Secure beacon-based location systems and methods

• US 10,582,385 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Patrocinium Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Patrocinium Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: South, John A., Schiller, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US15/971,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20190110197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 4554042, 4554561, 4554562, 455521
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method for secure, beacon-based emergency location is disclosed. The method includes detecting, with an app instance executing on a user device, a signal from a beacon disposed in a geographical location physically proximate to the user device, and transmitting in response to the detecting app instance verification information to the beacon. Further, the method includes receiving, with the app instance executing on the user device, beacon verification information from the beacon, the beacon verification information being based at least partially on the app instance verification information, and transmitting the beacon verification information to an emergency information server. The method also includes authenticating, with the emergency information server, the beacon verification information to verify that the user device is physically proximate to the beacon and, if the beacon verification information is authentic, determining the geographical location of the user device based on the geographical location of the beacon.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an emergency response network, which comprises:

providing a plurality of beacons arranged in a mesh network;

determining, with a sensor in each of the plurality of beacons, a tamper status for each of the plurality of beacons, the tamper status indicating whether the beacon has been physically tampered with;

transmitting the determined tamper status of each of the plurality of the beacons through the mesh network to a mesh network gateway; and

transmitting the determined tamper status of each of the plurality of the beacons from the mesh network gateway to an emergency information server.

2. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

receiving, with an app instance executing on a user device disposed in a geographical location physically proximate to a first beacon of the plurality of beacons, a signal from the first beacon;

authenticating the signal from the first beacon by receiving the determined tamper status for the first beacon from the emergency information server; and

determining the geographical location of the user device based on the authenticated signal.

3. The method of claim 2, which further comprises transmitting, with the emergency information server, information related to an emergency situation to the user device based on the determined geographical location of the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network enables bi-directional communication between each beacon and another beacon of the plurality of beacons.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network gateway is integrated into one of the plurality of beacons.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect movement or physical forces indicative of tampering.

7. A system for determining a tamper status of a plurality of beacons, comprising:

an emergency information server;

a plurality of beacons arranged in a mesh network, wherein each beacon comprises a transmitter and a sensor configured to determine a tamper status indicating whether the beacon has been physically tampered with, wherein each beacon is configured to;

determine the tamper status of the beacon; and

transmit the determined tamper status through the mesh network to a mesh network gateway, wherein the mesh network gateway is configured to transmit the tamper status of each of the plurality of the beacons to the emergency information server.

8. The system of claim 7, which further comprises an app instance executing on a user device disposed in a geographical location physically proximate to a first beacon of the plurality of beacons, the app instance configured to:

receive a signal from the first beacon;

authenticate the signal from the first beacon by receiving the determined tamper status for the first beacon from the emergency information server; and

determine the location of the user device based on the authenticated signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the signal from the beacon is a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signal.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the mesh network gateway is integrated into one of the plurality of beacons.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the mesh network is formed using an ANT wireless mesh protocol.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the mesh network enables bi-directional communications between each beacon and another beacon of the plurality of beacons.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensor is configured to detect movement or physical force indicative of tampering.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the emergency information server is disposed at a location remote from the mesh network.

15. A method for secure, beacon-based emergency location, which comprises:

receiving, with an emergency information server, beacon verification information for a plurality of beacons;

determining, with the emergency information server, a verification status of each beacon of the plurality of beacons based on the received beacon verification information, the verification status including a trusted status or a non-trusted status;

detecting, with a user device, a signal from a first beacon of the plurality of beacons disposed in a geographical location physically proximate to the user device;

transmitting to the user device, the verification status of the first beacon; and

if the beacon verification status of the first beacon is trusted, determining, with the emergency information server, the geographical location of the user device based on the geographical location of the first beacon.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the verification status is based on authenticating, with an emergency information server, the beacon verification information to verify that the user device is physically proximate to the first beacon.

17. The method of claim 15, which further comprises:

assigning a time period to the verification status; and

transmitting the verification status and the time period of the first beacon to the user device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the beacon verification status is trusted and the time period has not expired, further comprising determining, with the emergency information server, the geographical location of the user device based on the geographical location of the first beacon without independently authenticating the first beacon with the user device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the beacon verification information includes a digest digitally signed with a private key uniquely associated with the first beacon.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the digest includes a timestamp concatenated with a portion of app instance verification information on the user device.