Systems and Methods for Determining Mobile Thing (MT) Identification and/or MT Motion Activity Using Sensor Data of Wireless Communication Device (WCD)

• US 20140188638A1
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Big Will Enterprises Inc.
• Original Assignee: Martin Kelly Jones
• Inventors: Jones, Martin Kelly, Horstemeyer, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/14 by making use of gyroscopes gyroscopes per se G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 : for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed for accurately identifying a mobile thing (MT), a mobile thing motion activity (MTMA) associated with the MT, or both, using sensor data from one or more sensors, such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, etc., associated with a wireless communication device (WCD) transported by the MT, so as to enable or initiate a further one or more intelligent MT-identity-based and/or MTMA-based actions.

Claims

1. A method for use in connection with a wireless communication device (WCD) transported by a mobile thing (MT), comprising:

providing sensor data with one or more sensors associated with the WCD, the sensor data indicative of physical movement of the WCD in three dimensional space and including data sets comprising three movement values and a time value, each of the three movement values indicative of physical movement of the WCD relative to a respective axis in a three dimensional (3D) coordinate system at the time value; and

determining an identification of the MT that is transporting the WCD based at least in part upon the sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises:

comparing the sensor data or derivative thereof with one or more MT reference signatures in a database;

determining a confidence value indicative of an extent of correspondence of the sensor data or derivative thereof to an MT reference signature; and

determining the identification based at least in part upon the confidence value and a predefined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an MT reference signature that identifies the MT;

producing a current data signature with the sensor data;

comparing the current data signature with the stored MT reference signature; and

determining that the MT is no longer transporting the WCD based at least in part upon the comparing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes data from an accelerometer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sensor data further includes data from a gryroscope.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a mathematical relationship between different data sets to enable analysis of the different data sets in the 3D coordinate system; and

determining the identification based at least in part upon the analysis of the different data sets in the 3D coordinate system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the relationship is defined with a mathematical rotation matrix that translates the data sets into the 3D coordinate system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing one or more statistical characteristics of the sensor data in the time domain, frequency domain, or both, in order to establish the identification.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the MT is a human being user, and further comprising, based at least in part upon the identification, determining whether or not the user is authorized to use a financial account sought to be used in connection with a financial transaction at a point of sale (POS) device involving a purchase a good and/or service.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

causing the financial transaction to be permitted when the user is authorized; and

causing the financial transaction at the POS device to be prevented when the user is not authorized.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the sensor data or derivative thereof to a remote computer system; and

determining the identification at the remote computer system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a media file; and

associating metadata with the media file that is indicative of the identification of the MT.

13. A wireless communication device (WCD) transported by a mobile thing (MT), comprising:

one or more sensors associated with the WCD designed to produce sensor data, the sensor data indicative of physical movement of the WCD in three dimensional space and including data sets comprising three movement values and a time value, each of the three movement values indicative of physical movement of the WCD relative to a respective axis in a three dimensional (3D) coordinate system at the time value;

one or more memories for storing computer program code; and

one or more processors for executing the computer program code, the computer program code comprising code designed to determine an identification of the MT that is transporting the WCD based at least in part upon the sensor data.

14. The WCD of claim 13, wherein the computer program code is further designed to communicate the sensor data or derivative thereof to a remote computer system and to receive the identification from the remote computer system.

15. A computer system that can communicate with a wireless communication device (WCD) transported by a mobile thing (MT), comprising:

one or more memories for storing computer program code; and

one or more processors for executing the computer program code, the computer program code comprising code designed to;

receive MT data from the WCD, the MT data derived from sensor data produced by one or more sensors associated with the WCD, the sensor data indicative of physical movement of the WCD in three dimensional space and including data sets comprising three movement values and a time value, each of the three movement values indicative of physical movement of the WCD relative to a respective axis in a three dimensional (3D) coordinate system at the time value;

determine an identification of the MT that is transporting the WCD based at least in part upon the MT data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the MT data includes the sensor data.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the code designed to determine further comprises:

code designed to compare the MT data with one or more MT reference signatures in a database; and

code designed to determine the identification based at least in part upon the comparing.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the code designed to determine further comprises code designed to determine that a transition has occurred from a previous MT to the MT.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the MT is a human being user, and wherein the computer code further comprises:

code that, based at least in part upon the identification, determines whether or not the user is authorized to use a financial account sought to be used in connection with a financial transaction at a point of sale (POS) device involving a purchase a good and/or service;

code that causes the financial transaction to be permitted when the user is authorized; and

code that causes the financial transaction at the POS device to be prevented when the user is not authorized.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer code further comprises:

code that receives a media file from the WCD;

code that stores the media file; and

code that stores metadata with the media file that is indicative of the identification of the MT.