WO2015192895A1

WO2015192895A1 - User proximity and context information system and method therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2015192895A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/062781
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kevin O'sullivan
Original assignee: Sita Information Networking Computing Ireland Limited
Priority date: 2014-06-17
Filing date: 2014-06-17
Publication date: 2015-12-23

Abstract

A user information system is disclosed. The system comprises a receiver for receiving from a mobile device (113) beacon identification information associated with a beacon (115) for periodically transmitting the identification information to the device (113), comparison means (103) for comparing the received beacon identification information to stored beacon identification information associated with stored location information for each beacon and associating means (103) for associating the stored beacon location information with the mobile device if the received beacon identification information matches the stored beacon identification information.

Description

USER PROXIMITY AND CONTEXT INFORMATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

THEREFOR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a user information system, such passenger or travel information system. More particularly, this invention relates to a user information system for passengers in or around an airport environment. The present invention may also relate to a system for providing proximity and context information to mobile device users. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the past, information to airport users has typically been provided by way of displays and the like which provide general information to users about departure gates and departure times and so on. However, providing this information in this way is far from satisfactory since the information is not user specific and furthermore, the information is not specifically directed at a user, but rather directed to general public displays and so on. This is a significant problem for airlines since it can result in delayed flights as a result of the late arrival passengers at departure gates for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is defined in the appended claims to which reference should now be made. The inventor has appreciated that an industry level approach is needed in order to provide such information in a way which avoids the above problems.

Embodiments of the invention seek to address the above problems by providing an improved user information system. According to one aspect of the present invention, a user information system comprises receiving means, such as a receiver, for receiving from a mobile device beacon identification information associated with a beacon for periodically transmitting the identification information to the device; comparison means, such as a comparator, processor or server for comparing the received beacon identification information to stored beacon identification information associated with stored location information for each beacon and associating means, such as a processor or server, for associating the stored beacon location information with the mobile device if the received beacon identification information matches the stored beacon identification information. Embodiments of the invention may comprise a number of beacons deployed at an airport as well as a Common-use Beacon Registry. Embodiments of the invention have the advantage that passengers can obtain on their mobile device up-to-date and relevant information in airports where beacons are deployed.

Embodiments of the invention may use beacon location detection to improve operation an application running on a mobile device. This may allow passengers travelling through the airports an accurate system for location and navigation at a particular area such as an airport. Using the registry may allow for a consistently high passenger user experience across a global route network of airports. Embodiments of the invention may comprise a registry which may comprise data sets and beacon types to be positioned at particular locations such as gates, retail areas or checkpoints. This allows airlines and airports to share beacons to get location information and provide personalized services to passengers. An API may also be provided for application developers who may want to use these beacons for developing travel-related applications for use by a mobile device.

Embodiments of the invention comprising a SITA Common-use Beacon Registry avoid the need for multiple airlines installing separate beacons across airports. It may effectively manage implementation in an airport or other environment and ensures that airports can manage the radio-emitting devices in such a way that they do not disrupt each other's signals or existing Wi-Fi® infrastructure.

Embodiments of the invention may provide a common-use Beacon Registry to give industry users a single point of contact for common-use beacons deployed at any airport around the world. With this, airports can control and share meta data such as the location, including information on gates, terminals, and so on with airlines and other partners and allow passengers to receive accurate and relevant information.

By providing such a registry and associated beacons allows industry users to improve passenger experience in a consistent manner at all airports.

Embodiments of the invention may substantially reduce the complexity of deployment. Embodiments of the invention may also comprise a beacon management tool to manage beacon infrastructure and track where they are placed. Embodiments of the invention may also seek to provide such information in environments which are already densely populated with wireless communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, QR readers, and NFC which will be known to the person skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the main functional components of an embodiment of a system embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram showing the main steps performed by an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an overall view of beacon deployment at a particular location;

Figure 4 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an enlarged view of the screenshot of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a screenshot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing beacon deployment overlaid on a CAD image;

Figure 6 is screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing higher density deployment of beacons across a particular location;

Figure 7 is screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an enlarged view of beacon deployment at a particular location;

Figure 8 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a further enlarged view of beacon deployment at a particular location;

Figure 9 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a locate passenger feature;

Figure 10 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a list view of passenger/staff movements as detected through beacon proximity;

Figure 1 1 is a screenshot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an edit beacon screen;

Figure 12 shows a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention which shows meta data associated with a beacon;

Figure 13 shows a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a list view of beacons; and

Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of Beacon Registry Data according to

embodiments of the invention. The following description is of a system for use in the aviation industry, but this is exemplary and other applications of the invention will also be discussed. For example, the information system may be used in any environment where users navigate through the environment and where information may be provided to the user and also in any environment where control of services provided to a user may be based on user information or location information.

Thus, embodiments of the invention find application in the travel industry in general.

Further, embodiments of the invention have particular application in the travel industry (for example rail, air, coach and the like), but also in the ticketing industry, such as ticketing for theatre, cinema, and the like, as well as in the retail industry in general.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings a schematic diagram of the main functional components of a system embodying the invention. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may reside in a portable or mobile communication device such as a portable telephone or in a database which may be coupled to a server which may communicate with the mobile communication device or both. Referring now to Figure 1 , the system may comprise a database, 101 , which may be stored on a writeable or rewriteable storage medium such as hard disk or solid state storage means such as flash drive, ROM, RAM, or other storage means which will be known to the skilled person, such as cloud storage. The database usually comprises a database of beacons which will be described in further detail below.

A server or computer hardware 103 may be coupled to the storage medium. The server may comprise computer hardware or software which when executed undertakes one or more predetermined method steps, which will be described in further detail with reference to Figure 2 below.

The server 103 may comprise one or more of an application programming interface, API, 105, a module for determining a transit, journey or walk time to a gate 107, and a module for determining radio interference 109. Each of the modules 107, 109 and API 105 may be communicatively coupled to the database for example via a bus or via other wired or wireless communication means. The system may further comprise a portable or mobile communication device, or other user device 1 13 such as mobile telephone, tablet, laptop, or other communication device which may communicate with the server 103 using wired or wireless communication protocols which will be known to the skilled person.

The system may further comprise a web admin console 1 1 1 , which may comprise computer hardware or software or both. The web admin console 1 1 1 may for example be operated by an airline and allows the airline to manage beacons within a particular area or airport.

The web console 1 1 1 usually resides on a separate computer or server, but in principle may be part of server 103. The web console may comprise software or hardware which when executed may perform one or more of the method steps described with particular reference beacon interference management tool, described with particular reference to Figures 3 to 14 of the drawings. The web console 1 1 1 may be communicatively coupled to the server 103 and in particular to one or more of the radio interference module 109 and the module 107 for determining the walk time to gate.

The system may also comprise one or more beacons 1 15 such as an iBeacon™ which may be deployed at a plurality of different locations in a building, area, structure, vehicle, vessel, or other predetermined locations such as an airport or shopping mall. iBeacon™ or Bluetooth™ beacon technology is a low-cost way to trigger the display of location-relevant information on devices at a particular time and location. iBeacon is a trademark of Apple, Cupertino, California, USA. Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Kirkland, Washington, USA.

The beacons may be deployed indoors or outdoors and may comprise a small USB stick or may be larger and more visible. The beacons may transmit a signal using Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE. The signal may comprise a unique identifier associated with each beacon.

With such beacons, airlines may provide passengers with indoor directions, walk times to gates, lounge access and alerts about boarding as will be described in further detail below. Knowing where a passenger is before sending information enables more effective communication. Based on the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, also known as Bluetooth Low

Energy (BLE), this is a multi-platform technology that is supported by many providers such as Android, Windows™ and Apple™. Windows is a registered trade mark of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, United States Of America, 98052-6399. Apple is a registered trade mark of Apple Inc., 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, United States Of America, 95014-2084.

BLE is an ultra-low power network that operates in the 2.4GHz spectrum. BLE is designed for transferring small amounts of data at low data rates. BLE may incorporate AES128 encryption featuring a robust connection that has cyclical redundancy checks and adaptive frequency hopping.

The beacons may be deployed by attaching them to any suitable surface with adhesive or other attachment means. The beacons may remain permanently switched on or activated. The beacon ID values may be set up with a companion application such as a beacon management tool.

The following description assumes that a user has a BLE-enabled device, such as a smartphone or other device, which moves within range of a beacon's signal. However, embodiments of the invention may also be advantageously used in conjunction with other types of beacons or transmitters in general.

Further, the device 1 13 may also comprise an application which is configured to run on the device. As will be described in further detail below, a beacon signal received by the device may trigger an action, such as displaying a contextually relevant message on the mobile device. The beacon may trigger an application on the device to send notifications or promotional coupons as a user enters a specific zone, such as a shop, cafe or airport lounge. The beacons may also be used to direct a user to areas of interest and provide additional information on specific items, making museums and art galleries another potential user of the technology. Referring now to the flow diagram of Figure 2 of the drawings, the main steps performed by an embodiment of the invention will now be described.

A user may manually enable the application upon entering a predetermined area such as an airport or alternatively, the application may be configured to continuously run as a background application and may detect when a user enters a particular environment, for example, based on location signals received by the device 1 13. For example, the device may use triangulation to determine its current location. The device may store a

predetermined list of areas or airports which are equipped with one or more beacons along with an associated location for each area or airport equipped with the one or more beacons.

In this way, the device may periodically check the current location and compare the current device location to a predetermined list of areas or airports having a known location which are equipped with one or more beacons. The list may comprise an airport code, such as LHR or DFW.

If the device determines a match between the current location and one of the

predetermined areas or airports which are equipped with beacons, the device application calls API 105 with API request #1 , as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. The application may wirelessly send a request to the API 105 running on the server 103 to search the database 101 for all beacons with a particular airport code, step 201 . Accordingly, the server receives beacon identification information associated with a beacon, at step 204.

At step 203, the API 105, running on the server searches the database 101 by airport code. The may API determines a list of beacons which match the particular airport code by comparinge the received beacon identification information to stored beacon identification information associated with stored location information for each beacon, step 205.

Usually, the database 101 comprises one or more of the following beacon characteristics, for example one or more identifiers, power, and transmission frequency associated with each beacon. The identifiers may be unique and may comprise one or more of a

Universally unique identifier (UUID) majorld, minorld.

Further, the database may comprise other data, such as meta data, for example data which may specify a beacon type such as gate beacon, lounge beacon or terminal beacon.

At step 206, the API or server, may associate the stored beacon location information with the mobile device if the received beacon identification information matches the stored beacon identification information. At step 207, the API 105 running on server 103 returns to the application running on the device 1 13 identification data associated with each beacon having a matching airport code. The identification data associated with each beacon may comprise one or more of UUID, majorld, minorld, and a classification. In one specific example for a particular beacon, the API 105 may return to the mobile device 1 13 data comprising UUID data, for example, the 32 digit alpha numeric code shown in Figure 1 1 , for example 1 AE18C1 C-6C7B-4AED- B166-4462634DA855 which is associated with a beacon. The API 105 may also return one or more of majorld=14, minorld=2. In another specific example, the API 105 may return one or more of UUID=1 14A4DD8-5B2F-4800-A079-BDCB21392BE9, majorld=1 100, minorld=1292 as shown in table 1 below, majorld and minorld may be used to distinguish between beacons in a particular area having a common UUID. The API 105 may return data associated with one or more beacons.

In this way, the application running on device 1 13 may call the database 101 to determine whether one or more beacons associated with a region or airport have been registered in the database and may also determine an identifier associated with those registered beacons based on information stored in the database.

If the application receives the identification information for all beacons associated with a particular region or airport, then this information may be stored on the device 1 13 for future use.

Accordingly, since the device 1 13 has identification information associated with one or more particular beacons, the application running on device 1 13 may to recognise signals received from particular beacons 1 15 located in the area or airport, as the device 1 13 comes in to range of those signals being transmitted by the beacons. For example each beacon may transmit identification information associated with the beacon which may comprise one or more UUID, majorld, minorld. Without having previously obtained a list beacons of one or more beacons of interest in a particular area along with the associated identification information, the device 1 13 would ignore the beacon identification information transmitted by a particular beacon.

Thus at step 209, the device 1 13 may come into range of a particular beacon 1 15 and may receive signals transmitted by the beacon. The device 1 13 may recognise those signals based on the identification information. In response, the device application may call API 105 running on server 103 with API request #2, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, at step 21 1 . The request may query specific details about a particular beacon which may be identified based the identification information transmitted by a beacon 1 15. In this way, the application running on device 1 13 calls API 105 to obtain further specific information associated with a beacon from database 101. This information may comprise one or more of beacon power, beacon transmission frequency, beacon classification, beacon meta-data, airport terminal & floor and if the beacon is airside or landside. The further specific information may comprise meta data. Table 1 below shows further details of the meta data associated with a beacon.

{

"idBeacon": 180,

"macAddress" : "FE : 71 : 5E : 36 : 47 : 0C",

"name": "Lobby Entrance By hyatt (1292)",

"brandName": "stickNFind",

"modelName": null,

"uuid": "114A4DD8-5B2F-4800-A079-BDCB21392BE9",

"majorId": 1100,

"minorld": 1292,

"location": "DFW",

"latitude": 32.89775667042622,

"longitude": -97.04439014196396,

"x": null,

"y": null,

"idCADImage" : null,

"altitude": null,

"floor": 3,

"terminal": "D".

"airside": false,

"statusAlert" : false,

"active": true,

"publicBeacon" : true,

"power": -8,

"advertisinglnterval" : 200,

"batteryPercent" : 94,

"dateAdded": "2014-05-29T23 : 12 : 26.000Z",

"dateCharacteristicsLastChecked" : "2014-05-29T23 : 11 : 24.000Z "lastUpdate": "2014-05-29T23 : 12 : 26.000Z",

"beaconType" : "Waypoint",

"hardwareVersion" : null,

"softwareVersion" : "312",

"organisation": {

"idOrganisation" : 1,

"systemName" : "SITA",

"uuid": "B9407F30-F5F8-466E-AFF9-25556B57FE6D",

"defaultLocation" : "LondonGate",

"name": "SITA Lab"

},

"metaData": null

}

Table 1 : Meta-data associated with a particular beacon.

The data shown in table 1 may be shown by a beacon management tool running on the web administration console 1 1 1 when a user clicks on a particular beacon. The meta data associated with a particular may be overlaid on the representation of beacon deployment shown by the beacon management tool when a beacon is selected by clicking on the beacon. The data may include one or more beacon identifying characteristics such as UUID/major/minor and one or more of location data, battery power, airport location, dates when a particular beacon was last checked. The API 105 may then return one or more of the meta data associated with a particular beacon to the application running on the device 1 13.

In addition to the specific details above which are obtained by API 105 from database 101 , server 103 may also determine information associated with a particular passenger, product or service such as itinerary details, for example, departure gate, departure time, restaurant opening times or offers for a restaurant near to a beacon or in which a beacon is placed.

This information associated with a particular product or service may be requested by API 105 running on the server 103. The API 105 may send a request to the application running on the device 1 13 to obtain this information, for example, if this information is locally stored on device 1 13. In one example, the passenger itinerary details may be stored as a boarding pass on the device 1 13.

Alternatively, server 103 may obtain this information by querying an airline server which may store passenger itinerary information based on passenger identification information, such as name, date of birth, and so on. The server may therefore obtain the passenger's departure gate or may obtain a particular flight number associated with a passenger, so that a departure gate may be determined by querying a database of departure gates associated with particular flights.

In response to the server 103 receiving this information, the time to gate module 107 may determine a passenger transit, journey or walk time to board a particular flight at a particular gate. The time to gate module may determine the passenger transit, journey or walk time based beacon location information shown in table 1 , such as the longitude and latitude meta data, as well as based on the departure gate information described above. In one specific example, the time to gate module 107 may determine that the passenger's flight leaves from gate 15, and may determine location information for that gate, such as latitude and longitude information for that gate, for example by using a look up table of departure gates and associated longitude and latitude information for a particular gate. The module 107 may then determine a distance between the longitude and latitude information associated with the gate and the longitude and latitude information of a beacon detected by device 1 13. Based on a predetermined passenger transit rate, walking rate or other journey or rate of travel for travelling to a gate as well as the distance determined above, the module 107 may then determine that the passenger journey or walk time from the current location or beacon location is 2 minutes by dividing the determined distance by the passenger rate of travel. The time to gate module 107 then sends this information to API 105 which sends it to a particular passenger's device 1 13 such as a mobile telephone for display.

In response to receiving this information, the passenger device may display information such as "Hello Paul, your flight is now boarding 10:10, Go to Gate 15, 2 mins walk from your current location". The particular form of user greeting may be configured by the passenger when installing an application on a device 1 13.

In addition to providing the above information to a passenger, users of the system such as airlines may process information such as the last known location of a passenger, for example, the last time a device 1 13 queried database 101 using API #2 and the associated location of the beacon. This will be explained in further detail with reference to Figure 9 of the drawings.

Referring now to Figure 9 of the drawings, this shows a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a locate passenger feature. Each circle indicates where a passenger was last in the proximity of a beacon. For example, based on the location information for the passenger at locations 1001 , 1003, 1005, the server 103 may determine that the passenger is in fact walking or travelling away from the determined departure gate based on the location information. For example, if each circle represents a detection event by a user device 1 13 of a different beacon, then location information for each beacon can be determined using the meta data shown in table 1. Based on the location information associated with each beacon and a detection time for each beacon, a determination as to whether a passenger is travelling towards or away from a departure gate can be made. Further, the server 103 may determine whether a determined transit time to gate is greater than the time left before boarding closes. If this is the case, then an airline may take appropriate pre-emptive action, such as removing a passenger's bags from the hold of an aircraft based on passenger identification information.

In addition, the server 103 may comprise a radio interference module 109, also shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The radio interference module 109 which may provide interference information for display on the beacon management tool which my run on the web administration console 1 1 1 . The radio interference module 109 may access a database to determine the transmission power, location, beacon transmission frequency, beacon battery level as well as

infrastructure information associated with the location where the beacon is placed.

Embodiments of the invention may provide recommended settings to adjust beacon transmission power based on the determined power level, location, WiFI signal strength and infrastructure information. The optimal settings will minimize radio interference between WiFi and Bluetooth signals.

In one specific example, the beacon transmission power and location is represented by circles of a certain radius, each positioned at a particular location. If it is determined that one or more of the circles overlap, then the location or power of one or more of the beacons may be adjusted to reduce beacon interference, represented by the overlapping of one or more of the circles. Embodiments of the invention may also include generation of warning signals if the beacon management tool determines that the API 105 has not received a query regarding specific details about a particular beacon within a predetermined time period. This may indicate that the battery within the beacon has discharged so that the beacon is no longer able to operate. It may also indicate that a beacon has been stolen moved from a particular location so that the beacon's signals are not being received by devices 1 13.

Beacon management tool

One problem is associated with beacon deployment, is that it is difficult to track where each beacon is placed, because a large number of beacons. The following parameters such as range, detection time, and proximity accuracy may be changed using the beacon management tool, described in further detail below. For example, the range may be up to 70 meters, however, in some environments, the maximum range may be about half this value, for example about 35 metres. Further, the detection time parameter may be approximately one second. Finally, the proximity accuracy may vary considerably with a typical inaccuracy of +1-5 meters. However, this is sufficient for most applications and some beacons may have proximity calibration capabilities.

A set of beacons may be deployed and managed by the beacon management tool which will be described in further detail below, and may be used to modify beacon specific data or meta-data. A provider such as an airport or airline may have the ability to set and modify the meta-data. This may include longitude/latitude, as well as one or more of scenario specific data such as terminal and gate info, flight boarding times, baggage carousel information, or retail offers. In one specific example, the future beacon battery life may be estimated based on current beacon power and the transmission frequency of a beacon. This has the advantage that beacons can be replaced "just in time" before they fail due to low battery.

Application developers may be able to register on a website and get access to a list of beacons at a particular location such as an airport, and the meta-data associated with those beacons.

Figures 3 to 9 of the drawings show various deployments of beacons at different locations. In these, the size of each circle may represent the transmission power of each beacon. The transmission power may be proportional to the area of each circle. A device 1 13 positioned in an area where circles overlap will usually receive signal wireless signals from both beacons.

Figure 3 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an overall view of beacon deployment at a location such as Copenhagen Airport, (CPH). In this deployment, a reasonably large number of beacons are positioned at different locations around the airport. Most of the beacons located within or inside the airport building have a transmit power level which is approximately the same. However, as shown in Figure 3, 2 high power beacons may be deployed outside the airport building which may have a much higher transmission power than the beacons located within the airport terminal or building. In the specific example shown in Figure 3, the beacons located outside the airport have a transmission power which is between approximately 5 to 10 times more powerful than the beacons located inside the airport. The location and transmission power of neighbouring beacons positioned inside or outside the airport building may be configured so that a device positioned between the two beacons may receive signals from both beacons.

Figure 4 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention which also shows circles representing the location and power of the beacons. The size of each circle represents the power of the transmitted signal, and therefore partly determines the range of the transmitted signals. Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of Figure 3 and shows how one of the 2 beacons outside the airport has a range which just extends inside the airport building and partially overlaps with the transmissions of a beacon located inside the airport.

Figure 5 is a screenshot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing beacon deployment overlaid on a CAD image. In this example, none of the circles overlap with each other meaning that a device 1 13 will usually only receive beacon signals from one beacon at a time.

Figure 6 is screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing higher density deployment of beacons across a particular location such as Dallas/Forth Worth international Airport. In this example, a large number of beacons are provided both inside the airport and externally to the airport building. A larger number of beacons are provided inside the airport compared to the number of beacons provided outside the airport building. In the specific example shown in Figure 6, the beacons located outside the airport have a much higher transmission power than the beacons located inside the airport, for example between 5 to 10 times more powerful.

Figure 7 is screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an enlarged view of beacon deployment at a particular location such as Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) International airport showing regions of both high and low powered beacons. The location and transmission power of neighbouring beacons positioned inside or outside the airport building may be configured so that a device positioned between the two beacons may receive signals from both beacons. Figure 8 is a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a further enlarged view of beacon deployment at a particular location such as Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) International airport showing regions of both high and low powered beacons. The location and transmission power of neighbouring beacons positioned inside or outside the airport building may be configured so that a device positioned between the two beacons may receive signals from both beacons. Further, Figure 8 also shows some regions where the location and transmission power of neighbouring beacons positioned outside the airport building may be configured so that a device positioned between neighbouring beacons may receive signals from a plurality of beacons, for example, 2, 3, 4 or 5 beacons.

Figure 10 is a screenshot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a list view of passenger/staff movements as detected through beacon proximity. This shows when a passenger has passed by a beacon (for example 2 minutes ago), as well as whether the beacon is located on the airside portion of the portion of the airport which is indicated by the flag "true" or "false", along with an alphanumeric passenger identifier and associated flight number for the passenger.

Figure 1 1 is a screenshot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing an edit beacon screen. The edit beacon screen shows the beacon characteristics. In this view, the beacon characteristics are not editable because the user of the tool is not within a few meters of beacon so that the beacon characteristics can be wirelessly updated over the air. It also shows the classification of the beacon types. However, usually, any of the fields shown may be edited provided the user is within range of the beacon.

The beacon data may comprise one or more of location information UUID, majorld, minorld Power, Interval, Battery, Beacon type, Name, brand, model, terminal, as well as information indicative of whether it is an airside beacon and active beacon and a public beacon. Figure 12 shows a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention which shows meta data associated with a beacon. In this particular example, the metadata shows the opening times for a restaurant beacon which may be located in close proximity, in or neighbouring a restaurant. Figure 13 shows a screen shot of a beacon management tool embodying the invention showing a list view of beacons and associated beacon registry data described below in connection with Figure 14. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of Beacon Registry Data according to embodiments of the invention. The beacon registry data may comprise one or more of data indicative of whether a particular beacon is active, its location, its type, its name whether it is public, whether it is airside, its MAC, its UUID, its majorld, its minorld when it was last updated, and when it was added. The tool shown in Figure 14 also has an option to delete a beacon from the registry.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention may advantageously used as described below by deploying beacons in airports to: 1 . Determine passenger location

Airlines in particular, with an application stored on a passenger's telephone, may combine the application's knowledge of the passenger, such as who they are, where they are going, and their class of travel, with accurate knowledge of their location in the airport derived from detecting the nearest beacon. This may allow the server to send relevant information to the passenger, and as well to locating them in the airport, for example if they are late to the gate.

2. Triggering mobile boarding passes

Beacons placed at passenger touch points including check-in, bag drop, passport control and departure gates, may be used to 'pull' mobile boarding passes onto the display of a passenger's smartphone when they arrive at a particular location. This may allow a personalized welcome message to be displayed to passengers as they pass the different zones that require a boarding pass to be shown such as security, lounge area, boarding gate.

3. Navigating the airport Beacons may provide a more precise and lower cost way for airport applications to guide passengers around the terminal and find the correct gate. There are alternatives for indoor mapping using triangulation technologies, such as Wi-Fi and cellular signals, but when deployed correctly, BLE-based beacons may be far more accurate and require less complex infrastructure. For example, a passenger carrying a BLE-enabled smartphone can obtain a GPS location from any beacon in range and use the data in a mapping application to navigate through an airport.

4. Promotions at retail outlets

Beacons may trigger contextually relevant messages to passengers who are in, or nearby, participating stores. These messages may tell passengers to redeem coupons, earn points or pick-up duty-free items before heading to the gate.

5. Baggage reclaim A beacon in located in baggage reclaim may trigger a message to arriving passengers telling them which carousel their baggage will arrive on and how long they will need to wait.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the mobile communication or client device may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, an internet enabled television, an internet enabled television receiver, an internet enabled games console or portable games device.

The server may comprise a computer processor running one or more server processes for communicating with client devices. The server processes comprise computer readable program instructions for carrying out the operations of the present invention. The computer readable program instructions may be or source code or object code written in or in any combination of suitable programming languages including procedural programming languages such as C, object orientated programming languages such as C#, C++, Java, scripting languages, assembly languages, machine code instructions, instruction-set- architecture (ISA) instructions, and state-setting data.

The wired or wireless communication s networks described above may be public, private, wired or wireless network. The communications network may include one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a mobile telephony communication system, or a satellite communication system. The communications network may comprise any suitable infrastructure, including copper cables, optical cables or fibres, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and edge servers.

The beacon management tool described above may comprise a Graphical User Interface. Embodiments of the invention may include an on-screen graphical user interface. The user interface may be provided, for example, in the form of a widget embedded in a web site, as an application for a device, or on a dedicated landing web page. Computer readable program instructions for implementing the graphical user interface may be downloaded to the client device from a computer readable storage medium via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) and/or a wireless network. The instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium within the client device.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the invention described herein may be embodied in whole or in part as a method, a data processing system, or a computer program product including computer readable instructions. Accordingly, the invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment combining software, hardware and any other suitable approach or apparatus. The computer readable program instructions may be stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium. The computer readable storage medium may include one or more of an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention may be implemented as circuit board which may include a CPU, a bus, RAM, flash memory, one or more ports for operation of connected I/O apparatus such as printers, display, keypads, sensors and cameras, ROM, a communications sub-system such as a modem, and communications media.

The flowchart of Figure 2 illustrates the operation of an example implementation of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. Each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module comprising one or more executable computer instructions, or a portion of an instruction, for implementing the logical function specified in the block. The order of blocks in the diagram is only intended to be illustrative of an example. In alternative

implementations, the logical functions illustrated in particular blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown as adjacent one another may be carried out simultaneously or, depending on the functionality, in the reverse order. Each block in the flowchart may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

Claims

1 . A user information system comprising:

a. receiving means for receiving from a mobile device (1 13) beacon identification information associated with a beacon (1 15) for periodically transmitting the identification information to the device (1 13); b. comparison means for comparing the received beacon identification information to stored beacon identification information associated with stored location information for each beacon; and

c. associating means for associating the stored beacon location information with the mobile device if the received beacon identification information matches the stored beacon identification information.

2. A user information system according to claim 1 wherein the stored beacon

identification information comprises beacon identification information associated with a plurality of different beacons, and the identification information is associated with location information for each beacon.

3. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising searching means arranged to search stored data associated with the beacon for a measured signal strength parameter and preferably wherein the measured signal strength parameter is indicative of measured beacon power at 1 metre from the beacon transmitter.

4. A user information system according to any preceding claim wherein the receiving means is arranged to receive a plurality of identification parameters associated with one or more beacons and wherein the identification parameters comprise at least one common identification parameter associated with a plurality of different beacons and a further unique identification parameter for uniquely distinguishing between the plurality of different beacons associated with the common identification parameter.

5. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising determining means for determining a transit time to a predetermined location, in particular a departure gate, based on the beacon location information and on departure gate location information associated with the departure gate.

6. A user information system according to claim 5 wherein the determining means is arranged to determine a transit time to the predetermined location based on a determined distance between the predetermined location and the stored beacon location information associated with the mobile device and a predetermined transit rate of change of distance associated with the or a user.

7. A user information system according to claim 6 wherein the determining means is further arranged to determining whether the transit time to the predetermined location is less than a predetermined threshold.

8. A user information system according to claim 7 wherein the determining means is further arranged to send a baggage warning message to a baggage handling server to remove a bag or luggage item from a vehicle if the determined transit time is less than the predetermined threshold.

9. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising determining means for determining a user location based on received passenger identification information associated with the user of the device and preferably based on received itinerary information associated with the user and based on the beacon location information associated with the itinerary information.

10. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising searching means for searching stored data corresponding to the received beacon identification information for a parameter defining when a beacon parameter was last checked.

1 1 . A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising means for determining whether the or a beacon is associated with a baggage reclaim area and for sending a message to the device comprising information indicating the arrival location of the baggage item and preferably determining a bag wait time based on bag location and baggage reclaim area location and in particular in which bag location is determined based on information scanned from a tag associated with the bag at one or more predetermined scanning points.

12. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising transmitting data to a user device for display on the user device.

13. A user information system according to any preceding claim further comprising means for determining an estimated beacon battery life based on beacon transmission power and transmission interval.

14. A user information method comprising:

a. receiving from a mobile device (1 13) beacon identification information

associated with a beacon (1 15) for periodically transmitting the identification information to the device (1 13);

b. comparing the received beacon identification information to stored beacon identification information associated with stored location information for each beacon; and

c. associating the stored beacon location information with the mobile device if the received beacon identification information matches the stored beacon identification information.

15. A computer readable medium which when executed undertakes the method of claim 14.