Proximity and tap detection using a wireless system

• US 9,179,244 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Linde, Joakim, Tucker, Brian J
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/760,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method for detecting the proximity of a signal source using wireless systems is contemplated in which a wireless mobile device wirelessly receives packets from a signal source and determines a received signal strength for each packet. The wireless mobile device may store information based upon the received signal strength for each packet, and calculate from the information stored for all the packets, a current path loss value corresponding to a current distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source. The wireless mobile device may then determine whether the current distance is sufficient to be an enabling condition such as tap, for example, for a data transfer or a transaction between the wireless mobile device and the signal source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a wireless mobile device wirelessly receiving packets from a signal source and determining a received signal strength for each packet;

calculating, based upon information corresponding to the received signal strength for each of the packets, a current path loss value corresponding to a current distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source; and

determining, by the wireless mobile device, whether the current distance comprises an enabling condition for an exchange of data between the wireless mobile device and the signal source;

wherein the determining whether the current distance comprises an enabling condition comprises comparing the current path loss value to a plurality of predetermined path loss ranges to determine within which of the path loss ranges the current path loss value falls, wherein each path loss range corresponds to a different distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source, and wherein the calculating the current path loss value comprises storing information for a predetermined number of packets, wherein the predetermined number is based upon which range of the plurality of predetermined path loss ranges the current path loss value falls within.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the current distance comprises an enabling condition further comprises comparing the path loss range within which the current path loss value falls to a predetermined distance parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to initially receiving the packets, comparing the current path loss value to a path loss range corresponding to a largest distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the current path loss value includes discarding given ones of the received signal strength values in response to determining that the given received signal strength value is either above a first signal strength threshold or below a second signal strength threshold for each range of the plurality of predetermined path loss ranges.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the packets received from the signal source correspond to advertising packets, and the signal source corresponds to a wireless server unit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless server unit comprises another wireless mobile device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless server unit comprises a point of sale terminal and the exchange of data corresponds to a monetary transaction.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless server unit comprises a wireless access point providing access for the wireless mobile device to a network.

9. A wireless mobile device comprising:

a receiver/transmitter unit configured to receive packets from a signal source;

a processor coupled to the receiver/transmitter unit; and

a proximity unit coupled to the processor and configured to determine a received signal strength for each packet;

wherein the proximity unit is further configured to calculate, based upon information corresponding to the received signal strength for each of the packets, a current path loss value corresponding to a current distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source; and

wherein the proximity unit is further configured to determine whether the current distance comprises an enabling condition for an exchange of data between the wireless mobile device and the signal source and to compare the current path loss value to a plurality of predetermined path loss ranges to determine within which of the path loss ranges the current path loss value falls, wherein each path loss range corresponds to a different distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source, and wherein the proximity unit is configured to store information for a predetermined number of packets, wherein the predetermined number is based upon which range of the plurality of path loss ranges the current path loss value falls within.

10. The wireless mobile device of claim 9, wherein the proximity unit is further configured to compare the path loss range within which the current path loss value falls to a predetermined distance parameter.

11. The wireless mobile device of claim 9, wherein in response to initially receiving the packets, the proximity unit is further configured to compare the current path loss value to a path loss range corresponding to a largest distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including program instructions that are executable by a processor of a wireless mobile device to:

receive packets from a signal source;

determine a received signal strength for each packet;

calculate, based upon information corresponding to the received signal strength for each of the packets, a current path loss value corresponding to a current distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source; and

determine whether the current distance comprises an enabling condition for an exchange of data between the wireless mobile device and the signal source;

wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor of the wireless mobile device to compare the current path loss value to a plurality of predetermined path loss ranges to determine within which of the path loss ranges the current path loss value falls, wherein each path loss range corresponds to a different distance from the wireless mobile device to the signal source; and

wherein the program instructions are further executable by a processor of a wireless mobile device to store information for a predetermined number of packets, wherein the predetermined number is based upon which range of the plurality of path loss ranges the current path loss value falls within.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor of a wireless mobile device to compare the path loss range within which the current path loss value falls to a predetermined distance parameter.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program instructions that are executable by a processor of a wireless mobile device to store more packets the farther away the wireless mobile device is from the signal source, and to store fewer packets as the wireless mobile device gets closer to the signal source.