Skyhook Wireless, Inc.

Michael George Shean

Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz

Russel Kipp Jones

Edward James Morgan

Farshid Alizadeh-Shadiz

In one embodiment, techniques are provided for setting a quality attribute of a WiFi access point that is suspected to have moved. The WiFi access point is identified when within range of a mobile WiFi-enabled device based on received signals received by a Wi-Fi radio of a mobile WiFi-enabled device. A recorded location associated with the identified WiFi access point is received from a local copy of a reference database or a remote store of the reference database on a server system. A location estimate is determined for the mobile WiFi-enabled device and compared to the recorded location associated with the identified WiFi access point to evaluate whether the identified WiFi access point has moved from its recorded location. Feedback is then generated that is sent to the server system in response to determining that the identified WiFi access point has moved, where the feedback is usable to set the quality attribute.

Techniques for setting quality attributes of access points in a positioning system

In one embodiment, characteristics of signals of a plurality of Wi-Fi access points within a target area are determined at least in part from observing the signals during a traversal of a programmatic route through the target area by a scanning device. A location is calculated for each of the plurality of Wi-Fi access points based on the characteristics of the signals of the Wi-Fi access point, and stored in records of a reference database. A request from an application or service executing on a mobile device is received for a current location of the mobile device. Positioning software obtains characteristics of signals of one or more Wi-Fi access points observed by the mobile device from the current location. The positioning software computes the current location of the mobile device using at least the characteristics of signals observed by the mobile device and the location of Wi-Fi access points stored in the reference database, and provides the computed current location to the application or service.

Techniques for computing location of a mobile device using calculated locations of Wi-Fi access points from a reference database

In one embodiment, scanning data is received for wireless access points whose wireless signals were observed by the one or more scanning devices in a target area. For each group of scanning data that shares a common identifier of a Wi-Fi access point, a centroid of the scanning data is determined, a set of scanning data of the group that exceeds a threshold distance from the centroid is designated as having potential error, and a location of the Wi-Fi access point is calculated. The calculated location of the Wi-Fi access point for each group of scanning data is stored in a reference database. Upon receiving a request for a location of a mobile device, an identity of one or more Wi-Fi access points in range of the mobile device is determined, and the location of the mobile device is computed using calculated locations from the reference database.

Techniques for computing location of a mobile device based on observed Wi-Fi access points

Methods and systems of continuously optimizing data in WiFi positioning systems. A location-based services system uses WiFi-enabled devices to monitor WiFi access points in a target area to indicate whether a WiFi access point has moved relative to its previously recorded location. A WiFi-enabled device communicates with WiFi access points within range of the WiFi-enabled device so that observed WiFi access points identify themselves; A reference database is accessed to obtain information specifying a recorded location for each observed WiFi access point in the target area. The recorded location information is used for each of the observed WiFi access points in conjunction with predefined rules to infer whether an observed WiFi access point has moved relative to its recorded location. The reference database is informed of the identity of any observed WiFi access point that is inferred to have moved.

Continuous data optimization of moved access points in positioning systems

In one embodiment, characteristics of signals received from Wi-Fi access points during a traversal of a number of drivable streets within a geographic area having a radius of one or more miles are determined, the characteristics of a given signal including a unique identifier of a Wi-Fi access point that transmitted the signal, a location where the signal was observed, and an observed signal strength at the location where the signal was observed. Using the characteristics, a reference database is built including records descriptive of Wi-Fi access points in the geographic area. To determine a current location of a mobile device, an observed signal strength of one or more Wi-Fi access points observed by the mobile device from the current location is determined and a current location of the mobile device is computed using at least the observed signal strength of the one or more Wi-Fi access points observed by the mobile device in comparison to information in the reference database.

Methods and systems of continuously optimizing data in WiFi positioning systems. A location-based services system uses WiFi-enabled devices to monitor WiFi access points in a target area to indicate whether a WiFi access point is newly-observed. A WiFi-enabled device communicates with WiFi access points within range of the WiFi-enabled device so that observed WiFi access points identify themselves. A reference database is accessed to obtain information specifying a recorded location for each observed WiFi access point in the target area. Observed WiFi access points for which the reference database has no information specifying a corresponding recorded location are identified. The recorded location information for each of the observed WiFi access points is used to calculate the position of the WiFi-enabled device. The reference database is informed of the WiFi access points (for which there was no information in the database) and is provided the calculated position in conjunction therewith.

Continuous data optimization of new access points in positioning systems

In one embodiment, in response to a user application request to determine a location of a user-device having a Wi-Fi radio, the Wi-Fi radio is triggered to transmit a request to Wi-Fi access points within range. Messages are received from the Wi-Fi access points, each message identifying the Wi-Fi access point sending the message. Signal strength of the messages received from the Wi-Fi access points is calculated. A reference database of stored locations for Wi-Fi access points in a target area is accessed to obtain the stored locations for the identified Wi-Fi access points. Based on the number of the identified Wi-Fi access points identified via received messages, a corresponding location-determination algorithm is chosen from a plurality of location-determination algorithms. The location of the user-device is determined using the stored locations for the identified Wi-Fi access points, the signal strengths of the received messages and the chosen location-determination algorithm.

Location-based services that choose location algorithms based on number of detected access points within range of user device

A location beacon database and server, method of building location beacon database, and location based service using same. Wi-Fi access points are located in a target geographical area to build a reference database of locations of Wi-Fi access points. At least one vehicle is deployed including at least one scanning device having a GPS device and a Wi-Fi radio device and including a Wi-Fi antenna system. The target area is traversed in a programmatic route to reduce arterial bias. The programmatic route includes substantially all drivable streets in the target geographical area and solves an Eulerian cycle problem of a graph represented by said drivable streets. While traversing the target area, Wi-Fi identity information and GPS location information is detected. The location information is used to reverse triangulate the position of the detected Wi-Fi access point; and the position of the detected access point is recorded in a reference database.

Server for updating location beacon database

A location beacon database and server, method of building location beacon database, and location based service using same. Wi-Fi access points are located in a target geographical area to build a reference database of locations of Wi-Fi access points. At least one vehicle is deployed including at least one scanning device having a GPS device and a Wi-Fi radio device and including a Wi-Fi antenna system. The target area is traversed in a programmatic route to avoid arterial bias. The programmatic route includes substantially all drivable streets in the target geographical area and solves an Eulerian cycle problem of a graph represented by said drivable streets. While traversing the target area, periodically receive the GPS coordinates of the GPS device. While traversing the target area, detecting Wi-Fi signals from Wi-Fi access points in range of the Wi-Fi device and recording identity information of the detected Wi-Fi access point in conjunction with GPS location information of the vehicle when the detection of the Wi-Fi access point was made. The location information is used to reverse triangulate the position of the detected Wi-Fi access point; and the position of the detected access point is recorded in a reference database.

Access point database

Methods and systems of continuously optimizing data in WiFi positioning systems. A location-based services system uses WiFi-enabled devices to monitor WiFi access points in a target area to indicate whether a WiFi access point has moved relative to its previously recorded location. A WiFi-enabled device communicates with WiFi access points within range of the WiFi-enabled device so that observed WiFi access points identify themselves. A reference database is accessed to obtain information specifying a recorded location for each observed WiFi access point in the target area. The recorded location information is used for each of the observed WiFi access points in conjunction with predefined rules to infer whether an observed WiFi access point has moved relative to its recorded location. The reference database is informed of the identity of any observed WiFi access point that is inferred to have moved.

Growing community of inventors

Boston, MA, United States of America

Michael George Shean