IP Library Granted Patent US 11,750,752
Granted Patent B2
US 11,750,752 · App. 17/456,931 · Granted Sep 5, 2023

Wireless location tracking tag for monitoring real time location-tracking apparatus for an electronic device

Inventors: Fritz Francis Ebner (Pittsford, NY); Matthew Dylan Coene (Ontario, NY); Aaron Zachary Borden (Pittsford, NY); Matthew David Levesque (Henrietta, NY)
Assignee: Xerox Corporation
H04N1/00315H04N1/32117H04W4/029H04N2201/0037H04N2201/0049H04N2201/0055H04N2201/0072H04N2201/3205H04N2201/3207
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,750,752
App. No.
17/456,931
Granted
Sep 5, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system for tracking the location of an electronic device includes an electronic device and a wireless location tag. The wireless location tag includes a microcontroller unit, and a modular connector interface configured to be communicatively coupled to a port of the electronic device. The wireless location tag is configured to establish an Internet connection to one or more backend electronic devices in response to detecting that the wireless location tag has been communicatively coupled to the port of the electronic device, obtain identifying information that is associated with the electronic device, and identify tag identifying information associated with the wireless location tag. The wireless location tag is also configured to send one or more instructions to the one or more backend electronic devices via the Internet connection, and send one or more ping messages to the one or more backend electronic devices.

Claims (72)

1. A system for tracking the location of a target electronic device, the system comprising:

a backend electronic device; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to:

receive, from a wireless location tag that is communicatively coupled to a port of the target electronic device, one or more association instructions comprising identifying information associated with the target electronic device and tag identifying information associated with the wireless location tag,

in response to receiving the one or more association instructions, store at least a portion of the identifying information in association with at least a portion of the tag identifying information,

receive one or more ping messages from the wireless location tag, wherein each ping message comprises location information indicating a current location of the wireless location tag, the current location having been determined by the wireless location tag, and

associate at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information associated with the target electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target electronic device comprises a print device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to:

receive, from the wireless location tag, a notification that a previous location of the wireless location tag is different than the current location of the wireless location tag; and

generate and present a notification to a user that the current location is different than the previous location.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to:

receive, from the wireless location tag, a notification that the wireless location tag is disconnected from a power source for a period of time; and

generate and present a notification to a user that the wireless location tag is disconnected from the power source.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the tag identifying information comprises a unique identifier associated with the wireless location tag;

the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to store the at least a portion of the identifying information in association with the at least a portion of the tag identifying information comprise programming instructions that cause the backend electronic device to store the identifying information in association with the unique identifier; and

the programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to associate the at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information comprise instructions that cause the backend electronic device to associate the location information indicating the current location of the wireless location tag with the unique identifier.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more programming instructions further cause the backend electronic device to:

store a map of an environment; and

use the location information to determine a position of the wireless location tag relative to a reference point of the map.

7. A system for tracking the location of a target electronic device, the system comprising:

a backend electronic device; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to:

receive, from a wireless location tag that is communicatively coupled to a port of the target electronic device, one or more association instructions comprising identifying information associated with the target electronic device and tag identifying information associated with the wireless location tag,

in response to receiving the one or more association instructions, store at least a portion of the identifying information in association with at least a portion of the tag identifying information,

receive one or more ping messages from the wireless location tag, wherein each ping message comprises location information indicating a current location of the wireless location tag,

associate at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information associated with the target electronic device,

receive, from the wireless location tag, a notification that a previous location of the wireless location tag is different than the current location of the wireless location tag; and

generate and present a notification to a user that the current location is different than the previous location.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the target electronic device comprises a print device.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein:

the tag identifying information comprises a unique identifier associated with the wireless location tag;

the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to store the at least a portion of the identifying information in association with the at least a portion of the tag identifying information comprise programming instructions that cause the backend electronic device to store the identifying information in association with the unique identifier; and

the programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to associate the at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information comprise instructions that cause the backend electronic device to associate the location information indicating the current location of the wireless location tag with the unique identifier.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more programming instructions further cause the backend electronic device to:

store a map of an environment; and

use the location information to determine a position of the wireless location tag relative to a reference point of the map.

11. A system for tracking the location of a target electronic device, the system comprising:

a backend electronic device comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to:

receive, from a wireless location tag that is communicatively coupled to a port of the target electronic device, one or more association instructions comprising identifying information associated with the target electronic device and tag identifying information associated with the wireless location tag,

in response to receiving the one or more association instructions, store at least a portion of the identifying information in association with at least a portion of the tag identifying information,

in response to receiving one or more ping messages from the wireless location tag, wherein each ping message comprises location information indicating a current location of the wireless location tag, associate at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information associated with the target electronic device, and

in response to receiving, from the wireless location tag, a notification that the wireless location tag is disconnected from a power source for a period of time, generate and present a notification to a user that the wireless location tag is disconnected from the power source.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the target electronic device comprises a print device.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein:

the tag identifying information comprises a unique identifier associated with the wireless location tag;

the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to store the at least a portion of the identifying information in association with the at least a portion of the tag identifying information comprise programming instructions that cause the backend electronic device to store the identifying information in association with the unique identifier; and

the programming instructions that, when executed, cause the backend electronic device to associate the at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information comprise instructions that cause the backend electronic device to associate the location information indicating the current location of the wireless location tag with the unique identifier.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more programming instructions further cause the backend electronic device to:

store a map of an environment; and

use the location information to determine a position of the wireless location tag relative to a reference point of the map.

15. A method of tracking the location of a target electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a backend electronic device, from a wireless location tag that is communicatively coupled to a port of the target electronic device, one or more association instructions comprising identifying information associated with the target electronic device and tag identifying information associated with the wireless location tag,

in response to receiving the one or more association instructions, storing, by the backend electronic device, at least a portion of the identifying information in association with at least a portion of the tag identifying information,

receiving, by the backend electronic device, one or more ping messages from the wireless location tag, wherein each ping message comprises location information indicating a current location of the wireless location tag, the current location having been determined by the wireless location tag, and

associating, by the backend electronic device, at least a portion of the location information with the at least a portion of the identifying information associated with the target electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the target electronic device comprises a print device.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving, from the wireless location tag, a notification that a previous location of the wireless location tag is different than the current location of the wireless location tag; and

generating and presenting a notification to a user that the current location is different than the previous location.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

receiving, from the wireless location tag, a notification that the wireless location tag is disconnected from a power source for a period of time; and

generating and presenting a notification to a user that the wireless location tag is disconnected from the power source.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the tag identifying information comprises a unique identifier associated with the wireless location tag;

storing the at least the portion of the identifying information in association with the at least the portion of the tag identifying information comprises storing the identifying information in association with the unique identifier; and

associating the at least the portion of the location information with the at least the portion of the identifying information comprises associating the location information indicating the current location of the wireless location tag with the unique identifier.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

storing a map of an environment; and

using the location information to determine a position of the wireless location tag relative to a reference point of the map.

Assignments (6)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: GENESEE VALLEY INNOVATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 073562/0677 →
SECOND LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 2, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071785/0550 →
FIRST LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 11, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 070824/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2024
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 066741/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2023
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 065628/0019 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2021
From: EBNER, FRITZ FRANCIS; COENE, MATTHEW DYLAN; BORDEN, AARON ZACHARY; LEVESQUE, MATTHEW DAVID
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058313/0850 →
Continuity (3)
Division 16878753 · May 20, 2020
Continuation 16253347 · Jan 22, 2019
Related Publication 20220086288A1 · Mar 17, 2022