Beacon content propagation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894495-B2
Application number	US-201514937822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2013
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting beacon messages are described. A beacon message is transmitted from a first beacon device and broadcast to an area within a transmission range of the first beacon device. A mobile device receives and stores the message. When the mobile device is out of the range of the first beacon device and within the range of a second beacon device, the message is transmitted to the second beacon device and broadcast by the second beacon device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device comprising:
a non-transitory memory; and
one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a beacon message from a first stationary beacon at a first location in a store, the first stationary beacon having a first transmission range;
determining that the mobile device is outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon and-within a second transmission range of a second stationary beacon at a second location in the store, the second stationary beacon being outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon; and
in response to the determining, forwarding the beacon message received from first stationary beacon to the second stationary beacon.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the beacon message comprises a message selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, coupon, and a promotion.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the beacon message comprises a link to a website.

4. The mobile device of claim 3 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving a selection of the link by a user of the mobile device; and
displaying the website to the user.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the beacon message is received while the mobile device is in sleep mode.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise updating the beacon message.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the forwarding the beacon message to the second stationary beacon causes the second stationary beacon to broadcast the beacon message within the second transmission range.

8. A method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device, a beacon message from a first stationary beacon at a first location, the first stationary beacon having a first transmission range;
determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon and within a second transmission range of a second stationary beacon at a second location, the second stationary beacon being outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon; and
in response to the determining, forwarding, by the mobile device, the beacon message received from first stationary beacon to the second stationary beacon.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the beacon message comprises a message selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, coupon, and a promotion.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the beacon message comprises a link to a website.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving, by the mobile device, a selection of the link and displaying, by the mobile device, the website to a user.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first stationary beacon, the second stationary beacon, or both, comprise a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the beacon message is updated.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a beacon message from a first stationary beacon at a first location in a store, the first stationary beacon having a first transmission range;
determining that the mobile device is outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon and within a second transmission range of a second stationary beacon at a second location in the store, the second stationary beacon being outside the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon; and
in response to the determining, forwarding the beacon message received from first stationary beacon to the second stationary beacon.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the beacon message comprises a message selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, coupon, and a promotion.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the beacon message comprises a link to a website.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first stationary beacon, the second stationary beacon, or both comprise a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first transmission range of the first stationary beacon is about 2 inches to about 160 feet.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein information in the beacon message and range of the beacon message are set by a merchant.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the forwarding the beacon message to the second stationary beacon causes the second stationary beacon to transmit the beacon message to a second device that is within the second transmission range.

Assignees

• Paypal Inc

Inventors

• Schulz Egan
• Serrano Michelle
• Su Libo

Classifications

• G06Q30/0207

  Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates · CPC title

• G06Q30/0261

  based on user location · CPC title

• H04W4/06 Primary

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · 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

• G01S1/68

  Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information · CPC title