Systems and methods for determining device location using wireless data and other geographical location data

• US 10,085,122 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Howe, Justin, MacNair, Bruce William
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US15/632,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20170295470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 4554562, 4554563, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for determining device location of a user device within a venue using a wireless positioning system is provided. The method includes identifying a plurality of signal sample sets, wherein each signal sample set includes a sample location within the venue and one or more wireless signal strengths of associated wireless access points positioned at the venue, wherein the sample location is determined based on location data associated with a corresponding payment card transaction within the venue. The method also includes receiving a subject wireless signal strength sample of the wireless access points captured by the user device at an unidentified location within the venue. The method further includes determining a subject location of the user device based on the plurality of signal sample sets and the one or more subject wireless signal strength samples, and providing the subject location of the user device within the venue.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining device location of a user device within an indoor venue, the method implemented using a wireless positioning system including a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of signal sample sets, wherein each signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets includes a respective sample location within the indoor venue and one or more wireless signal strengths of associated wireless access points positioned at the indoor venue, wherein each signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets is generated by;

receiving notification of a payment card transaction of a cardholder conducted at a point-of-sale (POS) device at the indoor venue, the notification identifying a sample location of the POS device and a time of the payment card transaction;

querying a plurality of wireless access points in respective positions near the location of the POS device for an interrogation signal strength of an interrogation signal generated at a cardholder device associated with the cardholder at the time of the payment card transaction;

building a signal strength sample set representing the respective interrogation signal strengths at each wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points; and

associating the signal strength sample set with the sample location of the POS device;

receiving one or more subject wireless signal strength samples of the wireless access points captured by the user device at an unidentified location within the indoor venue;

determining, by the processor, a subject location of the user device within the indoor venue based at least in part on the plurality of signal sample sets and the one or more subject wireless signal strength samples; and

providing the subject location of the user device within the indoor venue.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a device ID of the cardholder device, wherein querying a plurality of wireless access points comprises providing the device ID to the plurality of wireless access points in a query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying a device ID of the cardholder device comprises matching a personal account number (PAN) of a payment account of the cardholder used to conduct the payment card transaction with the device ID of the cardholder device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying a device ID of the cardholder device comprises:

generating a geotemporal fingerprint associated with the cardholder based upon a plurality of payment card transaction conducted by the cardholder;

identifying the cardholder device based upon the geotemporal fingerprint; and

determining the device ID of the identified cardholder device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein querying a plurality of wireless access points comprises querying a hub in communication with the plurality of wireless access points and configured to collect signal strength data from the plurality of wireless access points.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating the plurality of signal samples sets in a batch by querying the hub for a respective interrogation signal strength of a respective interrogation signal generated at a respective cardholder device at a respective time for a plurality of payment card transactions conducted within an interval of time at the POS device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the subject location of the user device within the indoor venue comprises displaying the subject location of the user device using a map application on the user device.

8. A wireless positioning system for determining device location of a user device within an indoor venue, said wireless positioning system comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, said wireless positioning system programmed to:

generating a plurality of signal sample sets, wherein each signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets includes a respective sample location within the indoor venue and one or more wireless signal strengths of associated wireless access points positioned at the indoor venue, wherein to generate the signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets, said wireless positioning system is programmed to;

receive notification of a payment card transaction of a cardholder conducted at a point-of-sale (POS) device at the indoor venue, the notification identifying a sample location of the POS device and a time of the payment card transaction;

query a plurality of wireless access points in respective positions near the location of the POS device for an interrogation signal strength of an interrogation signal generated at a cardholder device associated with the cardholder at the time of the payment card transaction;

build a signal strength sample set representing the respective interrogation signal strengths at each wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points; and

associate the signal strength sample set with the sample location of the POS device;

receive one or more subject wireless signal strength samples of the wireless access points captured by the user device at an unidentified location within the indoor venue;

determine a subject location of the user device within the indoor venue based at least in part on the plurality of signal sample sets and the one or more subject wireless signal strength samples; and

provide the subject location of the user device within the indoor venue.

9. The wireless positioning system of claim 8, said wireless positioning system further programmed to:

identify a device ID of the cardholder device; and

query the plurality of wireless access points by providing the device ID to the plurality of wireless access points in a query.

10. The wireless positioning system of claim 9, said wireless positioning system further programmed to match a personal account number (PAN) of a payment account of the cardholder used to conduct the payment card transaction with the device ID of the cardholder device.

11. The wireless positioning system of claim 9, said wireless positioning system further programmed to:

generate a geotemporal fingerprint associated with the cardholder based upon a plurality of payment card transaction conducted by the cardholder;

identify the cardholder device based upon the geotemporal fingerprint; and

determine the device ID of the identified cardholder device.

12. The wireless positioning system of claim 8, said wireless positioning system further programmed to query the plurality of wireless access points by querying a hub in communication with the plurality of wireless access points and configured to collect signal strength data from the plurality of wireless access points.

13. The wireless positioning system of claim 12, said wireless positioning system further programmed to generate the plurality of signal samples sets in a batch by querying the hub for a respective interrogation signal strength of a respective interrogation signal generated at a respective cardholder device at a respective time for a plurality of payment card transactions conducted within an interval of time at the POS device.

14. The wireless positioning system of claim 12, said wireless positioning system further programmed to display the subject location of the user device using a map application on the user device.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

generating a plurality of signal sample sets, wherein each signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets includes a respective sample location within an indoor venue and one or more wireless signal strengths of associated wireless access points positioned at the indoor venue, wherein to generate the signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to;

receive notification of a payment card transaction of a cardholder conducted at a point-of-sale (POS) device at the indoor venue, the notification identifying a sample location of the POS device and a time of the payment card transaction;

query a plurality of wireless access points in respective positions near the location of the POS device for an interrogation signal strength of an interrogation signal generated at a cardholder device associated with the cardholder at the time of the payment card transaction;

build a signal strength sample set representing the respective interrogation signal strengths at each wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points; and

associate the signal strength sample set with the sample location of the POS device;

receive one or more subject wireless signal strength samples of the wireless access points captured by a user device at an unidentified location within the indoor venue;

determine a subject location of the user device within the indoor venue based at least in part on the plurality of signal sample sets and the one or more subject wireless signal strength samples; and

provide the subject location of the user device within the indoor venue.

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

identify a device ID of the cardholder device; and

query the plurality of wireless access points by providing the device ID to the plurality of wireless access points in a query.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to match a personal account number (PAN) of a payment account of the cardholder used to conduct the payment card transaction with the device ID of the cardholder device.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

generate a geotemporal fingerprint associated with the cardholder based upon a plurality of payment card transaction conducted by the cardholder;

identify the cardholder device based upon the geotemporal fingerprint; and

determine the device ID of the identified cardholder device.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to query the plurality of wireless access points by querying a hub in communication with the plurality of wireless access points and configured to collect signal strength data from the plurality of wireless access points.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to display the subject location of the user device using a map application on the user device.

21. A wireless positioning system for determining device location of a user device within an indoor venue, said wireless positioning system comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, said wireless positioning system programmed to:

generate a plurality of signal sample sets, wherein each signal sample set of the plurality of signal sample sets includes a respective sample location within the indoor venue associated with a payment card transaction conducted by a user within the indoor venue, wherein each signal sample set further includes one or more interrogation signal strengths of interrogation signals generated by a user computing device associated with the user at a time of the respective payment transaction and received at a plurality of wireless access points positioned at the indoor venue, the interrogation signal strengths associated with the respective sample location within the indoor venue;

receive one or more subject wireless signal strength samples of the wireless access points captured by the user device at an unidentified location within the indoor venue;

determine a subject location of the user device within the indoor venue based at least in part on the plurality of signal sample sets and the one or more subject wireless signal strength samples; and

provide the subject location of the user device within the indoor venue.