Distributed search method

• US 20020019238A1
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McDonnell, James Thomas Edward, Waters, John Deryk, Crouch, Simon E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,771,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems

Abstract

A method is provided for searching for a lost asset (50) equipped with a short-range wireless transceiver (52). A finder service (40) sends out a search request (36) including a lost-asset identifier, this request being sent over a mobile radio infrastructure (10) to a plurality of mobile devices (20). These devices transmit on the request in their immediate vicinity using short-range wireless transceivers (21). Upon a mobile device (20B) receiving back a response from the lost asset (50), it returns a found message (35) over the mobile radio infrastructure (10) to the finder service (40), this message either including location data concerning the whereabouts of the lost asset or enabling such data to be obtained by the finder service.

Claims

1. A method of searching for a lost asset provided with a short-range wireless transceiver operative to respond to receipt of an enquiry transmission including an identifier of the asset, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending out from a finder service a search request including the identifier of a lost asset, this request being sent over a mobile radio infrastructure to a plurality of mobile entities each equipped both with a radio transceiver for communicating with the infrastructure and with a short-range wireless transceiver;

(b) locally transmitting from mobile entities that have received the search request, a search enquiry incorporating the lost-asset identifier, this enquiry being transmitted using the short-range wireless transceivers of the mobile entities;

(c) upon a mobile entity receiving back a response from the lost asset, returning a found message over the mobile radio infrastructure to the finder service, this response either including location data concerning the whereabouts of the lost asset or enabling such data to be obtained by the finder service.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) is carried out multiple times unless a response is received back to the first sending of the search enquiry.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location data is included in the found message by the mobile entity receiving the response back from the lost asset.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the location data is generated by the mobile entity as its own location using a GPS system of the mobile entity or by calculation from measurements off the mobile radio infrastructure.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the location data is provided by the lost asset itself using a GPS system associated with the asset.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the location data is provided to the mobile entity in response to a request made by the latter to a location server associated with the mobile radio infrastructure, the location server deriving the location of the entity by calculation from measurements off the mobile radio infrastructure.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the finder service on receiving the found message obtains the location data by requesting the location of the mobile entity either from the latter or from a location server that is associated with the mobile radio infrastructure and is operative to derive the location of the entity by calculation from measurements off the mobile radio infrastructure.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile radio infrastructure is a cellular radio infrastructure, the search request only being sent to mobile entities within selected cells of the cellular radio infrastructure.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the search request is sent only to mobile entities which according to user profile data held by the mobile radio infrastructure or the finder service, have short range wireless transceivers.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the search request is sent only to mobile entities which according to user profile data held by the radio infrastructure or the finder service have short range wireless transceivers compatible with that of the lost asset.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein a reward is recorded to the user of the mobile entity that finds the lost asset.

13. A mobile device according to claim 12, wherein the control subsystem is operative to cause said local search enquiry to be sent multiple times unless a response is received back to the first sending of the enquiry.

14. A mobile device according to claim 12, wherein the found message includes said location data.

15. A mobile device according to claim 14, wherein the location data is generated by the mobile device as its own location using a GPS system of the mobile device or by calculation from measurements off the mobile radio infrastructure.

16. A mobile device according to claim 14, wherein the location data is provided by the lost asset itself using a GPS system associated with the asset.

17. A mobile device according to claim 14, wherein the location data is provided to the mobile device in response to a request made by the latter to a location server associated with the mobile radio infrastructure.

18. A mobile device according to claim 12, wherein the found message includes authorisation for the recipient to obtain the current location of the mobile device from a location server that is associated with the mobile radio infrastructure.

12. A mobile device comprising:

a radio subsystem for sending and receiving messages using a mobile radio infrastructure;

a short-range wireless transceiver; and

a control subsystem operative upon receipt, by the cellular radio subsystem, of a search-request message including the identifier of a lost asset, to cause the short-range wireless transceiver to transmit a local search enquiry incorporating the lost-asset identifier, the control subsystem being further operative, upon the short-range wireless transceiver receiving back a response from the lost asset, to cause the cellular radio subsystem to the return a found message over the mobile radio infrastructure, this found message either including location data concerning the whereabouts of the lost asset or enabling such data to be obtained by the finder service.