Location service requests throttling
A technique to allow a server such as a location server to throttle concurrent or closely timed location requests for the position of a given wireless device such that within a certain time period preferably only one location request will be initiated to the positioning engine and the remaining closely-timed location requests will be buffered or cached. When a position for the given wireless device is returned per the outstanding location request, then the retrieved position will be used to respond to each of the buffered location requests. Thus, a plurality of location requests are satisfied with a single request to the positioning engine. By optimizing the use of cached position requests, throttling of location requests per the invention reduces network traffic significantly, increases the efficiency of a positioning server (therefore reducing business cost), and provides for an improved grade or quality of location based services in general.
1. A method of throttling location requests relating to a wireless device, comprising: buffering, at a single location server, a plurality of location requests from a plurality of requesting devices all requesting location of a single wireless device, prior to requesting a last known location of said wireless device from a location server; requesting a last known location of said wireless device; and receiving said last known location of said wireless device from said location server; and
transmitting said received last known location to said plurality of requesting devices; wherein said plurality of location requests are received within 15 seconds.
2. A method of throttling location requests relating to a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said previously cached location information is an initial location of said wireless device.
3. A method of throttling location requests relating to a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said previously cached location information is transmitted to all of said plurality of requesting devices.
4. The method of throttling location requests relating to a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said single wireless device is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device.
5. A method of throttling location requests relating to a wireless device, comprising: buffering, at a single location server, a plurality of location requests from a plurality of requesting devices all requesting location of a single wireless device, prior to requesting a last known location of said wireless device from a location server: requesting a last known location of said wireless device; receiving said last known location of said wireless device from said location server: and
transmitting said received last known location to said plurality of requesting devices:
wherein said plurality of location requests are received within 15 seconds.
6. An Apparatus to throttle location requests relating to a wireless device, comprising: a location request buffer, at a location server mobile positioning center (MPC), to buffer a plurality of location requests from a plurality of requesting devices all requesting location of a single wireless device, prior to requesting a last known location of said wireless device from a location server;
a cache memory, at said location server, to provide a previously cached location information of said single wireless device to at least one of said plurality of requesting devices; and a transmitter to transmit an updated last known location to said plurality of requesting devices; wherein said plurality of location requests are received within 15 seconds.
7. The apparatus to throttle location requests according to claim 6 , wherein:
said previously cached location information is an initial location of said wireless device.
8. The apparatus to throttle location requests according to claim 6 , wherein:
said cache memory provides said previously cached location information to all of said plurality of requesting devices.
9. The apparatus to throttle location requests according to claim 6 , wherein:
said single wireless device is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device.
10. An Apparatus to throttle location requests relating to a wireless device, comprising: a location request buffer, at a location server mobile positioning center (MPC), to buffer a plurality of location requests from a plurality of requesting devices all requesting location of a single wireless device, prior to requesting a last known location of said wireless device from a location server; a cache memory, at said location server, to provide a previously cached location information of said single wireless device to at least one of said plurality of requesting devices; and a transmitter to transmit an updated last known location to said plurality of requesting devices; wherein said plurality of location requests are received within 15 seconds.