Wireless application protocol (wap) application location based services (lbs)

Abstract

A Location Based Service (LBS) enabled Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) application operating in a microbrowser of a mobile device is given the ability to trigger a network initiated LBS request from a WAP application server. The WAP application server (or SMS gateway) acts as a proxy and issues an LBS request to a relevant LBS platform. In response, the WAP application server receives the requested location information from the LBS platform and initiates a WAP session with the mobile device using a WAP PUSH command. In this way, the WAP application running on the mobile device can act on requested and received LBS input from a network LBS platform.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) application server via a WAP session between the WAP application server and a mobile device, a mobile-triggered request for location information of the mobile device;   terminating, at the WAP application server, a WAP session with the mobile device in response to receiving the mobile-triggered request;   initiating, in response to the mobile-triggered request, a network-initiated location based service (LBS) request from the WAP application server to an LBS server for location information for the mobile device;   receiving, at the WAP application server, the location information for the mobile device from the LBS server; and   pushing, in response to receipt of the location information for the mobile device, the location information to the mobile device via a WAP PUSH command.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the location information is provided to the WAP application server via a WAP reply.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the WAP application server supports multiple simultaneous WAP sessions.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 notifying the mobile device that the WAP application server is in communication with the LBS server.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the mobile-triggered request is generated by a browser operating on the mobile device.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the mobile device is a wireless phone.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the mobile device is a laptop computer.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the mobile device is a personal digital assistant.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the network-initiated LBS request is a Mobile Location Protocol (MLP) request.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the network-initiated LBS request is a Location Enabling Server (LES) request.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the LES request triggers an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) location determination for the mobile device.   
     
     
         13 . A Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) application server comprising:
 a memory to store machine readable instructions; and   one or more processors to access the memory and execute the machine readable instructions, the machine readable instructions comprising:
 a receiver that receives a mobile-triggered request for location information for the mobile device via a given WAP session between the WAP application server and the mobile device; 
 a location requestor that sends a network-initiated location based service (LBS) request from the WAP server to an LBS server for location information of the mobile device in response to the mobile-triggered request; 
 a WAP module that provides location information received from the LBS server to the mobile device via a WAP PUSH command on another WAP session between the WAP application server and the mobile device in response to the mobile-triggered request. 
   
     
     
         14 . The WAP application server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the WAP application network server supports multiple concurrent WAP sessions.   
     
     
         15 . The WAP application server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the WAP module notifies the mobile device that contact with the LBS server has been initiated in response to the location requestor providing the network-initiated LBS request.   
     
     
         16 . The WAP application server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 a browser operating on the mobile device provides the mobile-triggered request for location information.   
     
     
         17 . The WAP application server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the mobile device is one of a wireless phone and a laptop computer.   
     
     
         18 . The WAP application server of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the network-initiated LBS request is a Mobile Location Protocol (MLP) request.   
     
     
         19 . A method comprising:
 sending, from a mobile device via a given Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) session a mobile-triggered request for location information of the mobile device; and   receiving, via a WAP PUSH over another WAP session, location information for the mobile device, wherein the location information is generated by a location-based services (LBS) server in communication with the WAP application server.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the WAP server via the given WAP session, an notification that a request for the location information has been initiated by the WAP application server to the LBS server.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the given WAP session is terminated after receipt of the notification.