Systems and methods for high-precision indoor positioning, navigation and shopping behavior profiling

• US 8,930,134 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transform Sr Brands, LLC (ESL Investments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sears Brands LLC (Sears Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Gu, Xiaoyuan, Ekambaram, Vinod K., Ramani, Abhishek, Yang, Jen-Hao, Di Prizio, Giuseppe M., Jones, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/494,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 701/410, 701/434, 705/26.9
• US Class Current: 701/434
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A positioning system for determining the location of a portable device includes a radio network. The radio network includes radio network nodes for communicating with the portable device and measuring signal strength from the portable device. The radio network also includes a Near Field Communication node for communicating with the portable device and at least initially providing the portable device with configuration information to enable the portable device to pair with the radio network nodes. The system also includes a positioning server for receiving signal strength information from the radio network, determining a location of the portable device, providing the portable device with a graphical representation of its location within a floorplan, receiving an indication of a desired product from the portable device, determining a location of the product, calculating and providing the portable device with a route from the location of the portable device to the product.

Claims

1. An indoor positioning system for determining the location of a portable device, comprising:

a radio network comprising a plurality of spaced, short-range, radio network nodes configured to communicate with the portable device and to measure corresponding signal strength from the portable device, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) node configured to communicate with the portable device and at least initially to provide the portable device with configuration information to enable the portable device to communicate with the radio network nodes; and

a positioning server coupled with the radio network, the positioning server being configured to receive signal strength information from the radio network, to determine a location of the portable device based on the signal strength information, to provide the portable device with a graphical representation of the location of the portable device within a pre-defined floorplan, to receive an indication of a desired product from the portable device, to determine a location of the desired product within the floorplan, to calculate a route from the location of the portable device to the location of the product, and to provide the route to the portable device,

wherein the positioning server is configured to determine the location of the portable device in three dimensions based on the signal strength information received from at least four radio network nodes of the radio network.

2. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the radio network nodes comprise Bluetooth network nodes.

3. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the radio network nodes comprise a combination of Bluetooth network nodes and 802.11 network nodes.

4. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the NFC node is configured to notify the positioning server upon coming into communication with the portable device, and wherein the position server is configured to determine that the location of the portable device is generally the location of the NFC node.

5. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning server is configured to provide the route to the portable device in the form of a graphical representation of the floorplan showing the location of the portable device, the location of the product, and a depiction of the route therebetween.

6. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning server is configured to provide the route to the portable device in the form of graphical, turn-by-turn directions.

7. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning server is configured to provide the portable device with information about the desired product.

8. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the radio network nodes are spaced from each other in both vertical and horizontal planes, and wherein further the positioning server is configured to determine the location of the portable device in three dimensions based on the signal strength information received from the radio network.

9. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a customer profile server coupled with the radio network and the positioning server, the customer profile server is configured to store a user profile associated with the portable device and to receive the location of the portable device from the positioning server and the indication of the desired product from the portable device.

10. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 9, wherein the customer profile server is configured to receive the indication of the desired product from the portable device.

11. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 10, wherein the customer profile server is configured to provide the portable device with a promotional offer based on the indication of the desired product.

12. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 10, wherein the customer profile server is configured to provide the portable device with a promotional offer based on the location of the portable device.

13. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 12, wherein the customer profile server is configured to provide the portable device with the promotional offer based on the location of the portable device after the portable device has been at the same location for a predetermined amount of time.

14. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning server is configured to provide an updated location of the portable device after a predetermined time interval.

15. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 1, wherein the positioning server is configured to provide an updated location of the portable device when the location of the portable device moves a predetermined distance.

16. An indoor positioning system for determining the location of a portable device, comprising:

a radio network comprising a plurality of spaced, short-range, radio network nodes configured to communicate with the portable device and to measure corresponding signal strength from the portable device, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) node configured to communicate with the portable device and at least initially to provide the portable device with configuration information to enable the portable device to communicate with the radio network nodes; and

a positioning server coupled with the radio network, the positioning server being configured to receive signal strength information from the radio network, to determine a location of the portable device based on the signal strength information, to provide the portable device with a graphical representation of the location of the portable device within a pre-defined floorplan, to receive an indication of a desired product from the portable device, to determine a location of the desired product within the floorplan, to calculate a route from the location of the portable device to the location of the product, and to provide the route to the portable device,

wherein the portable device is a first portable device associated with a customer, and wherein a customer profile server is configured to send a notification to a second portable device associated with a customer service agent after the portable device has been at the same location for a predetermined amount of time, the notification including the location of the first portable device.

17. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 16, wherein the notification includes an identification of the desired product.

18. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 16, wherein the notification includes at least a portion of the user profile.

19. An indoor positioning system for determining the location of a portable device, comprising:

a radio network comprising a plurality of spaced, short-range, radio network nodes configured to communicate with the portable device and to measure corresponding signal strength from the portable device, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) node configured to communicate with the portable device and at least initially to provide the portable device with configuration information to enable the portable device to communicate with the radio network nodes; and

a positioning server coupled with the radio network, the positioning server being configured to receive signal strength information from the radio network, to determine a location of the portable device based on the signal strength information, to provide the portable device with a graphical representation of the location of the portable device within a pre-defined floorplan, to receive an indication of a desired product from the portable device, to determine a location of the desired product within the floorplan, to calculate a route from the location of the portable device to the location of the product, and to provide the route to the portable device,

wherein the portable device is a first portable device associated with a customer, and wherein a customer profile server is configured to receive a request for assistance from the first portable device and, in response thereto, to send a notification to a second portable device associated with a customer service agent, the notification including the location of the first portable device.

20. An indoor positioning system for determining the location of a portable device, comprising:

a radio network comprising a plurality of spaced, short-range, radio network nodes configured to communicate with the portable device and to measure corresponding signal strength from the portable device, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) node configured to communicate with the portable device and at least initially to provide the portable device with configuration information to enable the portable device to communicate with the radio network nodes; and

a positioning server coupled with the radio network, the positioning server being configured to receive signal strength information from the radio network, to determine a location of the portable device based on the signal strength information, to provide the portable device with a graphical representation of the location of the portable device within a pre-defined floorplan, to receive an indication of a desired product from the portable device, to determine a location of the desired product within the floorplan, to calculate a route from the location of the portable device to the location of the product, and to provide the route to the portable device,

wherein a user profile associated with the portable device is linked to an online shopping account and comprises a record of online shopping habits associated with the online shopping account, and wherein a customer profile server which stores the user profile is configured to update the user profile to include information relating to offline shopping habits based, at least in part, on a current or updated location of the portable device as determined by the positioning server.

21. The indoor positioning system as recited in claim 20, wherein the customer profile server is configured to provide the portable device with a promotional offer based on a combination of the online shopping habits and the offline shopping habits.