Tracking device location identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10412540-B2
Application number	US-201816228474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Feb 17, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a last known location of a tracking device, the method comprising:
receiving, by a tracking server from a first mobile device, a disconnection event indicating that a first tracking device has disconnected from the first mobile device, the disconnection event comprising an identifier of the first tracking device, a location of the first mobile device when the first tracking device disconnected from the first mobile device, and a first timestamp of the disconnection;
receiving, by the tracking server, a set of location updates, each location update received in response to a mobile device detecting the first tracking device and comprising a location of the mobile device when the mobile device detected the first tracking device, the identifier of the first tracking device, and a timestamp of the detection;
determining, by the tracking server, a last known location of the first tracking device based on the disconnection event and one or more location updates selected out of the received set of location updates based on the timestamps associated with each of the selected one or more location updates.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises:
selecting, from the received set of location updates, one or more location updates comprising a timestamp within a threshold amount of time of the first timestamp of the disconnection.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received set of location updates comprises location updates received from one or more mobile devices other than the first mobile device, and wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises:
combining the location of each of the one or more selected location updates and the location of the disconnection event.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein combining the location of each of the one or more selected location updates and the location of the disconnection event comprises performing a triangulation operation on the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location of the first tracking device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises determining a weighted average of the disconnection event and the one or more selected location updates each weighted by a measure of accuracy of the corresponding location information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises determining a weighted average of the disconnection event and the one or more selected location updates each weighted by a time difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp of the disconnection event.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises computing an updated location for a selected location update based on a difference between the timestamp of a selected location update and the first timestamp, and wherein the last known location for the first tracking device is determined based at least in part of the updated location.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the received location updates comprises a measure of accuracy of the associated location and wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises:
determining an updated measure of accuracy of each of the one or more selected location updates based on a time difference between the disconnection event and the selected location update and the measure of accuracy of the selected location update; and
selecting a last known location out of the location associated with the disconnection event and the one or more selected location updates based on the updated measures of accuracy associated with each of the selected location updates.

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

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first mobile device is configured to modify a map interface on the first mobile device to display the determined last known location of the first tracking device.

11. 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, from a first mobile device, a disconnection event indicating that a first tracking device has disconnected from the first mobile device, the disconnection event comprising an identifier of the first tracking device, a location of the first mobile device when the first tracking device disconnected from the first mobile device, and a first timestamp of the disconnection;
receiving a set of location updates, each location update received in response to a mobile device detecting the first tracking device and comprising a location of the mobile device when the mobile device detected the first tracking device, the identifier of the first tracking device, and a timestamp of the detection;
determining a last known location of the first tracking device based on the disconnection event and one or more location updates selected out of the received set of location updates based on the timestamps associated with each of the selected one or more location updates.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises:
selecting, from the received set of location updates, one or more location updates comprising a timestamp within a threshold amount of time of the first timestamp of the disconnection.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the received set of location updates comprises location updates received from one or more mobile devices other than the first mobile device, and wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises:
combining the location of each of the one or more selected location updates and the location of the disconnection event.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein combining the location of each of the one or more selected location updates and the location of the disconnection event comprises performing a triangulation operation on the location of each selected location update and the location of the disconnection event to determine the last known location of the first tracking device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises determining a weighted average of the disconnection event and the one or more selected location updates each weighted by a measure of accuracy of the corresponding location information.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the last known location of the first tracking device comprises determining a weighted average of the disconnection event and the one or more selected location updates each weighted by a time difference between the timestamp of the selected location update and the first timestamp of the disconnection event.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the last known location of t

Assignees

• Tile Inc

Inventors

• Lévêque Pierre-Marie
• Patterson Wayne
• Puppala Arunkumar

Classifications

• G08B21/24

  Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms · CPC title

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G08B21/0272

  System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS · CPC title