Prior art — US Patent 10783506

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 10783506, I will examine the "Cited By" and "Citations" sections of the patent itself. These sections list prior art that was considered during the examination process and other patents that have cited US10783506.

From the provided patent text, I will focus on the "Citations" section, which lists prior art cited by the examiner.

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited within US Patent 10783506, with a focus on potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US10783506

Patent Citations (Cited by Examiner)

US20160055697A1
- Full Citation: US20160055697A1, "Restricted area access control system"
- Publication Date: 2016-02-25
- Priority Date: 2014-08-25
- Brief Description: This patent application describes an access control system for a restricted area that uses wireless signals (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy) from a mobile device to a receiver, and the signal strength is used to determine if the mobile device is within a certain range to grant access. It emphasizes dynamically adjusting signal strength or authentication steps based on proximity.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US20160055697A1 potentially anticipates aspects of Independent Claim 1 and Independent Claim 21 of US10783506. Specifically, it describes:
  - Using a mobile device (handset) to send a signal with user identification via low energy wireless technology (like Bluetooth Low Energy).
  - Receiving signals at a receiver (akin to beacon modules) and measuring signal strength (RSSI).
  - Using signal strength to determine proximity for access control.
  - The concept of granting access if the device is authorized and within a determined range.
  - While US10783506 adds the nuance of averaging RSSI and determining the nearest user among several, the core mechanism of using wireless signal strength from a handset to a beacon for access control is present. The specific novelty of US10783506 may lie in the averaging, fingerprinting for relative location, and explicit handling of multiple handsets to determine the nearest one to an expected location.
US20160042575A1
- Full Citation: US20160042575A1, "Automated facility access and payment processing systems and methods"
- Publication Date: 2016-02-11
- Priority Date: 2014-08-11
- Brief Description: This patent application details an automated system for facility access and payment, particularly for parking facilities. It involves a user's mobile device communicating with facility infrastructure (e.g., gates, payment terminals) using wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), often leveraging location data to facilitate entry/exit and process payments automatically.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US20160042575A1 potentially anticipates the general system and method of using a handset for automated facility access, particularly in a parking garage context, as described in Independent Claim 1 and Independent Claim 21. It covers:
  - Handsets communicating with access points to gain entry.
  - Application to secure facilities like parking garages.
  - The use of wireless technology for communication and access control.
  - The novelty in US10783506 regarding RSSI averaging, fingerprinting, and specific relative location determination for the nearest user would differentiate it.
US8847754B2
- Full Citation: US8847754B2, "Locator beacon and radar application for mobile device"
- Publication Date: 2014-09-30
- Priority Date: 2012-11-15
- Brief Description: This patent describes a system where a mobile device can act as a locator beacon, and other devices (or the mobile device itself) can use radar or signal strength to determine the location of the beacon. It focuses on using signal characteristics for location determination.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US8847754B2 is highly relevant to the location determination aspect of US10783506. It potentially anticipates the idea of using a handset as a beacon and employing received signal strength indication (RSSI) for location determination, which is a core part of Independent Claim 1 (determining location of handset based on RSSI) and Independent Claim 21 (beacon modules measuring radio signal attributes like distance). The specific "fingerprinting" and "averaging" techniques, and the "relative location" determination of the nearest user in a multi-user scenario, would be distinguishing features of US10783506.
US20080129545A1
- Full Citation: US20080129545A1, "System and method for determining the entry or exit lane of vehicles passing into or from a vehicle lot using tag interrogator and rssi"
- Publication Date: 2008-06-05
- Priority Date: 2006-12-04
- Brief Description: This application describes a system for tracking vehicles entering or exiting a lot using RFID tags and interrogators, where RSSI is utilized to determine the specific lane a vehicle is in. It focuses on using RSSI for more granular location determination within a defined area.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is significant as it explicitly uses RSSI for determining location (e.g., entry/exit lane) in a vehicle access context, which directly relates to the location determination steps in Independent Claim 1 and Independent Claim 21. While it uses RFID tags rather than general handsets, the principle of using RSSI from a transmitted signal for granular positioning to control access (implied by knowing the lane) is similar. The "handset" aspect and the detailed "averaging" and "fingerprinting" for "nearest user" in US10783506 would be points of differentiation.
WO2006094048A2
- Full Citation: WO2006094048A2, "Systems and methods for biometric authentication"
- Publication Date: 2006-09-08
- Priority Date: 2005-03-01
- Brief Description: This international publication describes systems and methods for biometric authentication, particularly in access control scenarios. It focuses on using biometric data to verify a user's identity.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent anticipates the strong authentication aspects of US10783506, particularly where claim 10 specifies "strong authentication of the user, wherein strong authentication comprises: authenticating the user to the handset; and responsive to successful authentication of the user performed in the handset, the handset executing digital signatures using the user's private key stored in the handset." Claim 11 further specifies biometric signatures. While WO2006094048A2 likely doesn't detail the entire access control system of US10783506, its focus on biometric authentication for access control is directly relevant to Claims 10, 11, and 30.
JP2005099018A
- Full Citation: JP2005099018A, "System, apparatus, method and medium for performing position determination using mini-beacon"
- Publication Date: 2005-04-14
- Priority Date: 2003-09-22
- Brief Description: This Japanese patent application describes a system for position determination using mini-beacons. It would likely involve transmitting signals from beacons and using the received signals for localization.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is relevant to the general concept of using "beacon modules" and signals for "position determination" as found in Independent Claim 1 and Independent Claim 21. The specifics of how the "mini-beacon" system determines position would need to be compared in detail to the RSSI averaging and fingerprinting methods of US10783506, but the fundamental idea of beacon-based positioning is present.
US20040117623A1
- Full Citation: US20040117623A1, "Methods and apparatus for secure data communication links"
- Publication Date: 2004-06-17
- Priority Date: 2002-08-30
- Brief Description: This patent application focuses on secure data communication links, likely involving encryption or other security measures for wireless communication.
- Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference could potentially anticipate the encryption aspects mentioned in the detailed description of US10783506, which states that "communications between the handset 6 and the Bluetooth Access Points 2 may be encrypted to mitigate the risk of the handset/user ID being copied by eavesdropping and reused fraudulently." While not explicitly an independent claim, secure communication is an important supporting feature. This would be relevant to the underlying security of the communication described, but not directly to the novel access control logic.

Conclusion on Prior Art:

The cited prior art, particularly US20160055697A1, US20160042575A1, US8847754B2, and US20080129545A1, demonstrate that several components of US10783506 were known or taught in earlier inventions. These include:

Using wireless signals from mobile devices for access control.
Employing signal strength (RSSI) for location or proximity determination.
Applying such systems to facilities like parking garages.
Implementing strong authentication, including biometrics.

The novelty of US10783506 appears to reside primarily in the specific combination of these elements, particularly the emphasis on:

Averaging RSSI values over multiple Advertisement packets.
Using "fingerprinting techniques" for handset location.
Critically, determining the relative location of multiple handsets and identifying the nearest user to an "expected location" at the gate to grant access, rather than just absolute positioning or simple proximity.
The clear method for handling multiple users vying for access simultaneously at a single gate.

Therefore, while the individual components exist in the prior art, the inventive step of US10783506 would likely hinge on the specific algorithms and methods for distinguishing between multiple users in close proximity and ensuring the correct user is granted access through the relative location determination and pattern matching of averaged RSSI values. Any claim in US10783506 that does not sufficiently detail these distinguishing features might be more susceptible to anticipation by the listed prior art.