# US 12,015,962 B2 · Secure and private cloud based broadcast identification > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,962 B2 - Document ID: US12015962B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/449,166 - Filed: 2023-08-14 - Published: 2023-12-07 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-09 - Assignees: Tile, Inc. - Applicants: Tile, Inc. - Inventors: Josselin de la Broise - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015962B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04L 67/303: Terminal profiles - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - H04L 63/12: {Applying verification of the received information (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32)} - H04L 67/51: Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services - H04W 12/10: Integrity - 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) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - 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 A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, at a mobile device from a tracking device, an authentication value computed by the tracking device based on a unique identifier associated with the tracking device and an incremented value maintained by the tracking device that is incremented at a regular interval of time; and in response to a determination that the tracking device is not associated with the mobile device, providing, by the mobile device, the received authentication value to a tracking server, the tracking server configured to resolve a conflict between the received authentication value and one or more other authentication values using account information associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication value is computed based further on a key stored by the tracking device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the key is also stored by the mobile device, and wherein the key is not transmitted between the tracking device and the mobile device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the incremented value is incremented by the tracking device after each subsequent passage of the regular interval of time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication value is computed using one or more of a hash operation, an encryption operation, or an encoding operation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received authentication value is received in an advertisement packet transmitted by the tracking device, and wherein the advertisement packet includes the incremented value in plaintext. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking server is configured to compute an authentication value for each tracking device associated with tracking server, and wherein the tracking server is configured to identify the tracking device in response to a match between a computed authentication value and the received authentication value. ### Claim 8 A mobile device comprising a hardware processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor, cause the mobile device to perform steps comprising: receiving, at the mobile device from a tracking device, an authentication value computed by the tracking device based on a unique identifier associated with the tracking device and an incremented value maintained by the tracking device that is incremented at a regular interval of time; and in response to a determination that the tracking device is not associated with the mobile device, providing, by the mobile device, the received authentication value to a tracking server, the tracking server configured to resolve a conflict between the received authentication value and one or more other authentication values using account information associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the authentication value is computed based further on a key stored by the tracking device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the key is also stored by the mobile device, and wherein the key is not transmitted between the tracking device and the mobile device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the incremented value is incremented by the tracking device after each subsequent passage of the regular interval of time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the authentication value is computed using one or more of a hash operation, an encryption operation, or an encoding operation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the received authentication value is received in an advertisement packet transmitted by the tracking device, and wherein the advertisement packet includes the incremented value in plaintext. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the tracking server is configured to compute an authentication value for each tracking device associated with tracking server, and wherein the tracking server is configured to identify the tracking device in response to a match between a computed authentication value and the received authentication value. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform steps comprising: receiving, at the mobile device from a tracking device, an authentication value computed by the tracking device based on a unique identifier associated with the tracking device and an incremented value maintained by the tracking device that is incremented at a regular interval of time; and in response to a determination that the tracking device is not associated with the mobile device, providing, by the mobile device, the received authentication value to a tracking server, the tracking server configured to resolve a conflict between the received authentication value and one or more other authentication values using account information associated with the tracking device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the authentication value is computed based further on a key stored by the tracking device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the key is also stored by the mobile device, and wherein the key is not transmitted between the tracking device and the mobile device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the incremented value is incremented by the tracking device after each subsequent passage of the regular interval of time. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the authentication value is computed using one or more of a hash operation, an encryption operation, or an encoding operation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the received authentication value is received in an advertisement packet transmitted by the tracking device, and wherein the advertisement packet includes the incremented value in plaintext.