SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENABLING ADDITIONAL DEVICES TO CHECK IN TO BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY (BLE) BEACONS

• US 20170223483A1
• Filed: 02/13/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Granbery, John Hastings
• Granted Patent: US 10,251,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0631 : Substitution permutation network [SPN], i.e. cipher composed of a number of stages or rounds each involving linear and nonlinear transformations, e.g. AES algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 : Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 : Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 : Temporary identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• 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 4/21 : for social networking applications
• 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 40/244 : using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 : using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 : Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for checking many users in to a location using a Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) beacon. The provided systems and methods may allow a BLE beacon to facilitate a check in with a remote server that processes check ins and then disconnect from the device used to check in. The device may be assigned a unique identifier that may be broadcast from the device during the check in so that the BLE beacon can quickly scan for the identifier and connect with the device based on the identifier to provide content and other information to the device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

in response to receiving a check-in request from a user device via one or more beacon devices, assigning a device identifier to the user device;

transmitting, to the user device via the one or more beacon devices, the device identifier; and

transmitting, content to the one or more beacon devices, to cause the one or more beacon devices to;

scan for one or more broadcasted signals in a location of the beacon device,

in response to determining that a first broadcasted signal of the one or more broadcasted signals contains the device identifier, determine that the first broadcasted signal corresponds to the user device,

connect to the user device, and

transmit the content to the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacon devices connect to the user device via a local wireless protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, to the user device, via the one or more beacon devices, metadata, a beacon token, and a digital signature that are usable by the user device to generate the check-in request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the device identifier is no longer being broadcast by the user device at a location of the one or more beacon devices; and

processing a check out of the user device and transmitting a notification that the user device has been checked out to the one or more beacon servers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the device identifier comprises a universally unique identifier (UUID).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise causing the one or more beacons to disconnect with the user device during a time period between the transmitting the device identifier to the user device and the transmitting the content to the user device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise causing the one or more beacons to disconnect with the user device after transmitting the content to the user device.

8. A method comprising:

in response to receiving a check-in request from a user device via a beacon device, assigning a unique identifier to the user device;

transmitting, to the user device via the beacon device, the unique identifier; and

transmitting content to the beacon device to cause the beacon device to;

scan for a signal being broadcast in a location of the beacon device that contains the unique identifier, and

in response to detecting that a first signal being broadcast by the user device contains the unique identifier, connecting to the user device and transmit the content to the user device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the beacon device connects to the user device via a local wireless protocol.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, to the user device via the beacon device, metadata, a beacon token, and a digital signature that are usable by the user device to generate the check-in request.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the device identifier is no longer being broadcast by the user device at a location of the beacon device; and

checking out the user device from the location of the beacon device and transmitting a notification that the user device has been checked out to the beacon server.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the local wireless protocol is Bluetooth®

, Bluetooth®

Low Energy, Near Field Communications (NFC), or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising causing the beacon device to halt connectivity with the user device during a time period between the transmitting the device identifier to the user device and the transmitting the content to the user device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising causing the beacon device to halt connectivity with the user device after transmitting the content to the user device.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having store thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

in response to receiving a check-in request from a user device via a beacon device, generating a unique device identifier and associating the unique device identifier with the user device;

transmitting, to the user device via the beacon device, the unique device identifier; and

transmitting content to the beacon device to cause the beacon device to;

analyze a signal broadcasted in a location of the beacon device to determine whether the signal contains the unique device identifier,

in response to determining that the signal contains the unique device identifier, determine that the signal corresponds to the user device,

connect to the user device, and

transmit the content to the user device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the beacon device connects to the user device via a local wireless protocol.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein local wireless protocol is Bluetooth®

, Bluetooth®

Low Energy, Near Field Communications (NFC), or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the beacon device to;

broadcast a generic identifier that is receivable by the user device and configured to be utilized in initiating communications between the user device and the beacon device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise causing the beacon device to cease active communication with the user device during a period of time between the transmitting the unique device identifier to the user device and the transmitting the content to the user device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise causing the beacon device to cease active communication with the user device after the transmitting the content to the user device.