Gathering unique information from dispersed users

• US 10,104,452 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Todasco, Michael Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US14/273,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing information to a user are described. Multiple mobile devices can individually collect data and feed the data to beacons in a location. The information can include sound data, light data, motion data, health and wellness related data, humidity data, and/or temperature data. The beacons receive this data from multiple users and transmit it to a service provider. The service provider collects the data from the beacons and provides the data to one or more users.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more beacons associated with a geographical boundary;

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

determining that one or more mobile devices are within the geographical boundary based on a communication between the one or more beacons and the one or more mobile devices;

establishing a short-range communication channel between the one or more beacons and the one or more mobile devices;

obtaining, via the one or more beacons, an associated location information indicating a location of each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices within the geographical boundary;

using the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a first time interval, wherein the auditory information represents sound intensities;

associating the auditory information retrieved from said each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices with the associated location information corresponding to said each particular mobile device;

creating a real time auditory map based on the auditory information retrieved from the one or more mobile devices and the associated location information, wherein the real time auditory map represents the sound intensities obtained from the one or more mobile devices at different locations within the geographical boundary; and

based on analyzing the real time auditory map, determining to adjust one or more auditory characteristics of the sound intensities of the system corresponding to the geographical boundary.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more mobile devices comprise a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, adjusting the one or more auditory characteristics of the system corresponding to the geographical boundary.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditory information retrieved from said each particular mobile device further represents a pitch at the location corresponding to said each particular mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining to adjust the one or more auditory characteristics of the system corresponding to the geographical boundary comprises:

determining, based on the real time auditory map, that a sound intensity corresponding to a location within the geographical boundary is greater than a threshold intensity.

6. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

using the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, second auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a second time interval; and

updating the real time auditory map based on the second auditory information.

7. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising visually displaying the real time auditory map.

8. A method for providing information to a user, comprising:

determining that one or more mobile devices are within a geographical boundary based on a communication between one or more beacons associated with the geographical boundary and the one or more mobile devices;

instructing the one or more beacons to establish a short-range communication channel with the one or more mobile devices;

obtaining, via the one or more beacons an associated location information indicating a location of each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices within the geographical boundary;

instructing the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a first interval within the geographical boundary, wherein the auditory information represents sound intensities;

associating the auditory information retrieved from said each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices with the associated location information corresponding to said each particular mobile device;

creating a real time auditory map based on the auditory information retrieved from the one or more mobile devices and the associated location information, wherein the real time auditory map represents the sound intensities obtained from the one or more mobile devices at different locations within the geographical boundary; and

based on analyzing the real time auditory map, determining to adjust one or more auditory characteristics of the sound intensities corresponding to the geographical boundary.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more mobile devices comprise a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising adjusting the one or more auditory characteristics corresponding to the geographical boundary.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the auditory information further represents pitch information.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining to adjust the one or more auditory characteristics corresponding to the geographical boundary comprises:

determining, based on the real time auditory map, that a sound intensity corresponding to a location within the geographical boundary is less than a threshold intensity.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

instructing the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, second auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a second time interval; and

updating the real time auditory map based on the second auditory information.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

determining that one or more mobile devices are within a geographical boundary based on a communication between one or more beacons associated with the geographical boundary and the one or more mobile devices;

instructing the one or more beacons to establish a short-range communication channel with the one or more mobile devices;

obtaining, via the one or more beacons, an associated location information indicating a location of each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices within the geographical boundary;

instructing the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a first time interval within the geographical boundary, wherein the retrieved auditory information represents sound intensities;

associating the auditory information retrieved from said each particular mobile device of the one or more mobile devices with the associated location information corresponding to said each particular mobile device;

creating a real time auditory map based on the auditory information retrieved from the one or more mobile devices and the associated location information, wherein the real time auditory map represents the sound intensities obtained from the one or more mobile devices at different locations within the geographical boundary; and

based on analyzing the real time auditory map, determining to adjust one or more auditory characteristics of the sound intensities corresponding to the geographical boundary.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more mobile devices comprise a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the one or more auditory characteristics corresponding to the geographical boundary.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the auditory information retrieved from said each particular mobile device further represents a pitch at the location corresponding to said each particular mobile device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining to adjust the one or more auditory characteristics corresponding to the geographical boundary comprises:

determining, based on the real time auditory map, that a sound intensity corresponding to a location within the geographical boundary is greater than a threshold volume.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

instructing the one or more beacons to retrieve, via the established short-range communication channel, second auditory information from the one or more mobile devices during a second time interval; and

updating the real time auditory map based on the second auditory information.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise visually displaying the real time auditory map.