Method and System for Wireless local area network Proximity Recognition

• US 20140169352A1
• Filed: 12/12/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inpixon Co.
• Original Assignee: Locality Systems, Inc. (Inpixon Canada, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moir, Kirk Arnold, Hallett, James Francis
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method and system for proximity detection, recognition and classification of a wireless local area network (WLAN) enabled device without a WLAN infrastructure. The proximity recognition system monitors WLAN communications at one or more known locations. The proximity of a transmitter is sensed by examining receive signal strength as the mobile device engages in a sequence of protocol data unit exchanges requesting WLAN association. An identifier of the mobile device may be provided in this association request. Association requests may be periodic or may be prompted by a specific response from the WLAN proximity recognition device which may operate on one or a plurality of WLAN channels.

Claims

1. A method for detecting proximity comprising:

monitoring wireless communications at a wireless communications device;

detecting association requests, wherein the association request is initiated by an originating device to request access to a known wireless local area network;

determining the originating device associated with the association request, wherein a device identifier associated with the originating device is a component of the association request;

inferring the presence of the originating device at the location of wireless communications device.

2. The method in claim 1 wherein the association request is for a wireless local area network in the vicinity of the wireless communications device.

3. The method in claim 1 wherein the association request is prompted by a specific response from the wireless communications device in response to an active probe request for a wireless local area network known to the originating device.

4. The method in claim 1 where the wireless communications device is operating on one or a plurality of wireless local area network channels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data relating to the device identifier is transmitted using WLAN.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier is a MAC address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data relating to the device identifier is transmitted to a central server.

8. The method of claim 1, further discriminating the type of originating device by determining its match using predetermined patterns corresponding to the device type.

9. The method of claim 1, further generating data related to the device identifier;

wherein generating the data relating to the device identifier provides the capability to anonymize the device identifier.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein PRD artificially provokes the mobile device to send more messages than normal, related to the association process, by sending a specifically formatted message to the mobile device.

10. A system for determining proximity comprising:

a wireless antenna;

a wireless transceiver;

a transmitter;

a permanent memory storage device; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the permanent memory device for;

detection an association request received via the wireless receiver, wherein the association request is associated with a request from an originating device to gain access to a wireless local area network;

determination of the originating mobile device associated with the association request, wherein a device identifier associated with the originating device is a component of the association request;

inference of the proximity of the originating device in the vicinity of the wireless antenna; and

transmission data relating to the device identifier via the transmitter.

11. The system in claim 10 wherein the association request is for a wireless local area network in the vicinity of the wireless communications device.

12. The system in claim 10 wherein the association request is prompted by a specific response from the wireless communications device in response to an active probe request for a wireless local area network known to the originating device.

13. The system in claim 10 where the wireless communications device is operating on one or a plurality of wireless local area network channels.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data relating to the device identifier is transmitted using WLAN.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the device identifier is a MAC address.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the data relating to the device identifier is transmitted to a central server.

17. The system of claim 10, further discriminating the type of originating device by determining its match using predetermined patterns corresponding to the device type.

18. The system of claim 10, further generating data related to the device identifier;

wherein generating the data relating to the device identifier provides the capability to anonymize the device identifier.

19. The system of claim 10 wherein the PRD artificially provokes the mobile device to send more messages than normal, related to the association process, by sending a specifically formatted message to the mobile device.