WO2016109455A1

WO2016109455A1 - Method and apparatus for passively detecting and tracking mobile devices

Info

Publication number: WO2016109455A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/067724
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeff Dale HOLLAR; Reid BUTLER
Original assignee: Technicolor Usa, Inc.
Priority date: 2014-12-29
Filing date: 2015-12-28
Publication date: 2016-07-07

Abstract

Passive detection of consumer mobile devices (110) (e.g., smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, laptops, etc.) are described. Detection devices (120) may collect probe request for different communication protocols (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.) that may be transmitted at regular intervals by the consumer device (110). The probe requests include management frames that include data used to request a connection to known or preferred networks as well as new networks. Specific pieces of data from the management frames may be extracted and used to create a device model or profile that may uniquely identify the consumer device (110) as the consumer walks throughout defined zones in a retail establishing without requiring the consumer to interact with the device and/or the retail network.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PASSIVELY DETECTING AND TRACKING MOBILE DEVICES

BACKGROUND

[0001] Retailers want consumers to buy products in their venue and advertisers want consumers to buy products they are promoting. Loyalty deals and redemption offers are known ways consumers are enticed to buy products. Currently, the presentation of offers or deals to the consumer using mobile devices is a non-passive process, which means consumers must install special applications on their mobile or wearable device then use those applications to scan or capture codes, for example, to obtain a deal. The consumer must trust that the special application is not sharing personal information with non- authorized third parties and along with these security concerns, the consumer must manage the application updates and usage in order to acquire offers or deals. Furthermore, the process of redemption may be different for each retailer thus forcing the consumers to install different applications on their device.

[0002] The installation of an application on a consumer's device implies the consumer trusts that application vendor to not misuse their personal data. In most cases, these special applications must be running on the device in order to scan or capture special codes to redeem rewards or deals and there is little to no control for how the consumer wishes to be notified of rewards or offers.

[0003] Accordingly, the detection and tracking of consumers by a retailer/advertiser is also a non-passive activity that requires the consumer to engage with a retail network (e.g., via an application or engagement with an in-store advertising network) in order for the retailer and/or advertiser to identify unique consumers and potentially track consumers and their shopping behaviors. Such data may assist the retailers/advertisers to produce meaningful traffic and/or purchase models, for example, to better provide targeted sales, increased traffic via promotions, and/or increased sales and revenues. For example, a consumer that connects to a retailer' s network may share information during the connection process so that consumers devices may be identified and tracked during their shopping experience. Furthermore, the consumer may be required to interact with digital signage, beacons, or retailer mobile applications in order for the retailer to more accurately track and derive meaningful analyses on consumer behavior, which may ultimately guide the retailer/advertiser on how to better sell products and entice consumers to make purchases.

[0004] Accordingly, retailers and advertisers may find it difficult to keep the general customer based engaged while only the most loyal interact with in-store mobile engagement devices or retailer applications. When consumers use their mobile devices to engage with a retailer and the retailers' associated advertisers, both retailers and advertisers may be able to gain deep analytical insight to their customer base and shopping habits. However, to do so in a meaningful manner requires that a consumer allows a retailer mobile application, for example, to track the consumer during their shopping experience and/or for the consumer to be engaged with the retail network via engagement devices.

[0005] Thus there is the need for retailers and advertisers to passively track consumer behavior within a retail establishment and also offer consumers who wish to be actively engaged in the consumer experience to receive the benefits of targeted promotional offers, loyalty awards, and advertisements without requiring the consumer to proactively engage with a retail network.

SUMMARY

[0006] Some embodiments provide a method for receiving a probe request frame of a communication protocol from the consumer device, recording a timestamp for when the probe request was received, extracting data from the probe request frame, and creating a unique model using the extracted data from the probe request frame to identify the consumer device.

Another embodiment provides a detection device apparatus for passively detecting a consumer device that includes at least one antenna for communicating with one or more wireless communication protocols, a communications module for receiving probe requests frames from a consumer device using the one or more communication protocols, and a control module for extracting data from the probe request frames, wherein the data is used to create a unique model to identify the consumer device.

[0007] The preceding Brief Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction to various features of some exemplary embodiments. Other embodiments may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The Detailed Description that follows and the Drawings (or "Figures" or "FIGs.") that are referred to in the Detailed Description will further describe some of the embodiments described in the Summary as well as other embodiments. Accordingly, to understand all the embodiments described by this document, a full review of the Summary, Detailed Description and the Drawings is needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The novel features of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims.

However, for purpose of explanation, several embodiments are illustrated in the following drawings.

[0009] Fig. 1 illustrates a diagram of a retail establishment according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0010] Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a mobile device and detection device within the retail establishment of Fig. 1;

[0011] Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary process used by some embodiments to build a device model/profile;

[0012] Fig. 4 illustrates an 802.11 probe request frame used by some embodiments;

[0013] Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a conceptual process used by some embodiments to build a device model/profile;

[0014] Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a conceptual computer system used to implement some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following detailed description is of currently contemplated modes of carrying out some exemplary embodiments. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the disclosure, as the scope of the disclosure is best defined by the appended claims.

[0016] Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. Broadly, some embodiments generally provide ways for retailers and advertisers to passively detect and track movements of consumers via their electronic devices and provide promotions/rewards/offers to consumers who opt-in for receiving communications form one or more retailers and/or advertisers.

[0017] A first exemplary embodiment provides a method and apparatus that can passively detect and uniquely identify consumer devices as a consumer passes through various zones within a retail establishment. These zones may be configured in any arrangement and combination to cover different areas, sections, departments, checkout counters, etc. of a retail establishment. Each zone may have one of more devices configured to passively detect, log, and track consumer devices within retailer specified zones.

[0018] A second exemplary embodiment provides a method and apparatus that allows consumers to engage with a central clearinghouse that may send promotional offers, loyalty awards, and/or advertisements to consumer devices based on user defined preferences. In some embodiments, the consumer may provide device specific information to allow retail networks associated with the clearinghouse to uniquely identify the consumer. This device specific information may allow unique identification in a passive manner or identification via active consumer engagement with a retail network.

[0019] Consumer's that are passively identified and also registered with the central clearinghouse may receive promotional offers, loyalty awards, and/or advertisements at their device based on a set of user preferences. Each consumer, either registered or not with a central clearinghouse, may be tracked during their time within the retail establishment in this passive manner. The tracking information may be aggregated by a retailer and/or advertiser using an analytics engine for extensive analysis of consumer behavior. This analysis may occur at a local or remote server and provide the retailer and/or advertiser insight to make informed decisions about how to appeal and/or engage with their consumer base. Some embodiments of the analytics engine may provide traffic analytics, redemption analytics, as well as redemption service management.

[0020] Embodiments of the present disclosure may also allow consumers to choose how they wish to collect, manage, receive notification, and redeem loyalty rewards or offers via registration with the central clearinghouse by defining a set of user preferences with the central clearinghouse. Accordingly, a trusted environment may be established which protects consumers against exposure of their personal information and allows consumers to receive rewards and discounts from one or more retailers without use of special applications running on their device.

[0021] Such embodiments may allow retailers and/or advertisers to create time-based sales campaigns. Consumers may be notified while they visit a retailer location during an activated period of time and may receive rewards or offers simply by walking around the retail location. For consumers not registered with the central clearinghouse, display units or kiosk devices may be available explaining how consumers can register to receive rewards or discounts.

[0022] Some embodiments provide a one-time only device interaction process as part of registration. Creating an account as part of the registration process may include visiting a website on a mobile device or downloading a registration application to effectuate registration with the central clearinghouse. After registration is completed, the consumer may remove the application from their device or simply exit the web browser. Once a consumer has a registered account, they may later use any web browser application to manage that account. After registration, the consumer may begin to collect rewards and discounts simply by walking around the retail location carrying or wearing their registered device.

[0023] Several more detailed embodiments are described in the sections below.

Section I provides a conceptual description of system architectures used by some embodiment. Section II then describes methods used by some embodiments for passive detection of devices. Next, Section III describes the registration and communication of promotions, loyalty rewards, advertising, etc. via a central clearinghouse. Lastly, Section IV describes an computer system apparatus which may implement some of the embodiments.

I. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

[0024] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for passively detecting and uniquely identifying consumer devices without requiring consumers to actively engage with a retail network. Detection of consumer devices may allow the tracking of devices as they move throughout defined zones within a retail establishment. Some embodiments may send the tracking information to a central analytics engine for analysis of consumer traffic patterns, purchase behaviors, award redemption etc.

[0025] Some embodiments may detect consumer devices using small, wireless devices which broadcast radio signals and listen for device requests. Upon detection of a consumer device, these detection devices may create a message that is securely sent to a global service where the device information can be analyzed. If the consumer has configured their device to receive notifications, a notification may be sent from the global service to their consumer device.

[0026] Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an establishment 100 of some embodiments. The establishment 100 illustrates several consumer mobile devices 110 (e.g., smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, or any similar terminal device belonging to a consumer, etc.) that a consumer may carry in and out of several different zones 115, 125, 135, and 145 along different paths 111. Each zone may be defined by one or more detection devices 120 according to some embodiments or the present disclosure.

[0027] As shown, the system 100 may also include, one or more local servers 160, one or more networks 130, one or more servers 140, and one or more storages 150. In the example of Fig. 1, the elements may represent locations on a two-dimensional representation of a physical area. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that different physical locations may have different specific attributes and/or different specific types of areas. For instance, a single store may include multiple levels where some areas are associated with a single level and other areas span multiple levels.

[0028] An establishment may represent a physical location or structure (e.g., a retail store) or section thereof (e.g., an area within a department store or grocery store). Each establishment may be defined in various appropriate ways (e.g., using a set of geographic coordinates).

[0029] The zones 115, 125, 135, and 145 may have various different configurations.

For instance, different zones may be differently sized, shaped, oriented, etc. One zone may encompass a physical location (e.g., a department) that includes one or more sub-areas (e.g., micro locations within a zone). Areas may overlap partially or completely. In some embodiments a single area may be associated with multiple zones. Some embodiments may allow the zones to be dynamically set. For instance, a retailer may be able to access a web portal to update zone properties in real time. As another example, the retailer may be able to use a dedicated application to define different zones to be applied at different times of day (and/or based on other appropriate criteria, such as day of the week).

[0030] Some embodiments may include a local server 160 that is able to interact with the detection devices 120. Such a local server 160 may be able to access one or more local storages (not shown). In some embodiments, the detection devices may communicate with the local server 160 over a local network (e.g., wireless or wired), with the local server 160 providing a communication path from the detection devices 120 to the servers 140 and/or storages 150. In some embodiments, the detection devices 120 may be able to communicate directly over network 130 without using a local server 160 (e.g., wireless Internet, Bluetooth, cellular communication, etc.).

[0031] The network(s) 130 may allow the mobile device 110 and/or detection devices 120 to communicate with one or more servers 140 and/or storages 150. In this way, the mobile device 110 and/or detection devices 120 may be able to send commands or other information to the server 140 and/or storages 150. Likewise, the server 140 may be able to send commands or information to the mobile device 110 and/or detection devices 120. Such networks 130 may include networks such as wired networks (e.g., Ethernet), wireless networks or communication channels (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.), cellular networks, etc.

[0032] In some embodiments, the one or more servers 140 may include a central clearinghouse according to some embodiments. The central clearinghouse may be used to provide consumers carrying registered devices with promotions/rewards/offers directly on their mobile devices 110.

[0033] Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a mobile device 110 and detection device 120 within the retail establishment of Fig. 1. As shown, the mobile device 110 may include a processor 250, storage 255, control module 260, UI elements 265, and communication module 270. The processor 250 may be able to execute instructions and/or manipulate data. The storage 255 may be able to store sets of instructions, data, operating parameters, etc. The control module 260 may control the operations of the mobile device 110. For instance, the control module 260 may push content to a display screen of the device 110. The UI elements 265 may include output elements (e.g., a display screen, speakers, etc.), input elements (e.g., buttons, keypad, etc.), and/or input/output elements (e.g., a touchscreen). The communication module 270 may support several different communication protocols including WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, Cellular, etc., and allow the mobile device 110 to send and/or receive instructions and/or data over the network 130 or via the detection devices 120.

[0034] The detection device(s) 120 may include a processor 205, storage 210, control module 215, communication module 220, and one or more antennas 221. The processor 205 may be able to execute instructions and/or manipulate data. The storage 210 may be able to store sets of instructions, data, operating parameters, etc. The control module 215 may control the operations of the detection devices 120. For instance, the control module 215 may define various parameters associated with signals generated by the one of more antennas 221 (e.g., interval, duration, range, identifiers, etc.). The one or more antennas may include antennas that support several different communication protocols including WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, Cellular, etc. The communication module 220 may allow the detection device 120 to send and/or receive instructions and/or data over the network 130. The detection device 120 may take the form of an access point, a router, a Bluetooth receiver, NFC chips, or a specialty device having the capability to communicate with one or more of the aforementioned protocols.

[0035] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the detection device 120 may passively detect mobile devices 110 and create unique models (e.g., profiles or device fingerprint) of each device without requiring the consumer to interact with the detection device. Section II will provide further detail on the methods used by some embodiments of the present disclosure to passively detect mobile devices.

II. PASSIVE DETECTION OF DEVICES

[0036] In order to passively detect and identify consumer devices, some embodiments of the present disclosure may receive, at the detection devices 120, network frames from various communication protocols that mobile devices broadcast at regular pre- defined intervals. These network frames may contain several pieces of information that can be used to create a model/profile that maybe used to distinctly identify unique devices.

[0037] The detection device 120 according to the present disclosure may include sensors and/or antennas such as a small wireless-enabled device that has a wireless network interface controller configured to use a radio frequency monitor mode. Each sensor/antenna in a detection device 120 may be configured to monitor all traffic received from the wireless network and group the information into unique device models or profiles. Each model may represents a device based on a given point-in-time and proximity to a detection device 120. These models may be created at the detection device 120, a local server 160 (shown in Fig. 1), or cloud-based network server 140, after which they may be synthesized with other models to create patterns related to traffic, redemption rates, etc. These models may also be used to generate, identify and manage information pertaining to devices 110 which are within a given proximity of a detection device 120 and build location-based services which predict and manage the presence and location of a device 110 over a period of time, including repeat visits to the same or different establishments.

[0038] Fig. 3 illustrates a general flow chart of an exemplary process used by some embodiments to build a device model/profile. As shown the process 300 may begin by capturing (at 310) probe requests frames from a consumer device. These probe requests may be requests using various communication protocols that the consumer device may automatically and passively attempt to seek a connection with. Then, the process 300 may record (at 320) a timestamp as to when the probe request was received. In some embodiments, an identification of the detection device 120 that captured the probe request will accompany the timestamp data. Next, the process 300 may extract (at 330) modeling data points from the probe request frame. These data points may be pre-defined sets of data points based on the communication protocol the probe request corresponds to. Once the data points are extracted, the process 300 may be able to create (at 340) a model or profile of the mobile device so that the mobile device can be uniquely identified based on the model/profile.

[0039] In some embodiments, multiple probe requests frames may be received from the same mobile device 110. These several frames may include different data for requesting access to different preferred and/or known networks. All the probe requests from a single mobile device may be identified using one or more control fields in the probe request, and all probe request from a single mobile device 110 may be aggregated to build a model that can uniquely identify a particular device.

[0040] After a detection device 120 captures the one or more probe requests, the extraction and modeling may occur at the detection device 120 itself, or the data may be forwarded to a local or remote server where a device model may be created and stored for continued reference. [0041] To illustrate an exemplary device modeling method according to the present disclosure, the 802.11 communication protocol will be discussed. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that similar methods may be applied to different protocols to achieve the same or similar results without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0042] Most consumer mobile devices 110 may include hardware for communication with a wireless local area network ("WLAN"). The general approach of identifying a device in a network environment is to capture the media access control or the MAC address of that device. The problem with this approach is that it relies on the device transmitting the actual hardware specific MAC address when it issues the probe requests, which typically does not occur. Furthermore, in cases where the device randomizes the MAC address, using the MAC address as a way of identifying the device becomes unpredictable.

[0043] Devices that have WiFi enabled periodically go through a discovery process in which attempts are made to connect to an available wireless network. This may either be 'passive' - listening for networks which are broadcasting themselves - or 'active' - sending out probe request packets in search of a network to connect to. Most devices use both passive and active discovery in an attempt to connect to known/preferred networks. The device may generate these probe requests at regular intervals based on the device manufacturer settings or user defined preferences. Generally, the frequency of probe request for most standard mobile devices may be anywhere from 8 to 15 seconds apart and can occur more frequent if the device is awakened by an always on application such as mail, text, or push notifications.

[0044] The WLAN frames of these probe requests are generally broadcasting the names of their favorite networks in an attempt to make a connection. As these probe requests are captured by detection devices 120, they may be used to create predictions and or models for uniquely identifying a device. Fig. 4 illustrates an 802.11 frame 400 and the information that may be transmitted via a probe request.

[0045] One skilled in the art will recognize that the 802.11 frame 400 is made up of several fields that include a frame control 405, duration/ID, addressl, address 2, address 3, address 4, sequence control 410, data, and a checksum/frame check sequence. The frame control field 405 is two bytes in length (16 bits) and includes several sub-fields. These sub- fields include fields for protocol version, type, subtype 415, to distributed system, from distributed system, more fragments, retry, power management 420, more data, WEP, and order fields.

[0046] According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, date from the frame control field 405 and the sequence control field 410 may be sufficient to create a model/profile to uniquely identify a particular mobile device 110, however data from other fields may be extracted an combined in various different combinations to create a device profile without departing from the scope of the current disclosure.

[0047] The sequence control field 410 in the header is an incoming frame from a device 110 that includes a unique identifier for a particular device communicating with the network. In particular, the sequence control field is 16 bits long and consists of two sub- fields, a sequence number field and fragment number field. The sequence number field is 12 bits in length and indicates a sequence number of a MAC service data unit (MSDU)/MAC management protocol data unit (MMPDU). Each MSDU/MMPDU transmitted by a device 110 is assigned a sequence number. The sequence numbers are assigned from a 4096 counter that starts at value of 0 and incremented by 1 for each MSDU/MMPDU transmission. Each fragment of MSDU/MMPDU contains an assigned sequence number. The sequence number remains constant in all re-transmissions of an MSDU, MMPDU or fragment. The fragment number field is 4 bits in length and indicates the number of each fragment of an MSDU or MMPDU. The fragment number is set to zero in the first or only fragment of an MSDU or MMPDU and is incremented by one for each successive fragment of that MSDU or MMPDU. The fragment number remains constant in all retransmissions of the fragment.

[0048] The frame control field 405 include a type and subtype 415 field which determine the function of the frame. Each subtype determines the specific function to perform for its associated frame type. This subtype field 415 may include the identification of known and/or preferred access points that the device 110 may have previously joined. The power management frame 420 may indicate the received strength of a signal from the mobile device 110.

[0049] Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary process 500 used by some embodiments to build a device model/profile using captured WLAN frames. To create a model for identifying a unique device, a detection device 120 according the present disclosure may receive one or more probe requests from a mobile device 110. The detection device 120 may capture (at 510) the WLAN frames received from mobile device probe requests. The detection device 120 may then extract pieces of data from the WLAN frame based on the profiling model the detection device 120 is programmed to perform. For example, in this exemplary modeling process, the detection device 120 may first record (at 520) a timestamp from when the probe request was received. Then, the detection device 120 may extract (at 530) data from the sequence control field 410, which may assist in uniquely identifying probe requests from a particular device.

[0050] Next, the detection device 120 may extract (at 540) subtype values 415 from the frame control 405 field. The information from the subtype field 415 may provide the detection device 120 information regarding preferred and/or known networks that the device has previously interacted with.

[0051] In some embodiments, the process 500 may optionally extract (at 540) the mobile device power level 420, which may assist in determining a more accurate location of the mobile device 110 within a particular zone. Using these extracted pieces of data, the process 500 may then create (at 560) a model or profile that may uniquely identify a particular device that is within range of one or more detection devices 120.

[0052] The data in probe requests from a particular device may stay constant while the consumer passes in and out of different zones within the retail establishment. In some instances, a consumer may eventually actively connect to the retail network. Should the consumer connect to the network using a mobile device 110, then the mobile device will pass identification information such as a MAC address to the network to maintain a connection. When this MAC address information is passed, the model or profile of that device may be updated to include the active self-identification of the mobile device and enhance the profile and track the mobile device 110 passively as well as when the device has actively engaged with the retail network.

[0053] In some embodiments, the modeling or profiling of a mobile device 110 occurs under the assumption that a shopper is in possession of a device that has one of more communication protocols active (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) and not currently connected to an access point. However, some devices that have location services enabled will continue to issue probe requests at a less frequent rate when connected to a network. For instance, the frequency may be reduced to 15 seconds, and if a feature that "keeps WiFi on during sleep" is turned on, probe requests may continue to be broadcasted during sleep mode. Thus device identification may still occur using the passive identification technique according to the embodiments of the present disclosure even when a device is actively connected to a network.

[0054] The same methods may also be used to detect frames from Bluetooth communication or other similar communication protocols. These protocol frames may also contain sufficient device specific information that may allow a unique device profile to be created so the retailer network or central service provider can identify a consumer device 110 without requiring the consumer to connect to or engage with the retailer network using his or her mobile device 110.

[0055] For example, for Bluetooth devices, MAC prefixes are provided as organizationally unique identifiers ("OUT') that are allocated to different manufacturers/vendors. A Bluetooth Device Address (BD_ADDR) is a globally unique value assigned to each Bluetooth adapter by the manufacturer. The BD_ADDR information is made up of three components: LAP, UAP, and NAP.

[0056] The LAP component is the "Lower Address Part" of the BD_ADDR. This is the portion of the MAC address that is allocated by the vendor/manufacturer to devices. The LAP makes up 24-bits of the BD_ADDR. The LAP is used for uniquely identifying a Bluetooth device as part of an access code and synchronization word information that precedes the Bluetooth baseband header for every transmitted frame.

[0057] The UAP component is the "Upper Address Part" of the BD_ADDR. This is

8-bits of the device MAC address, representing a portion of the 24-bit prefix that is allocated to vendors by the IEEE (i.e., OUI). The UAP is used for seeding various algorithms used in the Bluetooth specification, including the generation of the Header Error Correct (HEC) field used to identify accidentally corrupted Bluetooth packets in transit.

[0058] The NAP component is the "Non-significant Address Part". This makes up the remaining 16 bits of the BD_ADDR information, and the remaining 16 bits of the OUI. The NAP value is not used for any significant purposes for Bluetooth networking other than that it is present in Frequency Hopping Synchronization frames.

[0059] The combination of these three attributes, LAP, UAP, and NAP, may be used to uniquely identify an track a Bluetooth device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The LAP information is allocated uniquely for each Bluetooth device, but the UAP and NAP are part of the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI). Some embodiment of the present disclosure may collect and use the UAP and NAP information to determine what OUI's are being used by vendors for BD_ADDR values. With this information, a unique profile/model may be created that correlates manufacturer information to a specific device as well as accelerate Bluetooth device discovery.

[0060] The Bluetooth modeling technique as described above is a slightly different design model than the WLAN design previously discussed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the premise of passively identifying a consumer device is the same. Particularly, the collection of transmission data via a specified protocol and the use of the collected packet information to create a unique map of a consumer device can be accomplished in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0061] One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the above described identification methods are conceptual in nature and different embodiments may be implemented in various different ways without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For instance, some embodiments may include additional pieces of data or omit some data from probe request frames while still being able to create a unique model/profile of a device, thereby facilitating device identification when the device is present in different zones of a retail establishment.

[0062] As another example, different embodiments may combine or divide various elements of the process to achieve the same or similar results. For example, in some embodiments, the probe request frames may be directly sent to a local or remote server along with a timestamp and zone identification. A model may then be created at the local or remote server so the processing power of a detection device 120 is not overloaded. In some embodiments, the device models may be created at a local server and analyzed at a remote server, or all processing may occur at a remote server.

[0063] Additionally, as a consumer joins and adds new known and/or preferred networks over time, the retail network may be able to update existing models/profiles of a particular device to include those additional known and preferred networks in the profile rather than creating a new second profile for the same device. This may occur when a the creation of a device model/profile via passive detection is compared to the existing database of stored device profiles. When sufficient overlap exists in a particular profile, and the corresponding timestamps and zone movements (within the same or multiple different retail establishments) would correlate to a single device, then a device profile may be updated and stored accordingly.

[0064] As a user moves throughout defined zones in a retail establishment, different detection devices 120 may identify the consumer device using the known profile of the device. This may allow the retailers and/or advertiser to extrapolate the amount of time a consumer spends in a particular zone and later perform analytics on consumer behavior as previously discussed.

[0065] In some embodiments, zones may be created using detection devices 120 that listen for different protocols in order to provide a hybrid or fusion of different sensors that can detect a device as it passes through zones and micro-locations that may be defined within zones. This fusion of different sensors/antennas/etc. used to communicate with different protocols may allow the retailer and/or advertisers to track consumers in a more detailed fashion. For example, a detection device 120 may detect a consumer device via WiFi profiling in one zone, and then profile the same device using a different communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) in an overlapping zone or micro-location within the zone. Each of these communication profiles may be aggregated so that the network may passively detect devices 110 as they pass through the different zones and uses different communication protocols throughout the zones. This information may further assist in analyzing consumer interactions, behavior, traffic patterns, etc. in greater detail by an analytics engine, for example.

[0066] In some embodiments, a network of detection devices 120 may include hardware for communicating with multiple communication protocols, whereas other embodiments may use detection devices 120 that only communicate with a single protocol. Furthermore, the detection range of each protocol may differ and each detection device may be configured with different ranges for detecting probe requests received from the various communication protocols.

III. CENTRAL CLEARINGHOUSE

[0067] In some embodiments, the one or more servers 140 (shown in Fig. 1 and Fig.

2) may include a central clearinghouse that registered users may communicate with in order to receive promotions, loyalty rewards, advertising, etc. A consumer may be able to register with the central clearinghouse as previously described.

[0068] During the registration process, the consumer may provide the central clearinghouse with device information that may allow retailer networks working with the central clearinghouse to uniquely identify the consumer device in a passive or active manner. For example, the clearinghouse may be provided with the device's known or preferred networks for use with the modeling process previously described. This may allow a retailer network to passively detect the consumer device when it enters a retailer establishment and moves throughout different zones defined by one or more detection devices 120.

[0069] Additionally, the consumer may provide unique information for the device itself, such as a phone number, a static MAC address if the device possesses one, serial numbers, or other unique communication and/or protocol data used to identify the device when actively engaged with one or more networks. After registration is complete, a consumer may simply walk through a retail establishment with his or her registered device and begin to receive promotions, loyalty rewards, advertising, etc. based on their user defined preferences.

[0070] For example, if a registered consumer walks into a retail environment and is detected to be in a particular zone for some threshold amount of time by a detection device 120, the consumer may be sent, via the central clearinghouse, targeted information directly to his registered device. This targeted information (e.g., promotions, loyalty rewards, advertising, etc.) may be delivered via SMS message, email, mobile notification, or any combination based on the user preferences defined with the central clearinghouse. In this manner, the retailer and/or advertiser has the ability to passively engage a consumer without requiring the consumer to actively engage with the retail network.

[0071] If the user decides to actively engage with the retail network (e.g., by connecting to the retailer's WiFi, engaging with display devices or Bluetooth beacons, etc.) then the consumer may receive the same or different targeted information based on their interactions and/or preferences with the retail network and/or central clearinghouse. IV. Computer System

[0072] Many of the processes and modules described above may be implemented as software processes that are specified as one or more sets of instructions recorded on a non- transitory storage medium. When these instructions are executed by one or more computational element(s) (e.g., microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application- specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.) the instructions cause the computational element(s) to perform actions specified in the instructions.

[0073] In some embodiments, various processes and modules described above may be implemented completely using electronic circuitry that may include various sets of devices or elements (e.g., sensors, logic gates, analog to digital converters, digital to analog converters, comparators, etc.). Such circuitry may be adapted to perform functions and/or features that may be associated with various software elements described throughout.

[0074] Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a conceptual computer system 600 used to implement some embodiments. For example, the detection device 120 or local and remote servers 160 and 140 may be implemented using one or more components of a computer system as described in Fig. 6. More specifically, the systems described above in reference to Fig. 1-2 may be at least partially implemented using computer system 600. As another example, the processes and protocols described in reference to Fig. 4 may be at least partially implemented using sets of instructions that are executed using computer system 600.

[0075] Computer system 600 may be implemented using various appropriate devices. For instance, the computer system may be implemented using one or more personal computers (PCs), servers, mobile devices (e.g., a smartphone), tablet devices, and/or any other appropriate devices. The various devices may work alone (e.g., the computer system may be implemented as a single PC) or in conjunction (e.g., some components of the computer system may be provided by a mobile device while other components are provided by a tablet device).

[0076] As shown, computer system 600 may include at least one communication bus 605, one or more processors 610, a system memory 615, a read-only memory (ROM) 620, permanent storage devices 625, input devices 630, output devices 635, various other components 640 (e.g., a graphics processing unit), and one or more network interfaces 645.

[0077] Bus 605 represents all communication pathways among the elements of computer system 600. Such pathways may include wired, wireless, optical, and/or other appropriate communication pathways. For example, input devices 630 and/or output devices 635 may be coupled to the system 600 using a wireless connection protocol or system.

[0078] The processor 610 may, in order to execute the processes of some embodiments, retrieve instructions to execute and/or data to process from components such as system memory 615, ROM 620, and permanent storage device 625. Such instructions and data may be passed over bus 605.

[0079] System memory 615 may be a volatile read-and- write memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). The system memory may store some of the instructions and data that the processor uses at runtime. The sets of instructions and/or data used to implement some embodiments may be stored in the system memory 615, the permanent storage device 625, and/or the read-only memory 620. ROM 620 may store static data and instructions that may be used by processor 610 and/or other elements of the computer system.

[0080] Permanent storage device 625 may be a read-and-write memory device. The permanent storage device may be a non-volatile memory unit that stores instructions and data even when computer system 600 is off or unpowered. Computer system 600 may use a removable storage device and/or a remote storage device as the permanent storage device.

[0081] Input devices 630 may enable a user to communicate information to the computer system and/or manipulate various operations of the system. The input devices may include keyboards, cursor control devices, audio input devices and/or video input devices. Output devices 635 may include printers, displays, and/or audio devices. Some or all of the input and/or output devices may be wirelessly or optically connected to the computer system.

[0082] Other components 640 may perform various other functions. These functions may include performing specific functions (e.g., graphics processing, sound processing, etc.), providing storage, interfacing with external systems or components, etc.

[0083] Finally, as shown in Fig. 6, computer system 600 may be coupled to one or more networks 650 through one or more network interfaces 645. For example, computer system 600 may be coupled to a web server on the Internet such that a web browser executing on computer system 600 may interact with the web server as a user interacts with an interface that operates in the web browser. Computer system 600 may be able to access one or more remote storages 660 and one or more external components 665 through the network interface 645 and network 650. The network interface(s) 645 may include one or more APIs that may allow the computer system 600 to access remote systems and/or storages and also may allow remote systems and/or storages to access computer system 600 (or elements thereof).

[0084] As used in this specification and any claims of this application, the terms

"computer", "server", "processor", and "memory" all refer to electronic devices. These terms exclude people or groups of people. As used in this specification and any claims of this application, the term "non-transitory storage medium" is entirely restricted to tangible, physical objects that store information in a form that is readable by electronic devices. These terms exclude any wireless or other ephemeral signals.

[0085] It should be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that any or all of the components of computer system 600 may be used in conjunction with some embodiments. Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many other system configurations may also be used in conjunction with some embodiments.

[0086] In addition, while the examples shown may illustrate many individual modules as separate elements, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that these modules may be combined into a single functional block or element. One of ordinary skill in the art would also recognize that a single module may be divided into multiple modules.

[0087] The foregoing relates to illustrative details of exemplary embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, several embodiments were described above by reference to particular features and/or components. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that other embodiments might be implemented with other types of features and components, and that the disclosure is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details.

Claims

CLAIMS I claim:

1. A method for passively detecting a consumer device comprising:

receiving (310) a probe request frame of a communication protocol from the consumer device;

extracting (320) data from the probe request frame; and

creating (340) a unique model using the extracted data from the probe request frame to identify the consumer device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the consumer device as it passes through different zones defined by one or more detection devices, wherein the detection devices gather probe requests from the consumer device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending consumer engagement information to the consumer device when the consumer device is registered to receive engagement information at the consumer device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the engagement information comprises one or more of a retailer promotion, advertising, and loyalty rewards.

5. The method of claiml, wherein the communication protocol is 802.11 that implements a wireless local area network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises a sequence control field of the probe request frame.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises a subtype field within a frame control field of the probe request frame.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the data comprises the power level field from of the probe request frame.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a model for uniquely identifying the consumer device is created using a sequence control field and a subtype field from the probe request frame.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of probe request frames having different data are received from the consumer device, and the extracted data includes an aggregation of extracted data from the plurality of probe requests received from the consumer device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.

12. A detection device (120) for passively detecting a consumer device comprising:

at least one antenna (221) for communicating with one or more wireless communication protocols;

a communications module (220) for receiving probe requests frames from a consumer device using the one or more communication protocols; and

a control module (215) for extracting data from the probe request frames, wherein the data is used to create a unique model to identify the consumer device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the device uses the unique model to track the consumer device as it passes through different zones defined by one or more detection devices.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the control module sends consumer engagement information to the consumer device when the consumer device is registered to receive engagement information at the consumer device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the engagement information comprises one or more of a retailer promotion, advertising, and loyalty rewards.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the communication protocol is 802.11 that implements a wireless local area network.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the data comprises a sequence control field of the probe request frame.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the data comprises a subtype field within a frame control field of the probe request frame.

19. The device of claiml6, wherein the data comprises the power level field from of the probe request frame.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein a model for uniquely identifying the consumer device is created using a sequence control field and a subtype field from the probe request frame.

21. The device of claim 12, wherein a plurality of probe request frames having different data are received from the consumer device, and the extracted data includes an aggregation of extracted data from the plurality of probe requests received from the consumer device.

22. The device of claim 12, wherein the communication protocol is a Bluetooth protocol.