WO2016122618A1

WO2016122618A1 - Broadcasting user presence with respect to an indoor positioning system

Info

Publication number: WO2016122618A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/013849
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas E Sandholm
Original assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development Lp
Priority date: 2015-01-30
Filing date: 2015-01-30
Publication date: 2016-08-04

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein provide for the ability to broadcast user presence with respect to an indoor positioning system. In one example, a computing device may register a device associated with a user to an indoor positioning system, and grant a token to the device to report user presence with respect to the indoor positioning system. The computing device may record events, based on received reports, when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by the indoor positioning system, and broadcast the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user.

Description

BROADCASTING USER PRESENCE WITH RESPECT TO AN INDOOR

POSITIONING SYSTEM

BACKGROUND

[0001] The emergence and popularity of mobile computing has made portable computing devices, due to their compact design and light weight, a staple in today's marketplace. With the introduction of portable computing devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and notebook computers, users generally have one or more of these devices always in their possession. For example, a user may be performing operations on a device, or the device may be stowed away, for example, in a pocket or a bag belonging to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] FIGs. 1 A-B illustrate an example scenario of devices associated with users entering and exiting an area covered by an indoor positioning system;

[0003] FIGs. 2A-B illustrate an example scenario of devices associated with users entering and exiting areas covered by multiple indoor positioning systems;

[0004] FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an example of components of a mobile device;

[0005] FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a memory resource and a processing resource, according to one example; and

[0006] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram in accordance with an example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] In a group setting, such as team including a group of people that work together, it may be desirable for group members to communicate with each other. Although group members may be accessible via phone or electronic communications (e.g., email, text messaging, or instant messaging), at times it may be preferable to determine whether a group member is physically present at a location, for example, in order to delegate certain tasks. Determining whether a team member is physically present at a particular location, also known as team member localization, may allow teams to be more productive and effective.

[0008] Examples disclosed herein provide the ability to determine whether a person is physically present within a geographical region. Upon determining whether the person is physically present at a particular location, certain tasks may be delegated to that person, or actions unique to the person may be automatically performed. As will be further described, the physical presence of a user at a particular location or geographical region may be determined based on user devices currently in the user's possession.

[0009] When determining whether a person is physically present in an indoor location, Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are generally not suitable to establish indoor locations. However, utilizing an indoor positioning system, objects, such as a device associated with a user, may be located using, for example, radio waves, magnetic fields, acoustic signals, or other sensory information detected by the device. The power of the detected signal may be indicative of when the user enters or exits an area covered by the indoor positioning system. For example, if the power of the detected signal is above a threshold value, the device associated with the user may have entered the area covered by the indoor positioning system.

Similarly, if the power of the detected signal is below a threshold value, the device associated with the user may have exited the area covered by the indoor positioning system.

[0010] With reference to the figures, FIGs. 1 A-B illustrate an example scenario of devices associated with users entering and exiting an area covered by an indoor positioning system. Upon entering the area covered by the indoor positioning system, the user's physical presence within the area covered by the indoor positioning system may be confirmed, as will be further described. Similarly, when the device associated with the user exits the area covered by the indoor positioning system, the user's physical absence from the area may be confirmed. As an example, the physical presence of the users within the area covered by the indoor positioning system may be broadcasted in various ways, such as on a display 1 14 or a monitoring service. Upon determining the physical presence of users in a group, this information may be used by the group for various purposes, as will be further described.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1 A, the indoor positioning system may include beacons 1 10. As an example, the beacon 1 1 0 may use Bluetooth low energy (BLE) to transmit signals that may be picked up by devices. Examples of other signals that may be transmitted by the beacon 1 10 include, but are not limited to, radio waves, magnetic fields, and acoustic signals. The area covered by the indoor positioning system may be an adjustable range 1 1 2 provided by the beacon 1 10. As an example, the beacon 1 1 0 may provide an adjustable range up to 70 meters. The beacon 1 10 may be at a fixed location, and may be used to determine when users are physically present or absent within the coverage area provided by the beacon 1 10. As will be further described, the signal strength of transmitted signals from the beacon 1 10, as detected by a device, may provide an indication whether the device has entered or exited the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, indicated by the range 1 1 2. Although only a single beacon 1 10 is illustrated, a number of beacons may be used in combination to provide a greater coverage area for the indoor positioning system.

[0012] As an example, devices associated with users may be registered to the beacon 1 1 0. Registering user devices with the beacon 1 10 may include submitting the registration to a computing device 1 02 via the Internet 104. For example, a device 106 associated with user 1 and a device 1 08 associated with user 2 may be registered to the beacon 1 10. By registering devices 106, 108 to beacon 1 1 0, user 1 and user 2 are indicating the geographical region covered by range 1 1 2 as at least one home location where their physical presence could be tracked. As an example, the range 1 12 of the beacon 1 10 may be adjusted to cover the geographical region where it is desirable to track the physical presence of the users. Although two user devices are illustrated, devices associated with a number of different users may be registered to the beacon 1 10 for tracking physical presence of the users.

[0013] As an example, when submitting the registration of the user devices with the beacon 1 1 0, the user devices may be paired with the beacon 1 10, in order to identify a unique identifier of the beacon 1 10. Additionally, while setting up pairing, the user devices may measure the power of the transmitted signals from the beacon 1 1 0 and use the measured power to calibrate a threshold value used for distance detection. In normal operation, when a transmitter power of the beacon 1 1 0, as detected by a user device, is above the threshold value, the user device may have entered the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, indicated by range 1 12. Similarly, when the transmitter power of the beacon 1 10, as detected by the user device, is below the threshold value, the user device may have exited the coverage area of the beacon 1 10.

[0014] Computing device 102 represents generally any computing device or group of computing devices configured to send and receive network requests, send and receive data, and/or otherwise communicate with the user devices (e.g., devices 106, 1 08) via the Internet 104. As used herein, "computing device" may be a remote web server, server, computer networking device, chip set, desktop computer, notebook computer, workstation, or any other processing device or equipment.

[0015] User devices, such as devices 106, 108, represent generally a smartphone, tablet computer, notebook computer, or any other mobile computing device configured to send and receive network requests, send and receive data, and/or otherwise communicate with the computing device 102 via the Internet 1 04. User devices may communicate with the computing device 1 02 via the Internet 1 04 using a wireless or mobile communications technology, such as Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G. As an example, the computing device 102 may provide the capabilities described herein as a service for an application stored on the user devices to interact with. For example, users of the devices 106, 108 may download and install the application in order to interact with the capabilities provided by the computing device 102 that are described below.

[0016] As an example, the user devices, such as devices 106, 108 may submit the registration with beacon 1 10 to the computing device 102. Upon registering with the computing device 102, a unique address, such as a token, may be assigned by the computing device 102 to each user device for reporting user presence with respect to the beacon 1 1 0. For example, a first token may be assigned to user 1 device 106 and a second token may be assigned to user 2 device 108. [0017] As an example, the user devices, such as devices 106, 108 may submit the registration with beacon 1 10 to the computing device 102 using an application stored on the user devices, as described above. For example, a user of the device 106 may download and install the application in order to submit the registration with the beacon 1 1 0 to the computing device 102. As another example, the user of the device 106 may submit the registration to the computing device 102 by accessing a web portal using an Internet browser stored on the device 106.

[0018] Upon registering user devices with beacon 1 10, the user devices may then submit reports to the computing device 102 when it has entered or exited the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, indicated by range 1 12. As an example, each user device may submit reports using the unique token assigned to it by the computing device 102. Referring to FIG. 1 A, user 1 device 106 is within the coverage area of the beacon 1 10. As an example, the transmitter power of the beacon, as detected by the user 1 device 106, may be above a threshold value, indicating that the device 106 is within the coverage area of the beacon 1 10. As the beacon 1 1 0 was previously designated as a home location for the device 106 during the registration process, for tracking physical presence, the device 106 may identify when it is within the coverage area of the beacon 1 10 upon detecting the unique identifier of the beacon 1 1 0. User 1 device 106 may then submit a report to the computing device 102, using its assigned token, that it has entered or is within the coverage area of the beacon 1 10. As illustrated, user 2 device 108 is outside the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, or may have recently exited the coverage area of the beacon 1 10. As a result, the user 2 device 108 may not detect signals transmitted from the beacon 1 10, or the power of the transmitted signals may be below a threshold value. As a result, user 2 device 1 08 may then submit a report to the computing device 102, using its assigned token, that is has exited or is outside the coverage area of the beacon 1 10.

[0019] Based on reports received from the devices associated with users, the computing device 102 may record the events when the users enter or exit the area covered by the beacon 1 1 0, indicated by 1 1 2. The computing device 1 02 may then broadcast the recorded events, for example, on a display 1 14. As an example, the display 1 14 may be accessible or viewable by members of a group, so that the members can check if other members from the group are physically present within the coverage area of the beacon 1 10. The display 1 14 may be publicly displayed, for example on a monitor at a place of business, or displayed on the display of one of the user devices. Referring to the display 1 14 in FIG. 1 A, user 1 is shown as

"available" or physically present within the coverage area of the beacon 1 1 0, as the device 106 associated with user 1 is within the coverage area. Similarly, user 2 is shown as "away" or physically absent from the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, as the device 1 08 associated with user 2 is outside the coverage area. However, referring now to FIG. 1 B, when the user 2 device 1 08 enters the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, the display 1 14 updates to reflect that user 2 is now available. The computing device 102 may update the status of user 2 upon receiving a report from the user 2 device 1 08 that it has entered the area covered by the beacon 1 1 0, indicated by 1 12. As an example, this is accomplished based on a report received from the user 2 device 108 when the transmitter power of the beacon 1 10, as detected by the user 2 device 1 08, is above the threshold value described above.

[0020] Information that is viewable on the display 1 14 is customizable. As an example, when users enter or exit an area covered by an indoor positioning system, each user may enable privacy settings if they choose for their physical presence information to remain private, or to control who has access to view whether they are physically present within the coverage area of the indoor positioning system. For example, referring to FIGs. 1 A-B, as display 1 14 is updated when a user enters or exits the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, privacy settings may not be enabled. However, if, for example, user 2 prefers for his physical presence to remain private, he may enable privacy setting such that when the device 1 08 associated with user 2 enters the coverage area of the beacon 1 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1 B, his status on the display 1 14 may remain as "away", rather than "available". As an example, his information may be completely removed from the display 1 14, so that his status is not shown as away all the time.

[0021] As an example, the privacy settings set by a user may restrict the

broadcasted events to devices associated with a group that the user belongs to. As an example, display 1 14 may be accessible only by the group that user 1 and user 2 are associated with. Each area covered by an indoor positioning area may have a token that grants access to display information on the display 1 14. Referring to FIG. 1 A, the coverage area provided by beacon 1 1 0 may have a unique token. This unique token may be entered on display 1 14 in order to display physical presence information for users having the coverage area provided by beacon 1 1 0 as a registered home location. As a result, physical presence information for user 1 and user 2 may be displayed, as illustrated. As an example of when it may be useful to view physical presence information for members in a team, a manager may want to see who in the team is in the office when delegating a task or question from a client. Another example may be when a receptionist who has access to the display 1 14 for determining who is in the office. In a group setting, one may have access to view all events for a particular location, such as the coverage area provided by beacon 1 10.

[0022] For a user that usually prefers for his physical presence within an area covered by an indoor positioning system to remain private, the user may provide a temporary access code or token for when the user would like his physical presence information to be made available. This temporary access code may be entered on the display 1 14 to provide enter and exit events for the user from the area covered by the indoor positioning system.

[0023] As an example, the privacy settings set by a user may restrict the

broadcasted events to devices associated with the user. This may provide the ability for just the user to have access to events personally without sharing physical presence information with others in a group. As an example, an application on a device associated with a user may customize its content based on whether the device is within the coverage area of an indoor positioning system. Referring to FIG. 1 B as an example, when user 2 device 1 08 enters the coverage area of beacon 1 10, an application loaded on the user 2 device 108 may customize its content based on its entry into the coverage area of beacon 1 1 0. As an example, if beacon 1 10 is associated with a screen in a conference room, when user 2 device 108 enters the coverage area, the screen may indicate that user 2 has walked into the conference room, and the application on the device 108 may provide controls to operate the projector in the conference room. [0024] FIGs. 2A-B illustrate an example scenario of devices associated with users entering and exiting areas covered by multiple indoor positioning systems. In a team environment, team members may be physically present in various locations at different times of the day. For example, a team member may be physically present in the common working area during the morning hours, in the break room during lunchtime, and in a conference room during afternoon hours. Therefore, a device associated with a user may be assigned to a number of different home locations for tracking physical presence. Referring to FIG. 2A, two zones are illustrated (zone 1 and zone 2). Each zone refers to different geographical regions and corresponds to the coverage area of the associated beacon. For example, zone 1 refers to the coverage area of beacon 1 10, indicated by 1 12, and zone 2 refers to the coverage area of beacon 210, indicated by 212. Although the coverage areas of beacons 1 10, 210 are illustrated as non-overlapping, they may also overlap. In addition, although two beacons are illustrated, any number of beacons may be used for creating a number of zones.

[0025] As an example, unique tokens for each zone may be entered on the display 1 14, in order to display physical presence information for the various zones on the display 1 14. As a result, a group of users (e.g., a team) may be given access to a set of locations where the team works. Unique tokens may be entered for zone 1 and zone 2 in order to display information for both zones on the display 1 14, as illustrated.

[0026] Each device associated with a user may register one or more of the zones as home locations for tracking physical presence. For example, user 1 device 1 06 may be registered to both beacons 1 10, 210, so that the physical presence of user 1 may be tracked in both zones 1 and 2. User 2 device 108, however, may only be registered to beacon 1 10 (zone 1 ). Referring to FIG. 2A, display 1 14 shows users 1 and 2 as "available" in zone 1 , as user 1 device 106 and user 2 device 108 are both within the coverage area of beacon 1 1 0. In addition, display 1 14 shows user 1 as "away" in zone 2, as user 1 device 106 is outside the coverage area of beacon 21 0. As beacon 210 is not registered as a home location for user 2 device 1 08, no information is displayed for user 2 in zone 2. [0027] Referring to FIG. 2B, both user 1 device 1 06 and user 2 device 108 are outside the coverage area of beacon 1 10, and in the coverage area of beacon 210. As a result, both user 1 and user 2 are shown as away in zone 1 on the display 1 14. However, only user 1 is shown as available in zone 2. Although user 2 device 108 is within the coverage area of beacon 21 0 (zone 2), user 2 is not shown as available on the display 1 14 since beacon 210 is not registered as a home location for user 2 device 108. In order to track the physical presence of user 2 within zone 2, user 2 device 108 may be reconfigured to add beacon 210 as another home location.

[0028] FIGs. 3-4 depict examples of physical and logical components for

implementing various embodiments. In FIG. 3, various components are identified as engines 302-308. In describing engines 302-308, focus is on each engine's designated function. However, the term engine, as used herein, refers to a combination of hardware and programming configured to perform a designated function. As is illustrated later with respect to FIG. 4, the hardware of each engine, for example, may include one or both of a processor and a memory device, while the programing is code stored on that memory device and executable by the processor to perform the designated function. The programming can include an operating system and application. In addition, the hardware of each engine can include a display and any user input buttons.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting components of a computing device 1 02, as an example. Referring back to FIG. 1 A, the computing device 1 02 communicates with devices associated with users, such as user 1 device 106 and user 2 device 108, via the Internet 104. The computing device 102 may communicate with the devices associated with users via the Internet 104 using a wireless or mobile communications technology, such as Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G.

[0030] In this example, the computing device 102 includes register engine 302, grant engine 304, record engine 306, and broadcast engine 308. Register engine 302 represents a combination of hardware and programming configured to register a device associated with a user to a first beacon. As the physical presence of the user may be tracked in multiple locations, register engine 302 may register the device associated with the user to a number of other beacons located in different geographical regions.

[0031] Grant engine 304 represents a combination of hardware and programming configured to grant a token to the device associated with the user to report user presence with respect to the first beacon, or other beacons registered to the device associated with the user.

[0032] Record engine 306 represents a combination of hardware and programming configured to record events, based on reports received from the device, when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by the first beacon, or other beacons registered to the device associated with the user. As an example, the user is to enter or exit the area covered by one of the registered beacons when a transmitter power of a registered beacon, as detected by the device associated with the user, is above or below a threshold value, respectively.

[0033] Broadcast engine 308 represents a combination of hardware and

programming configured to broadcast the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user. As an example, the privacy settings may restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with the user. The recorded events may also be broadcasted to user devices having a temporary access code. This may be useful when the user shares his physical presence temporarily to other users. As an example, the privacy settings may restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with a group that the user belongs to, such as display 1 14 in FIG. 1 A.

[0034] In foregoing discussion, engines 302-308 were described as combinations of hardware and programming. Engines 302-308 may be implemented in a number of fashions. Looking at FIG. 4, the programming may be processor executable instructions stored on a tangible memory device 412 and the hardware may include processor 410 for executing those instructions. Thus, memory device 412 can be said to store program instructions that, when executed by processor 41 0, implement the components of the computing device 102 of FIG. 3. As an example, the computing device 102 may include a wireless communications module 408 to communicate with the devices associated with users (e.g., user 1 device 106 and user 2 device 108). The wireless communications module 408 may include an antenna (not illustrated) to allow for transmission and receipt of wireless signals. The wireless communications module 408 can include a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals.

[0035] Memory device 41 2 represents generally any number of memory components capable of storing instructions that can be executed by processor 410. Memory device 412 is non-transitory in the sense that it does not encompass a transitory signal but instead is made up of one or more memory components configured to store the relevant instructions. As a result, the memory device 41 2 may be a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium. Memory device 412 may be implemented in a single device or distributed across devices. Likewise, processor 410 represents any number of processors capable of executing instructions stored by memory device 412. Processor 410 may be integrated in a single device or distributed across devices. Further, memory device 412 may be fully or partially integrated in the same device as processor 410, or it may be separate but accessible to that device and processor 410.

[0036] In one example, the program instructions can be part of an installation package that when installed can be executed by processor 410 to implement the components of the computing device 1 02 of FIG. 3. In this case, memory device 412 may be a portable medium such as a CD, DVD, or flash drive or a memory maintained by a server from which the installation package can be downloaded and installed. In another example, the program instructions may be part of an application or applications already installed. Here, memory device 412 can include integrated memory such as a hard drive, solid state drive, or the like.

[0037] In FIG. 4, the executable program instructions stored in memory device 412 include instructions to register 413, instructions to grant 414, instructions to record 415, and instructions to broadcast 416. Instructions to register 41 3 represents program instructions that when executed cause processor 410 to implement register engine 302 of FIG. 3. Instructions to grant 414 represents program instructions that when executed cause processor 410 to implement grant engine 304 of FIG. 3.

Instructions to record 415 represents program instructions that when executed cause processor 410 to implement record engine 306 of FIG. 3. Likewise, instructions to broadcast 416 represents program instructions that when executed cause processor 410 to implement broadcast engine 308 of FIG. 3.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram 500 of steps taken to implement a method for a computing device to broadcast user presence with respect to an indoor positioning system. In discussing FIG. 5, reference may be made to the example scenarios illustrated in FIGs. 1 A-2B and the components depicted in FIGs. 3-4. Such reference is made to provide contextual examples and not to limit the manner in which the method depicted by FIG. 5 may be implemented.

[0039] At 510, the computing device may register a device associated with a user to an indoor positioning system. As the physical presence of the user may be tracked in multiple locations, the computing device may register the device associated with the user to a number of indoor positioning systems located in different geographical regions. As an example, each indoor positioning system includes beacons to be registered with the device associated with the user.

[0040] At 520, the computing device may grant a token to the device associated with the user to report user presence with respect to the indoor positioning system. At 530, the computing device may record events, based on reports received from the device, when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by one of the registered indoor positioning systems. As an example, the user is to enter or exit the area covered one of the registered indoor positioning systems when a transmitter power of a registered system, as detected by the device associated with the user, is above or below a threshold value, respectively.

[0041] At 540, the computing device may broadcast the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user. As an example, the privacy settings may restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with the user. The recorded events may also be broadcasted to user devices having a temporary access code. This may be useful when the user shares his physical presence temporarily to other users. As an example, the privacy settings may restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with a group that the user belongs to, such as display 1 14 in FIG. 1 A. [0042] Although the flow diagram of FIG. 5 shows a specific order of execution, the order of execution may differ from that which is depicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocks or arrows may be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession may be executed

concurrently or with partial concurrence. All such variations are within the scope of the present invention.

[0043] It is appreciated that examples described may include various components and features. It is also appreciated that numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it is appreciated that the examples may be practiced without limitations to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the examples. Also, the examples may be used in combination with each other.

[0044] Reference in the specification to "an example" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example, but not necessarily in other examples. The various instances of the phrase "in one example" or similar phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

[0045] It is appreciated that the previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMS WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1 . A method comprising:

registering a device associated with a user to an indoor positioning system; granting a token to the device to report user presence with respect to the indoor positioning system;

recording events, based on received reports, when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by the indoor positioning system; and

broadcasting the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the privacy settings restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recorded events are broadcasted to user devices having a temporary access code.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the privacy settings restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with a group that the user belongs to.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indoor positioning system comprises a first beacon to be registered with the device associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the area covered by the indoor positioning system is an adjustable range provided by the first beacon.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user is to enter or exit the area covered by the indoor positioning system when a transmitter power of the first beacon, as detected by the device, is above or below a threshold value, respectively.

8. The method of claim 5, comprising:

registering the device associated with the user to a second beacon located in a different geographical region from the first beacon; and determining, based on the received reports, whether the user is within an area covered by the first beacon or the second beacon.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

registering a second device associated with a second user to the indoor positioning system;

recording events, based on received reports from the second device, when the second user is to enter or exit an area covered by the indoor positioning system; and

updating a monitoring service to indicate when either the user or the second user is to enter or exit the area covered by the indoor positioning system.

10. A computing device comprising:

a register engine to register a device associated with a user to a first beacon; a grant engine to grant a token to the device associated with the user to report user presence with respect to the first beacon;

a record engine to, based on received reports, record events when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by the first beacon, wherein the user is to enter or exit the area covered by the first beacon when a transmitter power of the first beacon, as detected by the device associated with the user, is above or below a threshold value, respectively; and

a broadcast engine to broadcast the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user.

1 1 . The computing device of claim 10, wherein the privacy settings restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with a group that the user belongs to.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the register engine is to:

register the device associated with the user to a second beacon located in a different geographical region from the first beacon; and

a determine engine to, based on the received reports, determine whether the user is within an area covered by the first beacon or the second beacon.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising programming instructions which, when executed by a processor, to cause the processor to:

register a device associated with a user to an indoor positioning system; grant a token to the device associated with a user to report user presence with respect to the indoor positioning system;

record events, based on received reports, when the user is to enter or exit an area covered by the indoor positioning system; and

broadcast the recorded events based on privacy settings set by the user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the privacy settings restrict the broadcasted events to devices associated with the user.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the recorded events are broadcasted to user devices having a temporary access code.