Patent ID: 7751829

Claim:
A system for using wireless communication devices, comprising: one or more mini-beacons transmitting signals including identifying information of the mini-beacons and controlling a location coverage area of a volumetric 3-dimensional space by controlling shapes of ranges of the signals, including one or more shapes of sphere, ellipsoid, hemisphere, quarter sphere, cone, donut, or cuboid, or any combinations thereof, using one or more of radiation pattern according to any antenna parameter including type and/or gain, an antenna enclosure, transmission power, or intensity of the signal to cover a the volumetric 3-dimensional space, or any combinations thereof; and a target device determining a location of the target device based upon receiving the transmitted signals, discriminating between the received signals, and determining which of the received signals best satisfies a specified criteria, wherein deployed two or more of the mini-beacons are capable of shaping ranges of the signals by having same symbolic location name, providing a coverage for the location coverage area of the volumetric 3-dimensional space by union of coverages identifiable by the same symbolic location name of the two or more mini-beacons, and one of the specified criteria includes the same symbolic location name of the plurality of mini-beacons when determining which of the received signals best satisfies the specified criteria.