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US 5,642,303 AGranted
Time and location based computing
AssigneeApple Computer, Inc.
InventorsIan S. Small, Michael Chen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Utilizing a simple, low-cost beacon and receiver technology to allow users to build their own infrastructure by placing beacons in key locations provides intelligent location awareness. This location awareness can be leveraged by the computer electronic equipment that the user is carrying, needs no networking or server infrastructure, works indoors, has no line-of-sight restrictions, is compact and inexpensive.
Claims24
A location based portable computing system comprising:
- one or more beacons, each of the one or more beacons transmitting a unique beacon signal, each transmitted unique beacon signal having a transmitting signal range, at least one of the one or more beacons being placeable in a user desired location by a user of the portable computing system;
- a portable receiver which can receive the transmitted unique beacon signal from any one of the one or more beacons when the portable receiver is located within the transmitting signal range of any one of the one or more beacons;
- a portable computing host coupleable to the portable receiver such that the portable receiver can provide a notification to the portable computing host of which one of the one or more transmitted unique beacon signals the portable receiver received when the portable receiver receives any transmitted unique beacon signal from any one of the one or more beacons;
- and
- the portable computing host being user programmable to configure the user's portable computing host based upon the portable receiver providing the notification to the portable computing host of which one of the one or more transmitted unique beacon signals the portable receiver received.
2 more elements
A location based portable computing method comprising:
- placement of one or more beacons in one or more user desired locations by a user of the portable computing system, each of the one or more beacons transmitting a unique beacon signal and having a transmitting signal range;
- receiving the transmitted unique beacon signal from any one of the one or more beacons by a portable receiver located within the transmitting signal range of any one of the one or more beacons;
- coupling a portable computing host to the portable receiver;
- the portable receiver providing a notification to the portable computing host of which one of the one or more transmitted unique beacon signals the portable receiver received when the portable receiver receives any transmitted unique beacon signal from any one of the one or more beacons;
- and,
- user programming the portable computing host to configure the user's portable computing host based upon the portable receiver providing the notification to the portable computing host of which one of the one or more transmitted unique beacon signals the portable receiver received.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.