User intervention based on proximity between tracking devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10917746-B2
Application number	US-202016810846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

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 the 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 from a second mobile device in response to the second mobile device detecting the second tracking device;
in response to determining 1) that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds a threshold distance during a user-defined time interval and 2) that a threshold amount of time has passed during the user-defined time interval without the second tracking device communicatively coupling to the first mobile device, setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within a tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that a status of the second tracking device is “lost” and providing a notification to the first mobile device indicating that the second tracking device may be lost, the first mobile device configured to display the notification; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds the threshold distance outside of the user-defined time interval, not setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within the tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that the status of the second tracking device is “lost”.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device receives a signal from the first tracking device and, in response to receiving the signal, 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 mobile device and the second mobile device comprises the same mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are owned by a same user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are coupled to objects associated with one of: a user's home, a user's work, and a user's school.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification includes text requesting that a user confirm that the second 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 second tracking device is lost.

8. 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 the 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 from a second mobile device in response to the second mobile device detecting the second tracking device;
in response to determining 1) that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds a threshold distance during a user-defined time interval and 2) that a threshold amount of time has passed during the user-defined time interval without the second tracking device communicatively coupling to the first mobile device, setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within a tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that a status of the second tracking device is “lost” and providing a notification to the first mobile device indicating that the second tracking device may be lost, the first mobile device configured to display the notification; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds the threshold distance outside of the user-defined time interval, not setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within the tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that the status of the second tracking device is “lost”.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first mobile device receives a signal from the first tracking device and, in response to receiving the signal, 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.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the threshold distance is received from the user.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprises the same mobile device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are owned by a same user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first tracking device and the second tracking device are coupled to objects associated with one of: a user's home, a user's work, and a user's school.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the notification includes text requesting that a user confirm that the second 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 second tracking device is lost.

15. A central tracking system for locating a tracking device, comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
receiving, at the central tracking system, a first location of the 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 from a second mobile device in response to the second mobile device detecting the second tracking device;
in response to determining 1) that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds a threshold distance during a user-defined time interval and 2) that a threshold amount of time has passed during the user-defined time interval without the second tracking device communicatively coupling to the first mobile device, setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within a tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that a status of the second tracking device is “lost” and providing a notification to the first mobile device indicating that the second tracking device may be lost, the first mobile device configured to display the notification; and
in response to determining that the distance between the first location and the second location exceeds the threshold distance outside of the user-defined time interval, not setting, by the central tracking system, a flag within the tracking database of the central tracking system indicating that the status of the second tracking device is “lost”.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first mobile device receives a signal from the first tracking device and, in response to receiving the signal, determines a location of the first mobile device

Assignees

• Tile Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04W12/126

  Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title

• H04L67/55

  Push-based network services · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title