The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 15, 2008
Filed:
Dec. 19, 2003
John C. Krumm, Redmond, WA (US);
Gerald F. Cermak, Bothell, WA (US);
Eric J. Horvitz, Kirkland, WA (US);
Edward C. Miller, Bellevue, WA (US);
Adel Amin Abdelazim Youssef, Hyattsville, MD (US);
John C. Krumm, Redmond, WA (US);
Gerald F. Cermak, Bothell, WA (US);
Eric J. Horvitz, Kirkland, WA (US);
Edward C. Miller, Bellevue, WA (US);
Adel Amin AbdelAzim Youssef, Hyattsville, MD (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
The present invention leverages changes in the sensed strength of radio signals at different locations to determine a device's location. In one instance of the invention, inference procedures are used to process ambient commercial radio signals, to estimate a location or a probability distribution over the locations of a device. In an instance of the invention, learning and inference methods are applied to rank vector of signal strength vectors. Moving to such rank orderings leads to methods that bypass consideration of absolute signal strengths in location calculations. The invention facilitates approximations for locating a device by providing a method that does not require a substantial number of available ambient signal strengths while still providing useful location inferences in determining locations.