# US 8,964,016 B2 · Content delivery based on a light positioning system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,964,016 B2 - Document ID: US8964016B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/369,147 - Filed: 2012-02-08 - Published: 2013-06-06 - Granted: 2015-02-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-26 - Assignees: Bytelight, Inc. - Applicants: Aaron Ganick; Daniel Ryan - Inventors: Aaron Ganick; Daniel Ryan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8964016B2 ## CPC - G01S 5/16: using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves - G01S 5/0264: {at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system} - H04B 10/116: Visible light communication - H04B 10/60: Receivers - H04L 25/4902: {Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation} - H04N 7/183: {for receiving images from a single remote source} - H04N 23/661: Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet - H04N 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS - H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - 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 - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Systems an methods are provided that disclose providing a positioning service for devices based on light received from one or more light sources. This light based positioning service uses light information transmitted by each light source to determine the position of the device. The positioning information can include three dimension position information in a building that can then be used to deliver services and information to a mobile device. The content delivered to a mobile device can include multimedia, text, audio, and/or pictorial information. The positioning information along with other location or positioning information can be used in providing augmented reality or location aware services. The light sources can be independent beacons that broadcast information in visible light at a rate that is undetectable by the human eye. Content can be retrieved from a server over a communications connection. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of determining a position of a mobile device when the mobile device is at a location remote from a server, the remote server using one or more identifiers each broadcast from one of a plurality of asynchronous light sources in modulated light, each of the plurality of asynchronous light sources corresponding to one of a plurality of locations, the method comprising: receiving at the remote server geo-location information of the mobile device from the mobile device, wherein the geo-location information (i) comprises an approximate geographical location of the mobile device, and (ii) is not derived from visible light received at the mobile device; determining, based on the geo-location information, a group of the plurality of asynchronous light sources in a location of the plurality of locations, the location corresponding to the approximate geographical location of the mobile device; receiving at the remote server the one or more identifiers from the mobile device, the one or more identifiers having been acquired with the mobile device; determining, based on the one or more identifiers and the geo-location information received from the mobile device, a map that identifies positions of light sources of the group of the plurality of asynchronous light sources in the location; calculating, based on the one or more identifiers and the map, position information that identifies the position of the mobile device within the location; and sending the position information and the map to the mobile device, the map enabling the mobile device to locate the position of the mobile device within the location, wherein the one or more identifiers each correspond to a different pattern of distortions within an image acquired by the mobile device, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of the modulated light emitted by an asynchronous light source. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting location specific content based on the position information calculated at the server of the mobile device within the location. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising sending location specific content to the mobile device that provides information based on the location of the mobile device, wherein the location specific content relates to items that are near the mobile device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering an application to launch on the mobile device based on the position of the mobile device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the mobile device for information regarding an item and sending the mobile device location specific content based on the position information of the mobile device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting location specific content to send to the mobile device based on criteria associated with the mobile device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving directional information from the mobile device that is used in conjunction with the identifier to determine the location specific content to select to send to the mobile device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each asynchronous light source emits modulated light at a different frequency of modulation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each asynchronous light source is a single-color light source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein each asynchronous light source comprises one or more phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes that all emit light of approximately the same color. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the position information is calculated based on relative positions, within a single image captured by the mobile device, of a plurality of the asynchronous light sources. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device acquires different portions of the image at different times, thereby forming each pattern of distortions on the image. ### Claim 13 A method of providing position information and associated selected content to a mobile device from a server when the mobile device is at a location remote from the server based on one or more light source identifiers each broadcast from one of a plurality of asynchronous light source in modulated light, each of the plurality of asynchronous light sources corresponding to one of a plurality of locations, the method comprising: receiving at the remote server geo-location information of the mobile device from the mobile device, wherein the geo-location-information (i) comprises an approximate geographical location of the mobile device, and (ii) is not derived from visible light received at the mobile device; determining, based on the geo-location information, a group of the plurality of asynchronous light sources in a location of the plurality of locations, the location corresponding to the approximate geographical location of the mobile device; receiving at the remote server the one or more identifiers from the mobile device, the one or more identifiers having been acquired with the mobile device; calculating, based on the one or more identifiers and on the group of the plurality of asynchronous light sources, position information that identifies the position of the mobile device within a location; selecting location specific content based on the position of the mobile device within the location; and sending the location specific content to the mobile device, wherein the one or more identifiers each correspond to a different pattern of distortions within an image acquired by the mobile device, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of the modulated light emitted by an asynchronous light source. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the location specific content relates to items that are near the mobile device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving directional information from the mobile device, and determining the location specific content to select to send to the mobile device, based on the directional information and the identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a request for locating a specific item from the mobile device and calculating based on the position information and on a coordinate location of the specific item directions to the specific item and sending the direction along with content information regarding specific item to the mobile device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting location specific content to send to the mobile device based on criteria associated with the mobile device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria associated with the mobile device include information about a user of the mobile device including at least one of an age, a gender, and a previous history. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting different location specific content to send to the mobile device based on time of a request. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising triggering an application to launch on the mobile device based on the position of the mobile device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein each asynchronous light source emits modulated light at a different frequency of modulation. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein each asynchronous light source is a single-color light source. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein each asynchronous light source comprises one or more phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes that all emit light of approximately the same color. ### Claim 24 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the position information is calculated based on relative positions, within a single image captured by the mobile device, of a plurality of the asynchronous light sources. ### Claim 25 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device acquires different portions of the image at different times, thereby forming each pattern of distortions on the image. ### Claim 26 A server configured to determine a position of a mobile device when the mobile device is at a location remote from the server based on one or more identifiers each broadcast from one of a plurality of asynchronous light sources in modulated light, each of the plurality of asynchronous light sources corresponding to one of a plurality of locations, the server comprising: a memory configured to store a plurality of maps, each of the plurality of maps corresponding to a group of the plurality of asynchronous light sources in a location of the plurality of locations; an interface configured to: receive the one or more identifiers and geo-location information from the mobile device, wherein the geo-location information (i) comprises an approximate geographical location of the mobile device, and (ii) is not derived from visible light received at the mobile device, and wherein the one or more identifiers each correspond to a different pattern of distortions within an image acquired by the mobile device, each pattern of distortions being related to a modulation frequency of the modulated light emitted by an asynchronous light source, and transmit position information and one of the plurality of maps to the mobile device; and a module running on a processor, the module being configured to: communicate with the memory and the interface to determine, based on the geo-location information received from the mobile device, one of the plurality of maps identifying positions of light sources in a location corresponding to the geo-location information, determine, based on the one or more identifiers and the one of the plurality of maps identifying positions of light sources, position information related to the position of the mobile device within the location, and using the interface, transmit the position information and the one of the plurality of maps to the mobile device, the map enabling the mobile device to locate the position of the mobile device within the location. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the interface is configured to send location specific content to the mobile device that provides information based on the position of the mobile device, wherein the location specific content relates to items that are near the mobile device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the interface is configured to send a message to the mobile device to trigger an application to launch on the mobile device based on the position of the mobile device. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the interface is configured to receive a request from the mobile device for information regarding an item and is configured to send the mobile device location specific content based on the position of the mobile device. ### Claim 30 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the interface is configured to receive directional information from the mobile device that is used in conjunction with the identifier and the geo-location information at the module to determine location specific content to select to send to the mobile device. ### Claim 31 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein each asynchronous light source emits modulated light at a different frequency of modulation. ### Claim 32 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein each asynchronous light source is a single-color light source. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The server of claim 32, wherein each asynchronous light source comprises one or more phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes that all emit light of approximately the same color. ### Claim 34 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the module is configured to determine position information based on relative positions, within a single image captured by the mobile device, of a plurality of the asynchronous light sources. ### Claim 35 (depends on 26) The server of claim 26, wherein the different patterns of distortions within the image result from different portions of the image being acquired by the mobile device at different times.