Tracking device operation in safety-classified zone

• US 10,536,801 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2019
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: TILE, INC. (Life360 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Puppala, Arunkumar, Cheng, Liuyin, Patterson, Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US16/401,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20190261130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/05 Anti-theft or abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/01 Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 for mobile advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 : for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 : in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 : where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 : controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 : Network data management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 : between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 : between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 : between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 : selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.

Claims

1. A method for locating a tracking device, comprising:

accessing, by a central tracking system, information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary;

determining, by the central tracking system, that a user of a tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary;

determining, by the central tracking system, a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within a first geographic region associated with the first geographic boundary; and

providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in an operating mode selected based on the determined likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform steps for locating a tracking device comprising:

accessing information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary;

determining that a user of a tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary;

determining a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within a first geographic region associated with the first geographic boundary; and

providing an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in an operating mode selected based on the determined likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

15. A system for locating a tracking device, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause steps to be performed by the system comprising;

accessing information describing each of one or more geographic regions, each geographic region associated with a geographic boundary;

determining that a user of a tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary;

determining a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within a first geographic region associated with the first geographic boundary; and

providing an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in an operating mode selected based on the determined likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the operating mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the operating mode comprises a rate of power consumption selected based on the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.