Programmable beacon payloads

• US 9,820,093 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mayor, Robert, Kazemi, Pejman Lotfali, Prats, Augustin, Tucker, Brian J., Linde, Joakim
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US14/501,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

In some implementations, a beaconing protocol can be used to broadcast beacon information to mobile devices. The beaconing protocol can be used by a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) (e.g., Bluetooth 4.0) beacon to transmit a package of information that identifies the beacon and indicates the calibrated transmission power (e.g., measured power) of the beacon. The package of information can be configured by beacon providers and/or beacon installers at the locations where the beacons are installed. When a mobile device receives the beacon package, the mobile device can use the beacon identification information and/or the measured power of the beacon to determine a location (e.g., precise location, geofence location) of the mobile device. In some implementations, the mobile device can transmit the beacon information to a server and the server can determine the location of the mobile device and send location and/or content information back to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting, from a beacon device a plurality of signals;

receiving a measured power value calculated based on received signal strengths of the plurality of signals by a calibration device within communication range of the beacon device;

generating a beacon payload that includes the measured power value, a first set of values for complying with a Bluetooth protocol and a second set of values that comply with a beacon protocol that is different than the Bluetooth protocol, where the second set of values include at least two values that identify, or are associated with, a company; and

broadcasting, from the beacon device, the beacon payload.

2. The method of claim 1, where the beacon device is programmed by a network server to broadcast at a specified time interval.

3. The method of claim 1, where the beacon device is programmed by a server computer to broadcast at a specified transmission power.

4. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, a signal from a beacon device over a Bluetooth communication link, where the signal includes a beacon payload that includes a measured power value, data identifying the beacon device, a first set of values for complying with a Bluetooth protocol and a second set of values that comply with a beacon protocol that is different than the Bluetooth protocol, where the second set of values include at least two values that identify, or are associated with, a company;

extracting from the beacon payload the measured power value, the second set of values and the data identifying the beacon device;

determining the received signal strength of the signal;

determining a distance between the mobile device and the beacon device based on the measured power value and the received signal strength; and

sending, by the mobile device to a server computer over a communication link that is different than the Bluetooth communication link, the distance, the second set of values and the data identifying the beacon device; and

receiving, by the mobile device over the communication network, content associated with the distance, the second set of values and the data.

5. The method of claim 4, where determining a distance between the mobile device and the beacon device includes calibrating a distance function using the measured power value.

6. The method of claim 5, where the distance function is based on a path loss model that uses an exponential decay curve that is calibrated based on the measured power value.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

extracting from the beacon payload information identifying a particular the beacon protocol; and

extracting data from the beacon payload according to the beacon protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, where the the second set of values include values for identifying a location of the beacon device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the server computer, a location of the mobile device.

10. A beacon device comprising:

one or more processors configured to generate a beacon payload that includes a measured power value, a first set of values for complying with a Bluetooth protocol and a second set of values that comply with a beacon protocol that is different than the Bluetooth protocol, where the second set of values include at least two values that identify, or are associated with, a company; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors and configured to;

receive the measured power value from a calibration device; and

broadcast the beacon payload to receiving devices.

11. The beacon device of claim 10, where the beacon device is programmed by a network server to broadcast at a specified time interval.

12. The beacon device of claim 10, where the beacon device is programmed by a network server to broadcast at a specified transmission power.

13. A mobile device comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to receive a signal from a beacon device over a Bluetooth communication link, where the signal includes a beacon payload that includes a measured power value, data identifying the beacon device, a first set of values for complying with a Bluetooth protocol and a second set of values that comply with a beacon protocol that is different than the Bluetooth protocol, where the second set of values include at least two values that identify, or are associated with, a company; and

one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to;

extract from the beacon payload the measured power value, the second set of values and the data identifying the beacon device;

determine the received signal strength of the signal; and

determine a distance between the mobile device and the beacon device based on the measured power value and the received signal strength;

sending, by the mobile device to a server computer over a communication link that is different than the Bluetooth communication link, the distance, the second set of values and the data identifying the beacon device; and

receiving, by the mobile device over the communication network, content associated with the distance, the second set of values and the data.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, where determining a distance between the mobile device and the beacon device includes calibrating a distance function using the measured power value.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, where the distance function is based on a path loss model that uses an exponential decay curve that is calibrated based on the measured power value.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein

the one or more processors are further configured to extract from the beacon payload information identifying the beacon protocol;

and extract data from the beacon payload according to the beacon protocol.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, where the second set of values include a values for identifying a location of the beacon device.

18. The mobile device of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, from the server computer, a location of the mobile device.