NFC Tap Trigger for BLE Beacon Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beaconing becomes complex for settings that require specific conditions such as location, sender, context, content, time of day, or personal priority, as users must manually select from multiple broadcast services, lacking a targeted approach.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a 'tap' interaction mechanism between devices to trigger BLE beacon transmissions, using NFC or motion detection, allowing for intuitive and simplified selection of beacon services, and enabling analytics for enhanced customer experience and targeted advertising.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If BLE beaconing is used without establishing a connection, then data transmission is simple and fast, but beacon configuration becomes complex for complicated settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces NFC as an intermediary technology to simplify BLE beacon configuration. When a user taps their smartphone against a beacon device, NFC establishes a temporary communication channel that automatically configures the BLE beacon parameters, eliminating the need for users to manually navigate complex broadcast service settings while still enabling targeted beacon transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary configuration actions through NFC tap interaction before actual BLE beacon transmission begins. The tap gesture triggers pre-programmed configuration sequences that automatically set up the appropriate broadcast services, filtering criteria, and transmission parameters based on the beacon's intended purpose, so that when beaconing starts, everything is already optimized and configured.
2Reliability
If manual selection of broadcast beacon services is required, then specific beaconing settings can be achieved, but user operation becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon device performs self-service configuration through the NFC tap interaction. The device contains pre-configured profiles for different beaconing scenarios (retail, hospitality, wayfinding, etc.), and the NFC tap automatically selects and applies the appropriate profile without requiring the user to understand or manually configure individual broadcast service parameters. This maintains reliable, accurate beaconing settings while making operation as simple as a single tap gesture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple beacon parameters simultaneously through a single NFC tap interaction. Instead of requiring users to individually adjust each broadcast service parameter, the NFC-triggered configuration changes a bundled set of parameters including service UUIDs, filter criteria, transmission power, and advertising intervals all at once, achieving accurate beaconing settings through a single automated parameter change operation.
3Ease of operation
If NFC or motion detection is used to trigger beacon transmission, then beacon configuration is simplified, but additional hardware or sensors are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universality of NFC technology, which is already present in most modern smartphones and tablets. By using NFC as the trigger mechanism, the system gains simplified user operation (a single tap gesture) without significantly increasing device complexity, since the NFC hardware is a standard component in contemporary mobile devices. The same approach can also work with motion sensors that are commonly included in beacon devices for other purposes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simplifies BLE beacon settings by allowing devices to automatically adjust beacon parameters based on user intent, improving customer targeting and reducing user complexity in selecting services.
Implementation Method 1
The first device, e.g., the beaconing device, may be capable of detecting a tap through some mechanisms such as, but not limited to, an NFC interaction (e.g. NFC field detection) or motion detection using an internal accelerometer.
Data Source
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AI summary
Using Bluetooth low energy beaconing to send small amounts of data without establishing a connection works fine for simple beaconing settings, but becomes complex for more complicated beaconing settings. The apparatus may be configured to receive a notification from a wireless device indicating a presence of a wireless device. The apparatus may also be configured to determine at least one of a set of beacon parameters or a beacon content after receiving the notification indicating the presence of the wireless device. Additionally, the apparatus may be configured to transmit a beacon to the wireless device based on the determined at least one of the set of beacon parameters or the beacon content.