As an alternative or add-on to satellite-based positioning systems, positioning systems in which a present position of a terminal is estimated based on an identification of one or more coverage areas a terminal is currently associated with and a database that stores Position Information (PI) for a plurality of coverage areas have gained recent interest. A terminal may for instance be associated with a coverage area if it is able to “hear” signals sent by an entity (such as for instance abase station of a cellular communication system or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP)) that provides said coverage area. The PI for the one or more coverage areas associated with the terminal may then be retrieved from the database and combined to determine a position estimate for the terminal.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds