Server-Controlled Hotspot Zones for Mobile Devices

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile devices face challenges in maintaining updated hotspot information due to storage capacity, battery life, and data transmission limitations, as they constantly need to track and receive changing hotspot data.

Innovation Solution

A server-controlled hotspot zone system where a user's device transmits location data to a hotspot tracking system, which establishes and updates hotspot zones, allowing for efficient delivery of relevant hotspot information and alerts, optimizing data transmission and battery usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the mobile device maintains a database of all hotspots and hotspot marketing data, then the user can access updated hotspot information, but the data storage capacity of the device is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehotspot information availabilityVSAvoiddata storage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the hotspot database from the mobile device and places it on the server. The device only stores minimal location information and receives hotspot data on-demand through push notifications, thereby extracting the storage burden from the device while maintaining information availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary between the hotspot database and the mobile device. It maintains the complete hotspot database and selectively pushes relevant hotspot information to devices based on their location, mediating the information flow without requiring the device to store all hotspot data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If the server tracks the location of the user device and continually provides updates with hotspot data, then the user receives constantly updated hotspot information, but the battery life and data transmission capacity of the device are adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehotspot information freshnessVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous tracking, the system uses periodic location updates triggered by the device crossing geofence boundaries or remaining idle for a configured time. The server sends push notifications only when relevant hotspot information changes, creating periodic rather than continuous data transmission cycles that conserve battery life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the device reports its location to the server, and the server responds with push notifications only when hotspot information relevant to the device's current location changes. This feedback loop ensures information freshness while avoiding unnecessary continuous transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If the server tracks the location of the user device and continually provides updates with hotspot data, then the user receives constantly updated hotspot information, but the data transmission capacity of the device is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehotspot information freshnessVSAvoiddata transmission capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential location coordinates from the device and sends minimal push notifications containing only relevant hotspot information when changes occur. This extraction approach minimizes the volume of data transmitted while maintaining information freshness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The server performs partial tracking by monitoring only the device's location data necessary for determining hotspot relevance, rather than continuously transmitting all available hotspot data. Push notifications are sent selectively based on whether hotspot information has actually changed, applying partial action to reduce data transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3442274B1Providing hotspots to user devices within server-controlled zones
Publication Date: 2020.01.08 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3442274B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3442274B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3442274B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A user installs a hotspot alert application on their mobile device. The application employs the location technology of the user device to transmit the location of the device, and thus the location of the user. The location can be transmitted to a server located in a hotspot tracking system. By establishing the location of the user, the server may search for hotspots on a database stored on the system. The server establishes the dimensions of a hotspot zone around the user's location and transmits the hotspots and the zone dimensions to the application on the user device. The application monitors the location of the user device and deliver's configured alerts to the user when approaching a hotspot. When the device leaves a zone or remains idle for a configured amount of time, the device requests and receives an updated zone of hotspots.