Portable electronic device and position tracking method of the device

• US 8,433,324 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Cheng-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US13/076,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20120046041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/440, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A location tracking method using a portable electronic device utilizes communication with a server through access points. The portable electronic device creates a database to restore information of the access points and scans the access points which can communicates and searches the information of the access points scanned from the database. The portable electronic device logs onto the access points and transmits transmitter packages including the access points scanned and scanning time of the access points to the server for tracking locations of the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device in communication with a server through access points, comprising:

an antenna;

a memory;

a display unit;

at least one processor;

one or more programs that are stored in the memory and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

a setup module operable to create a database used to restore information of the access points in the memory;

a scanning module operable to scan the access points which can communicate with the portable electronic device and save information of the scanned access points and scanning time of the access points in the memory;

a search module operable to search the information of the scanned access points from the database;

a determination module operable to determine whether the scanned access points are saved in the database;

a login module operable to log the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points if the scanned access points are saved in the database; and

a tracking module operable to transmit transmitter packages to the server using the antenna to track locations of the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the information of the scanned access points comprise information of Service Create Identifiers, locations of the access points, and login names and passwords of the access points.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the login module logs the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points by the Service Create Identifiers of the access points.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the login module logs the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points by login names and passwords.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, or a handheld computer.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter packages comprise the information of the scanned access points and the scanning time of the access points.

7. A method for tracking locations of a portable electronic device communicating with a server through access points, the portable electronic device comprising a storage unit, a display unit and at least one processor, the method comprising:

creating a database used to restore information of the access points in the memory;

scanning the access points which can communicate with the portable electronic device;

searching the information of the scanned access points from the database;

determining whether the scanned access points are saved in the database;

logging the portable electronic device onto the access points if the scanned access points are saved in the database; and

transmitting transmitter packages to the server to track locations of the portable electronic device and calculating the locations of the portable electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising saving information of the scanned access points and scanning time of the access points in the memory.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, or a handheld computer.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the searching step searches information of Service Create Identifiers, locations of the access points, login names and passwords of the access points.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting step transmits the transmitter packages comprising the information of the scanned access points and the scanning time of the access points.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information of the scanned access points are the locations of the access points.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the logging step logs the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points by the Service Create Identifiers of the scanned access points.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the logging step logs the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points by login names and passwords of the scanned access points.

15. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for tracking locations of a portable electronic device communicating with a server through access points, the portable electronic device comprising a storage unit, a display unit and at least one processor, the method comprising:

creating a database used to restore information of the access points in the memory;

scanning the access points which can communicate with the portable electronic device;

searching the information of the scanned access points from the database;

determining whether the scanned access points are saved in the database;

logging the portable electronic device onto the access points if the scanned access points are saved in the database; and

transmitting transmitter packages to the server to track locations of the portable electronic device and calculating the locations of the portable electronic device.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising saving information of the scanned access points and scanning time of the access points in the memory.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the searching step searches information of Service Create Identifiers, locations of the access points, login names and passwords of the access points.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the transmitting step transmits the transmitter packages comprising the information of the scanned access points and the scanning time of the access points.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the information of the scanned access points are the locations of the access points.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the logging step logs the portable electronic device onto the scanned access points by the Service Create Identifiers of the scanned access points.