Computing distances of devices

• US 10,560,808 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Post, Daniel Jeffrey, Chatterjee, Shuvo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dinh
• Application Number:
  US15/909,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for ranking devices based on a distance from a merchant device. One of the methods includes displaying, in a point-of-sale system, a listing of buyers located proximate to the point-of-sale system, the buyers having indicated using their mobile devices a desire to pursue a financial transaction in association with the point-of-sale system. The point-of-sale system determines relative distances of the mobile devices of the buyers with respect to the point-of-sale system and arranges the displayed listing in the point-of-sale system based at least in part on the determined relative distances.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying, by a device, mobile devices in proximity of the device;

determining, by the device, relative distances of the mobile devices from the device by;

identifying a location of a first mobile device from among the mobile devices;

determining a first distance between the device and the first mobile device based on the location of the first mobile device; and

measuring corresponding multi-directional signal strengths between the first mobile device and each additional mobile device, the corresponding multi-directional signal strengths including a first signal strength of a first signal emitted by the first mobile device and received by the corresponding additional mobile device in a first direction and a second signal strength of a second signal emitted by the corresponding additional mobile device and received by the first mobile device in a second direction that is different from the first direction;

determining a first candidate location and a second candidate location for each additional device based on the corresponding multi-directional signal strengths; and

determining a corresponding distance between the device and each additional mobile device based on a corresponding first candidate location and a corresponding second candidate location to yield the relative distances;

assigning a weight to each of the relative distances based on a measure of signal strength variability of a corresponding one of the multi-directional signal strengths to yield weighted relative distances; and

ranking the mobile devices based on the weighted relative distances to yield a ranked list of mobile devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the corresponding distance, for each additional mobile device, based on the corresponding first candidate location and the corresponding second candidate location comprises:

determining a first candidate distance between the device and the corresponding additional mobile device based on the corresponding first candidate location;

determining a second candidate distance between the device and the corresponding mobile device based on the corresponding second candidate location; and

determining a weighted average of the first candidate distance and the second candidate distance as the corresponding distance between the device and the corresponding additional mobile device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the ranked list of mobile devices on a display of the device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

servicing each of the mobile devices according to the ranked list of mobile devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein

the device is a point of sale device, and

servicing comprises conducting a transaction with each of the mobile devices.

6. A device comprising:

memory having computer-readable instructions stored therein; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to;

identify nearby devices;

determine relative distances of the nearby devices from the device by;

identifying a location to a first nearby device from among the nearby devices;

determining a first distance between the device and the first nearby device based on the location of the first nearby device; and

measuring corresponding multi-directional signal strengths between the first nearby device and each additional nearby device, the corresponding multi-directional signal strengths including a first signal strength of a first signal emitted by the first nearby device and received by the corresponding additional nearby device in a first direction and a second signal strength of a second signal emitted by the corresponding additional nearby device and received by the first nearby device in a second direction that is different from the first direction;

determining a first candidate location and a second candidate location for each additional device based on the corresponding multi-directional signal strengths; and

determining a corresponding distance between the device and each additional mobile device based on a corresponding first candidate location and a corresponding second candidate location to yield the relative distances;

assign a weight to each of the relative distances based on a measure of signal strength variability of a corresponding one of the multi-directional signal strengths to yield weighted relative distances; and

rank the nearby devices based on the weighted relative distances to yield a ranked list of nearby devices.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to determine the corresponding distance, for each additional nearby device, based on the corresponding first candidate location and the corresponding second candidate location comprises:

determining a first candidate distance between the device and the corresponding additional nearby device based on the corresponding first candidate location;

determining a second candidate distance between the device and the corresponding nearby device based on the corresponding second candidate location; and

determining a weighted average of the first candidate distance and the second candidate distance as the corresponding distance between the device and the corresponding additional nearby device.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to display:

the ranked list of nearby devices on a display of the device.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to service:

each of the nearby devices according to the ranked list of nearby devices.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein

the device is a point of sale device, and

servicing comprises conducting a transaction with each of the nearby devices.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors of a first device, configure the first device to:

determine a location of a second device;

determine a distance of the second device from the first device based on the location of the second device;

determine at least two possible locations of a third device from the first device based on the location of the second device and multi-directional signal strengths between the second device and the third device, the multi-directional signal strengths including a first signal strength of a first signal emitted by the second device and received by the third device in a first direction and a second signal strength of a second signal emitted by the third device and received by the second device in a second direction that is different from the first direction;

determine a distance of the third device from the first device based on the at least two possible locations of the third device;

assign a weight to each of the relative distances based on a measure of signal strength variability of a corresponding one of the multi-directional signal strengths to yield weighted relative distances; and

rank the second device and third device based on the weighted distances of the second device and the third device from the first device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by the one or more processors, further configure first device to determine the distance of the third device from the first device by:

determining a first candidate distance of the third device from the first device based on a first possible location of the at least two possible locations;

determining a second candidate distance of the third device from the first device based on a second possible location of the at least two possible locations; and

determining a weighted average of a first candidate distance and the second candidate distance as the distance of the third device from the first device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first device is a point of sale device and each of the second device and the third device is a customer device configured to enable conducting a transaction between a merchant associated with the point of sale device and a respective customer associated with each of the second device and the third device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by the one or more processors, further configure first device to display the second device and the third device on a display associated with the point of sale device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by the one or more processors, further configure first device to:

receive an indication that the customer associated with the second device has completed a purchase at the point of sale device; and

rearrange the displayed of the second device and the third device to eliminate the second device from being displayed on the display associated with the point of sale device.