Tile, Inc.

Arunkumar Puppala

Wayne Patterson

Liuyin Cheng

Robert Doxey

Pierre-Marie Lévêque

Mayank Kumar

A method includes periodically transmitting, by a community device of a plurality of community devices, and to a tracking system server, an updated location of a tracking device based on a last time a location of the tracking device was provided to the tracking system server, and receiving, by the community device, and from the tracking system server, a request for a location of a tracking device indicated as being lost. The method further includes determining, by the community device, and based on the request, whether the tracking device indicated as being lost is within a proximity of the community device, and transmitting, by the community device, and to the tracking system server, an additional updated location of the tracking device based on whether the tracking device indicated as being lost is within the proximity of the community device.

Tracking device location identification

Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.

Tracking device operation in safety-classified zone

A tracking system determines if a tracking device is located within a safe zone based on whether a set of safe conditions are satisfied. The set of safe conditions includes a geographic boundary or a geographic location and corresponding threshold distance. The set of safe conditions can also include a time window during which a safe zone is active. When a tracking device is within a safe zone (e.g., geographically and temporally), the tracking device is determined to be safe, and notifications associated with the tracking device can be minimized. The safe zones may be user-selected, user-defined, or determined based on data analytics. If a set of safe conditions are not satisfied, the tracking system generates and sends a notification to the user of the tracking device indicating that the tracking device may be lost.

Safe zones in tracking device environments

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, by a first computing device, an event relating to the first computing device and a tracking device. The method includes sending, by the first computing device, a notification of the event to a tracking system server. The notification of the event includes a location associated with the event and a timestamp associated with the event. The method includes receiving, by the first computing device, a last known location of the tracking device from the tracking system server. The last known location is based on the location associated with the event and one or more locations associated with each of one or more location updates received by the tracking system server from one or more second computing devices. The method includes displaying, by the first computing device, the last known location of the tracking device.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a tracking system server, a data stream comprising events related to a set of devices. The set of devices include tracking devices and mobile devices. Each event contains a location update respectively associated with a tracking device of the set or a mobile device of the set. The method includes programmatically separating, by the tracking system server, the events from the data stream. The method includes batching, for processing by the tracking system server, the separated events into one or more batches. The method includes processing, by the tracking system server, a specific batch of events, of the one or more batches of events, that involves a specific tracking device to estimate a location of the specific tracking device using a location determination algorithm.

A last known location of a tracking device can be determined by using location information received at a tracking system. A disconnection event is received at the tracking system indicating that a tracking device has disconnected from a mobile device. In response, the tracking system can generate a last known location for the tracking device. Other relevant location updates, such as recent locations of the mobile device or locations of other mobile devices that connect to the tracking device are collected and associated with the disconnection event. Based on the location updates, a last known location of the tracking device can be computed and stored.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a tracking system server from a first computing device in response to an event between the first computing device and a tracking device, a location associated with the tracking device and a timestamp. The method includes receiving, by the tracking system server, a set of location updates from a set of second computing devices, each location update including a location associated with the tracking device when the second computing device detects the tracking device and a timestamp. The method includes determining, by the tracking system server, a last known location of the tracking device based on the location associated with the tracking device received from the first computing device and one or more of the locations associated with the tracking device received with the location update.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Arunkumar Puppala