System and method for service tracking

Abstract

A system to assist in monitoring and improving services in hotels, motels and other lodging facilities. The system includes a plurality of fixed-location wireless devices that are situated throughout the facility and each service provider or asset to be monitored or tracked is provided with a cooperating mobile wireless device. The mobile devices may periodically transmit beacons that are received by the fixed location devices. The system may determine location based on evaluation of signal strength across a plurality of fixed devices. The system may include premapped calibration data on signal strength to assist in determining location. The location information may help to assess employee performance, to assist in improving performance and to provide improved services. The system may also interact with an application running on a hotel guest's electronic device to allow the system to track guest location. Guest location information can be used to provide improved guest services.

1 . A service tracking system for the lodging industry comprising:
 a plurality of mobile devices, each configured to periodically transmit a mobile device signal including a mobile device identification;   a plurality of fixed location device, each configured to receive the mobile device signal and to transmit a fixed location device signal including a fixed location device identification, the mobile device identification and a signal strength of the received device signal;   at least one coordinator device configured to receive the fixed location device signal from a plurality of fixed location devices and to transmit a coordinator device signal, the coordinator signal including the fixed location device identification, the mobile device identification and a signal strength of the received device signal; and   a central processor configured to receive the coordinator device signal and to determine mobile device location based at least in part on the signal strength of the received device signal as communicated by a plurality of fixed location devices, whereby mobile device location is determined based on signal strength information obtained from a plurality of fixed location devices.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each mobile device is configured to periodically send the mobile device signal via a first wireless communication system and each fixed location device is configured to transmit the fixed location device signal via a second wireless communication system. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the mobile device includes a user input to allow a user to cause the mobile device to transmit a message associated with the user input. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the user input is an emergency user input. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the central processor is configured to collect information and build a table of calibration data to assist in realtime determination of mobile device location. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the calibration data includes signal strength data. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6  wherein the calibration process includes the collection of signal strength information for each fixed location device. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein the calibration process includes the collection of signal strength information for each fixed location device on a room-by-room basis. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the wherein the central processor maintains for each room a separate record of signal strength information by fixed location device. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the central processor is configured to identify the location of a mobile device by comparing realtime signal strength data against signal strength data stored in the calibration process. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the central processer is configured to identity the location of a mobile device to be the room with the statistically most similar signal strength data stored in the calibration process. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of mobile devices includes a plurality of wearable devices and a plurality of asset tags. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein each mobile device includes a BTLE transmitter configured to transmit a device ID. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein each fixed location device includes a BTLE receiver configured to receive the mobile device signal and a WiFi transmitter configured to transmit the fixed location device signal. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein each coordinator device includes a WiFi transceiver configured to receive each fixed location device signal and to transmit a coordinator device signal to the central processor. 
     
     
         16 . A method of service tracking in the hospitality industry, comprising the steps of:
 uniquely associating a plurality of mobile devices with a plurality of employees, the plurality of mobile devices each configured to periodically transmit a mobile device signal containing at least a unique mobile device ID;   receiving the mobile device signal in a plurality of fixed location devices arranged at different locations throughout the facility, each fixed location device configured to receive the mobile device signal and to transmit a fixed location device signal containing a fixed location device ID, the mobile device ID from the received mobile device signal and the signal strength of the received mobile device signal;   receiving the fixed location device signals in a coordinator device, the coordinator device configured to receive the fixed location device signals and to transmit a coordinator device signal, the coordinator device signal containing a coordinator device ID, the fixed location device ID, the mobile device ID and the signal strength of the mobile device signal;   receiving the coordinator device signal in a central processor; and   determining the location of each of the plurality of employees within the facility based on the signal strengths of the mobile device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further including the steps of:
 uniquely associating a plurality of mobile devices with a plurality of assets, each of the plurality of mobile devices associated with the plurality of assets configured to periodically transmit a mobile device signal containing at least a unique mobile device ID; 
 receiving the mobile device signal in the plurality of fixed location devices, each of the fixed location devices determining the signal strength of the mobile device signal and transmitting the fixed location device signal; 
 receiving the fixed location device signals in the coordinator device and transmitting a coordinator device signal; and 
 receiving the coordinator device signal in the central processor; and 
 determining a location of the plurality of assets within the facility based on the signal strengths of the mobile device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising the steps of:
 receiving in the fixed location devices a calibration signal transmit by a calibration device moved through various locations in the facility; and 
 wherein said determining a location step includes comparing the signal strengths of the mobile device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices against the signal strengths of the calibration device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising the steps of:
 for each of a plurality of rooms within the facility, receiving in the fixed location devices a calibration signal transmit by a calibration device moved throughout the room; and 
 wherein said determining a location step includes comparing the signal strengths of the mobile device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices against the signal strengths of the calibration device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising the steps of:
 for each of a plurality of rooms within the facility, receiving in the fixed location devices a calibration signal transmit by a calibration device moved throughout the room; 
 providing the signal strength of the calibration signals to the central processor, the central processor maintaining a record of calibration signal strength for each of the plurality of rooms, the signal strength data including data for a plurality of the fixed location devices; and 
 wherein said determining a location step includes comparing the signal strengths of the mobile device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices against the signal strengths of the calibration device signals received in the plurality of fixed location devices.