# US 2021/0243714 A1 · Systems and methods for generating and updating proximal groupings of electronic devices

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- Number: US 2021/0243714 A1
- Document ID: US20210243714A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/051,684
- Filed: 2019-07-22
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2018-07-23
- Assignees: The Wireless Registry, Inc.
- Applicants: The Wireless Registry, Inc.
- Inventors: Srdjan MARINOVIC; Rebecca E. COHEN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243714A1

## CPC

- H04W 60/04: using triggered events
- G01S 5/0205: {Details}
- G01S 5/0289: {of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks}
- H04L 12/2805: {Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks}
- H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds}
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals}
- H04W 64/00: Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area 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
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Embodiments described herein generate proximal groupings of wireless signals based upon the temporal persistence and spatial proximity of the wireless signals as observed by a plurality of observer devices. For example, a first observer device may observe a first set of wireless signals at a first timepoint and a second observer device may observe a second set of wireless signals at a second timepoint. The first observer device may again observe a third set of wireless signals at a third timepoint. Based upon these observations, a server may generate a proximal grouping a wireless signals containing a subset of the first, second, third of wireless signals based upon temporal persistence and spatial proximity. Temporal persistence may be based upon the repeated observations of the subset of wireless signals across different timepoints and the spatial proximity may be based upon the proximity of locations of the observer devices.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a computer from a first observer device, identification information of a first set of wireless signals observed by the first observer device at a first timepoint at a first location;
receiving, by the computer from a second observer device, identification information of a second set of wireless signals observed by the second observer device at a second timepoint at a second location proximate to the first location;
receiving, by the computer from the first observer device, identification information of a third set of wireless signals observed by the first observer device at a third timepoint at a third location proximate to the first and second locations; and
generating, by the computer, a proximal grouping of wireless signals containing a subset of the first, second, and third set of wireless signals based on a temporal persistence of the subset of wireless signals across the first, second, and third timepoints and a spatial proximity of the subset of wireless signals as indicated by the first, second, and third locations.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the proximal grouping of wireless signals further comprises:
selecting, by the computer, the subset of the first, second, and third set of wireless signals based upon a parameter indicating a degree of overlap of wireless signals across the observations by the first and second observer devices.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the proximal grouping of wireless signals further comprises:
assigning, by the computer, a centroid of a previously generated proximal grouping of wireless signals to the proximal grouping of wireless signals.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:
in response to the computer determining that the centroid of the previously generated proximal grouping of wireless signals is incorrect for the proximal grouping of wireless signals:
calculating, by the computer, a new centroid for the proximal grouping of wireless signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
associating, by the computer, the proximal grouping of wireless signal with at least one of the first location, the second location, the third location, or a fourth location proximate to the first, second, and third locations.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the proximal grouping of wireless signals includes weighted associations between each pair of wireless signals in the subset of wireless signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least two of first, second, and third locations coincide with each other.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third sets of wireless signals are selected from at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second observer devices are selected from at least one of a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

### Claim 10

A system comprising:
a non-transitory storage medium storing a plurality of computer program instructions; and
a processor electrically coupled to the non-transitory storage medium and configured to execute the plurality of computer program instructions to:
receive from a first observer device, identification information of a first set of wireless signals observed by the first observer device at a first timepoint at a first location;
receive from a second observer device, identification information of a second set of wireless signals observed by the second observer device at a second timepoint at a second location proximate to the first location;
receive from the first observer device, identification information of a third set of wireless signals observed by the first observer device at a third timepoint at a third location proximate to the first and second locations; and
generate a proximal grouping of wireless signals containing a subset of the first, second, and third set of wireless signals based on a temporal persistence of the subset of wireless signals across the first, second, and third timepoints and a spatial proximity of the subset of wireless signals as indicated by the first, second, and third locations.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to further execute the computer program instructions to:
select the subset of the first, second, and third set of wireless signals based upon a parameter indicating a degree of overlap of wireless signals across the observations by the first and second observer devices.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to further execute the computer program instructions to:
assign a centroid of a previously generated proximal grouping of wireless signals to the proximal grouping of wireless signals.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to further execute the computer program instructions to:
in response to the processor determining that the centroid of the previously generated proximal grouping of wireless signals is incorrect for the proximal grouping of wireless signals:
calculate a new centroid for the proximal grouping of wireless signal.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to further execute the computer program instructions to:
associate the proximal grouping of wireless signal with at least one of the first location, the second location, the third location, or a fourth location proximate to the first, second, and third locations.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the proximal grouping of wireless signals includes weighted associations between each pair of wireless signals in the subset of wireless signals.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein at least two of first, second, and third locations coincide with each other.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third sets of wireless signals are selected from at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second observer devices are selected from at least one of a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet computer, and a laptop computer.

### Claim 19

A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a computer, a plurality of wireless signals observed by a plurality of observer devices within a predetermined time window; and
clustering, by the computer, the plurality of wireless signals into a plurality of proximal groupings of wireless signals, each of the plurality of proximal groupings of wireless signals containing spatially proximate and temporally persistent subset of the plurality of wireless signals.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:
associating, by the computer, at least one of the plurality of proximal groupings of wireless signals with a known location.