System and method for location detection and management of uncertain information thereof

• US 20110084832A1
• Filed: 10/10/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Midtun, James D., Gray, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

The system provides approximations of a person'"'"'s location to interested parties wherein the approximations are based upon a detection device'"'"'s location and inherent inaccuracies related to that detection device. The system can evaluate location information from multiple detectors and approximate the location using and combining that information. The system can provide a confidence level for that determination. The system can also degrade confidence levels assigned to the location as a function of time. Each location can include a hierarchy of subtypes with each subtype including a precision level, the precision level associated with an accuracy level of a detector involved for placing a person within that particular location. When a detector receives location information, the system described herein can traverse through the locations and their associated precision levels to approximate the correct type of location within the hierarchy using the accuracy level of the detector.

Claims

1. A method for managing location information comprising:

assigning a precision level to at least one location;

receiving location data from at least one detector, wherein said location data includes an accuracy associated with said at least one detector; and

setting said location information to uncertain when said precision level for said at least one location is greater than said accuracy associated with said at least one detector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises setting said location information to certain when said precision level for said at least one location is lower or equal to said accuracy of said at least one detector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one location is a general location, said general location assigned a low precision level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one location is a specific location, said specific location assigned a high precision level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one detector is a wireless fidelity detector, said wireless fidelity detector having a low accuracy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one detector is a global positioning system, said global positioning system having a high accuracy.

7. A management and collaboration system comprising:

a database for storing a location type, wherein said location type includes a hierarchy of subtypes based on precision levels of said subtypes, said subtypes having confidence determinations;

at least one processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive location data from a detector, said location data including an accuracy of said detector;

for subtypes having higher precision levels than said accuracy of said detector, set said confidence determinations for said subtypes to uncertainty and set said confidence determinations of subtypes having lower precision levels to certainty.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said subtypes comprise key/value pairs.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said values of said key/value pairs are restricted.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said location type is a physical location type, said physical location type having a hierarchy of subtypes selected from the group consisting of a country subtype, a city subtype, a district subtype, a street subtype, a building subtype, a floor subtype, a room subtype, and a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said room subtype comprises a male dressing room or a female dressing room.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said location type is an enterprise location type, said enterprise location type having a hierarchy of subtypes selected from the group consisting of a premises subtype, a campus subtype, a building subtype, a room subtype, and a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein said location type is a user location type, said user location type having a hierarchy of subtypes selected from the group consisting of a venue subtype, a building subtype, a room subtype, and a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said venue subtype comprises a work venue or home venue.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein said memory storing program instructions, when executed by the processor, further causes said processor to search for other detectors when subtypes have confidence determinations of uncertainty.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein said certainty and said uncertainty are percentages.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving location data;

assigning a confidence value for a location approximated from said location data; and

degrading said confidence value for said location.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein degrading said confidence value is based on a time-based function.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein degrading said confidence value is based on a location-based function.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising updating said confidence value when new location data is received.