Centralized Beacon Management Service

• US 20150351008A1
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mayor, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,949,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A centralized beacon management service includes a beacon database for storing beacon information for different enterprises. The beacon database includes tables that associate beacons deployed by enterprises with beacon information. The beacon information can include information for commissioning the beacons and payload data to be broadcast by the beacon to client devices within communication range of the beacon. Based on proximity sensing data provided by a client device, beacon information is retrieved and sent to the client device over a communication channel (e.g., WiFi, cellular) established with the client device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server computer, proximity sensing data aggregated by a client device physically proximate to a beacon in a beacon environment associated with an enterprise, the proximity sensing data including data identifying the beacon environment and the beacon;

retrieving beacon information from a database of a centralized beacon management service using the proximity sensing data, where the beacon management service manages beacon environments for the enterprise and a plurality of other enterprises; and

sending the beacon information to the client device,

where the method is performed by one or more hardware processors.

2. The method of claim 1, where the beacon is a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) beacon, the data identifying the beacon environment is a major value and the data identifying the beacon is a minor value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using an estimated range class included in the proximity sensing data to retrieve the beacon information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a proximity identifier (ID) included in the proximity sensing data to associate the beacon with the enterprise.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the enterprise with access to a web portal; and

receiving beacon information from the enterprise through the web portal.

6. The method of claim 1, where the beacon information includes a message or link to be broadcast by the beacon.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the enterprise with a data feed; and

receiving beacon information from the enterprise through the data feed.

8. The method of claim 1, where the beacon information includes a transmission power parameter for adjusting the transmission power of the beacon.

9. The method of claim 1, where the beacon information includes a protocol data unit (PDU) type parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, where the beacon information is sent and received over a communication link that is different than a communication link between the client device and the beacon.

11. A method comprising:

aggregating, by a client device, proximity sensing data from a beacon environment when the client device is physically proximate to a beacon in the beacon environment, where the beacon environment is associated with an enterprise and the proximity sensing data includes data identifying the beacon environment and the beacon;

sending the proximity data to a centralized beacon management service that manages the beacon environment and other beacon environments for a plurality of other enterprises;

receiving beacon information associated with the proximity sensing data from a database of the centralized beacon management service; and

directing the beacon information to an application running on the client device, where the method is performed by one or more hardware processors.

12. The method of claim 11, where the beacon is a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) beacon, the data identifying the beacon environment is a major value and the data identifying the beacon is a minor value.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining an estimated range class from radio frequency signals broadcast by the beacon; and

adding the estimated range class to the proximity sensing data.

14. The method of claim 11, where the proximity sensing data includes a proximity identifier (ID) to associate the enterprise with the beacon.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a message or link in the broadcast data; and

displaying the message or link on the client device.

16. The method of claim 11, where the beacon information is sent and received over a communication link that is different than a communication link between the client device and the beacon.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving proximity sensing data aggregated by a client device physically proximate to a beacon in a beacon environment associated with an enterprise, the proximity sensing data including data identifying the beacon environment and the beacon;

retrieving beacon information from a database of a beacon management service using the proximity sensing data, where the beacon management service manages beacon environments for the enterprise and a plurality of other enterprises; and

sending the beacon information to the client device.

18. The system of claim 17, where the beacon is a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) beacon, the data identifying the beacon environment is a major value and the data identifying the beacon is a minor value.

19. The system of claim 17, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

using an estimated range class included in the proximity sensing data to retrieve the beacon information.

20. The system of claim 17, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

using a proximity identifier (ID) included in the proximity sensing data to associate the enterprise with the beacon.

21. The system of claim 17, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

providing the enterprise with access to a web portal; and

receiving beacon information from the enterprise through the web portal.

22. The system of claim 17, where the beacon information includes a message or link to be broadcast by the beacon.

23. The system of claim 17, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

providing the enterprise with a data feed; and

receiving beacon information from the enterprise through the data feed.

24. The system of claim 17, where the beacon information includes a transmission power parameter for adjusting the transmission power of the beacon.

25. The system of claim 17, where the beacon information includes a protocol data unit (PDU) type parameter.

26. The system of claim 17, where the beacon information is sent and received over a communication link that is different than a communication link between the client device and the beacon.

27. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

aggregating, by a client device, proximity sensing data from a beacon environment when the client device is physically proximate to a beacon in the beacon environment, where the beacon environment is associated with an enterprise and the proximity sensing data includes data identifying the beacon environment and the beacon;

sending the proximity data to a centralized beacon management service that manages the beacon environment and other beacon environments for a plurality of other enterprises;

receiving beacon information associated with the proximity sensing data from a database of the centralized beacon management service; and

directing the beacon information to an application running on the client device, where the method is performed by one or more hardware processors.

28. The system of claim 27, where the beacon is a Bluetooth®

low energy (BLE) beacon, the data identifying the beacon environment is a major value and the data identifying the beacon is a minor value.

29. The system of claim 27, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining an estimated range class from radio frequency signals broadcast by the beacon; and

adding the estimated range class to the proximity sensing data.

30. The system of claim 27, where the proximity sensing data includes a proximity identifier (ID) to associate the enterprise with the beacon.

31. The system of claim 27, where the memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a message or link in the broadcast data; and

displaying the message or link on the client device.

32. The system of claim 27, where the beacon information is sent and received over a communication link that is different than a communication link between the client device and the beacon.