DETERMINATION OF A LOCATION OF A DEVICE BASED ON INFORMATION THAT IDENTIFIES LOCATIONS OF OTHER DEVICES

• US 20160183053A1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: BAO, Guanqun, Sharma, Manish, Blong, Devin, Flores, Kevin, Chaudhary, Tushar, Gupta, Gaurav
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,622 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

Abstract

A device may receive an indication that a first device, a second device, and a third device are within communication range of a target device. The first device may be outside of communication range of a positioning system that provides information for determining a location. The target device may be outside of communication range of the positioning system and outside of communication range of three or more devices which are within communication range of the positioning system. The device may receive information that identifies a first location associated with the first device, a second location associated with the second device, and a third location associated with the third device. The device may determine a target device location based on the information that identifies the first location, the second location, and the third location. The device may provide or store information that identifies the target device location.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive an indication that a first device, a second device, and a third device are within communication range of a target device,

the first device being outside of communication range of a positioning system that provides information for determining a location,

the target device being outside of communication range of the positioning system and outside of communication range of three or more devices which are within communication range of the positioning system,

the second device and the third device being within communication range of the positioning system;

receive information that identifies;

a first location associated with the first device,

the first location being determined using locations of the three or more devices which are within communication range of the positioning system,

a second location associated with the second device,

the second location being determined using the positioning system, and

a third location associated with the third device,

the third location being determined using the positioning system;

determine a target device location of the target device based on the information that identifies the first location, the second location, and the third location;

identify a particular location based service of a plurality of location based services based on;

a confidence level associated with the target device location, and

a particular threshold of a plurality of thresholds,

each location based service, of the plurality of location based services, being associated with a different threshold of the plurality of thresholds;

use information that identifies the target device location for the particular location based service; and

provide or store the information that identifies the target device location.

2. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining the target device location, are to:

determine a first confidence level associated with the first location;

determine a second confidence level associated with the second location;

determine a third confidence level associated with the third location; and

determine the target device location further based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the third confidence level.

3. The device of claim 1, where the device is a server device within communication range of the target device.

4. The device of claim 1, where the device is the target device.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining the target device location, are to:

determine a signal strength associated with a communication between the target device and at least one of;

the first device, the second device, or the third device; and

determine the location of the target device further based on the signal strength.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining the target device location, are to:

determine a first relative position that indicates a relative position of the target device in relation to the first device;

determine a second relative position that indicates a relative position of the target device in relation to the second device;

determine a third relative position that indicates a relative position of the target device in relation to the third device; and

determine the target device location further based on the first relative position, the second relative position, and the third relative position.

7. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining the target device location, are to:

determine the target device location based on triangulation of the first location, the second location, and the third location.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an indication that a first device, a second device, and a third device are within communication range of a target device,

the first device being associated with a first location determined indirectly using information from a positioning system,

the target device being associated with a target device location that cannot be directly determined using information from the positioning system;

receive information that identifies;

the first location associated with the first device,

a second location associated with the second device,

the second location being determined using the positioning system, and

a third location associated with the third device,

the third location being determined using the positioning system,

the first location being determined based on at least one of the second location or the third location;

determine the target device location based on the first location, the second location, and the third location;

use the target device location for a particular location based service of a plurality of location based services,

the particular location based service being identified based on;

a confidence level associated with the target device location, and

a particular threshold of a plurality of thresholds,

 

each location based service, of the plurality of location based services, being associated with a different threshold of the plurality of thresholds; and

provide or store information that identifies the target device location.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the target device location, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a first confidence level associated with the first location;

determine a second confidence level associated with the second location;

determine a third confidence level associated with the third location; and

determine the target device location further based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the third confidence level.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the first confidence level is based on a quantity of devices used to determine the first location.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the first confidence level is based on an amount of time that has elapsed since a communication between the first device and the target device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

synchronize communications associated with the first device, the second device, and the third device; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the indication, cause the one or more processors to;

receive the indication based on synchronizing the communications.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the information that identifies the first location, the second location, and the third location, cause the one or more processors to:

receive the information that identifies the first location, the second location, and the third location based on information received from the first device, the second device, and the third device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive information that identifies a fourth location associated with a fourth device; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the target device location, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the target device location further based on the fourth location.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, information that identifies;

a first location associated with a first device,

the first device being outside of communication range of a positioning system that provides information for determining a location, a second location associated with a second device, and

a third location associated with a third device,

at least one of the second device or the third device being within communication range of the positioning system, and

at least one of the second location or the third location being determined using the positioning system;

determining, by the device, a target device location of a target device based on the information that identifies the first location, the second location, and the third location,

the target device being outside of communication range of the positioning system and outside of communication range of three or more devices which are within communication range of the positioning system; and

using, by the device, information that identifies the target device location for a particular location based service of a plurality of location based services,

the particular location based service being identified based on;

a confidence level associated with the target device location, and

a particular threshold of a plurality of thresholds,

each location based service, of the plurality of location based services, being associated with a different threshold of the plurality of thresholds.

16. The method of claim 15, where determining the target device location comprises:

receiving a first confidence level indicating a measure of accuracy of the first location;

receiving a second confidence level indicating a measure of accuracy of the second location;

receiving a third confidence level indicating a measure of accuracy of the third location; and

determining the target device location further based on the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the third confidence level.

17. The method of claim 16, where the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the third confidence level change dynamically as the first location, the second location, and the third location change.

18. The method of claim 16, where the first confidence level, the second confidence level, and the third confidence level are based on a movement of the first device, the second device, or the third device.

19. The method of claim 15, where the device is a server device within communication range of the first device, the second device, the third device, or the target device.

20. The method of claim 15, where at least two of the first device, the second device, or the third device are not in communication with the positioning system.