CATEGORY-BASED FENCE

• US 20170099381A1
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marti, Lukas M., Ma, Shannon M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,894,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/00 Arrangements for software engineering testing or debugging G06F11/36; administrative, planning or organisation aspects of software project management G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Techniques of category-based fence are described. A category-based fence can correspond to a group of signal sources instead of a point location fixed to latitude and longitude coordinates. The group of signal sources can represent a category of entities, e.g., a particular business chain. The signal sources can be distributed to multiple discrete locations. A category-based fence associated with the group, accordingly, can correspond to multiple locations instead of a single point location and a radius. Each signal source in the group can be associated with a category identifier unique to the group and uniform among signal sources in the group. The category identifier can be programmed into each signal source. A mobile device can enter the category-based fence by entering any of the discrete locations when the mobile device detects the signal identifier. The mobile device can then execute an application program associated with the category-based fence.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device located at a first location, a first signal from a first signal source, the first signal including a first signal source identifier that matches a category identifier that is associated with a category-based fence, the category-based fence being a location-agnostic virtual fence corresponding to a group of signal sources located at a plurality of locations;

in response to detecting the first signal from the first signal source, triggering a function of the mobile device, the function being associated with the category-based fence and a specification, the specification specifying that the function is to be activated in response to entry into the category-based fence by the mobile device;

detecting, by the mobile device located at a second location that is different from the first location, a second signal from a second signal source, the second signal including a second signal source identifier that matches the category identifier; and

in response to detecting the second signal from the second signal source, triggering the function associated with the category-based fence on the mobile device at the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each signal source of the group is at least one of:

a signal transmitter having a transmission power that is below a transmission power threshold, or

a wireless access point based on IEEE 802.11x technical standard for mobile wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each signal source is a Bluetooth™

low energy (BLE) device or a near field communication (NFC) device.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising adding a new signal source to the category-based fence by programming the new signal source to broadcast at least a portion of the category identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising determining that the mobile device entered the first location or the second location, wherein the determining is based on determining that the mobile device has transitioned from an outdoor state to an indoor state.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising, after determining that the mobile device has entered the first location or the second location:

scanning a plurality of communication channels for signal source broadcasts;

determining that, for at least a threshold number of scans, none of one or more signal source identifiers received in each scan matches the category identifier;

determining that the mobile device has exited the category-based fence; and

then disabling the function.

7. A method, comprising:

associating, by a system comprising one or more processors, a category identifier with a program, the category identifier representing a category-based fence, the category-based fence being a location-agnostic virtual fence;

associating the category identifier with a plurality of signal sources, including causing a representation of the category identifier to be stored on the plurality of signal sources;

defining the category-based fence at a plurality of discrete locations, including causing the signal sources to be placed at the discrete locations, wherein a communication range of a first signal source located at a first location does not reach a second location where a second signal source is placed; and

providing the program and associated category identifier to a mobile device to activate the program at any of the discrete locations.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising expanding the category-based fence by adding a new discrete location, wherein adding the new discrete location comprises causing an additional signal source to be placed at the new discrete location, the additional signal source storing the representation of the category identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the category-based fence is defined independent of a latitude or longitude coordinate.

10. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

detecting, by the mobile device located at a first location, a first signal from a first signal source, the first signal including a first signal source identifier that matches a category identifier that is associated with a category-based fence, the category-based fence being a location-agnostic virtual fence corresponding to a group of signal sources located at a plurality of locations;

in response to detecting the first signal from the first signal source, triggering a function of the mobile device, the function being associated with the category-based fence and a specification, the specification specifying that the function is to be activated in response to entry into the category-based fence by the mobile device;

detecting, by the mobile device located at a second location that is different from the first location, a second signal from a second signal source, the second signal including a second signal source identifier that matches the category identifier; and

in response to detecting the second signal from the second signal source, triggering the function associated with the category-based fence on the mobile device at the second location.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein each signal source of the group is at least one of:

a signal transmitter having a transmission power that is below a transmission power threshold, or

a wireless access point based on IEEE 802.11x technical standard for mobile wireless communication.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein each signal source is a Bluetooth™

low energy (BLE) device or a near field communication (NFC) device.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, the operations comprising adding a new signal source to the category-based fence by programming the new signal source to broadcast at least a portion of the category identifier.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, the operations comprising determining that the mobile device entered the first location or the second location, wherein the determining is based on determining that the mobile device has transitioned from an outdoor state to an indoor state.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, the operations comprising, after determining that the mobile device has entered the first location or the second location:

scanning a plurality of communication channels for signal source broadcasts;

determining that, for at least a threshold number of scans, none of one or more signal source identifiers received in each scan matches the category identifier;

determining that the mobile device has exited the category-based fence; and

then

disabling the function.

16. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device located at a first location, a first signal from a first signal source, the first signal including a first signal source identifier that matches a category identifier that is associated with a category-based fence, the category-based fence being a location-agnostic virtual fence corresponding to a group of signal sources located at a plurality of locations;

in response to detecting the first signal from the first signal source, triggering a function of the mobile device, the function being associated with the category-based fence and a specification, the specification specifying that the function is to be activated in response to entry into the category-based fence by the mobile device;

detecting, by the mobile device located at a second location that is different from the first location, a second signal from a second signal source, the second signal including a second signal source identifier that matches the category identifier; and

in response to detecting the second signal from the second signal source, triggering the function associated with the category-based fence on the mobile device at the second location.

17. The non-transitory storage device of claim 16, wherein each signal source of the group is at least one of:

a signal transmitter having a transmission power that is below a transmission power threshold, or

a wireless access point based on IEEE 802.11x technical standard for mobile wireless communication.

18. The non-transitory storage device of claim 16, the operations comprising adding a new signal source to the category-based fence by programming the new signal source to broadcast at least a portion of the category identifier.

19. The non-transitory storage device of claim 16, the operations comprising determining that the mobile device entered the first location or the second location, wherein the determining is based on determining that the mobile device has transitioned from an outdoor state to an indoor state.

20. The non-transitory storage device of claim 19, the operations comprising, after determining that the mobile device has entered the first location or the second location:

scanning a plurality of communication channels for signal source broadcasts;

determining that, for at least a threshold number of scans, none of one or more signal source identifiers received in each scan matches the category identifier;

determining that the mobile device has exited the category-based fence; and

then

disabling the function.