SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING A PROXIMITY OF A PERSONAL ITEM AND AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNING SAFE AND UNSAFE ZONES

• US 20140266698A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Grokop, Leonard Henry, Hall, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,824,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring the proximity of a personal item are provided. Systems and methods as provided herein allow a computing device to monitor the proximity of a personal item by generating an alert when wireless communications between the computing device and the personal item are lost in an unsafe zone to remind a user of the computing device about the personal item in an attempt to prevent leaving the personal item in the unsafe zone, where it may be susceptible to theft or loss. The provided systems and methods also automatically assign safe zones by analyzing clusters of location data points obtained by the computing device over time to determine a home location and an office location, assigning the home location and the office location as safe zones, and assigning all other locations as unsafe. A user may further manually designate locations as safe zones.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring a proximity of a personal item, comprising:

one or more wireless transceivers configured to communicate wirelessly with the personal item;

a location sensor configured to determine a location of the device;

memory, the memory storing the determined location; and

one or more processors configured to;

cluster determined locations into location clusters;

automatically assign safe zones based on the location clusters; and

generate an alert when the wireless communications with the personal item are lost and the device is not in a safe zone.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceivers are configured to communicate wirelessly with the personal item using a wireless communications protocol that has a predetermined range such that when the personal item and the device are separated by a distance greater than the predetermined range the wireless communications between the personal item and the device are lost.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the location sensor comprises at least one of a global positioning systems (GPS) sensor and a wireless network fingerprint sensor.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the location clusters comprise one or more macro locations clusters of GPS sensor readings and one or more micro location clusters of wireless network fingerprint readings within one or more of the macro location clusters.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to automatically assign safe zones based on a time in which the device is in a first macro location cluster for a most amount of time at a particular time of day.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to automatically assign safe zones based on a time in which the device is in a second macro location cluster for a second most amount of time during a day.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to automatically assign safe zones based on a particular micro location cluster within the second macro location cluster in which the device is in for a greatest amount of time among all micro location clusters within the second macro location cluster.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate an alert that allows a user of the device to enter a response to the alert, the one or more processors being further configured to take greatest amount of time actions based on the response.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the actions comprise at least one of:

generate a reminder alert after a predetermined amount of time;

generate a reminder alert when the device leaves a geofence area;

ignore the alert;

and assign the zone as being a safe zone.

10. A method for monitoring proximity of a personal item, comprising:

establishing, by wireless transceivers of a computing device, wireless communications with the personal item;

automatically assigning, by one or more processors of the computing device safe zones based on clustered locations in which the computing device has been;

monitoring the wireless communications with the personal item; and

when the wireless communications with the personal item are lost, determining a location and generating an alert when the determined location is not a safe zone.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein establishing wireless communications with the personal item comprises establishing wireless communications using wireless communications protocol that has a predetermined range such that when the personal item and the computing device are separated by a distance greater than the predetermined range the wireless communications between the personal item and the computing device are lost.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically assigning safe zones comprises:

determining a home location cluster;

determining a work location cluster;

determining an office location cluster; and

assigning the home location cluster and the office location cluster as safe zones.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a home location cluster comprises determining a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the computing device is in for a greatest amount of time at a particular time of day.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a work location cluster comprises determining a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the computing device spends a second greatest amount of time during a day.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining an office location cluster comprises determining a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster in which the computing device is spends a greatest amount of time during a day.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein generating an alert comprises generating an alert that includes options for allowing a user of the computing device to schedule a reminder alert to be generated after a predetermined amount of time or when the computing device is determined to have left a geofence area.

17. A method, comprising:

determining, by one or more processors of a computing device, a home location cluster;

determining, by the one or more processors, a work location cluster;

determining, by the one or more processors, an office location cluster within the work location cluster;

assigning the home location cluster and the office location cluster as safe zones; and

generating an alert when wireless communications between the computing device and a personal item are lost and the computing device is not located in a safe zone.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining a home location cluster comprises determining a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the computing device is in for a greatest amount of time at a particular time of day.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining a work location cluster comprises determining a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the computing device spends a second greatest amount of time during a day.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining an office location cluster comprises determining a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster in which the computing device spends a greatest amount of time during a day.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein determining an office location cluster comprises determining a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster that the computing device most frequently enters first after the computing device enters the determined work location cluster.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein determining an office location cluster comprises determining a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster that the computing device most frequently leaves before the computing device leaves the determined work location cluster.

23. A system for monitoring proximity of a personal item, comprising:

means for determining a home location cluster;

means for determining a work location cluster;

means for determining an office location cluster within the work location cluster;

means for assigning the home location cluster and the office location cluster as safe zones; and

means for generating an alert when wireless communications between the system and the personal item are lost and the system is not located in a safe zone.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for determining a home location cluster is configured to determine a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the system is in for a greatest amount of time at a particular time of day.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for determining a work location cluster is configured to determine a latitude and longitude data point cluster in which the computing device spends a second greatest amount of time during a day.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for determining an office location cluster is configured to determine a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster in which the computing device spends a greatest amount of time during a day.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for determining an office location cluster is configured to determine a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster that the system most frequently enters first after the system enters the determined work location cluster.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for determining an office location cluster is configured to determine a wireless network fingerprint data cluster within the determined work location cluster that the computing device most frequently leaves before the computing device leaves the determined work location cluster.

29. A computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, comprising:

determining a home location cluster;

determining a work location cluster;

determining an office location cluster within the work location cluster;

assigning the home location cluster and the office location cluster as safe zones; and

generating an alert when wireless communications between the computing device and a personal item are lost and the computing device is not located in a safe zone.