Providing location related information to mobile stations

Abstract

Techniques are provided which may be implemented using various methods and/or apparatuses to allow for location related information for a region of space within a structure to be divided into blocks and selectively provided in an efficient manner to a mobile station and/or a proxy device associated therewith. The mobile station may, for example, use the blocks of location related information to support signal-based position estimation and/or other like location based services.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 with a first device:
 transmitting a request for location related information (LRI) associated with at least one region of space within a structure to at least one computing device, wherein said LRI is divided into at least two blocks based, at least in part, on two or more LRI types, and each of said blocks is associated with each of a plurality of position points within said at least one region of space, and said request comprises an indication of one or more existing blocks at said first device; 
 obtaining a response from said at least one computing device, said response comprising at least one of said at least two blocks available from said at least one computing device; and 
 storing said received at least one of said at least two blocks in an LRI cache. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 with said first device:
 in response to a determination that said one or more existing blocks are stored in said LRI cache, generating a hash value for at least one of said one or more existing blocks, and wherein said indication comprises at least said hash value. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein storing said received at least one of said at least two blocks in said LRI cache further comprises:
 performing a block update by selectively replacing a corresponding one of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein storing said received at least one of said at least two blocks in said LRI cache further comprises:
 performing an eviction by selectively replacing at least one non-corresponding block of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said at least one non-corresponding block is determined based, at least in part, on at least one of: an age, a frequency of use, a size, an associated region of space, or a determination that said at least one non-corresponding block is not associated with said at least one region of space which comprises at least one transition feature associated with said structure. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one region of space is associated with at least one of: a tiled portion of a map associated with said structure, or a location context identifier (LCI). 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said LRI comprises metadata, or is associated with a location based service associated with said structure. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said LRI in a first block of said at least two blocks comprises one of: expected signal data information, connectivity graph information, routing graph information, or probability map information; and, wherein said expected signal data information is associated with at least one of: a signal strength, or a signal propagation time. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said first device comprises a mobile station, and further comprising:
 copying or transferring at least a portion of at least one block stored in said LRI cache from said mobile station to a proxy device associated with said mobile station.   
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said first device comprises a proxy device associated with a mobile station, and further comprising:
 copying or transferring at least a portion of at least one block stored in said LRI cache from said proxy device to said mobile station.   
     
     
         11 . An apparatus comprising:
 memory;   a network interface; and   one or more processing units to:
 initiate transmission of a request for location related information (LRI) associated with at least one region of space within a structure to at least one computing device via said network interface, wherein said LRI is divided into at least two blocks based, at least in part, on two or more LRI types, each of said blocks is associated with each of a plurality of position points within said at least one region of space, and said request comprises an indication of one or more existing blocks at said apparatus; 
 obtain a response from said at least one computing device via said network interface, said response comprising at least one of said at least two blocks available from said at least one computing device; and 
 initiate storage of said received at least one of said at least two blocks in an LRI cache in said memory. 
   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , said one or more processing units to further:
 in response to a determination that said one or more existing blocks are stored in said LRI cache, generate a hash value for at least one of said one or more existing blocks, and wherein said indication comprises at least said hash value.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , said one or more processing units to further:
 perform a block update by selectively initiating replacement of a corresponding one of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , said one or more processing units to further:
 perform an eviction by selectively initiating replacement of at least one non-corresponding block of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said at least one non-corresponding block is determined by said one or more processing units based, at least in part, on at least one of: an age, a frequency of use, a size, an associated region of space, or a determination that said at least one non-corresponding block is not associated with said at least one region of space which comprises at least one transition feature associated with said structure. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said at least one region of space is associated with at least one of: a tiled portion of a map associated with said structure, or a location context identifier (LCI). 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said LRI comprises metadata, or is associated with a location based service associated with said structure. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said LRI in a first block of said at least two blocks comprises one of: expected signal data information, connectivity graph information, routing graph information, or probability map information; and, wherein said expected signal data information is associated with at least one of: a signal strength, or a signal propagation time. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said apparatus comprises a mobile station, and said one or more processing units to further:
 initiate copying or transferring, via said network interface, of at least a portion of at least one block stored in said LRI cache from said mobile station to a proxy device associated with said mobile station.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said apparatus comprises a proxy device associated with a mobile station, and said one or more processing units to further:
 initiate copying or transferring, via said network interface, of at least a portion of at least one block stored in said LRI cache from said proxy device to said mobile station.   
     
     
         21 . An apparatus comprising:
 means for transmitting a request for location related information (LRI) associated with at least one region of space within a structure to at least one computing device, wherein said LRI is divided into at least two blocks based, at least in part, on two or more LRI types, each of said blocks is associated with each of a plurality of position points within said at least one region of space, and said request comprises an indication of one or more existing blocks at said apparatus;   means for obtaining a response from said at least one computing device, said response comprising at least one of said at least two blocks available from said at least one computing device; and   means for storing said received at least one of said at least two blocks in an LRI cache.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising:
 means for determining whether said one or more existing blocks are stored in said LRI cache; and   means for generating a hash value for at least one of said one or more existing blocks in response to a determination that said one or more existing blocks are stored in said LRI cache, and wherein said indication comprises at least said hash value.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising:
 means for performing a block update by selectively replacing a corresponding one of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 21 , further comprising:
 means for performing an eviction by selectively replacing at least one non-corresponding block of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 24 , wherein said at least one non-corresponding block is determined based, at least in part, on at least one of: an age, a frequency of use, a size, an associated region of space, or a determination that said at least one non-corresponding block is not associated with said at least one region of space which comprises at least one transition feature associated with said structure. 
     
     
         26 . An article comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer-implementable instructions executable by one or more processing units in a first device to:
 initiate transmission of a request for location related information (LRI) associated with at least one region of space within a structure to at least one computing device, wherein said LRI is divided into at least two blocks based, at least in part, on two or more LRI types, each of said blocks is associated with each of a plurality of position points within said at least one region of space, and said request comprises an indication of one or more existing blocks at said first device; 
 obtain a response from said at least one computing device, said response comprising at least one of said at least two blocks available from said at least one computing device; and 
 store said received at least one of said at least two blocks in an LRI cache. 
   
     
     
         27 . The article as recited in  claim 26 , said computer-implementable instructions being further executable by said one or more processing units to:
 generate a hash value for at least one of said one or more existing blocks in response to a determination that said one or more existing blocks are stored in said LRI cache, and wherein said indication comprises at least said hash value.   
     
     
         28 . The article as recited in  claim 26 , said computer-implementable instructions being further executable by said one or more processing units to:
 perform a block update by selectively replacing a corresponding one of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         29 . The article as recited in  claim 26 , said computer-implementable instructions being further executable by said one or more processing units to
 perform an eviction by selectively replacing at least one non-corresponding block of said one or more existing blocks stored in said LRI cache with said received at least one of said at least two blocks.   
     
     
         30 . The article as recited in  claim 29 , wherein said at least one non-corresponding block is determined based, at least in part, on at least one of: an age, a frequency of use, a size, an associated region of space, or a determination that said at least one non-corresponding block is not associated with said at least one region of space which comprises at least one transition feature associated with said structure.