System and method for multi-beacon interaction and management

• US 9,867,009 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2017
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Estimote Polska Sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Estimote Polska Sp. z o.o.
• Inventors: Mycek, Marcin, Sznajder, Michal, Krukiewicz-Gacek, Grzegorz, Kostka, Lukasz, Krzych, Jakub
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US15/466,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20170280291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/322 Power control of broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for multi-beacon management including: determining occurrence of a trigger event; determining a beacon to be acted upon; determining the settings to be assigned; assigning the settings to the beacon; and operating the beacon according to the settings.

Claims

1. A method for beacon parameter migration, comprising:

broadcasting a first and second identifier from a first and second Bluetooth beacon, respectively;

at a user device;

receiving the first and second identifiers;

connecting to the first and second Bluetooth beacons based on the first and second identifiers, respectively;

retrieving parameter values for the first Bluetooth beacon from the first Bluetooth beacon;

transmitting the parameter values to the second beacon; and

transmitting the first and second identifiers and the parameter values to a remote processing system;

at the second Bluetooth beacon;

storing the parameter values in on-board storage;

broadcasting based on the parameter values, comprising broadcasting the first identifier;

at the remote processing system;

resolving the first and second identifiers into a first and second unique identifier for the first and second Bluetooth beacon, respectively;

associating the parameter values with the second unique identifier; and

transmitting a confirmation packet to the user device in response to parameter value association with the second unique identifier.

2. A method for beacon parameter migration, comprising:

broadcasting a first and second identifier from a first and second beacon, respectively;

at a user device;

receiving the first and second identifiers;

connecting to the first and second beacons based on the first and second identifiers, respectively;

retrieving parameter values for the first beacon from the first beacon;

transmitting the parameter values to the second beacon;

transmitting the parameter values and the second identifier to a remote computing system;

at the remote computing system;

resolving the second identifier into a unique beacon identifier for the second beacon;

associating the parameter values with the unique beacon identifier; and

transmitting a confirmation packet to the user device in response to parameter value association with the second unique identifier;

at the second beacon;

storing the parameter values in on-board storage; and

broadcasting based on the parameter values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second identifiers are broadcast using a short-range wireless radio.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second identifiers are broadcast using a first and second Bluetooth radio of the first and second beacons, respectively.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein broadcasting based on the parameter values comprises broadcasting the first identifier from the second beacon.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising resetting the first beacon to default settings after the parameter values are transmitted to the second beacon.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a reset instruction to the first beacon after the parameter values have been retrieved.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving parameter values for the first beacon comprises retrieving the parameter values from storage on-board the first beacon.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein associating the parameter values with the unique beacon identifier further comprises:

receiving the first identifier from the user device; and

associating stored parameter values, stored by the remote computing system in association with the first identifier, with the unique beacon identifier, in response to a mismatch between the stored parameter values and the parameter values received from the user device.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying the second beacon as an unconfigured beacon, prior to transmitting the parameter values to the second beacon, comprising:

retrieving second parameter values from the second beacon; and

identifying the second beacon as an unconfigured beacon in response to the second parameter values matching default parameter values.

11. A method for Bluetooth beacon parameter migration, comprising:

determining new beacon collocation with a configured Bluetooth beacon;

retrieving parameter values for the configured Bluetooth beacon from the configured Bluetooth beacon, with a user device, in response to collocation determination;

transmitting the parameter values from the user device to the remote computing system;

broadcasting a first and second identifier from the configured Bluetooth beacon and the new beacon, respectively;

receiving the first and second identifier at the user device;

transmitting the first and second identifier from the user device to a remote computing system;

associating the parameter values with the new beacon at the remote computing system in response to receiving the first and second identifier at the remote computing system, comprising;

resolving the second identifier into a unique beacon identifier for the new beacon; and

associating the parameter values, received from the user device, with the unique beacon identifier at the remote computing system;

transmitting a confirmation packet to the user device in response to parameter value association with the unique beacon identifier;

storing the parameter values on the new beacon; and

operating the new beacon according to the parameter values.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein new beacon collocation with the configured beacon is detected by the new beacon.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein operating the new beacon comprises broadcasting the first identifier from the new beacon.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving parameter values for the configured Bluetooth beacon comprises, at the user device:

connecting to the configured Bluetooth beacon and the new beacon based on the first and second identifiers, respectively; and

retrieving the parameter values from the configured Bluetooth beacon;

the method further comprising;

transmitting the retrieved parameter values to the new beacon, wherein the parameter values are stored on the new beacon in response to parameter value receipt at the new beacon.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the confirmation packet comprises the parameter values, wherein the user device transmits the parameter values from the confirmation packet to the new beacon.