Tracking device operation in safety-classified zone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10911889-B2
Application number	US-202016927993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2020
Priority date	Aug 16, 2017
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for locating a tracking device, comprising:
determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region;
querying, by the central tracking system, a database mapping, for each of a plurality of geographic regions, a tracking device configuration mode identifying a transmission power to the geographic region to identify the tracking device configuration mode mapped to the first geographic region; and
providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode such that the tracking device transmits beacon signals at the transmission power identified by the identified tracking device configuration mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identified tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one tracking device configuration mode mapped to a geographic region by the database is selected based on a configuration mode of one or more additional tracking devices previously located within the geographic region.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform steps comprising:
determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region;
querying, by the central tracking system, a database mapping, for each of a plurality of geographic regions, a tracking device configuration mode identifying a transmission power to the geographic region to identify the tracking device configuration mode mapped to the first geographic region; and
providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode such that the tracking device transmits beacon signals at the transmission power identified by the identified tracking device configuration mode.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the identified tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the selected signal transmission rate increases as the likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region increases.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein at least one tracking device configuration mode mapped to a geographic region by the database is selected based on a configuration mode of one or more additional tracking devices previously located within the geographic region.

15. A system for locating a tracking device, comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause steps to be performed by the system comprising:
determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a first geographic boundary of a first geographic region;
querying, by the central tracking system, a database mapping, for each of a plurality of geographic regions, a tracking device configuration mode identifying a transmission power to the geographic region to identify the tracking device configuration mode mapped to the first geographic region; and
providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the identified tracking device configuration mode such that the tracking device transmits beacon signals at the transmission power identified by the identified tracking device configuration mode; and

a hardware processor configured to execute the instructions.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein a home of the user is located within the first geographic region.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first geographic region comprises a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the identified tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate selected based on a likelihood that the user will lose the tracking device within the first geographic region.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least one tracking device configuration mode mapped to a geographic region by the database is selected based on a configuration mode of one or more additional tracking devices previously located within the geographic region.

Assignees

• Tile Inc

Inventors

• Puppala Arunkumar
• Cheng Liuyin
• Patterson Wayne

Classifications

• G01S2205/05

  Anti-theft or abduction · CPC title

• G01S5/01

  Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption · CPC title

• G01S5/0295

  Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals · CPC title

• G01S2205/01

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G01S5/0205

  Details · CPC title