Geographic tagging of network access points
First Claim
1. A method for geographically tagging a wireless network access point, the method comprising:
- determining a location of the wireless network access point;
creating a geographic code representing the location of the wireless network access point; and
broadcasting the geographic code as part of a beacon signal normally output by the wireless network access point.
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Abstract
A system for geographic tagging of network access points comprises a plurality of access points that have been configured to provide location information as part of their beacon. Each access point provides a service set identifier (SSID) that includes an encoded value that represents the location of the access point. The use of an encoded location value in the SSID of the access point is particularly advantageous because it does not require any additional hardware be added to the access point or the portable computing device. Moreover, location can be determined by any portable device without establishing a connection to the access point. The portable computing devices are adapted to receive the beacon, extract the location information from the beacon and decode the beacon. The present invention also includes a variety of methods including: a method for geographic tagging of network access points, a method for encoding a location into a geographic code, a method for decoding a geographic code into a location, a method for encoding height into a geographic code, a method for decoding height from a geographic code and a method for determining the location using a plurality of geographic codes.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for geographically tagging a wireless network access point, the method comprising:
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determining a location of the wireless network access point; creating a geographic code representing the location of the wireless network access point; and broadcasting the geographic code as part of a beacon signal normally output by the wireless network access point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for generating a geographic code for an access point, the method comprising:
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receiving location information corresponding to the access point; and creating a geographic code by encoding the location information using a compact encoding scheme. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for decoding a geographic code to produce a location, the method comprising:
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receiving a geographic code including a plurality of characters; determining a first multiplier and a second multiplier from a first character of the geographic code; determining a latitude of the location by multiplying the first multiplier with at least one of plurality of characters of the geographic code; and determining a longitude of the location by multiplying the second multiplier with at least one of the plurality of characters of the geographic code. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification