IP Library Granted Patent US 11,197,121
Granted Patent B2
US 11,197,121 · App. 16/833,319 · Granted Dec 7, 2021

Tracking device location identification

Inventors: Pierre-Marie Lévêque (San Francisco, CA); Wayne Patterson (Burlingame, CA); Arunkumar Puppala (Fremont, CA)
Assignee: Tile, Inc.
H04W4/02G08B21/24G08B25/10G08B21/0269G08B21/0272H04W4/029
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,197,121
App. No.
16/833,319
Granted
Dec 7, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

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.

Claims (29)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a tracking server, a set of location updates, each location update including a location of a mobile device when the mobile device detects the tracking device, a timestamp of the detection, and an accuracy of the location; and

determining, by the tracking server, a last known location of the tracking device by combining the locations included within the set of location updates based on one or more of: the accuracies of the locations within the set of location updates and the timestamps of the detections within the set of location updates.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locations are combined based at least in part on a recency of each timestamp within the set of location updates.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein more recent timestamps are weighted more heavily than less recent timestamps.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locations are combined using a triangulation operation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each accuracy is representative of a proximity of the tracking device to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein accuracies representative of closer proximity to the tracking device are weighted more heavily than accuracies representative of further proximity to the tracking device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying, by the tracking server, an interface displayed by a client device associated with an owner of the tracking device to indicate the determined last known location of the tracking device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a tracking device server, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a set of location updates, each location update including a location of a mobile device when the mobile device detects a tracking device, a timestamp of the detection, and an accuracy of the location; and

determining a last known location of the tracking device by combining the locations included within the set of location updates based on one or more of: the accuracies of the locations within the set of location updates and the timestamps of the detections within the set of location updates.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the locations are combined based at least in part on a recency of each timestamp within the set of location updates.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein more recent timestamps are weighted more heavily than less recent timestamps.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the locations are combined using a triangulation operation.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein each accuracy is representative of a proximity of the tracking device to the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein accuracies representative of closer proximity to the tracking device are weighted more heavily than accuracies representative of further proximity to the tracking device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform further steps comprising:

modifying an interface displayed by a client device associated with an owner of the tracking device to indicate the determined last known location of the tracking device.

15. A tracking server comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the tracking server to perform steps comprising:

receiving a set of location updates, each location update including a location of a mobile device when the mobile device detects the tracking device, a timestamp of the detection, and an accuracy of the location; and

determining a last known location of the tracking device by combining the locations included within the set of location updates based on one or more of: the accuracies of the locations within the set of location updates and the timestamps of the detections within the set of location updates; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions.

16. The tracking server of claim 15 , wherein the locations are combined based at least in part on a recency of each timestamp within the set of location updates.

17. The tracking server of claim 16 , wherein more recent timestamps are weighted more heavily than less recent timestamps.

18. The tracking server of claim 15 , wherein the locations are combined using a triangulation operation.

19. The tracking server of claim 15 , wherein each accuracy is representative of a proximity of the tracking device to the mobile device.

20. The tracking server of claim 19 , wherein accuracies representative of closer proximity to the tracking device are weighted more heavily than accuracies representative of further proximity to the tracking device.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2024
From: LÉVÊQUE, PIERRE-MARIE; PATTERSON, WAYNE; PUPPALA, ARUNKUMAR
To: TILE, INC.
Reel/Frame 067047/0413 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2022
From: CAPITAL IP INVESTMENT PARTNERS LLC
To: TILE, INC.
Reel/Frame 058671/0383 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2021
From: TILE, INC.
To: CAPITAL IP INVESTMENT PARTNERS LLC AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 057633/0569 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 16703553 · Dec 4, 2019
Continuation 16525182 · Jul 29, 2019
Continuation 16228474 · Dec 20, 2018
Continuation 15897159 · Feb 15, 2018
Provisional Application 62460602 · Feb 17, 2017
Related Publication 20200236491A1 · Jul 23, 2020
Cited By (1)
US 12,323,873