PERS Location Tracking via Real Estate Lockbox Interaction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal emergency response system (PERS) devices face challenges in reliable location tracking, especially indoors, due to the limitations of GPS technology, which can be unreliable and energy-intensive, and other location methods like cell tower-based or Wi-Fi-based approaches being less accurate.
Innovation Solution
The system uses interactions with known locations, such as real estate lockboxes, to determine the user's location by tracking access events, allowing for more accurate and energy-efficient location tracking without relying solely on GPS, and switching to alternative methods when GPS performance diminishes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS technology is used to transmit user location with emergency alert, then location accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases and reliability deteriorates indoors
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between GPS-based location tracking and lockbox interaction-based location determination based on environmental conditions (indoor vs. outdoor) and signal availability. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by using GPS only when it provides accurate location without excessive energy consumption, and switching to alternative methods when GPS becomes unreliable or energy-intensive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lockbox interactions as an intermediary mechanism to determine user location. Instead of relying solely on GPS, the system uses the user's interactions with lockboxes (which have known locations) as a mediator to infer the user's position, thereby achieving location accuracy without the energy consumption and reliability issues of GPS indoors.
2Measurement precision
If GPS technology is used to transmit user location with emergency alert, then location accuracy is improved, but reliability deteriorates indoors due to satellite obscuration
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its location determination method based on environmental context. When GPS signals are available and reliable (outdoor environments), the system uses GPS. When GPS becomes unreliable (indoor environments with satellite obscuration), the system automatically switches to using lockbox interaction data, ensuring continuous reliable location tracking regardless of environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares alternative location determination methods (lockbox-based tracking) in advance to cushion against GPS failure. By having this backup mechanism ready beforehand, the system ensures that location reliability is maintained even when GPS becomes unavailable due to satellite obscuration indoors.
3Use of energy by moving object
If cell tower-based or Wi-Fi-based location methods are used, then energy consumption is reduced, but location accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses lockbox interactions as an intermediary to achieve accurate location determination without relying on energy-intensive cell tower or Wi-Fi-based methods. The lockbox serves as a known reference point that the user interacts with, providing accurate location information through the interaction data rather than through continuous high-energy location tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous location tracking that consumes high energy, the system uses periodic location determination based on user interactions with lockboxes. The location is updated at discrete interaction events rather than continuously, reducing energy consumption while maintaining sufficient location accuracy for emergency response purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
Real estate properties can have lockboxes that contain keys for gaining property access. The lockboxes can record information about each real estate agent who showed a property and can wirelessly transmit that information for storage in a database. The information can include the agent's identity, an identifier of the lockbox or property, and an access time, for example. The agent can carry a personal emergency response system (PERS) device so that the agent can send out a wireless emergency alert if the agent feels threatened or otherwise experiences an emergency situation. Upon receipt of such a wireless emergency alert, a remote system can access the database to determine one or more properties that the agent has visited. Thus, the system can track the agent and determine a location of the emergency situation.