Indoor remote triggered location scanning

• US 9,717,065 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Michael U., Varoglu, Devrim, Dave, Swapnil R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US14/137,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure

Abstract

In some implementations, wireless transceivers (“nodes”) can be located throughout a building. In some implementations, an originating mobile device can request the current location of a target mobile device. In some implementation, if a direct connection cannot be established between the originating mobile device and the target mobile device, the originating mobile device can send the location request to one or more nodes in the building. The nodes can relay the location request to the target mobile device. The target mobile device can determine the target mobile device'"'"'s current location and send the current location of the target mobile device back to the originating mobile device through the nodes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first intermediate node, first location information for a target mobile device, the first location information provided by the target mobile device to the intermediate node through a wireless connection between the intermediate node and the target mobile device, wherein the first intermediate node and the target mobile device are located in an indoor environment;

storing, by the first intermediate node, the first location information including a first location of the target mobile device, a first timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device;

determining, by the first intermediate node, that an originating mobile device is authorized to retrieve location information associated with the target mobile device;

obtaining, by the first intermediate node, second location information for the target mobile device from a second intermediate node in the indoor environment, the second location information including a second location of the target mobile device, a second timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the second location and the second timestamp are different than the first location and the first timestamp;

storing, by the first intermediate node, the second location information;

receiving, by the first intermediate node, a location request for the target mobile device initiated by the originating mobile device; and

transmitting, by the first intermediate node, the first and second location information to the originating mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed using peer-to-peer wireless connections between the originating mobile device, the first intermediate node and the target mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed using Bluetooth low energy signals.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining third location information for the target mobile device from a third intermediate node including a third location of the target mobile device, a third timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the third location and the third timestamp are different than the first and second locations and the first and second timestamps, and

transmitting, by the first intermediate node, the first, second and third location information to the originating mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second intermediate node is a mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second location information indicates an area within a building where the target mobile device is located.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location request includes a first authorization token and the first and second location information include second and third authorization tokens, respectively, the first intermediate node compares the first authorization token to the second and third authorization tokens to determine a match, and transmits the first and second location information to the originating mobile device in response to the first, second and third tokens matching.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

receiving, by a first intermediate node, first location information for a target mobile device, the first location information provided by the target mobile device to the intermediate node through a wireless connection between the intermediate node and the target mobile device, wherein the first intermediate node and the target mobile device are located in an indoor environment;

storing, by the intermediate node, the first location information including a first location of the target mobile device, a first timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device;

determining, by the first intermediate node, that an originating mobile device is authorized to retrieve location information associated with the target mobile device;

obtaining, by the first intermediate node, second location information for the target mobile device from a second intermediate node in the indoor environment, the second location information including a second location of the target mobile device, a second timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the second location and the second timestamp are different than the first location and the first timestamp

storing, by the first intermediate node, the second location information;

receiving, by the intermediate node, a location request for the target mobile device initiated by the originating mobile device; and

transmitting, by the first intermediate node, the first and second location information to the originating mobile device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed using peer-to-peer wireless connections between the originating mobile device, the first intermediate node and the target mobile device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining third location information for the target mobile device from a third intermediate node including a third location of the target mobile device, a third timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the third location and the third timestamp are different than the first and second locations and the first and second timestamps; and

transmitting, by the first intermediate node, the first, second and third location information to the originating mobile device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed by two or more intermediate nodes.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first or second intermediate node is a mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first and second location information indicates an area within a building where the target mobile device is located.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the location request includes a first authorization token and the first and second location information include second and third authorization tokens, respectively, the first intermediate node compares the first authorization token to the second and third authorization tokens to determine a match, and transmits the first and second location information to the originating mobile device in response to the first, second and third tokens matching.

15. A node in a wireless system comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver;

a computer-readable medium encoded with one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes;

receiving, by the wireless transceiver, first location information for a target mobile device, the first location information provided by the target mobile device through a wireless connection between the intermediate node and the target mobile device, wherein the node and the target mobile device are located in an indoor environment;

storing, by the node, the first location information including a first location of the target mobile device, a first timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device;

determining that an originating mobile device is authorized to retrieve location information associated with the target mobile device;

obtaining, by the node, second in the indoor environment location information for the target mobile device from a second node in the wireless system, the second location information including a second location of the target mobile device, a second timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the second location and the second timestamp are different than the first location and the first timestamp

storing, by the node, the second location information;

receiving, by the wireless transceiver, a location request for the target mobile device initiated by the originating mobile device; and

transmitting the first and second location information to the originating mobile device.

16. The node of claim 15, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed using peer-to-peer wireless connections between the originating mobile device, the target mobile device and the node.

17. The node of claim 16, wherein the receiving and transmitting are performed using Bluetooth low energy signals.

18. The node of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining third location information for the target mobile device from a third node including a third location of the target mobile device, a third timestamp and data identifying the target mobile device, where the third location and the third timestamp are different than the first and second locations and the first and second timestamps; and

transmitting, by the node, the first, second and third location information to the originating mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one node is a mobile device.

20. The node of claim 15, wherein the location information indicates an area within a building where the nodes are located.

21. The node of claim 15, wherein the location request includes a first authorization token and the first and second location information include second and third authorization tokens, respectively, the first intermediate node compares the first authorization token to the second and third authorization tokens to determine a match, and transmits the first and second location information to the originating mobile device in response to the first, second and third tokens matching.