Portable memory module with wireless emitter to facilitate the provision of location-dependent services

• US 8,727,216 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Graves, Alan, Fitchett, Jeffrey, Vezza, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US12/155,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,169 Days
• Field of Search: 235/491, 235/375, 235/435, 235/439, 235/492, 705 2- 3, 340/572.1, 342/385, 342/450
• US Class Current: 235/439
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A portable memory module, which comprises an interface allowing the module to be connected to and disconnected from an electronic device by a user of the module such that the electronic device is in close physical proximity to the module when connected thereto; memory storing an identifier of the module; an emitter; and a processing entity configured to encode the identifier of the module into a signal that is transmitted via the emitter as a wireless beacon. The memory contains information that allows the module to be identified by an entity connected to the electronic device. The wireless beacon is configured to enable a location of the module to be determined by a detection sub-system. When the module is connected to the electronic device and the identity of the module is transmitted to a network entity via the electronic device, the location of the module can be used by the network entity to establish the location of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

wherein communicating with the electronic device comprises communicating over a backbone communications network.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein communicating over the backbone communications network comprises communicating over a connection that is at least partly wireless.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein communicating over the backbone communications network comprises communicating over a connection that is at least partly wired.

5. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving the wireless beacon at a detection sub-system.

6. The method defined in claim 5, wherein determining the location of the portable module comprises processing information regarding at least one of an arrival time and a direction of arrival of the wireless beacon at each of a plurality of detectors in the detection sub-system.

4. A method, comprising:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

wherein determining that the connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed comprises receiving from the electronic device an identifier of the portable module.

7. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the wireless beacon includes the identifier of the portable module.

8. The method defined in claim 4, wherein the identifier of the portable module is a secondary identifier and wherein the wireless beacon includes an identifier of the portable module that is different from the secondary identifier.

9. The method defined in claim 4, further comprising receiving the wireless beacon at a detection sub-system.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein determining the location of the portable module comprises processing information regarding at least one of an arrival time and a direction of arrival of the wireless beacon at each of a plurality of detectors in the detection sub-system.

11. A method, comprising:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module;

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device; and

delivering a service to the electronic device in a manner dependent on the location of the electronic device.

12. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising determining a clinician identifier, the clinician identifier identifying a clinician associated with the portable module.

13. The method defined in claim 12, further comprising delivering the service to the electronic device in a manner also dependent on the identity of the clinician associated with the portable module.

14. The method defined in claim 13, wherein determining the clinician identifier comprises receiving the clinician identifier from the electronic device.

15. The method defined in claim 13, further comprising receiving from the electronic device an identifier of the portable module to determine that the connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed, wherein determining the clinician identifier comprises querying a database with the identifier of the portable module in order to obtain the clinician identifier.

16. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising delivering the service to the electronic device in a manner dependent on a proximity of a clinician to the portable module.

17. The method defined in claim 16, further comprising determining the proximity of the clinician to the portable module.

18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein determining the proximity of the clinician to the portable module comprises determining a location of the clinician based on receipt of a second wireless beacon emitted by the clinician and evaluating the proximity of the clinician to the portable module by comparing the location of the portable module to the location of the clinician.

19. The method defined in claim 18, wherein the second wireless beacon includes an identifier of the clinician.

20. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising receiving the wireless beacon at a detection sub-system.

21. The method defined in claim 20, wherein determining the location of the portable module comprises processing information regarding at least one of an arrival time and a direction of arrival of the wireless beacon at each of a plurality of detectors in the detection sub-system.

22. A method, comprising:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module;

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

receiving from the electronic device (i) a device identifier previously collected by the portable module from an other electronic device and (ii) data indicative of a past time at which the device identifier was collected;

consulting historical data regarding the portable module to establish a location of the portable module at said past time;

establishing that said other electronic device was located in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module at said past time; and

causing the location of the portable module at said past time to be recorded in memory in association with said other electronic device.

23. The method defined in claim 22, further comprising receiving the wireless beacon at a detection sub-system.

24. The method defined in claim 23, wherein determining the location of the portable module comprises processing information regarding at least one of an arrival time and a direction of arrival of the wireless beacon at each of a plurality of detectors in the detection sub-system.

25. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a computing device, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to execute a method that includes:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device,

wherein communicating with the electronic device comprises communicating over a backbone communications network.

26. A computing device, comprising:

communication circuitry, configured for communicating with at least an electronic device; and

processing hardware coupled to the communication circuitry, wherein the processing hardware and the communication circuitry are configured to operate together to;

communicate with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determine a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlate the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

cause the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

wherein determining that the connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed comprises receiving from the electronic device an identifier of the portable module.

27. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a computing device, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to execute a method that includes:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

delivering a service to the electronic device in a manner dependent on the location of the electronic device.

28. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a computing device, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the computing device causes the computing device to execute a method that includes:

communicating with an electronic device to determine that a connection-based association indicative of close physical proximity has been formed between a portable module and the electronic device;

determining a location of the portable module based on receipt of a wireless beacon emitted by the portable module;

correlating the location of the portable module with the association between the portable module and the electronic device to establish that the electronic device has a location in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module; and

causing the location of the portable module to be recorded in memory in association with the electronic device;

receiving from the electronic device (i) a device identifier previously collected by the portable module from an other electronic device and (ii) data indicative of a past time at which the device identifier was collected;

consulting historical data regarding the portable module to establish a location of the portable module at said past time;

establishing that said other electronic device was located in close physical proximity to the location of the portable module at said past time; and

causing the location of the portable module at said past time to be recorded in memory in association with said other electronic device.