Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Edward Ding-Bong Un

Jun Hong Zhao

Kai Wang

Zeyong Xu

Hailong Mu

Kaiyan Tian

Henric Mattias Beermann

Hai Peng Fan

Zhiyang Su

Identifying a location of a mobile device is disclosed (e.g., presuming user consent to the same). One or more received signal strengths (RSSs), comprising a first RSS, may be received by a first access point (AP) from the mobile device. The RSSs may be used to identify a grid area, comprising a first grid space. A signal distance between the first grid space and the first AP may be identified using the first RSS, and combined with a first grid space distance, comprising a known distance between the first grid space and the first AP, to determine a first grid space likelihood score for the first grid space. A second grid space likelihood score may be determined for a second grid space (e.g., and a third, etc.), and the grid space comprising a desired grid space likelihood score (e.g., highest) may be selected as the mobile device location.

Locating a mobile device

A user's context is determined based on the wireless network to which the user is connected. Targeted information, based on the determined context, is then delivered to the user. A centralized mechanism associates identifiers of wireless access points to one or more providers, such as retail establishments, that have set up those access points and have been registered by the centralized mechanism. The providers also provide targeted information that they wish to have delivered to users whose context indicates that they are in or near that provider's store. The centralized mechanism further has information associating the wireless computing device with contact information that can be utilized to deliver targeted information. The targeted information can be delivered to the user via the wireless network, a cellular network or through other communicational mechanisms. The provider, or retail establishment, can also be informed of the presence of the user near its premises.

Centralized context awareness through network association

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for identifying a location of a mobile device (e.g., with user consent). A set of one or more indications of received signal strength (RSS) may be received, comprising a first RSS from a first access point (AP). The set of RSS indications may be used to identify a grid area, comprising a first grid space. An expected distance between the first grid space and the first AP may be identified using the first RSS. The expected distance can be combined with a first known distance between the first grid space and the first AP to determine a first grid score for the first grid space. A second grid score may be determined for a second grid space (e.g., and a third, fourth, etc.), and the grid space comprising a desired grid score (e.g., highest) may be selected as the mobile device location.

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for identifying a proximate beacon to a mobile device. One or more first received signal strengths (RSSs), relative to the mobile device, may be received and used to determine a first average signal strength (RSS) and a first average RSS deviation for a first beacon during an observation period. An average RSS deviation for the observation period can be determined using the first average RSS deviation (e.g., and other average RSS deviations). If the average RSS deviation meets a desired deviation threshold, the first beacon may be identified as the proximate beacon. In this manner, if the user of the mobile device consents to the same, the user may be provided with relevant information (e.g., advertisements) on the mobile device while in a locale (e.g., store) corresponding to the (known) location of the beacon, for example.

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Beijing, China

Edward Ding-Bong Un