Adaptive geolocation of users to facilitate use of geofences

• US 9,635,500 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2012
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, Richard J., Coulombe, Gregory K., Moise, Daniel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Galt, Cassie
• Application Number:
  US13/653,302
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/396 Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/014 Identifying transitions between environments
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates geolocation of a user. The system includes a server and an electronic device. First, the server receives a location of the user from an electronic device of the user and determines a window around the location. Next, the server transmits the window and one or more geofences within the window to the electronic device. The electronic device then obtains one or more precision buffers associated with one or more levels of accuracy for detecting the location of the user near the one or more geofences. Finally, the electronic device facilitates use of the one or more geofences by varying a geolocation technique for tracking the location of the user based on the one or more precision buffers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for performing geolocation of a user, comprising:

obtaining one or more geofences associated with a location of the user, wherein the number of obtained geofences is based on a size of a window around the location and the size of the window is based on a speed of the user and a density of geofences in proximity to the user;

obtaining one or more precision buffers associated with one or more levels of accuracy for detecting the location of the user near the one or more geofences, wherein the number of precision buffers is based on a type of device associated with the user;

facilitating use of the one or more geofences by selecting from a plurality of geolocation techniques for tracking the location of the user based on the one or more precision buffers; and

determining if the user has entered or exited one of the one or more geofences based on the location of the user and the one or more precision buffers.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the window around the location, wherein the one or more geofences are located within the window.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

using the selected geolocation technique of the plurality of geolocation techniques to obtain an update to the location corresponding to an exit from the window by the user; and

obtaining updates to the window and the one or more geofences based on the update to the location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the update to the location is associated with a boundary of a window inset buffer for the window.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the one or more precision buffers for the one or more geofences involves at least one of:

obtaining the one or more precision buffers with the one or more geofences; and

generating the one or more precision buffers based on a size of the one or more geofences.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or more precision buffers are further generated based on at least one of:

an upper limit for the one or more precision buffers;

a lower limit for the one or more precision buffers; and

the selected geolocation technique.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting from the plurality of the geolocation techniques comprises:

detecting the location of the user in a precision buffer from the one or more precision buffers using a first geolocation technique; and

switching to a second geolocation technique to detect the location at a level of accuracy for the precision buffer.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geofences and the one or more precision buffers correspond to one or more sets of concentric regions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a selected geolocation technique used for tracking the location of the user is associated with at least one of:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

a wireless network;

a cellular network; and

a network address associated with the user.

10. A computer-implemented method for facilitating geolocation of a user, comprising:

receiving a location of the user from an electronic device of the user;

determining a window around the location, wherein the window is determined based on a speed of the user and a density of one or more geofences in proximity to the location;

transmitting the window and one or more geofences within the window to the electronic device;

generating one or more precision buffers associated with one or more levels of accuracy for detecting the location of the user near the one or more geofences, wherein the number of precision buffers is based on a type of the electronic device;

transmitting the one or more precision buffers to the electronic device;

upon receiving an update to the location from the electronic device, updating the window and the one or more geofences based on the update.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein a size of the one or more precision buffers is based on at least one of:

a size of the one or more geofences;

an upper limit for the one or more precision buffers; and

a lower limit for the one or more precision buffers.

12. A system for facilitating geolocation of a user, comprising:

an electronic device having a processor and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, performs an operation comprising;

obtaining one or more geofences associated with a location of a user of the electronic device, wherein the number of obtained geofences is based on a size of a window around the location, wherein the size of the window is based on a speed of the user and a density of geofences in proximity to the user;

obtaining one or more precision buffers associated with one or more levels of accuracy for detecting the location of the user near the one or more geofences, wherein the number of precision buffers is based on a type of the electronic device;

facilitating use of the one or more geofences by selecting from a plurality of geolocation techniques for tracking the location of the user based on the one or more precision buffers; and

determining if the user has entered or exited one of the one or more geofences based on the location of the user and the one or more precision buffers.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

using the selected geolocation technique of the plurality of geolocation techniques to obtain an update to the location corresponding to an exit from the window by the user, and

obtaining an update to the window and the one or more geofences based on the update to the location corresponding to an exit from the window by the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the update to the location is associated with a boundary of a window inset buffer for the window.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein obtaining the one or more precision buffers for the one or more geofences involves at least one of:

obtaining the one or more precision buffers from the server; and

generating the one or more precision buffers based on a size of the one or more geofences.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein selecting from the plurality of geolocation techniques comprises:

detecting the location of the user in a precision buffer from the one or more precision buffers using a first geolocation technique; and

switching to a second geolocation technique to detect the location at a level of accuracy for the precision buffer.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more geofences and the one or more precision buffers correspond to one or more sets of concentric regions.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the geolocation technique is associated with at least one of:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

a wireless network;

a cellular network; and

a network address associated with the user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for performing geolocation of a user, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more geofences associated with a location of the user, wherein the number of obtained geofences is based on a size of a window around the location and the size of the window is based on a speed of the user and a density of geofences in proximity to the user;

obtaining one or more precision buffers associated with one or more levels of accuracy for detecting the location of the user near the one or more geofences, wherein the number of precision buffers is based on a type of device associated with the user;

facilitating use of the one or more geofences by selecting from a plurality of geolocation techniques for tracking the location of the user based on the one or more precision buffers; and

determining if the user has entered or existed one of the one or more geofences based on the location of the user and the one or more precision buffers.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

obtaining the window around the location, wherein the one or more geofences are located within the window.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the method further comprising:

using a first geolocation technique of the plurality of geolocation techniques to obtain an update to the location corresponding to an exit from the window by the user; and

obtaining updates to the window and the one or more geofences based on the update to the location.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein obtaining the one or more precision buffers for the one or more geofences involves at least one of:

obtaining the one or more precision buffers with the one or more geofences; and

generating the one or more precision buffers based on a size of the one or more geofences.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein a size of the one or more precision buffers is based on at least one of:

an upper limit for the one or more precision buffers; and

a lower limit for the one or more precision buffers.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein selecting from the plurality of geolocation techniques comprises:

detecting the location of the user in a precision buffer from the one or more precision buffers using a first geolocation technique; and

switching to a second geolocation technique to detect the location at a level of accuracy for the precision buffer.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the selected geolocation technique is associated with at least one of:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

a wireless network;

a cellular network; and

a network address associated with the user.