METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING BEACON SERVICE

• US 20170126818A1
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Planet Co., Ltd. (SK Telecom Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SK Planet Co., Ltd. (SK Telecom Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: KANG, Kichon
• Granted Patent: US 9,876,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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

Abstract

A user'"'"'s terminal device and a service management server can provide specific service content associated with a registered beacon service to a user. In an embodiment, the terminal device registers at least one beacon service at a user'"'"'s request and sends information about the registered beacon service to the service management server. Then the terminal device receives first beacon identification information corresponding to the registered beacon service from the service management server and stores the first beacon identification information. Further, when a beacon signal containing second beacon identification information is received from a beacon device, the terminal device compares the second beacon identification information with the first beacon identification information. If both of identification information are identical with each other, the terminal device offers service content corresponding to the second identification information.

Claims

1. A beacon service provision method implemented by a terminal device, the method comprising steps of:

registering at least one beacon service at a user'"'"'s request;

receiving, from a service management server, first beacon identification information corresponding to the registered beacon service;

storing the first beacon identification information;

receiving, from a beacon device, a beacon signal containing second beacon identification information;

comparing the second beacon identification information with the first beacon identification information; and

if the second beacon identification information is identical with the first beacon identification information, offering service content corresponding to the second identification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing step includes further storing service content corresponding to the first beacon identification information, and

wherein the offering step includes offering the stored service content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering step includes steps of:

transmitting the second beacon identification information to the service management server;

receiving, from the service management server, the service content corresponding to the second beacon identification information; and

outputting the received service content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

checking a length of stay at a specific place corresponding to the second beacon identification information by using strength of the received beacon signal; and

offering service content according to the length of stay.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

determining whether at least one store corresponding to the first beacon identification information is located within a predetermined range;

if there is at least one store within the predetermined range, calculating a direction and distance to the at least one store from a location corresponding to the second beacon identification information; and

offering the calculated direction and distance.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

if the registered beacon service is a scheduler service, transmitting, to the service management server, schedule information including the first beacon identification information; and

receiving, from the service management server, rescheduling information created based on the schedule information.

7. A beacon service provision method implemented by a service management server, the method comprising steps of:

registering first beacon identification information at a user'"'"'s request;

receiving, from a terminal device, second beacon identification information offered by a beacon device;

comparing the second beacon identification information with the first beacon identification information; and

if the second beacon identification information is identical with the first beacon identification information, transmitting, to the terminal device, one of service content corresponding to the second identification information and rescheduling information created from a user'"'"'s schedule in view of predetermined event information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising steps of:

checking a length of stay of the terminal device at a specific place corresponding to the second beacon identification information; and

transmitting service content according to the length of stay to the terminal device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising steps of:

determining a current location of the terminal device by using triangulation based on the second beacon identification information; and

calculating a direction and distance to at least one store from the determined current location.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising steps of:

extracting at least one store corresponding to the first beacon identification information and located within a predetermined range from the terminal device;

calculating a direction and distance to the at least one store from a location corresponding to the second beacon identification information; and

offering the calculated direction and distance.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting step includes step of transmitting a direction and distance to a specific store for offering specific service content having the highest priority selected from among service contents corresponding to the first beacon identification information.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting step includes step of transmitting a direction and distance to a specific store having the nearest location from the terminal device.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein if a beacon service corresponding to the first beacon identification information is a scheduler service, the step of registering the first beacon identification information includes steps of:

receiving schedule information from the terminal device;

identifying a current location and destination of the terminal device, based on the received schedule information;

establishing a travel path from the current location to the destination, based on the received schedule information;

extracting at least one beacon device located on the travel path; and

registering the first beacon identification information of the extracted at least one beacon device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of registering the first beacon identification information further includes steps of:

checking predetermined event information corresponding to the extracted beacon device;

extracting a first beacon device based on the event information;

determining whether there is other beacon device being similar with the first beacon device within a predetermined range from the first beacon device;

if there is the similar beacon device, selecting a second beacon device from among the similar beacon devices in view of event information; and

creating rescheduling information by resetting the travel path to pass the selected second beacon device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of registering the first beacon identification information further includes step of:

in case of failing to extract the first beacon device based on the event information, extracting the first beacon device in view of user information of the terminal device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user information includes information about a payment method, a purchase history, favorites, or a customer point.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting step includes step of transmitting a push notification message to the terminal device or reestablishing the rescheduling information, based on a result of comparison between the second beacon identification information received from the terminal device and the first beacon identification information contained in the rescheduling information.

18. A service management server comprising:

a communication module configured to transmit or receive data to or from a terminal device through a communication network; and

a control module configured to;

receive information about at least one beacon service registered in the terminal device through the communication module,

extract first beacon identification information corresponding to the beacon service,

receive second beacon identification information from the terminal device through the communication module, and

transmit, if the second beacon identification information is identical with the first beacon identification information, service content corresponding to the second identification information to the terminal device through the communication module.

19. The service management server of claim 18, wherein the control module is further configured to determine, based on the second beacon identification information, whether there is a specific place corresponding to the extracted first beacon identification information within a predetermined range, and to calculate a direction and distance from the terminal device to the specific place corresponding to the extracted first beacon identification information.

20. The service management server of claim 18, wherein if the registered beacon service is a scheduler service, the control module is further configured to receive schedule information from the terminal device through the communication module, to extract at least one beacon device based on the received schedule information, to create rescheduling information by resetting the received schedule information in view of event information of the extracted at least one beacon device, and to transmit the rescheduling information to the terminal device through the communication module.