Beacon-Based Geofencing

• US 20130203445A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Grainger, Morgan, Mayor, Robert, Huang, Ronald K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile device can monitor a current location using a multi-tier approach. A baseband subsystem can monitor a coarse location of the mobile device using various course location parameters, such as a mobile country code (MCC), a location area code (LAC), or a cell identifier (cell ID), as the mobile device moves closer to the geographic region. Upon determining that the mobile device is in a cell that intersects the geographic region, the baseband subsystem can transfer the monitoring to the application subsystem. The task can be performed when the application subsystem determines that the mobile device is currently located in the geographic region. A beacon network can provide more accurate estimates of mobile device location and advertise location based services available to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining a geofence using a network of one or more beacons, wherein each beacon is a communication device configured to provide a signal detectable by a baseband subsystem of a mobile device located within a communication range of the respective beacon, defining the geofence including;

associating the network with a geographic region, wherein the signal from at least one beacon in the network is detectable by a mobile device located in the geographic region;

designating an encompassment of the geographic region as the geofence; and

associating a task with the geofence as a location based service;

advertising the geofence, including broadcasting, by each beacon in the network, an identification signal indicating that the beacon is a component of the network;

determining that the mobile device has entered the geofence when the mobile device is in communication with at least one beacon in the network; and

upon determining that the mobile device has entered the advertised geofence, triggering the mobile device to perform the task,

wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon is a short range radio frequency beacon.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the geographic region is located in an environment where signals of a global positioning system (GPS) are unavailable for location determination by the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal of each beacon includes an identifier of the corresponding beacon and a location of the corresponding beacon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein advertising the geofence comprises providing, to the mobile device and by a beacon in the network that made a first contact with the mobile device, an identifier of each beacon in the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein advertising the geofence comprises advertising the location based service.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence when the mobile device is no longer in communication with any beacon in the network; and

causing the mobile device to transfer location monitoring to an application subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

defining a geofence using a network of one or more beacons, wherein each beacon is a communication device configured to provide a signal detectable by a baseband subsystem of a mobile device located within a communication range of the respective beacon, defining the geofence including;

associating the network with a geographic region, wherein the signal from at least one beacon in the network is detectable by a mobile device located in the geographic region;

designating an encompassment of the geographic region as the geofence; and

associating a task with the geofence as a location based service;

advertising the geofence, including broadcasting, by each beacon in the network, an identification signal indicating that the beacon is a component of the network;

determining that the mobile device has entered the geofence when the mobile device is in communication with at least one beacon in the network; and

upon determining that the mobile device has entered the advertised geofence, triggering the mobile device to perform the task.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the beacon is a short range radio frequency beacon.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the geographic region is located in an environment where signals of a global positioning system (GPS) are unavailable for location determination by the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the signal of each beacon includes an identifier of the corresponding beacon and a location of the corresponding beacon.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein advertising the geofence comprises providing, to the mobile device and by a beacon in the network that made a first contact with the mobile device, an identifier of each beacon in the network.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein advertising the geofence comprises advertising the location based service.

14. The system of claim 8, the operations comprising:

determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence when the mobile device is no longer in communication with any beacon in the network; and

causing the mobile device to transfer location monitoring to an application subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

defining a geofence using a network of one or more beacons, wherein each beacon is a communication device configured to provide a signal detectable by a baseband subsystem of a mobile device located within a communication range of the respective beacon, defining the geofence including;

associating the network with a geographic region, wherein the signal from at least one beacon in the network is detectable by a mobile device located in the geographic region;

designating an encompassment of the geographic region as the geofence; and

associating a task with the geofence as a location based service;

advertising the geofence, including broadcasting, by each beacon in the network, an identification signal indicating that the beacon is a component of the network;

determining that the mobile device has entered the geofence when the mobile device is in communication with at least one beacon in the network; and

upon determining that the mobile device has entered the advertised geofence, triggering the mobile device to perform the task,

wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the beacon is a short range radio frequency beacon.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the geographic region is located in an environment where signals of a global positioning system (GPS) are unavailable for location determination by the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the signal of each beacon includes an identifier of the corresponding beacon and a location of the corresponding beacon.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein advertising the geofence comprises providing, to the mobile device and by a beacon in the network that made a first contact with the mobile device, an identifier of each beacon in the network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein advertising the geofence comprises advertising the location based service.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising:

determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence when the mobile device is no longer in communication with any beacon in the network; and

causing the mobile device to transfer location monitoring to an application subsystem of the mobile device upon determining that the mobile device has exited the advertised geofence.