Method and apparatus for local positioning/tracking system using wireless access points

• US 20030144009A1
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nowlin, Dan
• Application Number:
  US10/059,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20030144009A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for local positioning/tracking system using wireless access points is described. In one embodiment, a system is presented. The system includes a first logic block to ping a server. The system also includes a second logic block to receive a locale from the server. The system further includes a third logic block to display the locale.

In an alternate embodiment, a method is presented. The method includes receiving a ping through a wireless network. The method also includes sending data to a server. The method further includes receiving locale information and conveying the locale information to a user. The information may be conveyed by displaying the information for example.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

Receiving a ping through a wireless network;

Sending data to a server;

Receiving locale information;

And

Conveying the locale information to a user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

Receiving direction information;

And

Conveying the direction information to the user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

Calculating direction information; and

Conveying the direction information to the user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

Initiating a communications protocol; and

Adjusting power output responsive to the communications protocol.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

Receiving direction information;

And

Conveying the direction information to the user.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

Calculating direction information; and

Conveying the direction information to the user.

7. A method comprising:

pinging a remote device through a wireless network;

receiving a response from the remote device;

determining a locale of the remote device based on receiving the response of the remote device; and

sending the locale in a locale information data to the remote device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

Determining the locale includes determining which antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network received the response.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

Receiving the response from the remote device includes receiving the response through multiple antennas of the plurality of antennas;

Requesting a power output adjustment from the remote device;

And receiving a second response through a single antenna of the plurality of antennas.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein:

Determining the locale includes matching a first antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network to a physical location of the first antenna, the first antenna having received the response of the remote device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein:

Determining the locale includes matching a first antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network to a physical location of the first antenna, the first antenna being the single antenna.

12. A system comprising:

a processor;

a control hub coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the control hub;

an i/o hub coupled to the control hub;

a wireless network interface coupled to the i/o hub;

wherein the processor to;

ping a remote device through a wireless network, the wireless network coupled to the wireless network interface;

receive a response from the remote device;

determine a locale of the remote device based on receiving the response of the remote device; and

send the locale as locale information data to the remote device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor further to:

Receive the response from the remote device through multiple antennas of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network;

Request a power output adjustment from the remote device;

And receive a second response through a single antenna of the plurality of antennas.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor further to:

Receive the response from the remote device through multiple antennas of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network;

Repeatedly request a power output adjustment from the remote device until a second response is received through a single antenna of the plurality of antennas.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the processor to:

match a first antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network to a physical location of the first antenna to determine a locale of the remote device, the first antenna having received the second response of the remote device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor to:

Lookup the first antenna in a lookup table in the memory and determine the physical location of the first antenna from a corresponding physical location found in the lookup table.

17. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, the instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

Receiving a ping through a wireless network;

Sending data to a server;

Receiving locale information;

And

Conveying the locale information to a user.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 further embodying instructions, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform the method further comprising:

Receiving direction information;

And

Conveying the direction information to the user.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 further embodying instructions, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform the method further comprising:

Calculating direction information; and

Conveying the direction information to the user.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for pinging a remote device through a wireless network;

means for receiving a response from the remote device;

means for determining a locale of the remote device based on receiving the response of the remote device; and

means for sending the locale as locale information data to the remote device, the means for sending, the means for receiving and the means for pinging all using the wireless network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

the means for receiving the response from the remote device further for receiving the response through multiple antennas of the plurality of antennas;

means for requesting a power output adjustment from the remote device;

And the means for receiving a response further for receiving a second response through a single antenna of the plurality of antennas.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:

the means for determining the locale for matching a first antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless network to a physical location of the first antenna, the first antenna having received the response of the remote device.

23. A system comprising:

a first logic block to ping a server;

a second logic block to receive a locale from the server; and

a third logic block to display the locale.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

A fourth logic block to receive a direction from the server; and

A fifth logic block to display the direction.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

A fourth logic block to calculate a direction based on the locale; and

A fifth logic block to display the direction.