Google Inc.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Other

Arunesh Mishra

Suman Banerjee

Zhengrong Ji

Ravi Kumar Jain

Michael Chu

Steven John Lee

Adel Amin Youssef

Jonathan Dixon

Jeffrey Hodes

Vivek Shrivastava

Marc Stogaitis

Oded Fuhrmann

Shravan Rayanchu

Tsuwei Chen

Mark Vandevoorde

Damien Octeau

Venkata Sastry Malladi

According to an embodiment, a method of estimating a distance to a wireless access point in an indoor environment using a signal propagation model begins with the receipt of a first received signal strength value based on a signal received at a first device from a wireless access point in the indoor environment. Based on a predetermined characteristic of the indoor environment, an estimate is made that the received signal originated from a first distance from the first device. A signal propagation characteristic is estimated based on the first signal strength and the estimated first distance and a plurality of signal samples are received from a plurality of devices. Finally, a signal propagation model for the indoor environment is created based on the signal propagation characteristic and the signal samples, and a distance to any wireless access point in the indoor environment is estimated based on the signal propagation model.

Crowdsourced signal propagation model

A method for determining the location of a wireless access point is described Location data points are collected from a plurality of mobile devices associated with a particular access point. The collected location data points are organized into at least two clusters. The location data points are further grouped into sessions based on a characteristic of the location data points. A rank qualifier is applied to each of the organized clusters. The location of the wireless access point is determined based on one or more of the organized clusters.

Determining wireless access point locations using clustered data points

Systems and methods are provided for real-time information sharing. A server receives, from a first user device, a request to create an event, a start time and an end time for the event, and a request to share information among a group of user devices only during a sharing duration associated with the start time and the end time. The server receives information from the respective user devices in the group during the sharing duration, and distributes the received information to the group of user devices only during the sharing duration. The distributed information comprises at least one of geographic locations of the group of user devices and imagery taken by one or more respective devices in the group during the event. After the end time, contact information related to one or more user devices in the group is distributed to other user devices in the group.

System and method for event management and information sharing

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for geographic annotation of electronic resources. In one aspect, a method includes generating a spatial index for a plurality of resources from a plurality of distinct publishers, including, for each resource of the plurality of resources: receiving a plurality of location data points for the resource, each location data point corresponding to one of a plurality of requests for the resource, and assigning each location data point for the resource to a spatial cluster of a plurality of spatial clusters, each spatial cluster corresponding to a particular geographic region. The spatial index is stored. The spatial index is used to identify a plurality of address locations for resources assigned to a spatial cluster corresponding to a first geographic region in response to a request from a requester to identify resources associated with the first geographic region.

Geographic annotation of electronic resources

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for identifying MAC addresses of a wireless access point (AP) are provided. Two MAC addresses within a spatial proximity are selected from a spatial index of MAC addresses and locations and analyzed based on a signal strength score and a similarity score. If the signal strength score is above a signal strength score threshold, a similarity score between the two MAC addresses is determined. The similarity score is based on the location and relative distance between the selected two MAC addresses, the previously determined signal strength score, and a MAC address similarity metric that determines the heterogeneity between the two MAC addresses. If the similarity score is above a similarity score threshold, the selected two MAC addresses are considered to belong to the same physical AP.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for identifying virtual access points of wireless networks

According to an embodiment, a method, system and computer program product of providing a user with a transportation mode transition location is provided. The method begins with monitoring movement of a mobile device associated with the user using a first transportation mode. Based on monitoring of the movement of the mobile device associated with the user, determining that the user has made a transition from the first transportation mode to a second transportation mode. An estimated location of the transition location is stored. Finally, the estimated location of the transition is provided to the user.

Mobile device functions based on transportation mode transitions

Systems and methods are provided for real-time information sharing. A server receives, from a first user device, a request to create an event and to share information among a group of user devices only within a predetermined time period. The server receives information from the respective user devices in the group during the predetermined time period, and distributes the received information to the group of user devices during the predetermined time period. The information comprises at least one of geographic locations of the group of user devices and still pictures or video taken by one or more of the group of user devices during the event.

In general, aspects of the present disclosure are directed to techniques for detecting proximity between computing devices. A first computing device may query a server device. Subsequent to querying, the first computing device may receive instructions from the server device to re-query the server device at a first specified time. The first computing device may re-query the server device at the first specified time. Subsequent to re-querying, the first computing device may receive an address associated with a second computing device and instructions from the server device to connect to the second computing device at a second specified time. The first computing device may connect with the second computing device at the second specified time based at least in part on the address associated with the second computing device.

Efficient proximity detection

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to determining the geographic location of network entities. An embodiment is a method of determining the geographic location of a host including, identifying at least one gateway communicatively coupled to the host, determining a geographic location of the at least one gateway based upon a proximity relationship between the gateway and a localizable entity, and determining the geographic location of the host based upon the determined geographic location of the at least one gateway. Another embodiment is a method for a host to determine its geographic location by determining reachability information to communicatively coupled network entities, sending the reachability information to a location server, and by receiving geographic location information from the location server.

Determining geographic location of network hosts

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for tracking users based upon wireless fingerprint information are provided. These include accessing proximity records, clustering the proximity records based upon time information and user information to generate a plurality of clusters, identifying one or more events based upon the generated clusters, and outputting information related to the identified one or more events. Each proximity record includes user information. User information includes at least a first user identifier and a second user identifier respectively identifying a first user and a second user, and time information. Time information specifies one or more times when the first user and the second user have respective wireless fingerprints that are within a threshold fingerprint distance of each other.

Methods and systems to determine user relationships, events and spaces using wireless fingerprints

According to an embodiment, a method of estimating a location of an access point is provided. The method includes storing a first and a second sample respectively received from a first and a second mobile device, both samples including a location of their respective mobile devices, an access point identifier from the access point, and a value corresponding to a signal strength of a signal from the access point measured at their respective mobile device. The cells of a matrix are populated with probabilities based on mobile device locations and the signal strength values. Finally, the location of the access point is estimated based on the matrix.

Probabilistic estimation of location based on wireless signal strength

According to an embodiment, a method of estimating a location of an access point is provided. The method includes storing a first and a second sample respectively received from a first and a second mobile device, both samples including a location of their respective mobile devices, an access point identifier from the access point, and a value corresponding to a signal strength of a signal from the access point measured at their respective mobile device. A first and second platform profile is selected based on characteristics of the respective first and second mobile devices. The cells of a matrix are populated with probabilities based on mobile device locations, the signal strength values and platform profiles based on platform profiles associated with mobile devices. Finally, the location of the access point is estimated based on the matrix.

Probabilistic estimation of location based on wireless signal strength and platform profiles

Improved battery life for mobile wireless devices communicating using standard network protocols is obtained by measuring an energy profile of the transmitter circuitry with respect to transmission rate and transmission energy and adjusting operating conditions according to measured or deduced error rates. Additional energy savings are obtained reducing the total number of bits transmitted using payload compression and header truncation making use of application layer communications between the remote device and a power-unconstrained proxy device.

Method and apparatus for improving energy efficiency of mobile devices through energy profiling based rate adaptation

Systems and methods for estimating the minimum geographic coverage of a wireless base station. In an embodiment, the present invention estimates coverage by (1) receiving real-time wireless base station information from the mobile device; (2) extracting a set of location points and system specific information based on the real-time wireless base station information; (3) determining a coverage area based on the set of location points and the system specific information; (4) adjusting for errors based on various factors (5) storing the determined coverage area.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Arunesh Mishra