Method, apparatus, and computer program product for device tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9338635-B2
Application number	US-201414320820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a method includes measuring, by an apparatus, signal strength of wireless device discovery messages received from a wireless communication device, the wireless discovery messages including a device address of the wireless communication device; storing, by the apparatus, the device address of the wireless communication device and the measured signal strength of the received wireless discovery messages; detecting, by apparatus, other wireless device discovery messages having a different device address; measuring, by apparatus, received signal strengths of the other wireless device discovery messages; and if no messages are received including the device address of the wireless communication device, comparing, by apparatus, the stored signal strength of the wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device with the measured received signal strength of the other wireless device discovery messages to determine whether a source of the other wireless device discovery messages is the wireless communication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
measuring, by an apparatus, signal strength of two or more wireless device discovery messages received from a wireless communication device, the wireless discovery messages including a device address of the wireless communication device, wherein the two or more wireless discovery messages are received from the wireless communication device at a first measured periodic interval;
storing, by the apparatus, the device address of the wireless communication device, the first measured periodic interval of the received two or more wireless discovery messages and the measured signal strength of the received two or more wireless discovery messages;
detecting, by the apparatus, two or more other wireless device discovery messages having a different device address, at a second measured periodic interval;
measuring, by the apparatus, received signal strengths of the two or more other wireless device discovery messages; and
if no messages are received including the device address of the wireless communication device, comparing, by the apparatus, the stored signal strength of the two or more wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device with the measured signal strength of the received two or more other wireless device discovery messages and comparing the stored first measured periodic interval with the second measured periodic interval to determine whether a source of the other wireless device discovery messages is the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if it is determined that the source of the other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, associating and storing the device address and the measured received signal strength of the other wireless device discovery messages, to the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if it is determined that the source of the two or more other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, by the comparison of the measured periodic intervals, associating and storing the device address of the two or more other device discovery messages and the second measured periodic interval, to the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless discovery messages are Bluetooth Low Energy advertising messages.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device include a unique identifier;
if it is determined that the source of the other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, associating and storing the unique identifier, the device address of the other device discovery messages, and the measured received signal strength of the other wireless device discovery messages, to the wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device include a unique identifier;
if it is determined that the source of the two or more other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, by the comparison of the measured periodic intervals, associating and storing the unique identifier, the device address of the two or more other device discovery messages, and the second measured periodic interval, to the wireless communication device.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one memory including computer program code;
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
measure signal strength of two or more wireless device discovery messages received from a wireless communication device, the wireless discovery messages including a device address of the wireless communication device, wherein the two or more wireless discovery messages are received from the wireless communication device at a first measured periodic interval;
store the device address of the wireless communication device, the first measured periodic interval of the received two or more wireless discovery messages and the measured signal strength of the received two or more wireless discovery messages;
detect two or more other wireless device discovery messages having a different device address, at a second measured periodic interval;
measure received signal strengths of the two or more other wireless device discovery messages; and
if no messages are received including the device address of the wireless communication device, compare the stored signal strength of the two or more wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device with the measured signal strength of the received two or more other wireless device discovery messages and compare the stored first measured periodic interval with the second measured periodic interval to determine whether a source of the other wireless device discovery messages is the wireless communication device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
if it is determined that the source of the other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, associate and store the device address and the measured received signal strength of the other wireless device discovery messages, to the wireless communication device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
if it is determined that the source of the two or more other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, by the comparison of the measured periodic intervals, associate and store the device address of the two or more other device discovery messages and the second measured periodic interval, to the wireless communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the wireless discovery messages are Bluetooth Low Energy advertising messages.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
wherein the wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device include a unique identifier;
if it is determined that the source of the other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, associate and store the unique identifier, the device address of the other device discovery messages, and the measured received signal strength of the other wireless device discovery messages, to the wireless communication device.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
wherein the wireless discovery messages received from the wireless communication device include a unique identifier;
if it is determined that the source of the two or more other wireless discovery messages is the wireless communication device, by the comparison of the measured periodic intervals, associate and store the unique identifier, the device address of the two or more other device discovery messages, and the second measured periodic interval, to the wireless communication device.

13. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable, non-transitory storage medium, the co

Assignees

• Nokia Corp
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Palin Arto
• Reunamaki Jukka

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B17/10

  of transmitters · CPC title

• H04W8/005 Primary

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title