Object tracking by establishing a mesh network and transmitting packets

• US 9,672,346 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heydon, Robin, Jones, Nicholas John, Graube, Nicolas Guy Albert, Jarvis, Murray Robert, Huntingford, David, Samuel, Reuven Meyer
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US14/505,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554563, 370311, 370328, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 : Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling 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 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 : using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device configured to form a cluster with one or more other communication devices in its vicinity, monitor the presence, in the cluster, of those other communication devices and provide information about the presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices to another device.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication device to;

form a cluster with other communication devices based on a proximity of the other communication devices to the communication device;

establish a mesh network with at least one of the other communication devices;

monitor a presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

communicate information about the presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the other communication devices include at least one device that is not configured to communicate via the mesh network.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to monitor the presence of the other communication devices causes the communication device to:

transmit query messages to the other communication devices; and

listen for responses from the other communication devices.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to monitor the presence of the other communication devices causes the communication device to:

receive periodic presence updates from the other communication devices; and

determine that a particular communication device has left the cluster if no presence update is received from the particular communication device.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

configure an identity associated with one or more of the other communication devices; and

communicate the identity to the remote device.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

receive, from one or more of the other communication devices in the cluster, information relevant to a condition of the cluster; and

communicate the information to the remote device.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the information is relevant to the cluster as a whole.

8. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the information includes different types of information from different ones of the other communication devices.

9. A communication device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication device to;

monitor a presence of the communication device in a cluster with other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via a mesh network formed with at least one of the other communication devices; and

communicate information about the presence of the communication device in the cluster to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein execution of the instructions to communicate information about the presence of the communication device further causes the communication device to:

transmit an alert to the remote device when the communication device joins or leaves the cluster.

11. The communication device of claim 9, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

identify the cluster based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

select a network key to be used for communicating with the other communication devices based on the identified cluster.

12. The communication device of claim 9, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

determine a location of the communication device; and

communicate information about the location to the remote device.

13. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the communication device uses a different communications protocol to communicate with the remote device than with the other communication devices in the cluster.

14. A method for tracking a plurality of communication devices, the method being performed by a first communication device of the plurality of communication devices and comprising:

forming a cluster with others of the plurality of communication devices in its vicinity by based at least in part on a proximity of the other communication devices to the first communication device;

establishing a mesh network with at least one of the other communication devices;

monitoring a presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

communicating information about the presence of the other communication devices in the cluster to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the information about the presence of the other communication devices includes a notification that a particular communication device is leaving or joining the cluster.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

communicating information about the first communication device leaving or joining the cluster.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

establishing a network with communication devices belonging to one or more other clusters.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a status of the one or more other clusters from the remote device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the remote device forms part of the network with the communication devices belonging to the one or more other clusters.