Patent ID: 8369866

Claim:
A method for a base station to determine the proximate location of a mobile device in a defined environment, the method comprising: providing a plurality of location tags set up in fixed stationary positions to define the defined environment, each location tag having a radio module and a microprocessor, the microprocessor storing detailed location information, and being a programmable transceiver; providing a base station outside of the defined environment for receiving from and sending messages to the plurality of location tags; receiving a query from a mobile device in use to each location tag in range, the mobile device being for receiving and transmitting signals; sending selection parameters from the multiple location tags to the mobile device; the base station selecting a location tag most practically near to the mobile device from the plurality of location tags based on the selection parameters; downloading, in response to a message from the base station, the detailed location information from the location tag most practically near to the mobile device, and thereby the base station detects through the fixed location tags the most practically near proximate location of the location tag relative to the mobile device, and the location of the mobile device; and selecting the location tag most practically near further comprises: determining floor identifiers in the plurality of location tags in range of the mobile device; determining a floor identifier represented by the highest number of location tags; selecting the plurality of location tags having the floor identifier represented by the highest number of location tags; wherein each individual floor of an installation has a floor identifier; and wherein if more than two floor identifiers are represented by the highest number of location tags, then any location tags located on the uppermost or lowermost floor of the installation are excluded.