IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,984,012
Granted Patent B2
US 11,984,012 · App. 18/308,962 · Granted May 14, 2024

Safe zones in tracking device environments

Inventors: Robert Doxey (Pleasanton, CA); Arunkumar Puppala (Fremont, CA); Wayne Patterson (Burlingame, CA)
Assignee: Tile, Inc.
G08B21/24G08B21/0252G08B21/0261G08B21/0269G08B21/0288G08B25/08H04W4/02H04W4/029
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,984,012
App. No.
18/308,962
Granted
May 14, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A tracking system determines if a tracking device is located within a safe zone based on whether a set of safe conditions are satisfied. The set of safe conditions includes a geographic boundary or a geographic location and corresponding threshold distance. The set of safe conditions can also include a time window during which a safe zone is active. When a tracking device is within a safe zone (e.g., geographically and temporally), the tracking device is determined to be safe, and notifications associated with the tracking device can be minimized. The safe zones may be user-selected, user-defined, or determined based on data analytics. If a set of safe conditions are not satisfied, the tracking system generates and sends a notification to the user of the tracking device indicating that the tracking device may be lost.

Claims (32)

1. A method for locating a tracking device of a user, comprising:

receiving, by a tracking system from a mobile device, a location of the tracking device;

identifying, by the tracking system, a geographic boundary in which the location of the tracking device is located;

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the geographic boundary corresponds to a safe zone, configuring the tracking device to operate in a first operating mode, wherein the safe zone is only enabled on days of the week that the tracking device has been historically located within the safe zone and disabled otherwise; and

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary or that the safe zone is disabled, configuring the tracking device to operate in a second operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined based on a history of behavior of the tracking device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary comprises receiving, by the tracking system from a second mobile device, a second location of the tracking device, and wherein the second location is located outside the geographic boundary.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second mobile device is the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a threshold distance from a geographic location.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a user of the tracking device.

7. A tracking system for locating a tracking device of a user, comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving, by the tracking system from a mobile device, a location of the tracking device;

identifying, by the tracking system, a geographic boundary in which the location of the tracking device is located;

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the geographic boundary corresponds to a safe zone, configuring the tracking device to operate in a first operating mode, wherein the safe zone is only enabled on days of the week that the tracking device has been historically located within the safe zone and disabled otherwise; and

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary or that the safe zone is disabled, configuring the tracking device to operate in a second operating mode.

8. The tracking system of claim 7 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined based on a history of behavior of the tracking device.

9. The tracking system of claim 7 , wherein determining that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary comprises receiving, by the tracking system from a second mobile device, a second location of the tracking device, and wherein the second location is located outside the geographic boundary.

10. The tracking system of claim 9 , wherein the second mobile device is the mobile device.

11. The tracking system of claim 7 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a threshold distance from a geographic location.

12. The tracking system of claim 7 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a user of the tracking device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor of a tracking system, cause the hardware processor to perform steps, comprising:

receiving, by a tracking system from a mobile device, a location of the tracking device;

identifying, by the tracking system, a geographic boundary in which the location of the tracking device is located;

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the geographic boundary corresponds to a safe zone, configuring the tracking device to operate in a first operating mode, wherein the safe zone is only enabled on days of the week that the tracking device has been historically located within the safe zone and disabled otherwise; and

in response to determining, by the tracking system, that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary or that the safe zone is disabled, configuring the tracking device to operate in a second operating mode.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined based on a history of behavior of the tracking device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein determining that the tracking device has crossed the geographic boundary comprises receiving, by the tracking system from an additional mobile device, an additional location of the tracking device, and wherein the additional location is located outside the geographic boundary.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the additional mobile device is the mobile device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a threshold distance from a geographic location.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the geographic boundary is defined by a user of the tracking device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 2, 2023
From: DOXEY, ROBERT; PUPPALA, ARUNKUMAR; PATTERSON, WAYNE
To: TILE, INC.
Reel/Frame 063499/0535 →
Continuity (9)
Continuation 17864405 · Jul 14, 2022
Continuation 17209691 · Mar 23, 2021
Continuation 16827705 · Mar 23, 2020
Continuation 16585661 · Sep 27, 2019
Continuation 16401597 · May 2, 2019
Continuation 16208565 · Dec 4, 2018
Continuation 15887274 · Feb 2, 2018
Continuation 15387243 · Dec 21, 2016
Related Publication 20230260386A1 · Aug 17, 2023
Cited By (1)
US 12,684,314