Geographic location mapping using network signal strength

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10244345-B2
Application number	US-201615296866-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2016
Priority date	Oct 18, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method that performs the steps of collecting network signal information from a sensor of a mobile device located in a designated vendor area. The network signal information is produced by a fixed transmitting device and has a corresponding network time stamp. The mobile device located in the designated vendor area receives a payment notification from a vendor; extracting from the payment notification, time stamp information and a name of the vendor sending the payment notification; and matching the time stamp information with the corresponding network time stamp and automatically updating a labeled localization database. The labeled localization database comprises previously mapped localization information corresponding to multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area and the updating comprises linking the name of the vendor sending the payment notification with a physical location of the fixed transmitting device. Other aspects are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
utilizing at least one processor to execute computer code that performs the steps of:
collecting network signal information from at least one sensor of at least one mobile device located in a designated vendor area comprising multiple spatial zones, wherein the network signal information of the designated vendor area is produced by at least one fixed transmitting device and has a corresponding network time stamp;
receiving, at the at least one mobile device located in the designated vendor area, at least one payment notification from at least one vendor located within the designated vendor area;
extracting, from the at least one payment notification, time stamp information and a name of the vendor sending the payment notification;
matching, based on the extracting, the time stamp information with the corresponding network time stamp;
updating, automatically, a labeled localization database based on the matching, wherein the labeled localization database comprises previously mapped localization information corresponding to the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area; and
wherein the updating comprises linking the name of the vendor sending the payment notification with a physical location of the at least one fixed transmitting device,
wherein the at least one mobile device is locatable within the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area based on the network signal information;
wherein the network signal information comprises network signal information from a plurality of networks;
wherein the network signal information comprises an identification of the network;
wherein the network signal information comprises signal strength of the network;
wherein the network signal information includes the location of the network transmitter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collected network signal information comprises receiving signals from a plurality of mobile devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the designated vendor area is identified by a virtual geofence boundary, wherein the geofence boundary comprises predefined virtual geographical parameters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the labeled localization database comprises information collected by a plurality of mobile devices for the at least one vendor within the designated vendor area.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the information comprises the vendor identification information in a map of the designated vendor area.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining the location of the at least one mobile device located within the designated vendor area by accessing the labeled localization database.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updating comprises using semantic labels of a payment notification received by the at least one mobile device to replace existing semantic labels of a previous version of the labeled localization database.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the updating comprises refreshing a vendor name within the designated vendor area by replacing an existing vendor name in the labeled localized database.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code that collects network signal information from at least one sensor of at least one mobile device located in a designated vendor area comprising multiple spatial zones, wherein the network signal information of the designated vendor area is produced by at least one fixed transmitting device and has a corresponding network time stamp;
computer readable program code that receives, at the at least one mobile device located in the designated vendor area, at least one payment notification from at least one vendor located within the designated vendor area;
computer readable program code that extracts, from the at least one payment notification, time stamp information and a name of the vendor sending the payment notification;
computer readable program code that matches, based on the extracting, the time stamp information with the corresponding network time stamp;
computer readable program code that updates, automatically, a labeled localization database based on the matching, wherein the labeled localization database comprises previously mapped localization information corresponding to the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area; and
wherein the updating comprises linking the name of the vendor sending the payment notification with a physical location of the at least one fixed transmitting device,
wherein the at least one mobile device is locatable within the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area based on the network signal information;
wherein the network signal information comprises network signal information from a plurality of networks;
wherein the network signal information comprises an identification of the network;
wherein the network signal information comprises signal strength of the network;
wherein the network signal information includes the location of the network transmitter.

10. A computer program product, comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code that collects network signal information from at least one sensor of at least one mobile device located in a designated vendor area comprising multiple spatial zones, wherein the network signal information of the designated vendor area is produced by at least one fixed transmitting device and has a corresponding network time stamp;
computer readable program code that receives, at the at least one mobile device located in the designated vendor area, at least one payment notification from at least one vendor located within the designated vendor area;
computer readable program code that extracts, from the at least one payment notification, time stamp information and a name of the vendor sending the payment notification;
computer readable program code that matches, based on the extracting, the time stamp information with the corresponding network time stamp;
computer readable program code that updates, automatically, a labeled localization database based on the matching, wherein the labeled localization database comprises previously mapped localization information corresponding to the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area; and
wherein the updating comprises linking the name of the vendor sending the payment notification with a physical location of the at least one fixed transmitting device,
wherein the at least one mobile device is locatable within the multiple spatial zones of the designated vendor area based on the network signal information;
wherein the network signal information comprises network signal information from a plurality of networks;
wherein the network signal information comprises an identification of the network;
wherein the network signal information comprises signal strength of the network;
wherein the network signal information includes the location of the network transmitter.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the designated vendor area is identified by a virtual geofence boundary, wherein the geofence boundary comprises predefined virtual geographical parameters.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the labeled localization database comprises information collected by a plurality of mobile devices for the at least one vendor wit

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Banerjee Dipyaman
• Kumar Apurva

Classifications

• G06F16/23

  Updating · CPC title

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W4/043

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/021

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