Detecting mobile access points

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9408178-B2
Application number	US-201313746990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2013
Priority date	Jan 22, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

In some implementations, a method includes receiving, from a server, location data identifying locations of access points and mobile access points. A mobile device may determine an identifier of an access point within a communication range. The identifier is compared with the location data to identify parameters for the access point. The access point is determined to be a mobile access point based on the identified parameters included in the location data. In response to identifying the mobile access point, operating parameters executed by the mobile device are updated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a mobile device at different times, data associated with a plurality of different locations of the mobile device during interaction of the mobile device with an access point at the different times;
determining, based on the data associated with each of the plurality of different locations, a distance between the plurality of different locations at which the mobile devices interacted with the access point at the different times;
comparing each of the determined distances with a predefined distance threshold;
determining, in response to the comparing, the access point is a mobile access point based on one of the determined distances exceeding the predefined distance threshold; and
transmitting, to other mobile devices, location data identifying a location of the access point that has been determined to be a mobile access point.

2. The method of claim 1 , updating, at a server, a location database identifying the access point as being the mobile access point.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
estimating an average speed of the access point based on a particular one of the determined distances and an associate time difference between locations used to determine the particular one of the determined distances; and
comparing the estimated average speed with a predefined average speed threshold,
determining, based upon the comparing the estimated average speed with a predefined average speed threshold, a vehicle type based on the average speed exceeding a predefined average speed threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle type comprises an airplane.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining, based on the data associated with the plurality of different locations of the mobile device during the interaction of the mobile device, a type of facility; and
determining, in response to the determining a type of facility, whether the determined vehicle type matches the determined facility type.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, for each of a plurality of mobile devices, distances between other locations at the different times associated with the access point; and
determining, for each of the plurality of the mobile devices, whether any of the distances exceed the predefined distance threshold.

7. A computer program product encoded on non-transitory medium, the product comprising computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a mobile device at different times, data associated with a plurality of different locations of the mobile device during interaction of the mobile device with an access point at the different times;
determining, based on the data associated with each of the plurality of different locations, a distance between the plurality of different locations at which the mobile devices interacted with the access point at the different times;
comparing each of the determined distances with a predefined distance threshold;
determining, in response to the comparing, the access point is a mobile access point based on one of the determined distances exceed the predefined distance threshold; and
transmitting, to other mobile devices, location data identifying a location of the access point that has been determined to be a mobile access point.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 , the instructions further comprising:
estimating an average speed of the access point based on a particular one of the determined distances and an associate time difference between locations used to determine the particular one of the determined distances; and
comparing the estimated average speed with a predefined average speed threshold,
determining, based upon the comparing the estimated predefined average speed with a predefined average speed threshold, a vehicle type based on the average speed exceeding a predefined average speed threshold.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , the instructions further comprising:
determining, based on the data associated with the plurality of different locations of the mobile device during the interaction of the mobile device, a type of facility; and
determining, in response to the determining a type of facility, whether the determined vehicle type matches the determined facility type.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 , the instructions further comprising:
determining, for each of a plurality of mobile devices, distances between other locations at the different times associated with the access point; and
determining, for each of the plurality of the mobile devices, whether any of the distances exceed the predefined distance threshold.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mayor Robert
• Huang Ronald Keryuan
• Grosman Yefim

Classifications

• H04W64/003 Primary

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W64/006

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