REMOTELY CONFIGURABLE LOCATION TRACKING TAGS

• US 20180025607A1
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: SUNDARAM, SUNDARESAN, TANDON, VARUN, CHANDRA, SUMAN
• Granted Patent: US 10,078,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Remotely configurable location tracking tags are provided. A tag broadcasts a tag identifier according to configuration data stored at a memory. The tag receives new configuration data and an associated tag identifier. When the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier: the tag updates the configuration data stored at the memory with the new configuration data and changes the broadcast of the tag identifier in accordance with the new configuration data. When the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier: the tag modifies the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier, the broadcast continuing to occur according to the configuration data.

Claims

1. A tag comprising:

a processor,

memory storing a tag identifier and configuration data, and

a wireless communication interface configured to broadcast the tag identifier according to the configuration data, the processor configured to;

receive, via the wireless communication interface, new configuration data and an associated tag identifier;

when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, update the configuration data with the new configuration data, thereby changing the broadcast of the tag identifier by the wireless communication interface in accordance with the new configuration data; and

when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier, modify the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier, the broadcast continuing to occur according to the configuration data.

2. The tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, update the configuration data with the new configuration data by one or more of replacing the configuration data with the new configuration data and modifying the configuration data to match the new configuration data.

3. The tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier, modify the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier by one or more of broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier once, broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier a given number of times, and broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier for a given time period.

4. The tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

store, in the memory, a configuration identifier identifying the new configuration data;

receive further new configuration data and an associated tag identifier of the further new configuration data; and

when the further new configuration data is also identified by the configuration identifier of the new configuration data stored in the memory, continue the broadcast of the tag identifier.

5. The tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, prior to receiving the new configuration data, a plurality of configuration data;

store, in the memory, respective configuration identifiers of the plurality of configuration data; and

when the new configuration data is identified by any of the respective configuration identifiers stored in the memory, not modify the broadcast of the respective tag identifier regardless of whether the respective associated tag identifier matches or does not match the respective tag identifier.

6. The tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, prior to receiving the new configuration data, a plurality of configuration data;

store, in the memory, respective configuration identifiers of the plurality of configuration data; and

,

delete, from the memory, oldest previous configuration identifiers to maintain a given number of configuration identifiers in the memory.

7. The tag of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to broadcast the tag identifier and a configuration identifier identifying configuration data of the tag, the configuration identifier identifying one of (a) the new configuration data when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, and (b) the configuration data when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier.

8. The tag of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to broadcast the tag identifier and a configuration identifier identifying configuration data of the tag to a mobile device.

9. The tag of claim 8, wherein the mobile device is configured to transmit the tag identifier and the configuration identifier to a server configured to store the tag identifier and the configuration identifier.

10. The tag of claim 1, wherein the tag is one or more of a location tracking tag, a BLE (Bluetooth™

low energy) tag, a Bluetooth™

Smart tag, and a iBeacon™

tag.

11. A method comprising:

at a tag comprising a processor, a memory storing a tag identifier and configuration data, and a wireless communication interface configured to broadcast the tag identifier according to the configuration data, receiving, using the wireless communication interface, new configuration data and an associated tag identifier;

when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, updating the configuration data with the new configuration data, thereby changing the broadcast of the tag identifier by the wireless communication interface in accordance with the new configuration data; and

when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier, modifying the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier, the broadcast continuing to occur according to the configuration data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the updating of the configuration data with the new configuration data comprises one or more of replacing the configuration data with the new configuration data and modifying the configuration data to match the new configuration data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the modifying of the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier comprises one or more of broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier once, broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier a given number of times, and broadcasting the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier for a given time period.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing, in the memory, a configuration identifier identifying the new configuration data;

receiving further new configuration data and an associated tag identifier of the further new configuration data; and

when the further new configuration data is also identified by the configuration identifier of the new configuration data stored in the memory, continuing the broadcast of the tag identifier.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, prior to receiving the new configuration data, a plurality of configuration data;

storing, in the memory, respective configuration identifiers of the plurality of configuration data; and

when the new configuration data is identified by any of the respective configuration identifiers stored in the memory, not modifying the broadcast of the respective tag identifier regardless of whether the respective associated tag identifier matches or does not match the respective tag identifier.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, prior to receiving the new configuration data, a plurality of configuration data;

storing, in the memory, respective configuration identifiers of the plurality of configuration data; and

deleting, from the memory, oldest previous configuration identifiers to maintain a given number of configuration identifiers in the memory.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising broadcasting the tag identifier and a configuration identifier identifying configuration data of the tag, the configuration identifier identifying one of (a) the new configuration data when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, and (b) the configuration data when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising broadcasting the tag identifier and a configuration identifier identifying configuration data of the tag to a mobile device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mobile device is configured to transmit the tag identifier and the configuration identifier to a server configured to store the tag identifier and the configuration identifier.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program causes a tag to:

broadcast a tag identifier stored in memory of the tag according to configuration data stored in the memory;

in response to receiving, via a wireless communication interface of tag, new configuration data and an associated tag identifier, determine whether the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier;

when the associated tag identifier matches the tag identifier, update the configuration data with the new configuration data, thereby changing the broadcast of the tag identifier by the wireless communication interface in accordance with the new configuration data; and

when the associated tag identifier does not match the tag identifier, modifying the broadcast of the tag identifier to include the new configuration data and the associated tag identifier, the broadcast continuing to occur according to the configuration data.