Real-time location smart speaker notification system

• US 10,511,930 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centrak Incorporated (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Centrak Incorporated (Halma PLC)
• Inventors: Annamalai, Karuppiah
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil H
• Application Number:
  US15/912,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20190274003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/22 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A system and methods for presenting a notification for playback at a smart speaker device including a real-time location (RTL) server, a portable device configured to transmit an output signal including a portable device ID representative of the portable device to the RTL server, a notification server configured to communicate with the RTL server, where the notification server is configured to associate the notification with the portable device ID, and at least one of generate, store, distribute, cue and present for playback the notification based on the portable device ID on the smart speaker device associated with a location. The RTL server is configured to determine the location and an identity of the portable device based on receiving the output signal including the portable device ID, and the notification server is configured to cue the associated notification for playback at the smart speaker device based on the determined location of the portable device.

Claims

1. A system for presenting a notification for playback at a smart speaker device, the system comprising:

a real-time location (RTL) server configured to communicate with a backbone network;

a base station configured to transmit a signal including an identifier of the base station to a portable device, the portable device configured to transmit an output signal including a portable device ID representative of the portable device to at least one radio frequency network access point (RF-NAP);

wherein the output signal of the portable device includes the identifier of the base station combined with the portable device ID, defining a combined ID signal; and

wherein the at least one RF-NAP communicates via the backbone network to the RTL server and a notification server;

the notification server configured to associate the notification with the portable device ID, and at least one of generate, store, distribute, cue and present for playback the notification based on the portable device ID; and

a smart speaker device configured to communicate with the base station and the RF-NAP to receive communication from the notification server, the smart speaker device is associated with a location,

wherein the RTL server is configured to determine the location and an identity of the portable device based on receiving the combined ID signal from the portable device, and

wherein the notification server is configured to cue the associated notification for playback at the smart speaker device based on the determined location of the portable device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a general-type notification configured to present for playback on the smart speaker device at the RTL server-determined location of the portable device when the general-type notification is one of generated or the location of the portable device is determined to be coincident with the location of the smart speaker device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a sensitive-type notification configured to present for playback on the smart speaker device at the RTL server-determined location of the portable device only when no other portable device is determined to be at the associated location of the smart speaker device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the notification comprises an announcement-type notification configured to present for playback on the smart speaker device at the RTL server-determined location of the portable device when a second portable device is determined to enter the same RTL server-determined location as the portable device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the notification comprises a reminder-type notification configured to present for playback on the smart speaker device at the RTL server-determined location of the portable device when one of

the notification server determines the reminder-type notification is associated with a particular scheduled event associated with the portable device, or

the RTL server-determined location of the portable device is coincident with a predetermined location associated with the particular scheduled event.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further comprises an actuation trigger configured to, when activated by a user, cause the notification server to identify the portable device to the RTL server and present the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further comprises an actuation trigger configured to, when activated by a user, cause the notification server to identify the portable device to the RTL server and pause or stop playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further comprises an actuation trigger configured to, when activated by a user, cause the notification server to identify the portable device to the RTL server and skip playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable device further comprises an actuation trigger configured to, when activated by a user, cause the notification server to identify the portable device to the RTL server and resume playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

24. The smart speaker according to claim 1, wherein the smart speaker communicates with the radio frequency network access point (RF-NAP) to provide communication with the notification server.

10. A method for transmitting a notification to a smart speaker device based on identifying a portable device ID and a portable device location of a portable device, the method comprising:

determining, at a real-time location (RTL) server, a location and an identity of the portable device based on receiving an output signal from the portable device at the RTL server, wherein;

(a) the output signal of the portable device includes a signal from a base station including an identifier of the base station combined with the portable device ID, defining a combined ID signal;

(b) the RTL is configured to communicate with a backbone network;

(c) the portable device transmits the output signal to at least one radio frequency network access port (RF-NAP), and wherein the at least one RF-NAP communicates via the backbone network to the RTL server and a notification server;

associating, at the notification server, a notification corresponding to the portable device based on the determined identity of the portable device;

determining, at the notification server, a notification playback location corresponding to the determined location of the portable device; and

cueing for playback the associated notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the notification server, a second notification after the RTL server has determined the location and identify of the portable device;

associating the second notification corresponding to the portable device based on the determined identity of the portable device; and

cueing for playback the corresponding second notification at the smart speaker device proximate the determined location of the portable device.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining, at the real-time location (RTL) server, no output signal being received from the portable device; and

suspending playback of the associated notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting, at the portable device, a second output signal including the portable device ID representative of the portable device;

determining, at the real-time location (RTL) server, a second location and the identity of the portable device based on receiving the second output signal from the portable device;

determining, at the notification server, a second notification playback location corresponding to the determined second location of the portable device; and

cueing for playback the associated notification at a second smart speaker device proximate the second notification playback location.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining, at the notification server, that the notification is designated for immediate playback on the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location;

playing back the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location; and

actuating a trigger on the portable device to cause the notification server to at least one of

pause or to stop playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location,

skip playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location, or

resume playback of the notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining, at the notification server, the notification is designated for immediate playback on the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location when the notification is associated with a scheduled event associated with the portable device.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining, at the notification server, the notification is designated for immediate playback on the smart speaker device when the RTL server-determined location of the portable device is coincident with a predetermined location associated with a particular scheduled event.

17. A method for transmitting a notification to a smart speaker device based on identifying a portable device ID and a portable device location of a portable device, the method comprising:

determining, at a real-time location (RTL) server, a location and an identity of each of a plurality of portable devices based on receiving output signals from the plurality of portable devices, wherein;

(a) the output signal of the each portable device includes a signal from a base station including an identifier of the base station combined with the portable device ID, defining a combined ID signal;

(b) the RTL is configured to communicate with a backbone network;

(c) each portable device transmits the output signal, respectively, to at least one radio frequency network access port (RF-NAP), and wherein the at least one RF-NAP communicates via the backbone network to the RTL server and a notification server;

associating, at the notification server, a notification corresponding to at least one of the plurality of portable devices based on the determined identity of the at least one of the plurality of portable devices;

determining, at the notification server, a notification playback location corresponding to the determined location of the plurality of portable devices; and

cueing for playback the associated notification at the smart speaker device proximate the determined notification playback location.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, at the notification server, a second notification after the RTL server has determined the location and identity of each of the plurality of portable devices;

associating the second notification corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of portable devices based on the determined identity of each of the plurality of portable devices; and

cueing for playback the corresponding second notification at the smart speaker device proximate the determined notification playback location.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining, at the real-time location (RTL) server, no output signal being received from the at least one of the plurality of portable devices; and

suspending playback of the associated notification at the smart speaker device proximate the determined notification playback location.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting, from one of the plurality of portable devices, a second output signal including the portable device ID representative of the one of the plurality of portable devices;

determining, at the real-time location (RTL) server, a second location and the identity of the one of the plurality of portable devices based on receiving the second output signal from the one of the plurality of portable devices;

determining, at the notification server, a second notification playback location corresponding to the determined second location of the one of the plurality of portable devices; and

cueing for playback the associated notification at a second smart speaker device proximate the determined second notification playback location.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining, at the notification server, that the notification is designated for playback on the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location only when no other portable devices other than the at least one of the plurality of portable devices is proximate the notification playback location; and

one of pausing or stopping playback of the corresponding notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location based on determining the at least one of the plurality of portable devices being proximate another of the plurality of portable devices based on the determined location of the at least one of the plurality of portable devices.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining, at the notification server, that the notification is designated for playback on the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location when another of the plurality other portable devices other than the at least one of the plurality of portable devices is proximate the notification playback location; and

presenting playback of the corresponding notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location based on determining the at least one of the plurality of portable devices being proximate the another of the plurality of portable devices based on the determined location of the at least one of the plurality of portable devices.

23. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining, at the notification server, that the notification is designated for playback on the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location

when another of the plurality other portable devices in addition to the at least one of the plurality of portable devices is proximate the notification playback location, and

when the notification is associated with a scheduled event associated with the one of the portable devices; and

presenting playback of the corresponding notification at the smart speaker device proximate the notification playback location based on determining the at least one of the plurality of portable devices being proximate the another of the plurality of portable devices based on the determined location of the at least one of the plurality of portable devices and the notification is associated with the scheduled event associated with the at least one of the plurality of portable devices.

25. A system for presenting a notification for playback at a smart speaker device, the system comprising:

a real-time location (RTL) server configured to communicate with a backbone network;

a first base station configured to transmit a first signal including an identifier of the first base station;

a portable device configured to;

(a) receive the first signal,

(b) generate a second signal that includes the identifier of the first base station and a device ID of the portable device, and

(c) transmit the second signal;

a second base station configured to receive the second signal and transmit the second signal to the RTL server;

a notification server, wherein the notification server is configured to communicate with the backbone network, and configured to associate the notification with the portable device ID, and configured to at least one of generate, store, distribute, cue and present for playback the notification based on the portable device ID; and

a smart speaker device configured to receive communication originating from the notification server, wherein the smart speaker device is associated with a location,

wherein the RTL server is configured to determine the location and an identity of the portable device, and wherein the notification server is configured to cue the associated notification for playback at the smart speaker device based on the determined location of the portable device.