Mobile device monitoring and analysis

• US 9,869,362 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Etchegoyen, Craig S.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US14/983,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 11/27 wherein the fluid is a gas
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/82 Joining
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2226/04 Assembly or fixing methods; methods to form or fashion parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/0445 characterised by intermediate rings or other not embedded reinforcing elements wall structure F16F9/0409
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/05 the flexible wall being of the rolling diaphragm type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/79 Radio fingerprint
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49611 for vehicle or clutch

Abstract

Numerous mobile devices report their respective locations to a server which collects the location reports to provide real-time pedestrian traffic information, e.g., as a map that shows locations of individual mobile devices. Distribution of mobile devices in a geographic area more closely represents overall population locations and densities. Each device is identified by a digital fingerprint, formed from a number of system and device configuration parameters. Each mobile device is configured to periodically report its location, e.g., at a predetermined time interval and/or whenever the mobile device determines its location for another reason. A known location of a wireless network access point to which a mobile device is connected can serve as an estimated location of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for reporting a location of a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

attempting to determine the location of the mobile computing device using a satellite based global positioning system;

determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system failed;

in response to determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system failed, attempting to determine the location of the mobile computing device by triangulating respective measured distances of the mobile computing device from two or more wireless telephone network base stations;

determining that the location determination by triangulating failed;

in response to determining that the location determination by triangulating failed, determining that the mobile computing device is sufficiently near a wireless device with a known location to communicate with the wireless device;

in response to determining that the mobile computing device is near a wireless device, reporting the location of the wireless device as the location of the mobile computing device; and

estimating the location of the wireless device from locations of one or more other mobile computing devices reported by the other mobile computing devices when those other mobile computing devices were sufficiently near the wireless device to communicate with the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an authentication challenge that specifies one or more parts of a digital fingerprint of the mobile computing device to be provided by the mobile computing device;

forming authentication data that includes the one or more parts of the digital fingerprint in a form specified by the authentication challenge; and

sending the authentication data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless device is a wireless data network access point device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of the wireless device is estimated using a weighted average of the reported locations of the other mobile computing devices weighted by corresponding signal strength with the wireless device when each location was reported.

5. A tangible computer readable medium useful in association with a computer that includes one or more processors and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions that are configured to cause the computer, by execution of the computer instructions in the one or more processors from the memory, to report a location of the computer by at least:

attempting to determine the location of the computer using a satellite-based global positioning system;

determining whether the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system succeeded;

in response to determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system succeeded, reporting the location determined using the satellite-based global positioning system as the location of the computer;

in response to determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system failed, attempting to determine the location of the computer by triangulating respective measured distances of the computer from two or more wireless telephone network base stations;

determining whether the location determination by triangulating succeeded;

in response to determining that the location determined by triangulating succeeded, reporting the location determination by triangulating as the location of the computer;

in response to determining that the location determination by triangulating failed, determining that the computer is sufficiently near a wireless device with a known location to communicate with the wireless device;

in response to determining that the computer is near a wireless device, reporting the location of the wireless device as the location of the computer; and

estimating the location of the wireless device from locations of one or more other mobile computing devices reported by the other mobile computing devices when those other mobile computing devices were sufficiently near the wireless device to communicate with the wireless device.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the computer instructions that are configured to cause the computer to report a location of the computer by at least also:

receiving an authentication challenge that specifies one or more parts of a digital fingerprint of the computer to be provided by the computer;

forming authentication data that includes the one or more parts of the digital finger print in a form specified by the authentication challenge; and

sending the authentication data.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the wireless device is a wireless data network access point device.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the location of the wireless device is estimated using a weighted average of the reported locations of the other mobile computing devices weighted by corresponding signal strength with the wireless device when each location was reported.

9. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer readable medium that is operatively coupled to the processor;

network access circuitry that is operatively coupled to the processor; and

location reporting logic (i) that executes at least in part in the processor from the computer readable medium and (ii) that, when executed, causes the computer system to report a location of the computer system by at least;

attempting to determine the location of the computer system using a satellite-based global positioning system;

determining whether the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system succeeded;

in response to determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system succeeded, reporting the location determined using the satellite-based global positioning system as the location of the computer system;

in response to determining that the location determination using the satellite-based global positioning system failed, attempting to determine the location of the computer system by triangulating respective measured distances of the computer system from two or more wireless telephone network base stations;

determining whether the location determination by triangulating succeeded;

in response to determining that the location determined by triangulating succeeded, reporting the location determination by triangulating as the location of the computer system;

in response to determining that the location determination by triangulating failed, determining that the computer system is sufficiently near a wireless device with a known location to communicate with the wireless device;

in response to determining that the computer system is near a wireless device, reporting the location of the wireless device as the location of the computer system; and

estimating the location of the wireless device from locations of one or more other mobile computing devices reported by the other mobile computing devices when those other mobile computing devices were sufficiently near the wireless device to communicate with the wireless device.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the location reporting logic causes the computer system to report a location of the computer system by at least also:

receiving an authentication challenge that specifies one or more parts of a digital fingerprint of the computer system to be provided by the computer system;

forming authentication data that includes the one or more parts of the digital finger print in a form specified by the authentication challenge; and

sending the authentication data.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the wireless device is a wireless data network access point device.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the location of the wireless device is estimated using a weighted average of the reported locations of the other mobile computing devices weighted by corresponding signal strength with the wireless device when each location was reported.