function, or any combination thereof, and

wherein the metadata comprises electronic map information or access point information or point of interest information, or any combination thereof, useful in navigation.

25. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 24 wherein the metadata is encoded metadata, and wherein the at least a portion of the metadata has been encrypted by the map server or by the access point server or by the point of interest server, or by any combination thereof.

26. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 25 , wherein the code to obtain the metadata includes code to establish at least a portion of the encoded metadata for at least the portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.

27. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 24 , further comprising:

code to encrypt the metadata to create encoded metadata,

wherein the at least a portion of the navigation assistance data transmitted to the mobile station comprises the encoded metadata, and

wherein the at least the portion of the metadata that is for use by the mobile station in the positioning function, the navigation function or the location based service function, or any combination thereof, is the encoded metadata.

28. The non-transitory storage medium as recited in claim 27 , wherein the code to obtain the metadata includes code to establish at least a portion of the encoded metadata for the at least a portion of the at least one indoor region based, at least in part, on the electronic map or the access point locator, or any combination thereof.