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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. Issued U.S. Patent for Enhanced Assisted GPS Location of Handsets
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS), a leading provider of mission-critical wireless communications, today announced the issuance by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of patent 7,629,926 "Culled Satellite Ephemeris Information for Quick, Accurate Assisted Locating Satellite Location Determination for Cell Site Antennas."
The patent describes a means for prioritized selection of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites for use in computing location, where GPS satellites are defined as higher-priority and lower-priority based on the dwell time that each satellite remains in a defined geometric shape.
In a conventional GPS system, data is provided to each GPS-enabled device that allows the device to keep track of where each of the relevant satellites should be located at the time a fix is to be computed. When a location is requested, the device determines which of the 24 or more GPS satellites are to be used for determining location. In the case of mobile devices equipped with GPS receivers, the time required to determine position is longer than is typically acceptable to a mobile user. This TCS invention allows a mobile subscriber's location to be determined more quickly and accurately than conventional GPS or assisted GPS (A-GPS) methods. By selecting two smaller groups of satellites ("culling"), the mobile device using this patented technology needs much less time to compute the device's latitude and longitude.
"A-GPS technology has become the preferred method to perform quick, precise location in mobile networks," said Drew Morin, chief technology officer for TCS. "With the rapid growth in the number of handset models that have A-GPS capability, along with the increasing availability of location-based applications for mobile subscribers, the speed and accuracy of determining a handset's location fix is increasingly important. TCS' enhanced A-GPS technology gives handset vendors and mobile carriers a distinct performance advantage."
This latest A-GPS patent represents the tenth in TCS' A-GPS patent portfolio.
TCS now holds 94 patents with approximately 267 applications pending.
About TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS) engineers and delivers highly reliable wireless communications technology. TCS is a leader in wireless text messaging and location-based technology, including E9-1-1 services and commercial applications like navigation that use the precise location of a wireless device, and secure satellite-based communications systems and services. Customers include leading wireless and VoIP carriers around the world, cable MSOs, automotive telematics vendors, and agencies of the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security. TCS is one of six primary vendors on a $5 billion Army Worldwide Satellite Systems Contract vehicle. For more information, visit www.telecomsys.com.
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