POWER CONSERVATION ON USER DEVICES HAVING LOCATION IDENTIFICATION HARDWARE

• US 20150237593A1
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Gruskin, Edward, Frazier, Kristopher T., Katai, Lonnie, Hwang, James Y., D'Argenio, Michael J., Sheth, Abhishek S., Santaiti, Matthew, DeKlerk, Gareth P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,706,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A user device may detect, using a first radio associated with the user device, a presence of a location reference device; and determine a location associated with the user device. When determining the location associated with the user device, the user device is to receive location information from the location reference device, via the first, and refrain, based on detecting the presence of the location reference device, from determining the location using a second radio associated with the user device while the user device is within a communication range of the location reference device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a user device and using a first radio associated with the user device, a presence of a location reference device; and

determining, by the user device, a location associated with the user device, the determining including;

receiving, by the user device, location information from the location reference device, via the first radio, and

refraining, by the user device and based on detecting the presence of the location reference device, from determining the location using a second radio associated with the user device while the user device is within a communication range of the location reference device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein refraining from determining the location using the second radio includes at least one of:

powering down the second radio,

switching the second radio to an idle state, or

discontinuing a processes that determines the location using the second radio.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein refraining from determining the location using the second radio is further based on at least one of:

a signal strength of the communication between the user device and the reference device,

a duration of the communication between the user device and the reference device, or

a measure of performance of the communication between the user device and the reference device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the user device, via the first radio, consumes less power than determining the location of the user device via the second radio.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that communication between the user device and the location reference device has ended; and

determining the location of the user device using the second radio based on detecting that the communication between the user device and the location reference device has ended.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

beginning or refraining from communicating via a third radio based on detecting the presence of the location reference device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio includes at least one of:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) radio,

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio, or

a Near-Field Communications (NFC), and

wherein the second radio includes at least one of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio,

a cellular radio, or

a “

Wi-Fi”

radio.

8. A system comprising:

a user device, comprising;

a non-transitory memory device storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to;

detect, using a first radio associated with the user device, a presence of a location reference device; and

determine a location associated with the user device, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the location, causes the processor to;

receive location information from the location reference device, via the first radio, and

refrain, based on detecting the presence of the location reference device, from determining the location using a second radio associated with the user device while the user device is within a communication range of the location reference device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to refrain from determining the location using the second radio, causes the processor to:

power down the second radio,

switch the radio to an idle state, or

discontinue a process that determines the location using the second radio.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to refrain from determining the location using the second radio, causes the processor to:

refrain from determining the location using the second radio further based on at least one of;

a signal strength of the communication between the user device and the reference device,

a duration of the communication between the user device and the reference device, or

a measure of performance of the communication between the user device and the reference device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the location of the user device via the first radio, consumes less power than determining the location of the user device via the second radio.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the processor to:

detect that communication between the user device and the location reference device has ended; and

determine the location of the user device using the second radio based on detecting that the communication between the user device and the location reference device has ended.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further causes the processor to:

begin or refrain from communicating via a third radio based on detecting the presence of the location reference device.

14. The system if claim 8, wherein the first radio includes at least one of:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) radio,

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio, or

a Near-Field Communications (NFC), and

wherein the second radio includes at least one of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio,

a cellular radio, or

a “

Wi-Fi”

radio.

15. A method comprising:

detecting, by a location reference device, a presence of a user device;

determining, by the location reference device, a location of the user device based on detecting the presence of the user device and based on a location of the location reference device; and

outputting, by the location reference device, information identifying the location of the user device, the outputting causing the user device to refrain from determining the location of the user device using a particular radio while the user device is within a communication range of the location reference device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein outputting the information identifying the location of the user device further causes the user device to:

power down the particular radio,

switch the particular radio to an idle state, or

discontinue a processes that determines the location of the user device using the particular radio.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the location device is a non-mobile device,

wherein determining the location of the user device is further based on information identifying a fixed location of the location reference device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the location device is a mobile device, the method further comprising:

determining the location of the location reference device based using at least one of;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio,

a cellular radio, or

a “

Wi-Fi”

radio,

wherein determining the location of the user device is further based on determining the location of the location reference device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the location of the user device is further based on a signal strength of a communication between user device and location reference device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the particular radio includes at least one of:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio,

a cellular radio, or

a “

Wi-Fi”

radio.