Personal location system for virtual assistant

A method of using a virtual assistant at a first stationary location comprising:

• using a sensor system at a second location of a user independent of the first stationary location of the virtual assistant to locate the user within a room and to provide information to the virtual assistant about an identity of the user and a location of the user within the room wherein the sensor system includes (a) at least one sniffer fixed in location with respect to the room and having a transceiver adapted to receive dynamic signals indicating the location of the user as the user moves within the room and (b) a wearable beacon adapted to be carried by the user delivering the dynamic signals measurable by the at least one sniffer to deduce location information wherein the dynamic signals are of a predetermined signal strength measurable by the at least one sniffer to deduce distance;
• generating a mapping of the room based on a history of location information of the user over time as the user moves around the room and based on the at least one sniffer receiving the dynamic signals from the wearable beacon worn by the user to provide floorplan information of the room to the virtual assistant;
• receiving a request for information by the user through the microphone of the virtual assistant;
• combining the request for information by the user with the mapping of the room to create an augmented request for information;
• and
• responding to the augmented request for information by the virtual assistant.

A mapping system adapted to communicate with a virtual assistant at a first stationary location providing audio communication in a room with a user through a microphone and a speaker and communicate over an Internet with a remote server to receive requests for information from the user and to communicate with the remote server to provide responsive information to the user through the speaker comprising:

• a sensor system for identifying a second location of the user independent of the first stationary location of the virtual assistant and identity of the user within the room and providing identity information and location information to the virtual assistant and providing a layout of obstacles and walls of the room based on a history of locations of the user within the room over time as the user moves around the room and based on the at least one sniffer receiving the dynamic signals from the wearable beacon worn by the user to provide floorplan information of the room to the virtual assistant, including
• at least one sniffer at a fixed location within the room and having a transceiver adapted to receive signals indicating the identity of the user and location of the user recognizable by the virtual assistant and wherein the at least one sniffer includes an identification indicating a location of each sniffer recognizable by the virtual assistant;
• and
• a central interface having a processor communicating with the transceiver and the virtual assistant and a memory communicating with the processor and holding a program executable by the processor to identify the identity of the user and the location of the user based on the signals and to provide the identity information and location information to the virtual assistant whereby the virtual assistant uses each of the identity information and location information together with the requests through the microphone to respond to user queries.