Geo-fence entry and exit notification system

• US 8,812,024 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phunware, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phunware, Inc.
• Inventors: Obermeyer, Lance, Oliver, Andrew, Miller, Kyle, Shetty, Prashant, Rustgi, Aditya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/586,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130045753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A method is provided for determining when a mobile communications device has crossed a geo-fence. The method comprises (a) providing a mobile communications device (209) equipped with an operating system and having a location detection application resident thereon, wherein the mobile communications device is in communication with a server (211) over a network (203), and wherein the server maintains a geo-fence database (213); (b) receiving, from the operating system, a notification that (i) the location of the mobile communications device has changed by an amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold, or (ii) that a period of time has passed; (c) querying the operating system for a data set comprising the general location of the mobile communications device and the corresponding location accuracy; (d) transmitting the data set to the server; and (e) receiving from the server, in response, a set of geo-fences (205) proximal to the general location.

Claims

1. A method for determining the location of a mobile communications device with respect to a geo-fence, wherein the mobile communications device is equipped with an operating system and has a location detection application resident thereon, wherein the mobile communications device is in communication with a server over a network, and wherein the server maintains a geo-fence database, the method comprising:

ascertaining, at a first resolution, the proximity p=p₁ of the mobile communications device to a first geo-fence;

if |p₁|<

k, wherein kε

R, then ascertaining, at a second resolution, the proximity p=p₂ of the mobile communications device to the first geo-fence;

receiving, from the operating system, a notification that (a) the location of the mobile communications device has changed by an amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold, or (b) that a period of time has passed;

querying the operating system for a data set comprising the general location of the mobile communications device and the corresponding location accuracy;

transmitting the data set to the server;

receiving from the server, in response to the transmission of the data set, a set of geo-fences proximal to the general location; and

if the location defined in the data set is within a predefined distance of the nearest geo-fence in the set of geo-fences, then (a) ascertaining the GPS location of the mobile communications device, and (b) comparing the GPS location to the nearest geo-fence defined by the data set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second resolution is higher than the first resolution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining at the second resolution involves determining the proximity of the mobile communications device to the first geo-fence using GPS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining at the first resolution involves determining the proximity of the mobile communications device to the first geo-fence using cell tower triangulation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining at the first resolution involves determining the proximity of the mobile communications device to the first geo-fence using Wi-Fi triangulation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein p is the shortest distance between the location of the mobile communications device and the nearest boundary of the nearest geo-fence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein p is less than 1000 meters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein p is less than 500 meters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein p is less than 200 meters.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein, if the GPS location is within a geo-fence that was previously not entered, then:

marking the geo-fence as entered, and

sending a message to the server indicating entry of the geo-fence.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein, if the GPS location is not within the predefined distance of the nearest geo-fence in the first set of geo-fences, then using the location defined in the data set as the location of the mobile communications device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, if the GPS location is within a new geo-fence distinct from the geo-fence indicated by the data set, then:

marking the new geo-fence as having been entered, and

sending a message to the server indicating entry of the new geo-fence.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein, if the GPS location is not within the geo-fence indicated by the data set, then:

sending a message to the server indicating that the geo-fence defined in the data set has been exited.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device has a software client installed thereon which communicates with said server.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein, if p₂ is less than or equal to a threshold amount, then sending marketing content to the software client for display on the mobile communications device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the location detection application queries the operating system for a first instance of the data set when the location detection application is first installed.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in an iterative process.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each iteration of the process is triggered by receiving, from the operating system, a notification that the location of the mobile communications device has changed by an amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each iteration of the process is triggered by receiving, from the operating system, a notification that a period of time has passed.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each iteration of the process is triggered by the first event to occur between (a) receiving, from the operating system, a notification that the location of the mobile communications device has changed by an amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold, or (b) receiving, from the operating system, a notification that a period of time has passed.