Rx Networks Receives Assisted-GPS Patent For Mobile-Based Extended Ephemeris Technology

Rx Networks Inc., a leading mobile location technology company, announced it has been granted patent 7,612,712 B2 from the USPTO for Assisted-GPS technology it has developed and now uses in its GPStream™ PGPS™ and GPStream™ SAGPS™ products. The patent provides an innovative way for mobile devices to predict the future behavior of any or all GPS satellites along their orbit. This extended ephemeris technology greatly improves the availability of GPS signals in urban environments and reduces GPS startup times to mere seconds instead of a minute or longer.

Compared with current Assisted-GPS real-time standards such as 3GPP SUPL (Secure User Plane) or other chipset-proprietary and server-based extended ephemeris techniques, this unique mobile-based approach requires little or no network connectivity and is compatible with the majority of available GPS chipsets. Extended ephemeris techniques are quickly becoming a ‘must have’ for most GPS-enabled devices and for a growing number of mobile operators. Rx Networks implemented its mobile-based technique to enable a “Click’n Go” user experience over virtually any device in any network condition; GPStream PGPS is optimized for connected devices while GPStream SAGPS is for devices that have limited or no network connectivity at all.

A key benefit of the Rx Networks solution is an open, chipset-independent architecture designed for quick and easy integration, whether by Rx Networks, chipset vendors or OEM device vendors. GPStream PGPS and GPStream SAGPS solutions include interfaces tested for interoperability with most GPS chipset and module vendors including Texas Instruments, ST Microelectronics, ST Ericsson, Infineon, uBlox, Marvell, Atmel, CSR/SiRF, Atheros, Intel, and others.

“We are pleased with the strong market adoption of our technology”, said Adrian Stimpson, Senior VP Sales at Rx Networks. “We have been successfully deployed in the majority of the leading Personal Navigation Devices shipped since 2008 and are seeing our GPS acceleration solutions rapidly penetrating several other form factors including mobile phones, mobile internet devices, netbooks, laptops, asset tracking units and more.”

Mobile operators are also starting to mandate extended ephemeris technology be included in their GPS-enabled handsets, whether as an alternative or a complement to real-time standard SUPL solutions. GPStream PGPS and GPStream SAGPS both provide operator-friendly extended ephemeris options that can reduce SUPL transaction costs, and require no infrastructure changes. With a negligible 2 kilobytes per week overhead instead of 2 kilobytes per 2-hour SUPL transaction, and without any assistance delivery latency, GPStream PGPS enables GPS startup times as fast as one to two seconds, much faster than SUPL on its own. For operators looking to reduce their SUPL transaction costs or mitigate SUPL failures when users roam, GPStream PGPS is an attractive companion technology.

Since GPStream PGPS and GPStream SAGPS can be used with any GPS chipset, OEMs and mobile operators can opt for a common extended ephemeris solution across all devices to ensure a consistent user experience and simplify quality control and vendor management. GPStream PGPS and GPStream SAGPS can be licensed by OEMs or mobile operators on a per unit lifetime service basis, either directly or through Rx Networks’ growing list of GPS chipset partners.

About Rx Networks Inc.

Rx Networks is a private, venture funded mobile positioning technology company. Its GPStream™ framework of GPS acceleration solutions uniquely reduce GPS wake-up times to mere seconds while improving GPS signal lock in challenging indoor and urban environments. Its new XYBRID™ hybrid positioning engine uniquely combines Cell-ID, WiFi signals with GPS ephemeris and coarse position aiding to yield fast and ubiquitous positioning for virtually any device. Rx Networks licenses its GPStream and XYBRID solutions to location service providers, semiconductor vendors and mobile device manufacturers to help them deliver a Click'n Go!™ mobile location user experience on any mobile device.

Rx Networks enables fast location based services. Anytime. Anywhere. Even Indoors!

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Rx Networks Contact: 
Dave Cayer, VP Marketing
Telephone: 1.604.699.6163
Email: marketing@rxnetworks.ca
Web: www.rxnetworks.ca/contact.aspx

Rx Networks Inc.
Suite 250, 21 Water Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 1A1
Telephone: 1.604.685.8988
Fax: 1.604.677.5565
Web: www.rxnetworks.ca