Tracking device location identification

• US 10,219,107 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2018
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Leveque, Pierre-Marie, Patterson, Wayne, Puppala, Arunkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US15/897,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20180242102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A last known location of a tracking device can be determined by using location information received at a tracking system. A disconnection event is received at the tracking system indicating that a tracking device has disconnected from a mobile device. In response, the tracking system can generate a last known location for the tracking device. Other relevant location updates, such as recent locations of the mobile device or locations of other mobile devices that connect to the tracking device are collected and associated with the disconnection event. Based on the location updates, a last known location of the tracking device can be computed and stored.

Claims

1. A method for determining a last known location of a tracking device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a tracking server from a first mobile device, a disconnection event indicating that a first tracking device has disconnected from the first mobile device, the disconnection event comprising an identifier of the first tracking device, a location of the first mobile device when the first tracking device disconnects from the first mobile device, and a first timestamp representative of a time of the disconnection;

receiving, by the tracking server, a plurality of location updates from one or more mobile devices of a plurality of mobile devices other than the first mobile device, each location update in response to a corresponding mobile device detecting the first tracking device and comprising a location of the corresponding mobile device when the corresponding mobile device detected the tracking device, a measure of accuracy of the location, the identifier of the first tracking device, and a timestamp representative of a time of the detection;

selecting, by the tracking server, one or more location updates of the plurality of location updates based at least in part on the timestamp of the disconnection event and the timestamps of the one or more location updates;

determining, based on the selected location updates and the disconnection event, a last known location for the first tracking device; and

storing, by the tracking system, the last known location in association with the first tracking device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more location updates of the plurality of location updates comprises:

selecting, from the plurality of location updates, location updates including timestamps within a threshold amount of time of the first timestamp.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a last known location for the first tracking device comprises:

combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location for the first tracking device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event comprises weighting one or more of the locations of each selected location update by the corresponding measure of accuracy of the location.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event comprising performing a triangulation operation on the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location of the first tracking device.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event comprises computing an updated location for a selected location update based on a difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp, and wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based at least in part of the updated location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the updated location for a selected location update is computed based additionally on the measure of accuracy of the selected location update.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based on an average location of the disconnection event and, for each selected location update, the location of the selected location update weighted by the measure of accuracy of the selected location updated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based on an average of the location of the disconnection event and, for each selected location update, the location of the selected location update weighted by an amount of time difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the tracking server from the first mobile device, a request for the last known location for the first tracking device; and

providing, by the tracking server to the first mobile device, the last known location for the first tracking device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first mobile device is configured to modify a map interface displayed by the first mobile device to display the last known location for the first tracking device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first mobile device is configured to modify a map interface displayed by the first mobile device to display the last known location for the first tracking device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based on an average of the location of the disconnection event and, for each selected location update, the location of the selected location update weighted by an amount of time difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the tracking server from the first mobile device, a request for the last known location for the first tracking device; and

providing, by the tracking server to the first mobile device, the last known location for the first tracking device.

15. A method for determining a last known location of a tracking device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a tracking server from a first mobile device, a disconnection event indicating that a first tracking device has disconnected from the first mobile device, the disconnection event comprising an identifier of the first tracking device, a location of the first mobile device when the first tracking device disconnects from the first mobile device, and a first timestamp representative of a time of the disconnection;

receiving, by the tracking server, one or more location updates from the first mobile device, each location update comprising a location of the first mobile device and a timestamp representative of a time after the time of the disconnection;

selecting, by the tracking server, one or more of the location updates based at least in part on the timestamp of the disconnection event and the timestamps of the one or more location updates;

determining, based on the selected location updates and the disconnection event, a last known location for the first tracking device; and

storing, by the tracking system, the last known location in association with the first tracking device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein selecting one or more location updates comprises:

selecting, from the one or more location updates, location updates including timestamps within a threshold amount of time of the first timestamp.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining a last known location for the first tracking device comprises:

combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location for the first tracking device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event comprising performing a triangulation operation on the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location of the first tracking device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein combining the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event comprises computing an updated location for a selected location update based on a difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp, and wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based at least in part of the updated location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein an updated location is computed for each selected location update, and wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based on each updated location.