Method and system for location-based monitoring of a mobile device

• US 9,392,406 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Holding, Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: TruePosition Incorporated
• Inventors: Houri, Cyril
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIBBEE, CHAYCE R
• Application Number:
  US12/172,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20080274752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,920 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 340/573.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02524 Creating or updating the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Method and system for monitoring location of a mobile device relative to a region of interest includes defining a geographic region of interest, receiving a request to obtain notification when the mobile device leaves from, is present in or enters into the region of interest, determining when the mobile device leaves, is present in or enters into the region of interest, and automatically generating a notification signal upon departure of the mobile device from, presence of the mobile device in or entry of the mobile device into the region of interest without manual intervention by a user of the mobile device. It is therefore possible to monitor the departure of a mobile device, and thus presumably the user thereof, from one or more defined regions, the presence of the person in one or more defined regions, and also the entry of the person into one or more defined regions.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring location of a mobile device relative to regions of interest, comprising:

defining a plurality of different regions of interest;

associating an identification of a mobile device whose location is sought to be monitored with the plurality of defined regions of interest at a monitoring device by inputting the identification of the mobile device and the plurality of defined regions of interest using the monitoring device;

generating a rule at the monitoring device to deliver a notification when a respective condition relating to a change in location of the mobile device relative to each of the plurality of regions of interest is satisfied; and

determining whether each condition is satisfied by

accessing a database including database records for Wi-Fi access points, each database record including at least a MAC address and geographic location of a respective Wi-Fi access point, wherein at least one of the database records of the database is created or updated based on scanning performed by the mobile device,

determining the location of the mobile device at a first time using information about Wi-Fi access points communicating with the mobile device and information in the database having the at least one database record created or updated based on scanning performed by the mobile device,

determining the location of the mobile device at a second time after the first time using information about Wi-Fi access points communicating with the mobile device and information in the database having the at least one database record created or updated based on scanning performed by the mobile device,

ascertaining whether the determined location of the mobile device at the second time is changed relative to the determined location of the mobile device at the first time and if so, determining whether the change of the determined location of the mobile device satisfies the condition,

when the condition is satisfied based on the change of the determined location of the mobile device, automatically generating a notification signal without manual intervention by a user of the mobile device, and

when the condition is not satisfied, automatically repeating the location determining steps and the ascertaining step,

whereby each condition is entry of the mobile device into one of the plurality of regions of interest from outside of that one of the plurality of regions of interest or departure of the mobile device from one of the plurality of regions of interest to outside of that one of the plurality of regions of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the conditions is entry of the mobile device into a respective one of the plurality of regions of interest from outside of the respective one of the plurality of regions of interest such that the notification signal is generated when the mobile device enters into the region of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification signal is an SMS message or an e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the mobile device to react to the generation of the notification signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining the plurality of regions of interest comprises providing a map for viewing at the monitoring device and receiving demarcations, at the monitoring device, of a boundary of each of the plurality of regions of interest on the map.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising associating one of a plurality of predetermined templates with each of the defined regions of interest and associated identification of the mobile device such that the notification signal generated when the condition is satisfied is based on the associated template.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions of interest are defined relative to a movable device, the step of determining whether each condition is satisfied further comprising:

determining the location of the movable device to enable parameters of the region of interest to be derived therefrom.

8. A system for monitoring location of a mobile device relative to a region of interest, comprising:

a monitoring device that enables input of an identification of a mobile device whose location is sought to be monitored;

a memory component that stores a plurality of different defined regions of interest in association with the identification of the mobile device input at said monitoring device and a rule generated at said monitoring device to deliver a notification when a respective condition relating to a change in location of the mobile device relative to each of the regions of interest is satisfied;

a location determining system that determines a location of the mobile device at least at first and second sequential times using information about Wi-Fi access points communicating with the mobile device and information in a database having at least one database record created or updated based on scanning performed by the mobile device;

a processor coupled to said memory component and said location determining system and that determines whether each condition is satisfied by ascertaining whether the location of the mobile device as determined by said location determining system at the second time is changed relative to the determined location of the mobile device at the first time, and if so, whether the change of the location of the mobile device as determined by said location determining system satisfies the condition,

said processor being further configured to automatically generate a respective notification signal when each condition is satisfied,

said location determining system being configured to automatically determine the location of the mobile device at a predetermined frequency when the change does not satisfy the condition,

whereby each condition is entry of the mobile device into the region of interest from outside of the region of interest or departure of the mobile device from the region of interest to outside of the region of interest.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said location determining system is arranged on the mobile device and programmed to periodically or continually determine the location of the mobile device at set intervals, said processor being configured to determine whether the condition is satisfied after each location determination by said location determining system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification signal automatically generated by said processor is an SMS message or an e-mail message.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said memory component, said location determining system and said processor are arranged on the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a transmission or communications unit arranged on the mobile device to transmit the notification signal to another device remote from the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said another device is arranged to define the regions of interest to cause the regions of interest to be stored in said memory component.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said memory component includes a plurality of templates selectable as a base for the notification signal to be automatically generated, said templates relating to the regions of interest, the location of the mobile device or a change in location of the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said memory component, said location determining system and said processor are arranged on a server remote from the mobile device, further comprising a transmission or communications unit arranged on the mobile device to transmit information about reception of signals by the mobile device to said location determining system to enable said location determining system to determine the location of the mobile device based on the information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said server further comprises a region of interest defining system embodied on computer readable media and configured to enable a person to view at least one map and define at least one region of interest on each of the viewed at least one map to be stored in said memory component, and enable an identification of the mobile device to be associated with the region of interest.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein said server further comprises a template defining system embodied on computer-readable media and configured to enable the person defining the region of interest to create a template or assign an existing template as a base for the notification to be automatically generated for each defined region of interest and associated mobile device.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the regions of interest are defined relative to a movable device, further comprising an additional location determining system for determining a location of the movable device to enable parameters of the region of interest to be derived therefrom and used in the analysis of the location of the mobile device as determined by said location determining system relative to the region of interest.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein said location determining system is configured to determine the location of the mobile device relative to another device which receives or reacts to the generated notification signal.

21. The application of claim 19, wherein said server application is further configured to:

enable a person to view at least one map;

define at least one of the regions of interest on each of the viewed at least one map to be stored; and

enable an identification of the mobile device to be associated with the defined region of interest.

23. The application of claim 19, wherein said server application is further configured to coordinate transmission of the notification signals to a device other than the mobile device whose user is interested in the monitoring of the location of the mobile device.

24. The application of claim 19, wherein the region of interest is defined relative to a movable device, said server application being further configured to periodically determine a location of the movable device to enable parameters of the region of interest to be derived therefrom and used in the analysis of the location of the mobile device relative to the region of interest.

20. A server application embodied on computer-readable media and configured to monitor location of a mobile device relative to a region of interest, said server application being configured to:

store a plurality of different defined regions of interest;

store an association between an identification of a mobile device, provided by a monitoring device, whose location is sought to be monitored and the regions of interest;

store a rule, generated at the monitoring device, for notification to be provided when a respective condition relating to a change in location of the mobile device relative to each of the regions of interest is satisfied;

determine the location of the mobile device at least at first and second sequential times using information about Wi-Fi access points communicating with the mobile device and information in a database including database records for each of a plurality of Wi-Fi access points, each database record including a MAC address and geographic location of a respective Wi-Fi access point, wherein at least one of the database records of the database is created or updated based on scanning performed by the mobile device;

analyze the determined location of the mobile device at the second time relative to the determined location of the mobile device at the first time in order to determine whether the determined location of the mobile device is changed and if so, determining whether the change of the determined location of the mobile device satisfies each condition;

automatically generate a notification signal when the condition is satisfied; and

automatically re-determine the location of the mobile device at a predetermined frequency when the change does not satisfy the condition,

whereby the condition is entry of the mobile device into the region of interest from outside of the region of interest or departure of the mobile device from the region of interest to outside of the region of interest.

22. The application of claim 20, wherein said server application is further configured to enable the person defining the region of interest to create a template or assign an existing template as a base for the notification to be automatically generated for each defined region of interest and associated mobile device.