Coalescing Geo-Fence Events

• US 20180049132A1
• Filed: 10/06/2017
• Published: 02/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gorgenyi, Frank, Estrada Alva, Daniel, Gonzalez, Fernando, Saha, Sanjib
• Application Number:
  US15/726,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20180049132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A device location is determined, and the location of an area of interest that is a geographic area referred to as a geo-fence is identified. Multiple geo-fences can be identified by the device, and different geo-fences can be associated with different programs on the device. An operating system of the device implements multiple different periods of operation for the device, including a conservation period during which certain programs are not typically scheduled to run, and an execution period during which such programs are typically scheduled to run. A system identifies geo-fence events, which occur when the device enters or exits the geo-fence. The system maintains a record of the geo-fence events for each of multiple geo-fences, and provides to a program selected ones of those geo-fence events at a time when the program is scheduled to run on the device during an execution period of the operating system.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method comprising:

detecting when one or more geo-fence events occur for a computing device during a conservation period of an operating system during which certain programs are not scheduled to run;

collecting geo-fence events for each of multiple geo-fences together for each of the certain programs; and

maintaining a record of the collected geo-fence events for each of the multiple geo-fences while waiting until a program associated with at least one of the multiple geo-fences is scheduled to run during an execution period of the operating system.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the conservation period is when the computing device is operating in a power saving mode.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the conservation period and the execution period are scheduled for the program based on one or more of:

when the program was last scheduled to run, another program that is scheduled to run, available power of the computing device, and whether a geo-fence has been detected for the program.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising selecting one or more of the collected geo-fence events to provide to the program during the execution period.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the one or more geo-fence events include a most recent entering event and a most recent exiting event for each geo-fence associated with the program.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein maintaining the record of the geo-fence events comprises replacing a previously recorded geo-fence event of a type with a newly detected geo-fence event of the type.

8. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising providing, to the program, the collected geo-fence events for the program when the program is scheduled to run during the execution period of the operating system.

9. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising providing, to the program, the collected geo-fence events for the program when the program is activated by a user.

10. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the detecting comprises determining whether criteria related to a state of the computing device has been satisfied.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a data store to store geo-fence data for multiple geo-fences, the geo-fence data for a geo-fence including an indication of a program associated with the geo-fence; and

one or more computer-readable storage devices comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, implement;

a geo-fence event detection module to detect when one or more geo-fence events occur during a conservation period of an operating system during which certain programs are not scheduled to run; and

a geo-fence event storage module to;

collect geo-fence events for each of multiple geo-fences together for each of the certain programs, and

maintain a record of the geo-fence events for each of the multiple geo-fences while waiting until a program associated with at least one of the multiple geo-fences is scheduled to run during an execution period.

12. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage devices further implements a scheduling mechanism that schedules conservation periods and execution periods for the certain programs.

13. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage devices further implements a geo-fence event reporting module that provides, to the program, the record of the geo-fence events associated with the program during the execution period.

14. The computing device as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage devices further implements a geo-fence event reporting module that selects one or more of the geo-fence events for each geo-fence associated with the program.

15. The computing device as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more selected geo-fences are a most recent enter event and a most recent exit event for each geo-fence.

16. The computing device as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more selected geo-fences are selected based on a criteria for the geo-fence being satisfied.

17. A method comprising:

detecting when one or more geo-fence events occur for a computing device during a conservation period of an operating system during which certain programs are not scheduled to run;

maintaining a record of geo-fence events for each of multiple geo-fences;

collecting the geo-fence events for each of the multiple geo-fences together for each of the certain programs;

waiting until a program associated with at least one of the multiple geo-fences is scheduled to run during an execution period of the operating system; and

providing, to the program, the collected geo-fence events for the program when the program is scheduled to run during the execution period of the operating system.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the conservation period and the execution period are scheduled for the program based on one or more of:

when the program was last scheduled to run, another program that is scheduled to run, available power of the computing device, and whether a geo-fence has been detected for the program.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the detecting comprises determining that criteria related to a state of the computing device has been satisfied.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the collected geo-fences are selected based on a criteria for the collected geo-fences being satisfied.

21. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the providing the collected geo-fence events comprises providing only a most recent enter event and exit event.