Utilizing mobile wireless access gateways for location and context purposes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400321-B2
Application number	US-201313911050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2013
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems of using a mobile WAP for location and context purposes are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a server can estimate an effective location of a wireless access gateway using harvested data. The server can harvest location data from multiple mobile devices. The harvested data can include a location of each mobile device and an identifier of a wireless access gateway that is located within a communication range of the mobile device. In some implementations, the server can identify a mobile wireless access gateway based on a distance comparison. Data indicating the mobility of a wireless access gateway can be used by a mobile device to initiate one or more actions, including managing power of the mobile device, modifying entrance and exit conditions of virtual fences and determining a context of the mobile device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a server computer, the method comprising:
obtaining, from a mobile device, motion data for the mobile device and location coordinates and identifiers for a plurality of wireless access gateways detected by the mobile device;
determining, using the motion data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, that the mobile device is in motion, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
determining, using signals from at least one wireless access gateway of the plurality of wireless access gateways, that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during a time that the mobile device is in motion;
in response to determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during the time that the mobile device is in motion, generating data for the at least one wireless access gateway to indicate that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile; and
storing the data in a data store,
where the method is performed by one or more hardware processors of the server computer.

2. The method of claim 1 , where at least one mobile wireless access gateway is a wireless access point (AP) and the identifier for the AP is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using the motion data to determine or confirm a context of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3 , where the context associated with the mobile device is the user of the mobile device entering or exiting one of a car, bus, train, shuttle, boat or airplane.

5. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
obtaining, from a mobile device, motion data for the mobile device and location coordinates and identifiers for a plurality of wireless access gateways detected by the mobile device, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
determining, using the motion data that the mobile device is in motion, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
determining, using signals from at least one wireless access gateway of the plurality of wireless access gateways, that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during a time that the mobile device is in motion;
in response to determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during the time that the mobile device is in motion, generating data for the at least one wireless access gateway to indicate that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile; and
storing the data in a data store.

6. The system of claim 5 , where at least one mobile wireless access gateway is a wireless access point (AP) and the identifier for the AP is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

7. The system of claim 5 , the operations further comprising:
using the motion data to determine or confirm a context associated of the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 7 , where the context associated with the mobile device is the user of the mobile device entering or exiting one of a car, bus, train, shuttle, boat or airplane.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
obtaining, from a mobile device, motion data for the mobile device and location coordinates and identifiers for a plurality of wireless access gateways detected by the mobile device, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
determining, using the motion data that the mobile device is in motion, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
determining, using signals from at least one wireless access gateway of the plurality of wireless access gateways, that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during a time that the mobile device is in motion;
in response to determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during the time that the mobile device is in motion, generating data for the at least one wireless access gateway to indicate that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile; and
storing the data in a data store.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , where at least one mobile wireless access gateway is a wireless access point (AP) and the identifier for the AP is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

11. A method, comprising:
obtaining, by a mobile device, location coordinates and identifiers for a plurality of wireless access gateways detected by the mobile device;
determining, by the mobile device that at least one wireless access gateway of the plurality of wireless access gateways is mobile, wherein the determining comprises:
first determining, using motion data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, that the mobile device is in motion, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;
second determining, using signals from the at least one wireless access gateway, that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during time that the mobile device is in motion; and
in response to the first determining and the second determining, determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile during the time that the mobile device is in motion;

generating data for the at least one wireless access gateway to indicate that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile; and
storing the data in a data store.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
using the motion data to determine or confirm a context of the mobile device, the context associated with the mobile device being the user of the mobile device entering or exiting one of a car, bus, train, shuttle, boat or airplane.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is mobile, estimating that the mobile device is in a vehicular transport associated with the at least one wireless access gateway;
subsequently determining absence of signals from the at least one wireless access gateway; and
based on subsequently determining the absence of signals from the at least one wireless access gateway, estimating that the mobile device has exited the vehicular transport.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein estimating that the mobile device is in a vehicular transport further comprises:
receiving an identifier of the at least one mobile access gateway; and
identifying a particular transport mode based on the identifier of the at least one mobile access gateway.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein estimating that the mobile device has exited the vehicular transport further comprises:
in response to identifying the particular transport mode, obtaining a known schedule for the particular transport mode; and
based on subsequently determining the absence of signals from the at least one wireless access gateway, determining a location where the mobile device has exited the vehicular transport using the known schedule for the particular transport mode.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Huang Ronald K
• Mayor Robert
• Marti Lukas M

Classifications

• G01S5/02

  using radio waves (using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00) · CPC title

• G01S5/0263

  by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems · CPC title

• H04W64/006

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• G01S5/0284 Primary

  Relative positioning · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title