Electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification system with beacon clustering

• US 9,838,849 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collateral Opportunities Of Nevada, LLC
• Original Assignee: Collateral Opportunities, LLC
• Inventors: Kusens, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US15/230,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20170111770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 486 Days
• Field of Search: 4554564, 4554563, 4554561, 455454, 455411, 455 305, 340 564, 34053913, 3405731, 340 561, 370331, 370310
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• 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 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A system and method for identifying a customer'"'"'s location at a business and provide notification to a company representative upon arrival of the customer at the business location. Real-time location determinations for the customer and customer location tracking can be provided. One or more wireless beacons communicate with the customer'"'"'s electronic device. The beacons provide the system with real-time data about the customer'"'"'s whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking of the customer at the location. A first non-limiting example of use, include a company that provides food and beverage allowing the customer to place an order for food and beverages on their electronic device and having the order delivered to the person at their current location as determined by the system. Another non-limiting example includes a company using the notification system to have assigned staff members notified of the customer'"'"'s arrival.

Claims

1. A method for determining a current location of an individual at a particular geographical area, said method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving one or more wireless signals by an electronic device on the possession of the individual sent by one or more wireless beacons, said electronic device having and running an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification app (“

App”

), each wireless signal of the one or more wireless signals associated with a specific one beacon from the one or more wireless beacons, each of the signals of the one or more wireless signals having an unique identifier identifying the specific one beacon from the one or more wireless beacons that the signal was transmitted from, each of the one or more beacons located at a different spot within the particular geographical area;

b. electronically forwarding at least some of the one or more wireless signals by the electronic device to an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification system (“

System”

) to determine the current location of the individual at the particular geographical area;

c. determining by the App running on the individual'"'"'s electronic device the signal strength for each of the received wireless signals and electronically forwarding in step b. only signals having signal strengths above a preconfigured signal strength threshold;

wherein the one or more beacons are a plurality of beacons;

d. grouping two or more of the plurality of beacons into a plurality of beacon clusters, with each beacon cluster containing beacons not in any of the other beacon clusters; and

e. obtaining an average signal strength value for each beacon cluster based on the beacons contained in each cluster;

wherein an average signal strength for a beacon cluster is determined by (i) averaging signal strengths for the received signals for all of the beacons in the beacon cluster, (ii) assigning a dummy value for signal strengths below the preconfigured signal strength threshold sent from a beacon in the beacon cluster and then averaging all signal strengths above the threshold and the dummy value assigned, or (iii) averaging only signal strengths above the preconfigured signal strength threshold from beacons in the beacon cluster.

2. The method for determining of claim 1 further comprising the step of querying an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification database (Database”

) by the System and receiving configuring information by the System from the Database for each of the beacons from the one or more wireless beacons.

3. The method for determining of claim 2 wherein the configuring information including minimum signal strength thresholds for the wireless signal transmitted by each beacon in order for the beacon to be considered in a determination for a current location of the individual.

4. The method for determining of claim 3 further comprising the step of disregarding wireless signals received by the individual'"'"'s electronic device having a signal strength that are below the minimum signal strength threshold for their associated beacon.

5. The method for determining of claim 4 further comprising the step of determining the current location for the individual within the particular geographic area by the System using only wireless signals received by the individual'"'"'s electronic device having signal strengths above the minimum signal strength threshold.

6. The method for determining of claim 1 wherein the particular geographical area is a hospitality location.

7. The method for determining of claim 6 wherein the hospitality location is a casino or a hotel.

8. The method for determining of claim 6 further comprising the step of electronically sending notification to an electronic device of a staff member employed at the hospitality location regarding a presence and a current location of the individual within the hospitality location.

9. The method for determining of claim 1 further comprising the steps of identifying the received wireless signal with a highest signal strength from the received one or more wireless signals, obtaining location information for the associated beacon which sent the signal with the highest signal strength from an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification database (“

Database”

) and selecting the location of the beacon which sent the wireless signal with the highest signal strength as a current location for the individual within the particular geographical area.

10. The method for determining of claim 1 wherein the received signals having a signal strength over the preconfigured threshold are only electronically forwarded by the App to the System only where the signal strength remains above the preconfigured signal strength threshold for a preconfigured duration of time.

11. The method for determining of claim 1 wherein each beacon cluster defining a specific location within the particular geographic area and the beacon cluster having the highest average signal strength identifies the specific location of the individual within the particular geographic area.

12. A method for determining a current location of an individual at a particular geographical area, said method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a plurality of wireless signals by an electronic device on the possession of the individual with each signal from the plurality of wireless signals sent by a specific wireless beacon from a plurality of wireless beacons, said electronic device having and running an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification app (“

App”

), each of the signals of the plurality of wireless signals having an unique identifier identifying the specific wireless beacon from the plurality of wireless beacons that the signal was transmitted from;

b. determining by the App running on the individual'"'"'s electronic device the signal strength for each of the received wireless signals;

c. electronically forwarding at least some of the plurality of wireless signals by the electronic device to an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification system (“

System”

) to determine the current location of the individual at the particular geographical area;

d. grouping two or more of the plurality of beacons into a beacon cluster and resulting into a plurality of beacon clusters, wherein each beacon cluster defining a particular location within geographical area;

wherein each beacon cluster containing beacons not in any of the other beacon clusters of the plurality of beacon clusters; and

e. obtaining an average signal strength value for each beacon cluster based on the beacons contained in each cluster;

wherein an average signal strength for a beacon cluster is determined by (i) averaging signal strengths for the received signals for all of the beacons in the beacon cluster, (ii) assigning a dummy value for signal strengths below the preconfigured signal strength threshold sent from a beacon in the beacon cluster and then averaging all signal strengths above the threshold and the dummy value assigned, or (iii) averaging only signal strengths above the preconfigured signal strength threshold from beacons in the beacon cluster.