Patents by Inventor Christopher Steger

Christopher Steger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11906645
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Russel Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Publication number: 20230009243
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Inventors: Russel JONES, Christopher STEGER, Nicolas BRACHET, Farshid ALIZADEH-SHABDIZ, Andrew BROADSTONE, Joel MORRIN
  • Patent number: 11474190
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Publication number: 20210240499
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include identifying an application, on an electronic device, with a minimum requirement for a resource of the electronic device. The method may also include determining that an available amount of the resource of the electronic device does not meet the minimum requirement of the application. Additionally, the method may include selecting, based on the determination, an alternative user-interface mode of the application with a lower minimum requirement for the resource. Furthermore, the method may include instantiating the alternative user-interface mode of the application. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Shyamsundar Gopalakrishnan, Chethan Suresh, Maria Bronkie, Ben Johnson, Amritanshu Thakur, Michael Galassi, Christopher Steger, Tom Richards, Sam Pan
  • Publication number: 20210132179
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Patent number: 10866300
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Patent number: 10594650
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is provided for propagating network address to attribute associations between network addresses. One or more profiles are obtained that maintain an association between a first network address and one or more attributes, the association produced from network address observations of the first network address by one or more source devices in communication with a network. A second network address is determined that is associated with the first network address based on a similarity criteria. The second network address initially lacks an association with the one or more attributes. The one or more attributes are propagated from the first network address to the second address, to form an association between the second network address and the one or more attributes. The association between the second network address and the one or more attributes is then stored in an updated profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Russel Kipp Jones, Edward James Morgan, George Polak, Christopher Steger, Richard Sutton
  • Patent number: 10536428
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a processing technique is provided that utilizes multiple network address observations. One or more records are obtained that maintain network address observations, each network address observation associating one or more attributes with a network address observed by one or more source devices. Multiple network addresses from the network address observations are clustered into one or more discrete groups of network addresses based on a clustering criteria. For a selected group of network addresses, an association is formed associating one or more refined attributes derived from the selected group with an individual network address that is a member of the selected group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Russel Kipp Jones, Edward James Morgan, George Polak, Christopher Steger, Richard Sutton
  • Patent number: 10491563
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a processing technique is provided for determining a refined attribute of a network address based on one or more other attributes. A network address associated with a source device in communication with a network is observed. One or more first attributes of the network address are determined, where the one or more first attributes indicate at least a spatial or temporal property of the network address. The one or more first attributes are processed to determine a second attribute to be associated with the network address, where the second attribute indicates whether the network address is a fixed or mobile network address, or is a proxy or non-proxy network address. A record is stored that maintains the association between the second attribute and the network address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Russel Kipp Jones, Edward James Morgan, George Polak, Christopher Steger, Richard Sutton
  • Patent number: 10361994
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a mapping/translation technique is provided for generating an association between an observed network address and one or more attributes that are not directly observed. A network address is observed that is associated with a source device. A first attribute is determined, the first attribute being a directly observed attribute. The first attribute is mapped to a second attribute based on at least a predefined spatial, temporal, or identity-related correspondence between the first attribute and the second attribute, wherein the second attribute was not directly observed in connection with the network address. An association is generated between the second attribute and the network address. A record that maintains the association between the second attribute and the network address is stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Russel Kipp Jones, Edward James Morgan, George Polak, Christopher Steger, Richard Sutton
  • Patent number: 10305854
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a filtering technique is provided for ensuring data quality of network address observations. A network address observation is obtained of a network address associated with a source device, the network address observation associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The network address observation is filtered based on a comparison of a selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes to a predetermined criteria, and using a result of the comparison as indicative of whether the network address observation should be used for association of the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The filtering either associates one or more indicators with the network address observation, or removes the network address observation. A network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices stores a record that maintains any network address observation that has not been removed and any indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Russel Kipp Jones, Edward James Morgan, George Polak, Christopher Steger, Richard Sutton
  • Patent number: 10034265
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is provided for detecting that a wireless beacon is pathological. Data points captured by mobile devices or specialized scanning devices are received at software executing on an electronic device, each data point containing information about beacon attributes. A set of disjoint regions are defined in one or more dimensions and each data point is associated with a corresponding region based on at least one element of the information of the data point lying within the boundaries of the corresponding region. An aggregate attribute is determined for each region based on the information of data points associated with the corresponding region. Then the aggregate attribute of one or more regions is used to determined whether the wireless beacon is pathological, and if determined to be pathological, the wireless beacon is excluded from use by a beacon-based positioning system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Christopher Steger
  • Patent number: 9924311
    Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques approximate concurrent monitoring of a large number of geo-fences, potentially beyond a number supported by a mobile device, The mobile device may obtain a set of geo-fences and maintain a first subset of the geo-fences as an active subset of geo-fences and a second subset of the geo-fences as an inactive subset of geo-fences. The mobile device may also establish and monitor an envelope geo-fences that excluded the inactive subset of geo-fence. In response to detecting that the mobile device has moved to a new location proximate to the envelope geo-fence, one or more geo-fences are moved between the active subset of geo-fences and the inactive subset of geo-fences to produce a new active subset of geo-fences and a new inactive subset of geo-fences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Steger, Thomas Jason Dytko, Nicolas Brachet, Russel Kipp Jones, Andrei Dancus, Andrew Broadstone, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz
  • Publication number: 20180067185
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a certified location service enables a mobile device to access a location-based service when a determined location meets a location requirement and an overall confidence score for the determined location exceeds a confidence threshold. A data package is received including identifiers of beacons observed by the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device is determined based on a calculated location of one or more of the beacons. An overall confidence score for the determined location is calculated based on one or more individual confidence scores for the one or more beacons used in determining the location or composite confidence scores for types of the one or more beacons. The determined location and the overall confidence score are provided to one or more provider servers that allow the mobile device to access a location-based service based thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Patent number: 9817101
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a Wi-Fi based location determination technique both determines one or more locations of a mobile device, and calculates a confidence score for each determined location. A request is received at a certified location service executing on a server for one or more locations of the mobile device and a data package. The data package may include an indication of a plurality of beacons observed by the mobile device. The certified location service determines one or more locations of the mobile device based on a calculated location of at least some of the plurality of beacons. The certified location service also determines a confidence score for each beacon used in determining each location. An overall confidence score for each determined location may be calculated based on a combination of the confidence scores for each of the beacons used in the determination of the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger, Nicolas Brachet, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Andrew Broadstone, Joel Morrin
  • Publication number: 20170078842
    Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques approximate concurrent monitoring of a large number of geo-fences, potentially beyond a number supported by a mobile device, The mobile device may obtain a set of geo-fences and maintain a first subset of the geo-fences as an active subset of geo-fences and a second subset of the geo-fences as an inactive subset of geo-fences. The mobile device may also establish and monitor an envelope geo-fences that excluded the inactive subset of geo-fence. In response to detecting that the mobile device has moved to a new location proximate to the envelope geo-fence, one or more geo-fences are moved between the active subset of geo-fences and the inactive subset of geo-fences to produce a new active subset of geo-fences and a new inactive subset of geo-fences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Steger, Thomas Jason Dytko, Nicolas Brachet, Russel Kipp Jones, Andrei Dancus, Andrew Broadstone, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz
  • Patent number: 9565523
    Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques approximate concurrent monitoring of a large number of geo-fences, potentially beyond a number supported by a mobile device, The mobile device may activate a subset of geo-fences to be monitored, the subset of geo-fences selected from the set of geo-fences based on proximity to a current location of the mobile device. The mobile device may also establish and monitor an envelope geo-fence that encompasses the subset of geo-fences. In response to detecting that the mobile device has moved to a new location proximate to the envelope geo-fence, a new subset of geo-fences is activated to be monitored. Geo-fences of the subset of geo-fences that are not part of the new subset of geo-fences are deactivated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Steger, Thomas Jason Dytko, Nicolas Brachet, Russel Kipp Jones, Andrei Dancus, Andrew Broadstone, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz
  • Patent number: 9521512
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system determines a designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location, and uses the determination that the designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location to improve location estimates. The system determines one or more neighboring wireless devices have relationships with the designated wireless device, wherein a relationship is established when wireless signals from a neighboring wireless device and the designated wireless device are detected by a same receiver. A measure of likelihood is calculated that the designated wireless device lacks a fixed geographic location based at least in part on a number of the relationships or a duration of the relationships. Based on the measure of likelihood, the designated wireless device is excluded from being used in the wireless positioning system as a beacon for estimating the location of a client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Gerald Cavanaugh, Andrei Dancus, Russel K. Jones, Christopher Steger
  • Publication number: 20160295547
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is provided for detecting that a wireless beacon is pathological. Data points captured by mobile devices or specialized scanning devices are received at software executing on an electronic device, each data point containing information about beacon attributes. A set of disjoint regions are defined in one or more dimensions and each data point is associated with a corresponding region based on at least one element of the information of the data point lying within the boundaries of the corresponding region. An aggregate attribute is determined for each region based on the information of data points associated with the corresponding region. Then the aggregate attribute of one or more regions is used to determined whether the wireless beacon is pathological, and if determined to be pathological, the wireless beacon is excluded from use by a beacon-based positioning system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Nicolas Brachet, Andrei Dancus, Christopher Steger
  • Patent number: 9408031
    Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques approximate use of geo-fences of shapes and/or sizes other than those natively support by a mobile device. Upon receiving an initial geo-fence (e.g., a non-supported geo-fence), the mobile device may generate a group of geo-fences (e.g., a group of supported geo-fences) whose union approximates the initial geo-fence, where the group includes one or more geo-fences. The mobile device may treat the group of supported geo-fence as an equivalent to the non-supported geo-fence. When the mobile device crosses one of the supported geo-fences of the group of supported geo-fences, and does not enter into another supported geo-fence of the group of supported geo-fences, a notification may be sent to an application that utilizes the non-supported geo-fence that the non-supported geo-fence has been triggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Skyhook Wireless, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Steger, Thomas Jason Dytko, Nicolas Brachet, Russel Kipp Jones, Andrei Dancus, Andrew Broadstone, Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz