Determining virtual location based upon scanned wireless signals

• US 8,805,352 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NewAer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NewAer, Inc.
• Inventors: MATHEWS, DAVID K
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, BARRY W
• Application Number:
  US13/756,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/443, 455/507, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method for determining proximity of two or more mobile units within a defined locale is disclosed. Each of the mobile units is operable to scan at least a portion of the locale associated with the scanning one of the mobile units. The presence of the ones of the plurality of wireless devices is detected within the associated portion of the locale, detecting receiving the unique information from the detected ones of the plurality of wireless devices or device IDs. The received information is formed into a wireless fingerprint and transmitted to a server, which has a database of stored wireless fingerprints that are compared to the received fingerprint and a determination made as to the stored wireless fingerprints within the locale. The relative proximity position of the mobile devices associated with stored wireless fingerprints within the locale is then determined and are transmitted to the scanning one thereof.

Claims

1. A method for determining proximity of two or more mobile units within a defined locale, the locale having a plurality of wireless devices disposed therein, each having the capability of broadcasting unique information over a broadcast channel, comprising the steps of:

each of the two or more mobile units operable to;

scan at least a portion of the locale associated with the scanning one of the two or more mobile units,

detect the presence of the ones of the plurality of wireless devices within the associated at least portion of the locale, the step of detecting receiving and accumulating the unique information from the detected ones of the plurality of wireless devices,

assemble the received unique information into a wireless fingerprint, and

transmit the wireless fingerprint to a server;

at the server, the server having a database of stored wireless fingerprints;

receive wireless fingerprints from mobile units,

compare received fingerprints with the stored wireless fingerprints,

determine stored wireless fingerprints that are within the locale;

determine the relative position of the mobile devices associated with stored wireless fingerprints determined to be within the local, and

transmit the relative positions of the other of the two or more mobile units relative to the scanning one thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving and accumulating the unique information comprises receiving the received power levels of the detected ones of the plurality of wireless devices and the step of assembling operable to assemble the unique information with receive power levels into the wireless fingerprint.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless devices are selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth devices, WiFi devices and mobile telephone devices.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising stamping the wireless fingerprint with the time of creation thereof as a time stamp and the step of transmitting the wireless fingerprint also transmitting the associated time stamp.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein there is disposed in the locale at least one of the wireless devices as a fixed wireless device, the location of which is known by the server, and wherein the server further determines the location of the two or more mobile units detecting the fixed wireless device within the scanned at least portion of the locale relative to the fixed wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, and further comprising selecting an action from a set of predetermined actions based on the determination of proximity of a plurality of mobile units in proximity to each other and transmitting a command associated with such action.

7. A method for determining a location based upon scanned wireless signals comprising:

receiving a first wireless fingerprint from a first mobile unit, the first wireless fingerprint including identifying information of at least a first wireless signal received by the first mobile unit;

receiving a first time stamp indicating a time of reception of the at least a first wireless signal or device ID by the first mobile unit;

receiving a second wireless fingerprint from a second mobile unit, the second wireless fingerprint including identifying information of at least a second wireless signal device ID scanned by the second mobile unit;

receiving a second time stamp indicating a time of reception of the at least a second wireless signal by the second mobile unit;

determining relative proximity of the first mobile unit using the first wireless fingerprint, the first time stamp, the second wireless fingerprint, and the second time stamp; and

sending information indicative of the relative proximity to the first mobile unit.

8. A method for interfacing with a plurality of mobile wireless devices and controlling actions thereof based on the presence thereof in a particular locale, comprising the steps of:

each of the mobile wireless devices when entering the locale;

scanning wireless devices within the locale within a scanning range associated with the scanning one of the mobile wireless devices,

creating a wireless fingerprint of the scanned wireless devices representing identifying information and scan characteristics of the scanned wireless devices, and

transmitting the wireless fingerprint to a server for storage in a wireless fingerprint database; and

at the server;

determining from the received fingerprint if the transmitting one of the mobile wireless devices is within at least a portion of the locale by comparing the received wireless fingerprint with known stored wireless fingerprints,

determining if there is an associated action for the locale,

if there is an associated action for the locale, transmitting such to all of the mobile wireless devices determined to have transmitted wireless fingerprints from within the locale to al or select ones of the mobile wireless devices; and

executing the actions at the ones of the mobile wireless devices to which the action to be executed was transferred.

9. The method of claim 8, and further comprising the step of determining from the received wireless fingerprints if any two or more of the mobile wireless devices are in close proximity to each other and the step of determining the action is based on such proximity.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of creating a reference wireless fingerprint and registering it with the server, the reference wireless fingerprint defining the boundaries of the locale.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of creating a reference wireless fingerprint comprises the step of creating a plurality of different reference fingerprints at different physical locations in a defined physical area.