System and method for remote device recognition at public hotspots
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for recognizing a wireless device across multiple hotspot locations, the method comprising:
- detecting at one of the multiple hotspot locations a wireless transmission sent by the wireless device;
extracting a unique device identifier of the detected device from said wireless transmission, said unique device identifier automatically embedded within said wireless transmission by the detected device without user input;
cross-referencing said extracted device identifier with a network accessible database of stored device profiles, each of said device profiles having a respective stored device identifier associated therewith;
recognizing the detected device upon matching said extracted device identifier with one said stored device identifier;
otherwiseautomatically creating a new device profile in said database as a function of said extracted device identifier such that the device is recognized upon subsequent detection at any of said multiple hotspot locations;
automatically detecting and recognizing one or more subsequent wireless transmissions sent by the wireless device while at said one hotspot location;
characterizing a visit profile of the device as a function of said subsequent wireless transmissions, said visit profile at least characterized by or as a function of a duration value defined by a time period between a first recognized transmission and a last recognized transmission;
associating said visit profile with said device profile;
classifying said duration in accordance with two or more preset visit duration classifications;
compiling for a given hotspot location or for a designated group of said hotspot locations, and for a designated reporting time period, a number or a percentage of said recognized devices classified in accordance with at least one of said classifications over said time period; and
outputting said number, said percentage or an indicia representative thereof.
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Abstract
Described are various embodiments of a system and method in which device-identifying data can be used to uniquely recognize and optionally track and report on device activity at one or more hotspot locations by way of the creation and management of a device profile uniquely associated with such devices and stored in a network accessible knowledge base.
58 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method for recognizing a wireless device across multiple hotspot locations, the method comprising:
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detecting at one of the multiple hotspot locations a wireless transmission sent by the wireless device; extracting a unique device identifier of the detected device from said wireless transmission, said unique device identifier automatically embedded within said wireless transmission by the detected device without user input; cross-referencing said extracted device identifier with a network accessible database of stored device profiles, each of said device profiles having a respective stored device identifier associated therewith; recognizing the detected device upon matching said extracted device identifier with one said stored device identifier;
otherwiseautomatically creating a new device profile in said database as a function of said extracted device identifier such that the device is recognized upon subsequent detection at any of said multiple hotspot locations; automatically detecting and recognizing one or more subsequent wireless transmissions sent by the wireless device while at said one hotspot location; characterizing a visit profile of the device as a function of said subsequent wireless transmissions, said visit profile at least characterized by or as a function of a duration value defined by a time period between a first recognized transmission and a last recognized transmission; associating said visit profile with said device profile; classifying said duration in accordance with two or more preset visit duration classifications; compiling for a given hotspot location or for a designated group of said hotspot locations, and for a designated reporting time period, a number or a percentage of said recognized devices classified in accordance with at least one of said classifications over said time period; and outputting said number, said percentage or an indicia representative thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for tracking wireless devices across multiple hotspot locations, the system comprising:
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a network accessible database having stored therein a plurality of device profiles each identifying a respective wireless device by a stored unique device identifier, each said stored unique device identifier indicative of an inherent characteristic of said respective device; and a network access module, comprising one or more hardware processor, at each of said locations and configured to detect at a given location a wireless transmission sent from a given device and having embedded therein a transmitted unique device identifier inherent to said given device; said network access module interfacing with said network accessible database to cross-reference said transmitted unique device identifier with said plurality of device profiles to identify a matching profile and thereby recognize said given device, and otherwise automatically create a new device profile based on said transmitted unique device identifier so to recognize said given device upon subsequent detection at any of said multiple hotspot locations; said network access module further detecting and recognizing one or more subsequent wireless transmissions sent by the wireless device while at said one hotspot location; wherein the system automatically characterizes a visit profile of the device as a function of said subsequent wireless transmissions, said visit profile at least characterized by or as a function of a duration value defined by a time period between a first recognized transmission and a last recognized transmission; associates said visit profile with said device profile in said network accessible database; classifies said duration in accordance with two or more preset visit duration classifications; compiles for a given hotspot location or for a designated group of said hotspot locations, and for a designated reporting time period, a number or a percentage of said recognized devices classified in accordance with at least one of said classifications over said time period; and outputs said number, said percentage or an indicia representative thereof. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for automatically characterizing a device visit at a Wi-Fi location, comprising:
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detecting a first wireless transmission sent by a wireless device; extracting a unique device identifier of the detected device from said wireless transmission, said unique device identifier automatically embedded within said wireless transmission by the detected device without user input; creating a device visit profile and associating said extracted unique device identifier therewith; recording a timestamp of said first wireless transmission in said device visit profile; automatically identifying one or more subsequent wireless transmissions sent by said wireless device while at the Wi-Fi location by way of identifying data associated with each of said subsequent transmissions; recording a timestamp of each of said subsequent transmissions in said device visit profile; and characterizing said device visit profile at least as a function of a duration value defined by said recorded timestamp of said first transmission and a recorded timestamp of a last of said subsequent transmissions; classifying said duration in accordance with two or more preset visit duration classifications; compiling for a designated reporting time period a number or a percentage of said visit profiles classified in accordance with at least one of said classifications over said time period; and outputting said number, said percentage or an indicia representative thereof. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for recognizing a wireless device across multiple Wi-Fi locations, the method comprising:
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detecting at one of the multiple Wi-Fi locations a wireless transmission sent by the wireless device; extracting a unique device identifier of the detected device from said wireless transmission, said unique device identifier automatically embedded within said wireless transmission by the detected device without user input; cross-referencing said extracted device identifier with a network accessible database of stored device profiles, each of said device profiles having a respective stored device identifier associated therewith; recognizing the detected device upon matching said extracted device identifier with one said stored device identifier; associating with said device profile of said recognized device said one of the multiple Wi-Fi locations; centrally compiling from said stored device profiles, visit data for each of said multiple Wi-Fi locations; detecting one or more subsequent wireless transmissions sent by said wireless device while at the one of the multiple Wi-Fi locations; creating a visit profile for said recognised device at said one of multiple locations, said visit profile at least characterized by or as a function of a duration value defined by a time period between a first recognized transmission and a last recognized transmission; classifying said duration in accordance with two or more preset visit duration classifications; compiling for a given Wi-Fi location or for a designated group of the multiple Wi-Fi locations, and for a designated reporting time period, a number or a percentage of said recognized devices classified in accordance with at least one of said classifications over said time period; and outputting said number, said percentage or an indicia representative thereof.
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Specification