System and method for multi-beacon interaction and management

• US 10,009,729 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Estimote Polska Sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Estimote Polska Sp. z o.o.
• Inventors: Mycek, Marcin, Sznajder, Michal, Krukiewicz-Gacek, Grzegorz, Kostka, Lukasz, Krzych, Jakub
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US15/829,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 207 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/322 Power control of broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for multi-beacon management including: determining occurrence of a trigger event; determining a beacon to be acted upon; determining the settings to be assigned; assigning the settings to the beacon; and operating the beacon according to the settings.

Claims

1. A method for beacon setting migration, comprising:

at a first physical beacon, broadcasting a first beacon identifier according to a first set of settings;

at a second physical beacon, broadcasting a second beacon identifier according to a second set of settings;

at a remote computing system, receiving the first beacon identifier and the second beacon identifier;

at the remote computing system, retrieving the first set of settings for the first physical beacon based on the first beacon identifier;

at the remote computing system, storing the first set of settings in association with the second physical beacon;

at the remote computing system, retrieving credentials for the second physical beacon based on the second beacon identifier;

at the remote computing system, transmitting the credentials with the first set of settings for the second physical beacon to a user device, wherein the user device transmits the credentials and the first set of settings to the second physical beacon;

at the second physical beacon, verifying access for setting adjustment based on the credentials;

at the second physical beacon, receiving the first set of settings and storing the first set of settings after access verification; and

at the second physical beacon, broadcasting the first beacon identifier according to the first set of settings after receiving the first set of settings.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting the first physical beacon to default settings.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein resetting the first physical beacon to default settings comprises:

at the remote computing system, retrieving credentials for the first physical beacon based on the first beacon identifier;

establishing a connection to the first physical beacon based on the credentials, comprising;

transmitting the credentials to the first physical beacon;

at the first physical beacon, verifying access for setting adjustment based on the credentials; and

transmitting a reset instruction to the first physical beacon over the connection.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

replacing the first set of settings with the default settings at the remote computing system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the remote computing system, storing the second set of settings in association with the second physical beacon before the first beacon identifier and the second beacon identifier are received;

wherein storing the first set of settings in association with the second physical beacon at the remote computing system comprises;

replacing the second set of settings with the first set of settings after the first beacon identifier and the second beacon identifier are received at the remote computing system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at a user device, receiving the first and second beacon identifiers;

at the user device, receiving a user selection of a migration icon at the user device after receiving the first and second beacon identifiers at the user device; and

at the user device, transmitting a migration instruction, the first beacon identifier, and the second beacon identifier to the remote computing system in response to receipt of the user selection.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the first physical beacon as a beacon to be replicated; and

identifying the second physical beacon as a migration recipient.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, at a user device proximal the first and second physical beacons:

receiving the first and second beacon identifiers from the first and second physical beacons, respectively;

transmitting the first beacon identifier and the second beacon identifier to the remote computing system;

receiving the first set of settings for the second physical beacon from the remote computing system; and

transmitting the first set of settings to the second physical beacon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the first physical beacon as the beacon to be replicated comprises receiving the first beacon identifier at the user device before detecting a trigger event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the trigger event comprises selection of a setting transfer icon at the user device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the second physical beacon as a migration recipient comprises receiving the second beacon identifier at the user device after detecting the trigger event.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second identifiers are broadcast by a first and second short-range wireless radio of the first and second physical beacons, respectively.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second short-range wireless radios each comprise a Bluetooth radio.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the remote computing system:

receiving a user account identifier with the first and second beacon identifiers, wherein the user account identifier is associated with the user device; and

transmitting the first set of settings to the user device after verification that the user account identifier is associated with the second physical beacon, wherein the user device transmits the first set of settings to the second physical beacon.