Abstract: A tracking system can provide intervention notifications to a user to notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or is in a predicted state. The tracking system may notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or in a predicted state based on a number of factors, including: a proximity of a tracking device to other tracking devices or a user's mobile device, a movement of a tracking device to more than a threshold distance away from a mobile device or other tracking devices, a location of a tracking device relative to a geographic location or to geographic boundaries, a usage or movement behavior of the tracking device, a usage or movement behavior of a user or owner of a tracking device, information received from an external source, or information received from sensors within the tracking device or a user's mobile.

Abstract: A tracking system can provide intervention notifications to a user to notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or is in a predicted state. The tracking system may notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or in a predicted state based on a number of factors, including: a proximity of a tracking device to other tracking devices or a user's mobile device, a movement of a tracking device to more than a threshold distance away from a mobile device or other tracking devices, a location of a tracking device relative to a geographic location or to geographic boundaries, a usage or movement behavior of the tracking device, a usage or movement behavior of a user or owner of a tracking device, information received from an external source, or information received from sensors within the tracking device or a user's mobile.

Abstract: The principles described herein provide methods and systems for locating a tracking device. In particular, one disclosed method includes associating a user with a tracking device, receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting a flag indicating that the tracking device is lost, receiving a location within a proximity of the tracking device from one of a plurality of mobile devices associated with a community of users, and providing the location to the user.

Abstract: A tracking system can provide intervention notifications to a user to notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or is in a predicted state. The tracking system may notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or in a predicted state based on a number of factors, including: a proximity of a tracking device to other tracking devices or a user's mobile device, a movement of a tracking device to more than a threshold distance away from a mobile device or other tracking devices, a location of a tracking device relative to a geographic location or to geographic boundaries, a usage or movement behavior of the tracking device, a usage or movement behavior of a user or owner of a tracking device, information received from an external source, or information received from sensors within the tracking device or a user's mobile.

Abstract: A tracking system can provide intervention notifications to a user to notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or is in a predicted state. The tracking system may notify the user that a tracking device is potentially lost or in a predicted state based on a number of factors, including: a proximity of a tracking device to other tracking devices or a user's mobile device, a movement of a tracking device to more than a threshold distance away from a mobile device or other tracking devices, a location of a tracking device relative to a geographic location or to geographic boundaries, a usage or movement behavior of the tracking device, a usage or movement behavior of a user or owner of a tracking device, information received from an external source, or information received from sensors within the tracking device or a user's mobile.

Abstract: A tracking system determines if a tracking device is located within a safe zone based on whether a set of safe conditions are satisfied. The set of safe conditions includes a geographic boundary or a geographic location and corresponding threshold distance. The set of safe conditions can also include a time window during which a safe zone is active. When a tracking device is within a safe zone (e.g., geographically and temporally), the tracking device is determined to be safe, and notifications associated with the tracking device can be minimized. The safe zones may be user-selected, user-defined, or determined based on data analytics. If a set of safe conditions are not satisfied, the tracking system generates and sends a notification to the user of the tracking device indicating that the tracking device may be lost.

Abstract: A tracking system determines that a first device of an owner of a tracking device is not within a proximity of the tracking device, that a second device is within a proximity of the tracking device, and whether a tracking application is not running on the first device. Responsive to determining that the tracking application is not running on the first device, the tracking system generates a notification informing the owner that the tracking application is not running on the first device. Responsive to determining that a location of the second device within a proximity of the tracking device is more than a threshold distance from a last known location of the tracking device, the tracking system generates a another notification informing the owner that the tracking device may be lost. The tracking system provides one or both of the notifications to the first device for display to the owner.

Abstract: A lost tracking device associated with a tracking system can be located by leveraging one or more community members by inviting these members to join a search party. Search party criteria can be identified and candidate search party members can be selected and invited based on the search party criteria. When invited candidate search party members accept the invitations, they are added to the search party. A last known location of the tracking device can be provided to the search party members, and the search party can remain in effect until the lost tracking device is located. The location of the lost tracking device is provided to the tracking system, which forwards it to the owner of the lost tracking device. A reward can be provided by the owner of the lost tracking device to the tracking system, which releases the reward to the search party member that located the lost tracking device.

Abstract: A tracking system can aid in the retrieval of a lost tracking device by facilitating communication between users of the tracking system. The users are able to specify privacy controls describing permitted communication settings for a communication session established by the tracking system. Specifically, the tracking system may receive privacy controls from an owner of the tracking device. Upon receiving a communication updating the location of the lost tracking device from a user other than the owner of the tracking device, the tracking system determines whether the tracking device is actually lost and identifies a “finder” of the tracking device. The tracking system then accesses the privacy controls received from the owner (and finder, if applicable) of the tracking device and establishes a communication session based on permitted communication settings described by the privacy controls.

Abstract: The power consumption of a tracking device can be reduced by managing the transmission power of the tracking device when a mobile device is at the edge of the range of the tracking device. A connection can be established between a tracking device and a mobile device at the edge of a first range of the tracking device. The transmission range of the tracking device can be reduced to sever the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device. After a pre-determined time interval or after a connection with the mobile device is re-established the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored.

Abstract: A tracking server stores information identifying one or more community mobile devices and information identifying one or more tracking devices within a proximity of each of the one or more community mobile devices. The tracking server receives a tracking device request from a mobile device. The tracking device request includes information identifying a tracking device and configuration instructions for configuring the tracking device. The tracking server identifies a community mobile device from the one or more community mobile devices within a proximity of the tracking device. The tracking server sends the tracking device request to the identified community mobile device. The identified community mobile device is configured to forward the tracking device request to the tracking device and the tracking device is configured to re-configure the tracking device based on the configuration instructions included in the tracking device request.

Abstract: The power consumption of a tracking device can be reduced by managing the transmission power of the tracking device when a mobile device is at the edge of the range of the tracking device. A connection can be established between a tracking device and a mobile device at the edge of a first range of the tracking device. The transmission range of the tracking device can be reduced to sever the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device. After a pre-determined time interval or after a connection with the mobile device is re-established the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored.

Abstract: A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device.

Abstract: A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device.

Abstract: The principles described herein provide methods and systems for locating a tracking device. In particular, one disclosed method includes associating a user with a tracking device, receiving an indication that the tracking device is lost, setting a flag indicating that the tracking device is lost, receiving a location within a proximity of the tracking device from one of a plurality of mobile devices associated with a community of users, and providing the location to the user.

Abstract: The communication between a tracking device and a secondary device that tracks the tracking device can be severed. On detecting a loss of connection, the secondary device retrieves a last known location of the tracking device from the tracking server. On receiving the last known location, the secondary device activates location detection functionality to determine a current location of the secondary device. If the current location is further than a predetermined threshold distance from the last known location of the tracking device, a notification is displayed by the secondary device indicating that the connection to the tracking device is lost. If the secondary device is within the predetermined threshold distance from the tracking device's last known location, the secondary device waits for a predetermined interval of time to elapse, and if the tracking device is not detected during this interval, a notification is displayed by the secondary device.

Abstract: The power consumption of a tracking device can be reduced by managing the transmission power of the tracking device when a mobile device is at the edge of the range of the tracking device. A connection can be established between a tracking device and a mobile device at the edge of a first range of the tracking device. The transmission range of the tracking device can be reduced to sever the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device. After a pre-determined time interval or after a connection with the mobile device is re-established the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored.