Determining a designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location and using the determination to improve location estimates
First Claim
1. A method of determining that a geographic location of a designated wireless device is not fixed, and using the determination that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed to improve location estimates, the method comprising:
- determining, by a wireless positioning system, one or more neighboring wireless devices having relationships with the designated wireless device, wherein a relationship is established when wireless signals from a neighboring wireless device of the one or more neighboring wireless devices and the designated wireless device are detected by a same receiver;
calculating a measure of likelihood that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed based at least in part on a number of the relationships or a duration of the relationships; and
based on the measure of likelihood, excluding the designated wireless device from being used in the wireless positioning system as a beacon for estimating the location of a client device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one embodiment, a system determines a designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location, and uses the determination that the designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location to improve location estimates. The system determines one or more neighboring wireless devices have relationships with the designated wireless device, wherein a relationship is established when wireless signals from a neighboring wireless device and the designated wireless device are detected by a same receiver. A measure of likelihood is calculated that the designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location based at least in part on a number of the relationships or a duration of the relationships. Based on the measure of likelihood, the designated wireless device is excluded from being used in the wireless positioning system as a beacon for estimating the location of a client device.
250 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of determining that a geographic location of a designated wireless device is not fixed, and using the determination that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed to improve location estimates, the method comprising:
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determining, by a wireless positioning system, one or more neighboring wireless devices having relationships with the designated wireless device, wherein a relationship is established when wireless signals from a neighboring wireless device of the one or more neighboring wireless devices and the designated wireless device are detected by a same receiver; calculating a measure of likelihood that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed based at least in part on a number of the relationships or a duration of the relationships; and based on the measure of likelihood, excluding the designated wireless device from being used in the wireless positioning system as a beacon for estimating the location of a client device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of determining that geographic location of a designated wireless device is not fixed, and using the determination that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed to improve location estimates, the method comprising:
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maintaining, by a wireless positioning system, a database that includes an estimated location of the designated wireless device; maintaining, by the wireless positioning system, a record of each instance the estimated location of the designated wireless device changed in the database; using the record to determine a number of relocations of the designated wireless device during a time interval; in response to the number of relocations exceeding a relocation threshold, determining that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed; and based on the geographic location of the designated wireless device being determined to not be fixed, excluding the designated wireless device from being used in the wireless positioning system as a beacon for estimating a location of a client device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A wireless positioning system configured to determine that geographic location of a designated wireless device is not fixed, and use the determination that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed to improve location estimates, comprising:
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a computer system configured to estimate location of client devices; and a non-transitory computer readable media including instructions that when executed by the computer system cause the computer system to; determine one or more neighboring wireless devices that have relationships with a designated wireless device, wherein a relationship is established when wireless signals from a neighboring wireless device of the one or more neighboring wireless devices and the designated wireless device are detected by a same receiver; determine whether the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed based at least in part on the relationships; and use the determination that the geographic location of the designated wireless device is not fixed in a determination whether to select the designated wireless device to be used as a beacon in the wireless positioning system for estimating the location of client devices. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification