User intervention based on proximity between tracking devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10158975-B2
Application number	US-201815947209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2018
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A tracking system can provide intervention notifications to a user to notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or is in a predicted state. The tracking system may notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or in a predicted state based on a number of factors, including: a proximity of a tracking device to other tracking devices or a user's mobile device, a movement of a tracking device to more than a threshold distance away from a mobile device or other tracking devices, a location of a tracking device relative to a geographic location or to geographic boundaries, a usage or movement behavior of the tracking device, a usage or movement behavior of a user or owner of a tracking device, information received from an external source, or information received from sensors within the tracking device or a user's mobile.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for locating a tracking device, comprising:
receiving, at a central tracking system, a first location of a first tracking device from a first mobile device in response to the first mobile device detecting the first tracking device;
receiving, at the central tracking system, a second location of a second tracking device different from the first tracking device from a second mobile device in response to the second mobile device detecting the second tracking device;
determining a distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device based on the first location and the second location;
in response to the determined distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device being greater than a threshold distance, providing, by the central tracking system, a notification to a mobile device of a user associated with the first tracking device indicating that the first tracking device may be lost, the mobile device of the user configured to display the notification to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device communicatively couples to the first tracking device and, in response to communicatively coupling to the first tracking device, determines a location of the first mobile device using a location-detection apparatus and provides the determined location to the central tracking device system in association with an identity of the first tracking device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold distance is received from the user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are both owned by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprise the same mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprise different mobile devices.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification includes text requesting the user to confirm that the first tracking device is lost, and further includes a selectable interface element that, when selected by the user, provides confirmation to the central tracking system that the first tracking device is lost.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device based on the first location and the second location comprises determining that the second tracking device is not within a communicative range of the first mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification is provided to the mobile device in response to determining the determined distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device is greater than a threshold distance during a pre-determined time period.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the pre-determined time period is one of a time period selected by the user or a time period corresponding to a historical time period during which the first tracking device and the second tracking device were located within the threshold distance of each other.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
receiving, at a central tracking system, a first location of a first tracking device from a first mobile device in response to the first mobile device detecting the first tracking device;
receiving, at the central tracking system, a second location of a second tracking device different from the first tracking device from a second mobile device in response to the second mobile device detecting the second tracking device;
determining a distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device based on the first location and the second location;
in response to the determined distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device being greater than a threshold distance, providing, by the central tracking system, a notification to a mobile device of a user associated with the first tracking device indicating that the first tracking device may be lost, the mobile device of the user configured to display the notification to the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first mobile device communicatively couples to the first tracking device and, in response to communicatively coupling to the first tracking device, determines a location of the first mobile device using a location-detection apparatus and provides the determined location to the central tracking device system in association with an identity of the first tracking device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the threshold distance is received from the user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are both owned by the user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprise the same mobile device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprise different mobile devices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the notification includes text requesting the user to confirm that the first tracking device is lost, and further includes a selectable interface element that, when selected by the user, provides confirmation to the central tracking system that the first tracking device is lost.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining a distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device based on the first location and the second location comprises determining that the second tracking device is not within a communicative range of the first mobile device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the notification is provided to the mobile device in response to determining the determined distance currently between the first tracking device and the second tracking device is greater than a threshold distance during a pre-determined time period.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the pre-determined time period is one of a time period selected by the user or a time period corresponding to a historical time period during which the first tracking device and the second tracking device were located within the threshold distance of each other.

Assignees

• Tile Inc

Inventors

• De Barros Chapiewski Guilherme
• Quintana Melody
• Kumar Mayank
• Lettau Tyler
• Patterson Wayne

Classifications

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• G08B13/2462

  Asset location systems combined with EAS (inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00) · CPC title

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• G08B13/1427

  with transmitter-receiver for distance detection · CPC title

• H04W64/006

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title