Scoring beacon messages for mobile device wake-up

• US 9,456,416 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2015
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vigier, Benjamin, Fugman, Corey G., Krsmanovic, Filip, Su, Yingfeng, Roig, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US14/592,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20160095063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/38.3, 455/31.3, 455/38.4, 455/434, 455/566, 455/574, 455/414, 455/412, 455/558, 455/564, 455/572, 370/332, 370/252, 370/343, 370/543, 370/336, 370/408, 370/469
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques and systems for scoring beacon messages and selectively performing mobile device wake-up on a score are disclosed. Such a technique can include receiving, at a mobile device in a first operational state, a beacon message from a beacon device over a short-range communication link; determining a score based on the beacon message and one or more criteria for causing a transition from the first operational state to a second operational state, the second operational state consumes more energy from a battery of the mobile device than the first operational state; determining whether the score exceeds a threshold for causing the transition; if the score does not exceed the threshold, maintaining the mobile device in the first operational state; and if the score exceeds the threshold, transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state and presenting the beacon message through the mobile device in the second operational state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device in a first operational state, a beacon message from a beacon device over a short-range communication link;

determining a score based on the beacon message and one or more criteria for causing a transition from the first operational state to a second operational state, wherein the second operational state consumes more energy from a battery of the mobile device than the first operational state;

determining whether the score exceeds a threshold for causing the transition;

if the score does not exceed the threshold, maintaining the mobile device in the first operational state; and

if the score exceeds the threshold, transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state and presenting the beacon message through the mobile device in the second operational state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises activating a screen of the mobile device, and wherein presenting the beacon message comprises displaying content corresponding to the beacon message on the screen.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

tracking in a period of time a number of transitions that the mobile device transitions to the second operation state to present one or more beacon messages, wherein the score is based on the number of transitions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the score is based on whether content from the beacon message has been previously received, presented through the mobile device, or both.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the score is based on a charge level of the battery.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

running an application as a background process on the mobile device, the application being configured to determine the score; and

wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises operating the application to transition to a foreground process on the mobile device and display content corresponding to the beacon message on a display of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a range estimation between the mobile device and the beacon device based on a received signal strength value corresponding to the beacon message, wherein the score is based on the range estimation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the score comprises determining whether there is a pre-existing reason for visiting an establishment associated with the beacon device.

9. A system comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate with mobile devices; and

processor electronics configured to store applications, including an application, for download to the mobile devices via the network interface,

wherein the application comprises instructions to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising;

receiving, in a first operational state, a beacon message from a beacon device over a short-range communication link;

determining a score based on the beacon message and one or more criteria for causing a transition from the first operational state to a second operational state, wherein the second operational state consumes more energy from a battery of the mobile device than the first operational state;

determining whether the score exceeds a threshold for causing the transition;

if the score does not exceed the threshold, maintaining the mobile device in the first operational state; and

if the score exceeds the threshold, transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state and presenting the beacon message through the mobile device in the second operational state.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises activating a screen of the mobile device, and wherein presenting the beacon message comprises displaying content corresponding to the beacon message on the screen.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations comprise:

tracking in a period of time a number of transitions that the mobile device transitions to the second operation state to present one or more beacon messages, wherein the score is based on the number of transitions.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the score is based on whether content from the beacon message has been previously received, presented through the mobile device, or both.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the score is based on a charge level of the battery.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the application is configured to run as a background process while the mobile device is in the first operational state, and wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises operating the application to transition from the background process to a foreground process on the mobile device and display content corresponding to the beacon message on a display of the mobile device.

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

determining a range estimation between the mobile device and the beacon device based on a received signal strength value corresponding to the beacon message, wherein the score is based on the range estimation.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the score comprises determining whether there is a pre-existing reason for visiting an establishment associated with the beacon device.

17. A mobile device comprising:

circuitry configured to receive a beacon message from a beacon device over a short-range communication link; and

a processor configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving, in a first operational state, the beacon message via the circuitry;

determining a score based on the beacon message and one or more criteria for causing a transition from the first operational state to a second operational state, wherein the second operational state consumes more energy from a battery of the mobile device than the first operational state;

determining whether the score exceeds a threshold for causing the transition;

if the score does not exceed the threshold, maintaining the mobile device in the first operational state; and

if the score exceeds the threshold, transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state and presenting the beacon message through the mobile device in the second operational state.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises activating a screen of the mobile device, and wherein presenting the beacon message comprises displaying content corresponding to the beacon message on the screen.

19. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise:

tracking in a period of time a number of transitions that the mobile device transitions to the second operation state to present one or more beacon messages, wherein the score is based on the number of transitions.

20. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the score is based on whether content from the beacon message has been previously received, presented through the mobile device, or both.

21. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the score is based on a charge level of the battery.

22. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise:

running an application as a background process on the mobile device, the application being configured to determine the score; and

wherein transitioning the mobile device to the second operational state comprises operating the application to transition to a foreground process on the mobile device and display content corresponding to the beacon message on a display of the mobile device.

23. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the operations comprise:

determining a range estimation between the mobile device and the beacon device based on a received signal strength value corresponding to the beacon message, wherein the score is based on the range estimation.

24. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein determining the score comprises determining whether there is a pre-existing reason for visiting an establishment associated with the beacon device.