Facilitating estimation of mobile device presence inside a defined region

• US 9,313,619 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/260,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20150308842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Estimation of mobile device presence inside a defined region is facilitated. In one example, a device receives location information representing locations of a mobile device and corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device. The device determines an estimated path of travel for the mobile device based on the location information and, based on the corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device, determines whether the estimated path of travel traverses, at a defined time period of interest, a defined region that includes a defined portion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising a processor, location information representing locations of a mobile device and corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device;

determining, by the device, an estimated path of travel for the mobile device based on the location information;

based on the corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device, determining, by the device, whether the estimated path of travel traverses a defined region comprising a defined point of interest at a defined time of interest; and

determining, by the device, quality information representative of a quality factor indicative of a level of accuracy of the location information, wherein the quality factor is a function of a time difference between a first time associated with a first location of the locations and a second time associated with a second location of the locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region comprises:

based on defined roadways being determined to be within a defined geographic proximity of the locations,

associating the location information with the defined roadways; and

assigning the estimated path of travel to the defined roadways; and

based on the defined roadways being determined not to be within the defined geographic proximity of the locations,

determining a route based on the locations; and

assigning the estimated path of travel to the route.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

determining a synthetic location on the estimated path of travel at the defined time of interest.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

determining whether the synthetic location at the defined time of interest is within the defined region.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, in response to the defined roadways being determined not to be within the defined geographic proximity of the locations, the determining the route comprises:

determining a first one of the locations at a third time and determining a second one of the locations at a fourth time; and

determining a route region representing the route between the first one of the locations and the second one of the locations based on interpolating between the first one of the locations and the second one of the locations.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, in response to the defined roadways being determined not to be within the defined geographic proximity of the locations, the determining the route comprises:

interpolating between a first location of the locations of the mobile device and a second location of the locations of the mobile device, wherein the mobile device has been determined to have been located at a second location of the two locations at a fourth time, and wherein the corresponding time information comprise a third time and the fourth time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the location information based on determining that the quality factor satisfies a defined condition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the quality factor further comprises determining the quality factor as a function of a first error of a first location of the locations and a second error of a second location of the locations.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving location information representing locations of a mobile device and corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device;

determining an estimated path of travel for the mobile device based on the location information;

based on the corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device, determining whether a location on the estimated path of travel is within a defined region within a defined time period of interest, wherein the defined region comprises a defined portion of the defined region; and

determining a quality factor, wherein the quality factor is a function of a time difference between a first time associated with a first location of the locations of the mobile device and a second time associated with a second location of the locations of the mobile device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region comprises:

based on the determining indicating that defined roadways are within a defined geographic proximity of the locations,

associating the location information with the defined roadways; and

assigning the estimated path of travel to the defined roadways; and

based on the determining indicating that the defined roadways are not within a defined geographic proximity of the locations,

determining a route based on the locations; and

assigning the estimated path of travel to the route.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

determining a synthetic location on the estimated path of travel within the defined time period of interest.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

determining whether the synthetic location is within the defined region within the defined time period of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in response to the determining that the defined roadways are not within the defined geographic proximity of the locations, of the determining the route comprises:

determining a first one of the locations at a third time and determining a second one of the locations at a fourth time; and

determining a route region representing the route between the first one of the locations and the second one of the locations based on interpolating between the first one of the locations and the second one of the locations.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in response to the determining that the defined roadways are not within a geographic proximity of the locations, the determining the route comprises:

interpolating between a first location of the locations of the mobile device within the defined time period of interest and a second location of the locations of the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is determined to have been located at a second location of the two locations at another defined time period of interest, and wherein the defined time period of interest and the other defined time period of interest are included within the corresponding time information.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining quality data indicative of the quality factor, wherein the quality factor represents a level of accuracy of the location information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

discarding the location information based on a determination that the quality factor has satisfied a defined condition, wherein the quality factor is a function of a first error of a first location of the locations and a second error of a second location of the locations.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving location information representing locations of a mobile device and corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device;

determining an estimated path of travel for the mobile device based on the location information;

based on the corresponding time information for the locations of the mobile device, determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses a defined region comprising a defined spot of interest at least approximately at a defined time of interest; and

determining a quality factor, wherein the quality factor is a function of a time difference between a first time associated with a first location of the locations of the mobile device and a second time associated with a second location of the locations of the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region comprises:

based on a determination that defined roadways are within a defined geographic proximity of the locations,

associating the location information with the defined roadways; and

assigning the estimated path of travel to the defined roadways.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

based on an alternate determination that the defined roadways are not within a defined geographic proximity of the locations, determining a route based on the locations.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the determining whether the estimated path of travel traverses the defined region further comprises:

based on the alternate determination that the defined roadways are not within the defined geographic proximity of the locations, assigning the estimated path of travel to the route.