Patent ID: 7936872

Claim:
In a network environment, a method for detecting a proximity of multiple client stations and identifying proximate client stations to a one or more of the client station, the method comprising: obtaining signal strength data of a first client station with respect to signals received by the first client station from at least one stationary base station wherein the first client station is mobile; obtaining signal strength data of other client stations with respect to signals received by the other client stations from the at least one stationary base station, the other client stations and the first client station being remote to the at least one stationary base station and wherein at least one of the other client stations is mobile; comparing the signal strength data of the first client station with the signal strength data of the other client stations; comparing the signal strength data of the first client station with simulated signal strength data of a non-networked, non-electronic, fixed resource; remote from the first client station and the other client stations, determining that the first client station is proximate one or more of the other client stations or the non-networked, non-electronic, fixed resource based on the signal strength data of the first client station, signal strength data of the other client stations to the at least one stationary base station, and simulated signal strength data of the non-networked, non-electronic, fixed resource; and sending to the first client station an identification of the one or more other client stations or of the non-networked, non-electronic, fixed resource determined to be proximate the first client station.