# US 2019/0172096 A1 · Mobile device detection and tracking > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0172096 A1 - Document ID: US20190172096A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/249,760 - Filed: 2019-01-16 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-23 - Assignees: Bluezoo, Inc. - Applicants: Bluefox, Inc. - Inventors: Guillaume Tenant de la Tour; Thomas Sandholm; Philippe René Morin; Thibault de Lacheze-Murel; Jan Willem Korver; Paul-Ambroise Augustin Duquenne; Jerome Lejeune; Amanda Mills; Thuong Ho; Hang Ung - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172096A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0267: {Wireless devices} - G06Q 30/0261: {based on user location} - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04L 67/54: Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users - H04L 67/55: Push-based network services - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - 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 4/30: Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes - H04W 4/33: for indoor environments, e.g. buildings - H04W 12/08: Access security - H04L 63/1425: {Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection} - H04W 4/06: Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services - H04W 12/12: Detection or prevention of fraud - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Disclosed is a technique for passively monitoring the number of guests in a rental property. Mobile device broadcasts intended for connecting the device to a wireless network contain information about that device. This information includes unique identifiers such as MAC addresses. Detecting these broadcasts and filtering out those devices that are expected enables a property owner to have a semi-accurate number of guests within their property without actually being at the property, or visibly observing the guests in an obtrusive fashion. Guests are able to enjoy themselves in privacy and the property owner is able to monitor the safety of their property. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising: detecting, by a wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier used to connect to wireless networks, wherein the device identifier of a given wireless device broadcast identifies a particular wireless device of the wireless devices; communicating a number of unique device identifiers to a web server; determining, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers exceeds a predetermined threshold; and transmitting, by the web server, a notification to a user device indicating the predetermined threshold has been exceeded. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, from the device identifiers, a number of resident device identifiers associated with resident wireless devices, wherein the resident devices identifiers are those device identifiers that exceed a threshold for frequency of detection; and reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident device identifiers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by a mobile application, resident instructions including a number of resident devices; transmitting, by the mobile application, to the web server the resident instructions; and reducing the number of unique device identifiers by the number of resident devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to the user device; and rendering, by a client application, on the user device the number of unique device identifiers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the web server, a push notification or SMS message to the user device when the number of unique devices is below a threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the domicile is a rental property, and the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing, by the web server, a rental calendar associated with the rental property for a current rental status; and adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the current rental status. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting step further comprises: determining, by the wireless communicator, a device type for each of the wireless devices based on a comparison of each device identifier to an identifier schema; and ignoring all wireless devices that do not have the device type of “phone.” ### Claim 10 A method for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising: detecting, by a wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier used to connect to wireless networks, wherein the device identifier of a given wireless device broadcast identifies a particular wireless device of the wireless devices; communicating a number of unique device identifiers to a web server; and exposing, by the web server, the number of unique device identifiers to an application interface accessible via the Internet by an authorized device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: broadcasting, by the wireless communicator, a signal causing nearby wireless devices to emit wireless device broadcasts. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the application interface is a mobile client application and the authorized device is a mobile user device, the method further comprising: rendering, by the mobile client application, on the mobile user device the number of unique device identifiers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the domicile is a rental property, and the wireless communicator is installed in the rental property. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising analyzing, by the web server, a rental calendar associated with the rental property for a current rental status; and adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the current rental status. ### Claim 15 A system for monitoring a visitor count in a domicile and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising: a wireless communicator configured to detect wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts provide identifying data used to connect to a wireless network, wherein each of the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier for a respective wireless device of the wireless devices, the wireless communicator further configured to count a number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices; a mobile application including a user interface for the wireless communicator and user account settings; a web server configured to receive the number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices from the wireless communicator over the Internet and compare the unique number of device identifiers to a threshold as determined by input from the mobile application, the web server further configured transmit data regarding the number of unique device identifiers of wireless devices to the mobile application. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile application is paired with the wireless communicator on a first user account stored at the web server. ### Claim 17 A method for monitoring a visitor count across a number of rental properties and reporting the visitor count to a user comprising: communicating, by a web server, with a plurality of wireless communicators over the Internet, wherein the plurality of wireless communicators are physically dispersed throughout the number of rental properties and each wireless communicator of the plurality of wireless communicators is associated with a particular rental property of the plurality of rental properties; detecting, by a first wireless communicator, wireless device broadcasts from wireless devices, the wireless device broadcasts provide identifying data used to connect to a wireless network, wherein each of the wireless device broadcasts include a device identifier for a respective wireless device of the wireless devices, the first wireless communicator physically located within a first rental property; communicating, by the first wireless communicator, a first visitor data to the web server, the first visitor data including a first number of unique device identifiers and a first rental property identifier; and communicating, by the web server, the first visitor data to a user device; and rendering, by a client application, on the user device the first number of unique device identifiers as associated with the first rental property. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: communicating, by the client application, a visitor threshold for each of the plurality of rental properties; determining, by the web server, the first number of unique device identifiers a first visitor threshold associated with the first rental property; and transmitting, by the web server, a push notification or SMS message to the user device indicating the first threshold has been exceeded at the first rental property. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising analyzing, by the web server, a first rental calendar associated with the first rental property for a current rental status; and adjusting the first visitor threshold based on the current rental status. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein said detecting step further comprises: determining, by the first wireless communicator, a device type for each of the wireless devices based on a comparison of each device identifier to an identifier schema; and ignoring all wireless devices that do not have the device type of “phone.” ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: identifying, by the first wireless communicator, a first number of resident device identifiers associated with resident wireless devices, wherein the resident devices identifiers are those device identifiers that exceed a threshold for frequency of detection; and reducing, by the first wireless communicator, the first number of unique device identifiers by the first number of resident device identifiers.