# US 11,451,924 B2 · Ranging measurements for spatially-aware user interface of a mobile device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,924 B2 - Document ID: US11451924B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/914,111 - Filed: 2020-06-26 - Published: 2020-11-12 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-06 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Benjamin A. Werner; Brent M. Ledvina; Merrick K. McCracken - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451924B2 ## CPC - G01S 13/765: {with exchange of information between interrogator and responder} - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - G01S 13/0209: {Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband} - G06F 16/9537: Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/14: Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD] - H04W 4/21: for social networking applications - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 12/64: using geofenced areas - H04W 72/56: based on priority criteria - H04B 17/27: for locating or positioning the transmitter - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract A method for identifying a second mobile device in a vicinity of a first mobile device includes performing, by the first mobile device, determining distance information corresponding to a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, determining angular information indicating an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device, determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, that a location of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region relative to the first mobile device, and providing a user interface that displays an icon corresponding to the second mobile device in a specified position on the user interface based on the location of the second mobile device being within the first spatial region. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for identifying a second mobile device in a vicinity of a first mobile device, the method comprising performing, by the first mobile device: determining distance information corresponding to a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device; determining angular information indicating an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, that a location of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region of a plurality of pre-defined spatial regions relative to the pointing direction of the first mobile device; and providing a user interface that displays an icon corresponding to the second mobile device in a predetermined position on the user interface based on the location of the second mobile device being within the first spatial region. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region includes: determining a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region based on the distance information and the angular information; and determining that the first probability is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region further comprises: determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, a first set of probabilities of the second mobile device being within a set of spatial regions defined at specified distances and angles around the first mobile device, the first set of probabilities including a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region; determining a first importance metric for the second mobile device based on the first set of probabilities; and determining that the first importance metric is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining, based on distance information and angular information for third mobile devices, a second set of probabilities of the third mobile devices being within the set of spatial regions; determining second importance metrics for the third mobile devices based on the second set of probabilities; and displaying, on the user interface, icons corresponding to the third mobile devices, wherein the icons are displayed at particular positions according to the second importance metrics. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the third mobile devices are ranked according the second importance metrics, and wherein the icons corresponding to the third mobile devices are displayed in positions on the user interface in order of the ranking. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining distance information and angular information for third mobile devices; ranking the third mobile devices based on the distance information and the angular information for the third mobile devices; and displaying, on the user interface, icons corresponding to the third mobile devices at positions in order of the ranking. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined position of the icon corresponding to the second mobile device corresponds to a highest ranking of the ordered positions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the icon corresponding to the second mobile device displayed on the user interface is larger than the icons corresponding to the third mobile devices displayed on the user interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first spatial region has a defined distance range from the first mobile device and angular range relative to the pointing direction of the first mobile device. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising: determining, by a first mobile device, distance information corresponding to a distance between the first mobile device and a second mobile device; determining, by the first mobile device, angular information indicating an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, that a location of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region of a plurality of pre-defined spatial regions relative to the pointing direction of the first mobile device; and providing a user interface that displays an icon corresponding to the second mobile device in a predetermined position on the user interface based on the location of the second mobile device being within the first spatial region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region includes: determining a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region based on the distance information and the angular information; and determining that the first probability is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region further comprises: determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, a first set of probabilities of the second mobile device being within a set of spatial regions defined at specified distances and angles around the first mobile device, the first set of probabilities including a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region; determining a first importance metric for the second mobile device based on the first set of probabilities; and determining that the first importance metric is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, further comprising instructions to perform operations including: determining, based on distance information and angular information for third mobile devices, a second set of probabilities of the third mobile devices being within the set of spatial regions; determining second importance metrics for the third mobile devices based on the second set of probabilities; and displaying, on the user interface, icons corresponding to the third mobile devices, wherein the icons are displayed at particular positions according to the second importance metrics, wherein the third mobile devices are ranked according the second importance metrics, and wherein the icons corresponding to the third mobile devices are displayed in positions on the user interface in order of the ranking. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 10, further comprising instructions to perform operations including: determining distance information and angular information for third mobile devices; ranking the third mobile devices based on the distance information and the angular information for the third mobile devices; and displaying, on the user interface, icons corresponding to the third mobile devices at positions in order of the ranking. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the predetermined position of the icon corresponding to the second mobile device corresponds to a highest ranking of the ordered positions, and wherein the icon corresponding to the second mobile device displayed on the user interface is larger than the icons corresponding to the third mobile devices displayed on the user interface. ### Claim 16 A mobile device, comprising: a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured for executing the instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable for causing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: determining distance information corresponding to a distance between a first mobile device and a second mobile device; determining angular information indicating an angle between a pointing direction of the first mobile device and the second mobile device; determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, that a location of the second mobile device lies within a first spatial region of a plurality of pre-defined spatial regions relative to the pointing direction of the first mobile device; and providing a user interface that displays an icon corresponding to the second mobile device in a predetermined position on the user interface based on the location of the second mobile device being within the first spatial region. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The mobile device of claim 16, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region includes: determining a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region based on the distance information and the angular information; and determining that the first probability is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The mobile device of claim 16, wherein determining that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region further comprises: determining, based on the distance information and the angular information, a first set of probabilities of the second mobile device being within a set of spatial regions defined at specified distances and angles around the first mobile device, the first set of probabilities including a first probability that the location of the second mobile device lies within the first spatial region; determining a first importance metric for the second mobile device based on the first set of probabilities; and determining that the first importance metric is greater than a threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured for executing the instructions stored in the memory to perform operations including: determining distance information and angular information for third mobile devices; ranking the third mobile devices based on the distance information and the angular information for the third mobile devices; and displaying, on the user interface, icons corresponding to the third mobile devices at positions in order of the ranking. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the predetermined position of the icon corresponding to the second mobile device corresponds to a highest ranking of the ordered positions, and wherein the icon corresponding to the second mobile device displayed on the user interface is larger than the icons corresponding to the third mobile devices displayed on the user interface.