BLE Beacon Token Reuse for Low Power Check-in
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for 'check in' capabilities in electronic commerce, utilizing GPS or location services, are power-intensive and impractical for managing large numbers of locations, and beacon devices face limitations due to user numbers and bandwidth constraints, making it challenging to efficiently facilitate payments and access control.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to communicate with user devices, allowing them to recreate custom tokens based on generic tokens and token differences received from the beacon, enabling efficient check-in and payment processes without the need for continuous location services or extensive bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If GPS or location services are used to identify user proximity to venues, then check-in capability is enabled, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the location identification function from GPS/location services and implements it through BLE beacons. The beacon devices broadcast unique identifiers that user devices can detect without requiring continuous GPS operation, thereby enabling check-in capability while reducing power consumption by eliminating the need for power-intensive location services
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces BLE beacons as intermediary devices between the user and the venue. These beacons act as mediators that transmit location information passively through broadcasts, allowing user devices to determine proximity without activating their own power-intensive location services, thus resolving the contradiction between check-in capability and power consumption
2Ease of operation
If beacon devices are used to identify locations, then check-in capability is improved, but user management and bandwidth constraints limit scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses generic tokens that can be copied and reused across multiple locations. Instead of managing unique complex location data for each venue, the system distributes generic tokens that user devices can use with any beacon, significantly reducing the complexity of location management while maintaining check-in capability across numerous venues
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal generic tokens that work across multiple different locations and venues. A single generic token can be used with any beacon device in the system, eliminating the need for location-specific token management and enabling scalable deployment across large numbers of venues without increasing operational complexity
3Measurement precision
If custom tokens are generated for each location, then access control precision is improved, but bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the token into two parts: a generic token component that remains constant and can be reused, and a location-specific component that is transmitted with the beacon. This segmentation allows the system to maintain access control precision through the location-specific portion while reducing overall bandwidth requirements by reusing the generic portion across multiple locations
4Measurement precision
If GPS location services are continuously active, then location accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces continuous GPS operation with periodic beacon broadcasts. Beacons continuously transmit their identifiers, and user devices periodically scan for these broadcasts only when needed for check-in. This periodic action maintains location accuracy when required while dramatically reducing power consumption compared to continuous GPS operation
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for reusing generic tokens using a Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) beacon. The systems and methods include a user device including a wireless transceiver, a memory for storing a generic token, and one or more processors coupled to the memory and the wireless transceiver. The wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with a beacon using a BLE communications protocol, receive a beacon identifier from the beacon, send a check in request to the beacon, and receive token differences from the beacon. The processors are configured to recreate a custom token based on the stored generic token and the received token differences. The beacon is configured to forward the check in request to a server. The server is configured to verify the user device and create the custom token and the token differences between the custom and generic tokens for return to the user device via the beacon.