Skyhook Wireless, Inc.

Shyhook Wireless, Inc.

Russel Kipp Jones

Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz

Edward James Morgan

Nicolas Brachet

Michael George Shean

Christopher Steger

Andrei Dancus

Richard Sutton

Gerald Cavanaugh

Andrew Broadstone

George Polak

Thomas Jason Dytko

Joel N Nelson

Joel Morrin

Javier Velez

Pathum Mudannayake

Arun Ramamurthy

Nicholas Brachet

Farshid Alizadeh-Shadiz

In various embodiments, techniques are provided for determining and associating multiple locations with beacons, and estimating a location of an electronic device based on beacons having multiple associated locations. To determine multiple locations of a beacon, observations are grouped into observation clusters, a probability is calculated that each observation cluster accurately describes the beacon, multiple observation clusters are selected as representative of the beacon based on the calculated probabilities, characteristics are derived for the beacon (including multiple locations) based on the selected multiple observation clusters, and at least the multiple locations for the beacon are stored in a reference database. To estimate a location of an electronic device, a list of detected beacons is created, one or more locations are accessed from a reference database for each of the beacons on the list of detected beacons with at least one of the beacons having multiple locations, the locations are grouped into location clusters, a probability each location cluster represents a location of the electronic device is calculated, an location cluster is selected to represent the location of the beacon based on the calculated probabilities, and a location of the electronic device is estimated based on the selected location cluster.

Positioning system with multi-location beacons

In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.

Certified location for mobile devices

In various embodiments, techniques are provided for determining one or more zones in which mobile devices are presently located and identifying or updating characteristics of on or more zones. Samples that include beacon information and/or sensor information collected by mobile devices are aggregated and dynamically organized into sample classes that are associated with zero, one or more zones. A venue is characterized by a set of zones and associated tags, which may be informed based on samples for the venue, a venue group to which the venue belongs, or all venues. To determine if a mobile device is located in one or more zones, the samples are compared to zone characteristics, and based thereon (and optionally history information) one or more zones are selected having determined likelihoods, and at least a zone having the highest likelihood of the one or more selected zones is returned.

Techniques for determining whether a mobile device is inside or outside a zone of a venue

In one embodiment, a technique is provided for propagating network address to attribute associations between network addresses. One or more profiles are obtained that maintain an association between a first network address and one or more attributes, the association produced from network address observations of the first network address by one or more source devices in communication with a network. A second network address is determined that is associated with the first network address based on a similarity criteria. The second network address initially lacks an association with the one or more attributes. The one or more attributes are propagated from the first network address to the second address, to form an association between the second network address and the one or more attributes. The association between the second network address and the one or more attributes is then stored in an updated profile.

Propagating attributes between network addresses

In one embodiment, a processing technique is provided that utilizes multiple network address observations. One or more records are obtained that maintain network address observations, each network address observation associating one or more attributes with a network address observed by one or more source devices. Multiple network addresses from the network address observations are clustered into one or more discrete groups of network addresses based on a clustering criteria. For a selected group of network addresses, an association is formed associating one or more refined attributes derived from the selected group with an individual network address that is a member of the selected group.

Processing multiple network address observations

In one embodiment, a processing technique is provided for determining a refined attribute of a network address based on one or more other attributes. A network address associated with a source device in communication with a network is observed. One or more first attributes of the network address are determined, where the one or more first attributes indicate at least a spatial or temporal property of the network address. The one or more first attributes are processed to determine a second attribute to be associated with the network address, where the second attribute indicates whether the network address is a fixed or mobile network address, or is a proxy or non-proxy network address. A record is stored that maintains the association between the second attribute and the network address.

Determining fixed/mobile and proxy/non-proxy network addresses

In one embodiment, techniques are provided to establish and use semantic associations between location profiles and ambient profiles. One or more location profiles are selected from a location database. A first plurality of ambient profiles is selected for a first area surrounding one or more geographic locations of the location profiles. One or more patterns are extracted from the first plurality of ambient profiles and are used to generate associations between location profiles and ambient profiles in an association database which semantically associates location profiles with ambient profiles independent of geographic location. The associations may be used, among other things, to service requests from mobile devices and/or update ambient profiles or location profiles.

Techniques for establishing and using associations between location profiles and beacon profiles

In one embodiment, a mapping/translation technique is provided for generating an association between an observed network address and one or more attributes that are not directly observed. A network address is observed that is associated with a source device. A first attribute is determined, the first attribute being a directly observed attribute. The first attribute is mapped to a second attribute based on at least a predefined spatial, temporal, or identity-related correspondence between the first attribute and the second attribute, wherein the second attribute was not directly observed in connection with the network address. An association is generated between the second attribute and the network address. A record that maintains the association between the second attribute and the network address is stored.

Mapping/translation techniques for generating associations between network addresses and attributes that were not directly observed

In one embodiment, a filtering technique is provided for ensuring data quality of network address observations. A network address observation is obtained of a network address associated with a source device, the network address observation associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The network address observation is filtered based on a comparison of a selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes to a predetermined criteria, and using a result of the comparison as indicative of whether the network address observation should be used for association of the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The filtering either associates one or more indicators with the network address observation, or removes the network address observation. A network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices stores a record that maintains any network address observation that has not been removed and any indicator.

Ensuring data quality by filtering network address observations

In one embodiment, techniques are provided for estimating demographic information. A current device demographic profile for a mobile device is retrieved. An estimated geographic location of the mobile device and a time at which the mobile device visited the estimated geographic location is determined. Based on this, a location demographic profile for a geographic area that includes the estimated geographic location and for a time frame that includes the determined time is retrieved. The current device demographic profile for the mobile device is updated based on the location demographic profile. Further, the location demographic profile is updated based on a plurality of device demographic profiles of a plurality of mobile devices that visit geographic locations within the geographic area, the plurality of mobile devices including the mobile device.

Techniques for estimating demographic information

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, techniques approximate concurrent monitoring of a large number of geo-fences, potentially beyond a number supported by a mobile device, The mobile device may obtain a set of geo-fences and maintain a first subset of the geo-fences as an active subset of geo-fences and a second subset of the geo-fences as an inactive subset of geo-fences. The mobile device may also establish and monitor an envelope geo-fences that excluded the inactive subset of geo-fence. In response to detecting that the mobile device has moved to a new location proximate to the envelope geo-fence, one or more geo-fences are moved between the active subset of geo-fences and the inactive subset of geo-fences to produce a new active subset of geo-fences and a new inactive subset of geo-fences.

Active geo-fence management

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.

Growing community of inventors

Roswell, GA, United States of America

Russel Kipp Jones