Beacon Resolution Service for Multi-App UUID Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The proliferation of apps requiring multiple beacons at various locations leads to scaling issues, as each new app necessitates new beacons, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A beacon resolution service that correlates universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) with information about entities and services associated with beacons, allowing a single beacon to be used across multiple applications, enabling devices to detect and utilize relevant services without needing to maintain multiple IDs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a new app is deployed requiring new beacons at various locations, then the app can provide customized functionality (advertisements, location tracking, payments), but the number of beacons required increases, leading to scaling problems and increased deployment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal beacon system where a single beacon can serve multiple applications simultaneously. The beacon transmits a UUID that is resolved by a service to return multiple entity identifiers, allowing different apps (advertising, location tracking, payments) to utilize the same physical beacon infrastructure without requiring separate beacons for each app.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a beacon resolution service as an intermediary layer between the beacon UUID and the various applications. This service receives the UUID, resolves it to multiple entity identifiers through a database lookup, and returns the appropriate entities to the client device. This mediator enables multiple apps to access beacon functionality without direct one-to-one beacon-app mapping.
2Reliability
If multiple beacons are deployed for different apps at the same location, then each app can access its dedicated beacon, but the cost and complexity of beacon management increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows a single beacon to provide reliable access for multiple applications through the resolution service. Instead of deploying separate beacons for advertising, location tracking, and payment apps, one beacon transmits a UUID that the resolution service maps to multiple entities, ensuring each app can reliably access its required functionality through the shared beacon infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple beacon functions into a single physical beacon device. By combining advertising, location tracking, and payment capabilities in one beacon that uses a single UUID, the system reduces the total quantity of beacons needed while maintaining reliable app-specific access through the resolution service's entity mapping.
3Productivity
If each UUID is targeted to a specific app, then the app can efficiently detect and utilize the beacon, but scaling to new apps requires placing new beacons, which is inefficient and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon resolution service acts as an intermediary that maintains the efficiency of UUID-based beacon detection while enabling scalable app deployment. The client device still efficiently detects beacons using UUIDs, but the resolution service translates the UUID to multiple entities, allowing new apps to be added by simply updating the resolution service database rather than deploying new physical beacons.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the beacon identification system into two independent parts: the physical beacon transmission layer (UUID) and the application mapping layer (resolution service database). This segmentation allows the beacon detection mechanism to remain simple and efficient while the complex app-specific mappings are handled separately in the database, enabling easy scaling to new apps without modifying the beacon hardware or deployment.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method that includes acts for resolving information about an entity associated with a beacon is illustrated. The method includes receiving a beacon signal. The beacon signal includes an identifier. The identifier is sent to a beacon resolution service. The method further includes receiving information identifying an entity associated with the beacon signal. Service information identifying one or more service categories for the identifier is also received. The method includes identifying one or more applications from among a plurality of beacon aware applications that are interested in one or more of the service categories sending information identifying the entity to the one or more applications.