Apple Files Patent For Technology To Monitor Device Locations Inside Buildings

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Patently Apple reports that a new Apple iBeacon indoor mapping patent has been filed with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. According to the article, “Apple’s patent generally relates to techniques for monitoring device locations within buildings and enhancing user services with indoor traffic information. Finding your friends or kids in a mall, or a colleague at a crowded trade-show could be a new service that we could look forward to on our iDevices in the future.”

Aspects of the mapping technology were previously unveiled in an April report (When it Comes to iBeacon Readiness iOS-7 Devices Score 87% vs. Android Devices at a Paltry 2.5%) and a May report  (A Brief Overview of iBeacon Technology that could also be used in Future Home Automation).

The technology uses wireless transmitters such as Wi-Fi transmitters, Bluetooth beacons, RFID, or other wireless transmission devices, that then transmit signals to mobile devices. It combines the mapping of static structures with the geolocation technology of tracking devices. A 2014 Cult of Mac article states more than 60 million iBeacons and other Bluetooth LE beacons will likely have invaded the U.S. market by 2019, being used for everything from enterprise to hospital management to smart homes.

According to Patently Apple, some possible implementations of the new technology for which Apple filed a patent include mobile devices collecting location, time, and speed information associated with a particular building; comparing traffic information to known locations of interest; and leveraging indoor traffic information to make recommendations regarding best times to visit a particular business.