Transmission regulation of tag readers

• US 9,607,196 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wssingbo, Tomas
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUIN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/426,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.32
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A server may compare transmission reports received from mobile tag readers to a reporting rule. Each transmission report includes a reported location of the respective mobile tag reader when the respective mobile tag reader received a wireless transmission from a tag. Responsive to a determination that the transmission reports satisfy the reporting rule, an instruction may be generated that instructs a mobile tag reader to reduce how often tag transmission reports are sent to the server. Mobile tag readers may be selected to receive the instruction based on the reported location. The instruction may be sent to the selected mobile tag readers. The sending of transmission reports by tag readers may be reduced.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

comparing transmission reports received from one or more mobile tag readers to a reporting rule, wherein each transmission report comprises data received by a respective mobile tag reader through a wireless transmission from a tag and a reported location of the respective mobile tag reader;

responsive to a determination that one or more of the transmission reports satisfy the reporting rule, generating an instruction that instructs a mobile tag reader to reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server;

selecting one or more mobile tag readers to receive the instruction based on the reported location; and

sending the instruction to the selected one or more mobile to readers.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a number of the transmission reports received for the reported location during a time period to a threshold number defined by the reporting rule, wherein the instruction is generated responsive to a determination that the number of transmission reports satisfies the threshold number.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a frequency of transmission reports sent by a mobile tag reader to a threshold frequency defined by the reporting rule, wherein the instruction is generated responsive to a determination that the frequency of transmission reports sent by the mobile tag reader satisfies the threshold frequency.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises selecting a group of the mobile tag readers that are within a geographical region that is defined based on the reported location.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the instruction instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to halt sending of transmission reports for a time period.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the instruction instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to reduce a frequency of transmission reports sent to the server while within, the geographical region.

7. The server of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending, based on a reporting plan associated with the reporting rule, a resume instruction to the selected one or more mobile tag readers instructing the selected one or more mobile tag readers to no longer reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server;

selecting other one or more mobile tag readers based on the reporting plan; and

sending the instruction to the other one or more mobile tag readers.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises selecting one or more mobile tag readers that are predicted to be in a geographical region defined based on the reported location, and wherein the instruction instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server within a threshold distance of the reported location.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the instruction further instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to instruct the tag sending the wireless transmissions to reduce how often wireless transmissions are broadcast.

10. A method, comprising:

comparing, at a computing device, transmission reports received from one or more mobile tag readers to a reporting rule, wherein each transmission report comprises data received by a respective mobile tag reader through a wireless transmission from a tag and a reported location of the respective mobile tag reader;

responsive to a determination that one or more of the transmission reports satisfy the reporting rule, generating an instruction that instructs a mobile tag reader to reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server;

selecting one or more mobile tag readers to receive the instruction based on the reported location; and

sending the instruction to the selected one or more mobile tag readers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a frequency of transmission reports sent by a mobile tag, reader to a threshold frequency defined by the reporting rule, wherein the instruction is generated responsive to a determination that the frequency of transmission reports sent by the mobile tag reader satisfies the threshold frequency.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a frequency of transmission reports sent by a mobile tag reader, wherein the instruction is generated responsive to a determination that the frequency of transmission reports sent by the mobile tag reader satisfies a threshold frequency defined by the reporting rule.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the selecting comprises selecting a group of the mobile tag readers that are within a geographical region that is defined based on the reported location.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to halt sending of transmission reports for a time period.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction instructs the selected mobile tag readers to reduce a frequency of transmission reports sent to the server while within the geographical region.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising;

sending, based on a reporting plan associated with the reporting rule, a resume instruction to the selected one or more mobile tag readers instructing the selected one or more mobile tag readers to no longer reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server;

selecting other one or more mobile tag readers based on the reporting plan; and

sending the instruction to the other one or more mobile tag readers.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the selecting comprises selecting one or more mobile tag readers that arc predicted to be in a geographical region defined based on the reported location, and wherein the instruction instructs the one or more mobile tag readers to reduce how often transmission reports are sent to the server within a threshold distance of the reported location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the instruction further instructs the selected one or more mobile tag readers to instruct the tag sending the wireless transmissions to reduce how often wireless transmissions are broadcast.

19. A mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a location of the mobile communication terminal responsive to receiving a wireless transmission from a tag;

sending a transmission report to a server, wherein the transmission report comprises data received from the tag and the location of the mobile communication terminal; and

reducing how often transmission reports are sent to the server responsive to receiving an instruction from the server.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein the instruction instructs the mobile communication terminal to halt or reduce a frequency of transmission reports sent to the server while in a geographical location defined based on the location.