Wireless beacon and methods

• US 9,491,586 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Estimote Polska Sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Estimote, Inc.
• Inventors: Kostka, Lukasz, Krzych, Jakub
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Juan A
• Application Number:
  US14/956,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• 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 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method for distributing micro-location-based notifications to a computing device includes receiving a unique identifier associated with a first entity, the unique identifier collected from a wireless beacon by a computing device proximal the wireless beacon, receiving identification of a second entity affiliated with the wireless beacon from the first entity; and in response to positive identification of the second entity as an authorized entity, authorizing delivery of a communication from the second entity, the communication executing on the computing device responsive to receipt of the unique identifier at the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for distributing micro-location-based notifications to a computing device, comprising:

receiving a unique identifier associated with a first entity, the unique identifier collected from a wireless beacon by a computing device proximal the wireless beacon;

receiving identification of a second entity affiliated with the wireless beacon from the first entity; and

in response to positive identification of the second entity as an authorized entity, authorizing delivery of a communication from the second entity, the communication executing on the computing device responsive to receipt of the unique identifier at the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing delivery of the communication further comprises authorizing transmission of the communication only when the computing device is within a threshold distance of the wireless beacon.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving identification of the second entity comprises receiving a set of entities from the first entity, sent by the first entity in response to transmission of the unique identifier to the first entity;

wherein the set of entities comprises the second entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving identification of the second entity comprises receiving identification of the second entity from a domain name system associated with the first entity, in response to transmission of the unique identifier to the domain name system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is generated locally on the wireless beacon according to a rule assigned to the wireless beacon.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity and the second entity are identical.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity comprises a security system;

wherein the second entity comprises an entity affiliated with an application operating on the computing device;

further comprising providing access to the security system upon positive identification of the second entity as an authorized entity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein authorizing delivery of the communication comprises authorizing delivery of an access granted communication through the application.

9. A method for distributing micro-location-based notifications to a computing device, comprising:

receiving an encoded unique identifier, from a wireless beacon associated with a first entity, at a computing device proximal the wireless beacon;

identifying a domain name system associated with the first entity;

transmitting the encoded unique identifier from the computing device to the domain name system;

at the domain name system, decoding the encoded unique identifier to create a true identifier;

returning the true identifier to the computing device; and

at the computing device, enabling access to private data, the private data associated with the wireless beacon, using the true identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the encoded unique identifier comprises a hashed unique identifier and decoding the encoded unique identifier comprises performing a reverse hash lookup on the hashed unique identifier.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein decoding the encoded unique identifier comprises decoding the encoded unique identifier only after determining that the computing device is authorized to access the domain name system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling access to private data comprises enabling access to private data only when the computing device is within a threshold distance of the wireless beacon.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein private data comprises physical access credentials.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the encoded unique identifier is generated locally on the wireless beacon according to a rule assigned to the wireless beacon.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the rule assigned to the wireless beacon is accessible to the domain name system;

wherein decoding the encoded unique identifier comprises decoding the encoded unique identifier according to the rule.

16. A method for distributing micro-location-based notifications to a computing device, comprising:

receiving a unique identifier associated with a first entity, the unique identifier collected from a wireless beacon by a computing device proximal the wireless beacon;

wherein the unique identifier is generated locally on the wireless beacon according to a rule assigned to the wireless beacon;

resolving the unique identifier into an identity of the wireless beacon based on the rule; and

in response to recognition of the identity by the first entity, authorizing delivery of a communication through a native application operating on the computing device response to receipt of the unique identifier at the computing device, the communication associated with the first entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein resolving the unique identifier into the identity of the wireless beacon comprises calculating the identity from the unique identifier using an algorithm defined by the rule.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein authorizing delivery of the communication further comprises authorizing transmission of the communication only when the computing device is within a threshold distance of the wireless beacon.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein resolving the unique identifier comprises resolving the unique identifier remotely on a server associated with the first entity.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein resolving the unique identifier comprises resolving the unique identifier locally on the computing device.