NETWORK SERVICES DEPENDENT UPON GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTRAINTS

摘要

A method and system arc disclosed for determining the geographic location of a user communicating on a communications network such as the Internet. In one embodiment, a provider of a product or service: (a) receives the user's phone number (or other identification for contacting the user's station), and (b) supplies the user's station with a distinctive identifier. The provider then supplies a location determining service with the user's phone number (or other identification). A phone call is made to the phone number by the location determining service for retrieving the distinctive identifier from the network station having the phone number. If the distinctive identifier is retrieved and the location determining service determines that the user's station is within an appropriate geographical area (or not within an inappropriate area), then the provider can provide the requested product or service to the user.

主权项

1. A method for determining the location of a user by locating a network station residing with the user for providing network communications, comprising performing the following steps (a) through (f) at a time when the location is desired,
wherein one or more networks are accessed by the network station from a plurality of different locations, wherein at least one of the different locations is used to determine whether at least one network service is available to the network station via a connection to at least one networks; (a) receiving, via a first network communication from the network station, first identification information for identifying the user or the network station; (b) subsequently transmitting, via a second network communication, second identification information to the network station for storing thereon and distinctively identifying the user or the network station; (c) subsequently receiving, from the network station via a third network communication, the second identification information at a predetermined network site; (d) using the received second identification information to identify the first identification information; (e) subsequently transmitting, via a fourth network communication, a request for determining a location of the network station when the first identification information is identified, wherein the request is determined using a first approximate location of the network station; (f) receiving, in response to the request, a fifth network communication for providing a more precise location of the user than the first approximate location to a predetermined network site; and selecting a wireless location provider using the first approximate location, wherein the wireless location provider is then activated for determining the more precise location, the wireless location provider determining the more precise location using one of: global positioning location technology, a wireless signal time difference of arrival location technology, a wireless signal angle of arrival location technology, and a wireless signal multipath pattern matching location technology; wherein a destination of the request is determined using the first approximate location, wherein the network station includes a cellular wireless device for communicating on the Internet while the steps a-f are performed; and determining the request according to a coverage area of a location determining service having the first approximate location, wherein the network station includes a cellular wireless device for communicating on the Internet.