METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING DEVICES

• US 20150289207A1
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: KUBO, Kiyo, FARINA, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,591,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Described herein are systems, methods and computer program products for controlling operation of wireless beacons, such as Bluetooth Low Energy beacons. Multiple beacons may be controlled centrally or may work together in a cooperative fashion such that related advertisement signals are transmitted by each beacon in a cooperative fashion to allow, for example, long-term indoor tracking of mobile devices in standby, locked, or sleep modes or with applications in background or non-execution states.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

determining, by a wireless beacon, a synchronized advertisement order, wherein the synchronized advertisement order identifies a sequence for transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets, wherein the synchronized advertisement order is associated with concurrent wireless advertisement packet transmissions by multiple wireless beacons, and wherein wireless advertisement packets transmitted concurrently by multiple wireless beacons include a same beacon identifier;

transmitting a first wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the first wireless advertisement packet includes a first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the first beacon identifier at a wireless device causes the wireless device to execute an application for a predetermined amount of time; and

transmitting a second wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the second wireless advertisement packet includes a second beacon identifier, wherein the second beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the second beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence is repeated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an additional wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the additional advertisement packet includes an additional beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the second beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the additional beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order includes transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets during an advertisement time period, wherein the plurality of wireless advertisement packets includes a same beacon identifier, and wherein the advertisement time period corresponds to the predetermined amount of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronized advertisement order indicates that the sequence is to be repeated after a wireless advertisement reset duration of a wireless device, wherein a wireless advertisement reset duration corresponds to a time period during which repeated wireless advertisement packets including a same beacon identifier received at the wireless device do not cause the wireless device to execute the application more than once.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing transmissions of wireless advertisement packets according to an advertisement schedule, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies wireless advertisement packet transmission times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first beacon identifier is a first universally unique identifier (UUID), wherein the second beacon identifier is a second UUID, wherein wireless advertisement packets include additional beacon identifiers, and wherein a first additional beacon identifier of the first wireless advertisement packet and a second additional beacon identifier of the second wireless advertisement packet are a same additional beacon identifier.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronized advertisement order indicates that the sequence is to be repeated after a wireless advertisement reset duration of a wireless device, wherein a wireless advertisement reset duration corresponds to a time period during which repeated wireless advertisement packets including a same beacon identifier received at the wireless device do not cause the wireless device to execute the application more than once.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

determining, by a wireless beacon, a synchronized advertisement order, wherein the synchronized advertisement order identifies a sequence for transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets, wherein the synchronized advertisement order is associated with concurrent wireless advertisement packet transmissions by multiple wireless beacons, and wherein wireless advertisement packets transmitted concurrently by multiple wireless beacons include a same beacon identifier;

transmitting a first wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the first wireless advertisement packet includes a first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the first beacon identifier at a wireless device causes the wireless device to execute an application for a predetermined amount of time; and

transmitting a second wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the second wireless advertisement packet includes a second beacon identifier, wherein the second beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the second beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sequence is repeated.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

transmitting an additional wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the additional advertisement packet includes an additional beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the second beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the additional beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein transmitting a wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order includes transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets during an advertisement time period, wherein the plurality of wireless advertisement packets includes a same beacon identifier, and wherein the advertisement time period corresponds to the predetermined amount of time.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

synchronizing transmissions of wireless advertisement packets according to an advertisement schedule, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies wireless advertisement packet transmission times.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first beacon identifier is a first universally unique identifier (UUID), wherein the second beacon identifier is a second UUID, wherein wireless advertisement packets include additional beacon identifiers, and wherein a first additional beacon identifier of the first wireless advertisement packet and a second additional beacon identifier of the second wireless advertisement packet are a same additional beacon identifier.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining, by a wireless beacon, a synchronized advertisement order, wherein the synchronized advertisement order identifies a sequence for transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets, wherein the synchronized advertisement order is associated with concurrent wireless advertisement packet transmissions by multiple wireless beacons, and wherein wireless advertisement packets transmitted concurrently by multiple wireless beacons include a same beacon identifier;

transmitting a first wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the first wireless advertisement packet includes a first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the first beacon identifier at a wireless device causes the wireless device to execute an application for a predetermined amount of time; and

transmitting a second wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the second wireless advertisement packet includes a second beacon identifier, wherein the second beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the second beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the sequence is repeated.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

transmitting an additional wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order, wherein the additional advertisement packet includes an additional beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the first beacon identifier, wherein the additional beacon identifier is different from the second beacon identifier, and wherein receiving a wireless advertisement packet including the additional beacon identifier at the wireless device causes the wireless device to execute the application for the predetermined amount of time.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein transmitting a wireless advertisement packet according to the synchronized advertisement order includes transmitting a plurality of wireless advertisement packets during an advertisement time period, wherein the plurality of wireless advertisement packets includes a same beacon identifier, and wherein the advertisement time period corresponds to the predetermined amount of time.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the synchronized advertisement order indicates that the sequence is to be repeated after a wireless advertisement reset duration of a wireless device, wherein a wireless advertisement reset duration corresponds to a time period during which repeated wireless advertisement packets including a same beacon identifier received at the wireless device do not cause the wireless device to execute the application more than once.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

synchronizing transmissions of wireless advertisement packets according to an advertisement schedule, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies wireless advertisement packet transmission times.