Systems and methods for locating a tracking device

• US 10,271,171 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2018
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Evans, Nicholas George, Farley, Michael George
• Primary Examiner(s): Di Prisco, German Viana
• Application Number:
  US15/947,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

The principles described herein provide methods and systems for locating a tracking device. In particular, one disclosed method includes associating a user with a tracking device, receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting a flag indicating that the tracking device is lost, receiving a location within a proximity of the tracking device from one of a plurality of mobile devices associated with a community of users, and providing the location to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating, by a tracking system using at least one processor, a user with a tracking device, the tracking system configured to store a status of the tracking device in a database, the user associated with a mobile device;

in response to receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting, by the tracking system, a flag within the database indicating that the status of the tracking device is lost;

receiving, by the tracking system, a location from a second mobile device associated with a second user in response to the second mobile device being within a threshold distance of the tracking device and receiving a signal from the tracking device, the location comprising a location of the second mobile device at the time the second mobile device receives the signal;

in response to the tracking device being flagged as lost;

generating, by the tracking system, a notification comprising an identity of the tracking device and including the received location; and

providing, by the tracking system, the generated notification to the mobile device, the mobile device configured to display the generated notification to the user; and

in response to the tracking device not being flagged as lost;

storing, by the tracking system, the received location in association with the identity of the tracking device without providing a notification including the received location to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying a message within an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying an alert within an operating system interface of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying text identifying the tracking device and displaying an indication that the tracking device has been found.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication that the tracking device is lost is sent from the mobile device in response to the user selecting an interface element corresponding to marking the tracking device as lost from an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated notification is not provided to the second mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the user with the tracking device comprises linking a user profile associated with the user with a unique identifier associated with the tracking device within the database.

8. A tracking system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, performs steps comprising;

associating, by the tracking system, a user with a tracking device, the tracking system configured to store a status of the tracking device in a database, the user associated with a mobile device;

in response to receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting, by the tracking system, a flag within the database indicating that the status of the tracking device is lost;

receiving, by the tracking system, a location from a second mobile device associated with a second user in response to the second mobile device being within a threshold distance of the tracking device and receiving a signal from the tracking device, the location comprising a location of the second mobile device at the time the second mobile device receives the signal;

in response to the tracking device being flagged as lost;

generating, by the tracking system, a notification comprising an identity of the tracking device and including the received location; and

providing, by the tracking system, the generated notification to the mobile device, the mobile device configured to display the generated notification to the user; and

in response to the tracking device not being flagged as lost;

storing, by the tracking system, the received location in association with the identity of the tracking device without providing a notification including the received location to the mobile device; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions.

9. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying a message within an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

10. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying an alert within an operating system interface of the mobile device.

11. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying text identifying the tracking device and displaying an indication that the tracking device has been found.

12. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein the indication that the tracking device is lost is sent from the mobile device in response to the user selecting an interface element corresponding to marking the tracking device as lost from an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

13. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein the generated notification is not provided to the second mobile device.

14. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein associating the user with the tracking device comprises linking a user profile associated with the user with a unique identifier associated with the tracking device within the database.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform steps comprising:

associating, by a tracking system using at least one processor, a user with a tracking device, the tracking system configured to store a status of the tracking device in a database, the user associated with a mobile device;

in response to receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting, by the tracking system, a flag within the database indicating that the status of the tracking device is lost;

receiving, by the tracking system, a location from a second mobile device associated with a second user in response to the second mobile device being within a threshold distance of the tracking device and receiving a signal from the tracking device, the location comprising a location of the second mobile device at the time the second mobile device receives the signal;

in response to the tracking device being flagged as lost;

generating, by the tracking system, a notification comprising an identity of the tracking device and including the received location; and

providing, by the tracking system, the generated notification to the mobile device, the mobile device configured to display the generated notification to the user; and

in response to the tracking device not being flagged as lost;

storing, by the tracking system, the received location in association with the identity of the tracking device without providing a notification including the received location to the mobile device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying a message within an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying an alert within an operating system interface of the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein displaying the generated notification comprises displaying text identifying the tracking device and displaying an indication that the tracking device has been found.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indication that the tracking device is lost is sent from the mobile device in response to the user selecting an interface element corresponding to marking the tracking device as lost from an interface of an application associated with the tracking device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein associating the user with the tracking device comprises linking a user profile associated with the user with a unique identifier associated with the tracking device within the database.