Systems and methods for converting an electronic device into a tracking device

• US 10,257,642 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bentley Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blyncsy, Inc.
• Inventors: Pittman, Mark Eric, Brown, Patrick Barry, Vines, Jack, Sacharny, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US15/910,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20180255423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/30 Wind power

Abstract

One embodiment may include a method of converting an electronic device into a tracking device that is part of a system of tracking devices distributed throughout a geographic area to track signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area. The method may include providing an electronic device, the electronic device positioned in the geographic area; communicatively coupling a converter with the electronic device, wherein the converter has a memory device with location tracking software stored thereon; and uploading the tracking software from the converter to the electronic device so as to convert the electronic device into a converted tracking device having the tracking software, wherein the converted tracking device becomes part of the system of tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area to track the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area.

Claims

1. A method of converting an electronic device into a tracking device that is part of a system of tracking devices distributed throughout a geographic area to track signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area, the method comprising:

providing an electronic device, the electronic device positioned in the geographic area;

communicatively coupling a converter with the electronic device, wherein the converter has a memory device with location tracking software stored thereon;

uploading the tracking software from the converter to the electronic device so as to convert the electronic device into a converted tracking device having the tracking software, wherein the converted tracking device becomes part of the system of tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area to track the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area;

receiving, at the converted tracking device, unique identifiers corresponding to at least one of the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area, at least one of the unique identifiers having been previously received by at least one of the tracking devices of the system prior to being received at the converted tracking device, and the receipt of the unique identifier being indicative of a proximity of the converted tracking device to the signal emitting devices based on a range of signals upon which the unique identifier is received; and

tracking, by the system of tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area, the translocation of the signal emitting devices as the signal emitting devices travel through the geographic area based at least in part on the unique identifiers received at the converted tracking device and the proximity of the converted tracking device to the signal emitting devices determined by the range of the signals upon which the unique identifier is received at the converted tracking device from the signal emitting devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the translocation of the signal emitting devices is further tracked based on unique identifiers received at the other tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area and the proximity of the other tracking devices to the signal emitting devices determined by the range of the signals upon which unique identifiers are received at the other tracking devices from the signal emitting devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the converter is positioned outside of the geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the electronic device for components capable of functioning as a converted tracking device prior to uploading the tracking software.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicatively coupling the converted tracking device to a network and communicatively coupling the converted tracking device to a tracker server computing system via the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a non-tracking device before receiving the tracker software.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device does not have at least some tracking capabilities of the tracking software before the tracking software is uploaded to the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is devoid of tracker software and incapable of performing a tracking functionality before the tracking software is uploaded to the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the converted tracking device was a router, repeater, or other electronic device prior to having the tracking software.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the signal emitting devices (SEDs), comprising:

operating the converted tracking device;

detecting an SED signal with the converted tracking device;

acquiring SED data from the SED signal with the converted tracking device; and

transmitting the acquired SED data or portion thereof from the converted tracking device to a tracker server computing system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing SED data or portion thereof on a memory device of the converted tracking device;

analyzing the SED data with the converted tracking device or the tracker server computing system; and

modifying the SED data with the converted tracking device by the converted tracking device or the tracker server computing system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifiers are consistent unique identifiers that do not change over time and do not include a telephone number or an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number.

13. A tracking system comprising:

a plurality of signal emitting devices located in a geographic area;

a plurality of tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area to track the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area; and

at least one converted tracking device positioned in the geographic area, the converted tracking device being an electronic device that has been converted by uploading tracking software from a converter to the electronic device so as to convert the electronic device into a converted tracking device having the tracking software, wherein;

the converted tracking device becomes part of the tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area to track the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area; and

the converted tracking device is configured to;

receive unique identifiers corresponding to at least one of the signal emitting devices travelling through the geographic area, at least one of the unique identifiers having been previously received by at least one of the tracking devices of the system prior to being received at the converted tracking device, and the receipt of the unique identifier being indicative of a proximity of the converted tracking device to the signal emitting devices based on a range of signals upon which the unique identifier is received; and

the system is configured to track, using the tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area and the converted tracking device, the translocation of the signal emitting devices as the signal emitting devices travel through the geographic area based at least in part on the unique identifiers received at the converted tracking device and the proximity of the converted tracking device to the signal emitting devices determined by the range of the signals upon which the unique identifier is received at the converted tracking device from the signal emitting devices.

14. The tracking system of claim 13, wherein the translocation of the signal emitting devices is further tracked based on unique identifiers received at the other tracking devices distributed throughout the geographic area and the proximity of the other tracking devices to the signal emitting devices determined by the range of the signals upon which unique identifiers are received at the other tracking devices from the signal emitting devices.

15. The tracking system of claim 13, further comprising the converter, wherein the converter is positioned outside of the geographic area.

16. The tracking system of claim 13, further comprising a network communicatively coupled to the converted tracking device and the tracking devices.

17. The tracking system of claim 16, further comprising a tracker server computing system communicatively coupled to the converted tracking device and the tracking devices via the network.

18. The tracking system of claim 17, wherein the tracker server computing system is communicatively coupled to the signal emitting devices via the network.

19. The tracking system of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is a non-tracking device before receiving the tracker software.

20. The tracking system of claim 13, wherein the electronic device does not have at least some tracking capabilities of the tracking software before the tracking software is uploaded to the electronic device.