Systems and methods for locating a tracking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699612-B2
Application number	US-201615144826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

The principles described herein provide methods and systems for locating a tracking device. In particular, one disclosed method includes associating a user with a tracking device, receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting a flag indicating that the tracking device is lost, receiving a location within a proximity of the tracking device from one of a plurality of mobile devices associated with a community of users, and providing the location to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
associating, by a tracking system, a user with a tracking device, the user associated with a mobile device;
when the tracking device is communicatively coupled to and located within a threshold proximity of the mobile device, receiving, by the tracking system from the mobile device, a location of the mobile device;
associating, by the tracking system, the received location of the mobile device with the tracking device;
when the tracking device is located outside a threshold proximity of the mobile device but within a threshold proximity of a second mobile device associated with a second user, receiving, by the tracking system from the second mobile device, a location of the second mobile device, the second mobile device configured to provide the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system in response to finding the tracking device;
associating, by the tracking system, the received location of the second mobile device with the tracking device; and
providing, by the tracking system, the location of the second mobile device and an identity of the tracking device to the mobile device, the mobile device configured to display the location of the second mobile device that found the tracking device and an identity of the tracking device within a map interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device provides the location of the mobile device to the tracking system without input from the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device provides the location of the mobile device to the tracking system in response to receiving a signal from the tracking device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device provides the location of the mobile device to the tracking system periodically.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second mobile device provides the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system without input from the second user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second mobile device provides the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system without informing the second user.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking device cannot couple to more than one mobile device at a time.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking system is configured to provide the location of the second mobile device to the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the tracking system provides the location of the second mobile device to the mobile device in response to receiving the location of the second mobile device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the tracking system provides the location of the second mobile device to the mobile device in response to a request from the user.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the request from the user comprises an indication from the user that the tracking device is lost.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device displays the location of the second mobile device within the map interface with locations corresponding to additional tracking devices associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device displays the location of the second mobile device and an indication of a distance between the second mobile device and the tracking device within the map interface.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the indication of the distance between the second mobile device and the tracking device is based on a strength of signal from the tracking device received by the second mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking system receives locations of additional mobile devices, each received location sent by an additional mobile device in response to receiving a signal from the tracking device, and wherein the tracking system associates a received location associated with a most recent time with the tracking device.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second mobile device is configured to determine an identity of the tracking device based on the signal received from the tracking device, and where providing the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system comprises providing the location of the second mobile device in association with the determined identity of the tracking device.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second mobile device is configured to provide the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system in response to receiving a signal from the tracking device independently of a previously established connection between the user and the second user.

18. A tracking server comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the tracking server to perform steps comprising:
associating a user with a tracking device, the user associated with a mobile device;
when the tracking device is communicatively coupled to and located within a threshold proximity of the mobile device, receiving, from the mobile device, a location of the mobile device;
associating the received location of the mobile device with the tracking device;
when the tracking device is located outside a threshold proximity of the mobile device but within a threshold proximity of a second mobile device associated with a second user, receiving, from the second mobile device, a location of the second mobile device, the second mobile device configured to provide the location of the second mobile device to the tracking system in response to finding the tracking device;
associating the received location of the second mobile device with the tracking device; and
providing the location of the second mobile device and an identity of the tracking device to the mobile device, the mobile device configured to display the location of the second mobile device that found the tracking device and an identity of the tracking device within a map interface; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions.

Assignees

• Tile Inc

Inventors

• Evans Nicholas George
• Farley Michael George

Classifications

• G06F21/88

  Detecting or preventing theft or loss · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G06F2221/2111

  Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W4/21

  for social networking applications · CPC title