Tracking associate locations

• US 9,699,599 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Grigg, David M., Cardinal, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heffington, John M
• Application Number:
  US14/328,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/63 by static guides
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media configured to determine a location of a user, identify the user and provide additional services based on the determined location and/or identity are provided. In some examples, associate users may be identified and a location of each associate user may be tracked to identify a location of an associate user, confirm the location of the associate user is an expected location, and/or provide location information to a customer of the associate user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a location determination and user identification system having at least one processor, data associated with a signal detected by a personal computing device, the signal being emitted from a location beacon at a banking center of a financial institution;

determining, by the location determination and user identification system, a location of the personal computing device based on the received data associated with the signal emitted from the location beacon, wherein the location of the personal computing device is within a predefined proximity of a location of the location beacon;

extracting, by the location determination and user identification system, a unique identifier associated with the personal computing device, the unique identifier including an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) of the personal computing device;

determining, by the location determination and user identification system and based on the extracted unique identifier associated with the personal computing device, an identity of an associate user associated with the personal computing device;

extract, based on the identity of the associate user associated with the personal computing device and from pre-stored information, a knowledge area associated with the associate user;

receiving, by the location determination and user identification system, a request for assistance in a first knowledge area;

determining, by the location determination and user identification system, whether the extracted knowledge area matches the first knowledge area;

tracking, during a predetermined time period, a location of the associate user associated with the personal computing device via the personal computing device;

determining, by the location determination and identification system, whether the associate user is at an expected location within the banking center at a predetermined time; and

responsive to determining that the associate user is not at an expected location, requesting a location update from the associate user, the requested location update including a request for a reason the associate user is not in the expected location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting a location update from the associate user includes transmitting a request for a location update to the personal computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further including receiving, from the associate user, the location update.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the location update is received from the personal computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the location of the associate user is performed using a Global Positioning System.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the location of the associate user includes tracking the location of the associate user when the personal computing device is within the predefined proximity of the location of the location beacon.