Electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification system with beacon clustering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11043050-B2
Application number	US-202016824633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A method and system that allows authorized individuals access into controlled access locations and the ability to grant temporary and limited access to guests into these locations. The method and system allows for navigational services to be provided to members and guests, and real-time tracking and confirmation to members and administrators that guests have arrived at their destination and did not enter any unauthorized areas. The method preferably can work through a system of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons communicating with member and guest's electronic devices. Members and administrators can send one or more temporary electronic access keys to a guest's smartphone or other electronic device. Wireless radio, sound and/or light-based beacons provide an access control and location tracking system with real-time data about the member and guest whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking. Also provided is a system and method for identifying a customer's location at a business and provide notification to a company representative upon arrival of the customer at the business location. Real-time location determinations for the customer and customer location tracking can be provided. One or more wireless beacons communicate with the customer's electronic device. The beacons provide the system with real-time data about the customer's whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking of the customer at the location. A first non-limiting example of use, include a company that provides food and beverage allowing the customer to place an order for food and beverages on their electronic device and having the order delivered to the person at their current location as determined by the system. Another non-limiting example includes a company using the notification system to have assigned staff members notified of the customer's arrival.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a current location of an individual at a particular geographical area, the method comprising:
(a) receiving one or more wireless signals by an electronic device on the possession of the individual sent by one or more wireless beacons, the electronic device running an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification app (“App”), each of the signals of the one or more wireless signals having an unique identifier identifying a specific one beacon from the one or more wireless beacons that the signal was transmitted from, each of the one or more beacons located at a different spot within the particular geographical area;
(b) determining by the App running on the individual's electronic device the signal strength for each of the received wireless signals
(c) determining a current location of the individual at the particular geographical area by the App or an electronic identification, location tracking, communication and notification system (“System”) based on the received one or more wireless signals and using only received signals having signal strengths above a preconfigured signal strength threshold;
wherein the one or more beacons are a plurality of beacons and the method further comprises grouping two or more of the plurality of beacons into a plurality of beacon clusters, with each beacon cluster containing beacons not in any of the other beacon clusters and obtaining an average signal strength value for each beacon cluster based on the beacons contained in each cluster.

2. The method for determining of claim 1 wherein an average signal strength for a beacon cluster is determined by (i) averaging signal strengths for the received signals for all of the beacons in the beacon cluster, (ii) assigning a dummy value for signal strengths below the preconfigured signal strength threshold sent from a beacon in the beacon cluster and then averaging all signal strengths above the threshold and the dummy value assigned, or (iii) averaging only signal strengths above the preconfigured signal strength threshold from beacons in the beacon cluster.

3. The method for determining of claim 2 wherein the received signals having a signal strength over the preconfigured threshold are only electronically forwarded by the App to the System only where the signal strength remains above the preconfigured signal strength threshold for a preconfigured duration of time.

4. The method for determining of claim 1 wherein each beacon cluster defining a specific location within the particular geographic area and the beacon cluster having the highest average signal strength identifies the current location of the individual within the particular geographic area.

Assignees

• Collateral Opportunities Llc

Inventors

• Kusens Bruce Howard
• Kusens Michael

Classifications

• G07C9/27

  with central registration · CPC title

• G07C9/21 Primary

  having a variable access code · CPC title

• G07C9/00571

  operated by interacting with a central unit · CPC title

• G07C2209/08

  With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title