# US 12,004,040 B2 · Tracking device operation in safety-classified zone > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,040 B2 - Document ID: US12004040B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/984,940 - Filed: 2022-11-10 - Published: 2023-03-09 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-16 - Assignees: Tile, Inc. - Applicants: Tile, Inc. - Inventors: Arunkumar Puppala; Liuyin Cheng; Wayne Patterson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004040B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - G01S 5/01: {Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption} - G01S 5/02: using radio waves (using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00) - G01S 5/0205: {Details} - G01S 5/0294: {Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering} - G01S 5/0295: {Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals} - G08B 21/24: Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms - H04W 4/00: Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W 4/025: {using location based information parameters} - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/16: Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold - H04W 4/30: Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes - H04W 12/00: Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity - H04W 52/0206: {in access points, e.g. base stations} - H04W 52/0229: {where the received signal is a wanted signal} - H04W 52/0258: {controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day} - G01S 2205/01: specially adapted for specific applications - G01S 2205/05: Anti-theft or abduction - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - H04W 4/185: {by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging} - H04W 4/23: for mobile advertising - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 4/42: for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 8/00: Network data management - H04W 8/10: between location register and external networks - H04W 8/12: between location registers or mobility servers - H04W 8/14: between corresponding nodes - H04W 8/16: selectively restricting mobility {data} tracking - H04W 48/04: based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - 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 - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for locating a tracking device, comprising: determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a geographic boundary of a first geographic region; determining, by the central tracking system, a location category corresponding to the geographic boundary; querying, by the central tracking system, a database with the location category, the database tracking an expected behavior of the tracking device within each of a plurality of location categories; and providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in a tracking device configuration mode selected based on the expected behavior of the tracking device, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the tracking device configuration mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the location category is a home of the user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the location category is a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission power. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, the tracking device configuration mode comprises a default configuration mode based on the location category. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform steps comprising: determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a geographic boundary of a first geographic region; determining, by the central tracking system, a location category corresponding to the geographic boundary; querying, by the central tracking system, a database with the location category, the database tracking an expected behavior of the tracking device within each of a plurality of location categories; and providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in a tracking device configuration mode selected based on the expected behavior of the tracking device, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the tracking device configuration mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the location category is a home of the user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the location category is a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission power. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the tracking device configuration mode comprises a default configuration mode based on the location category. ### Claim 15 A system for locating a tracking device, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause steps to be performed by the system comprising: determining, by a central tracking system, that a user of the tracking device is located within a geographic boundary of a first geographic region; determining, by the central tracking system, a location category corresponding to the geographic boundary; querying, by the central tracking system, a database with the location category, the database tracking an expected behavior of the tracking device within each of a plurality of location categories; and providing, by the central tracking system, an instruction to a mobile device of the user to configure the tracking device to operate in a tracking device configuration mode selected based on the expected behavior of the tracking device, the mobile device configured to, in response to receiving the instruction, configure the tracking device to operate in the tracking device configuration mode; and a hardware processor configured to execute the instructions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the location category is a home of the user. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the location category is a city, town, or neighborhood in which the user lives. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the first geographic region is defined by the user. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the tracking device configuration mode comprises a signal transmission rate or a signal transmission power. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, the tracking device configuration mode comprises a default configuration mode based on a type of the first geographic region.