Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-01
2001-07-10
Trieu, Van T. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S568100, C235S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259367
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates automated systems and methods for retrieving lost objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of identification tags and reward offers is the most well known and prevalent method for returning lost objects to their owners. For example, tags may be placed on luggage, cell phones, computer equipment, or any object capable of being lost, and making it possible for the finder to locate the owner to arrange for return and possible reward by the owner to the finder.
Traditional identification tags have certain disadvantages, for example, they reveal the owner's name, address, and possibly phone numbers, causing loss of privacy and security risks. Many owners will not use identification tags which reveal their true names, etc., because the risk of unethical people misusing that discovering and misusing that information is too high.
The idea of encoding the owner's private information on an identification tag has been proposed by others, but prior methods require registering the encoded information with a third party, and for the finder to return the lost object to the third party who, in turn, returns the lost object to the owner.
Recently Lewis U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,116 has proposed using bar code labels bearing pre-identified insignia corresponding to a unique owner, and a system wherein the labels are placed on the owner's objects and the identifying data is stored on a computer at a central location, and if the object is lost and then found by a third party finder, the ownership can be determined by use of a bar code scanner and transmission of a query based on the scanned identifier to the computer at the central location.
There are certain disadvantages to bar code systems: because they are optical, obscuring of the label (or of the bar code reader lens) by exposure to dirt, dust, water, ink, or paint will make the label unreadable. Furthermore, ink bleeding, stray marks, dropouts, label warping, and label tearing are problems with bar code labels, especially when the label must stay in place and be readable for several years. A further problem is that bar codes can be copied through mechanical means such as photocopying. In addition, bar coded information cannot be erased, rewritten, or appended.
Isaacman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,527, have proposed a method and apparatus for locating and tracking documents and other objects for office files using radio frequency identification tags on the files for locating tagged documents within shelves and drawers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There exists a need for better electronic location systems, particularly systems that can accommodate the tracking of individual personal belongings such as pagers, cellular phones, other handheld computing devices, baggage, eyeglasses, pocketbooks, wallets, keys, smartcards used for authorized access to rooms and buildings, bicycles, motorcycles, and any other object subject to being misplaced.
There also exists a need for systems and methods that would permit automatic lost property identification, as well as permit immediate or real time location and retrieval of objects in diverse environments.
Moreover, simple systems for locating and/or retrieving objects which can be incorporated into a conventional express courier, postal or other commercial data processing or communications infrastructure would likewise enhance efficiency while also achieving a cost economy as a result of integration with existing hardware and/or software.
The present invention comprises in one aspect a system for returning lost objects to their owners comprising RFID tags on which are electronically recorded unique identification codes and visible printed instructions for returning the object, if lost, to a location, an RFID tag reader at the location, a computer which receives the unique identification code read by the RFID tag reader and provides owner information corresponding to the unique identification code.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a method for returning lost objects to their owners comprising providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to the owner for application to the owner's object or supplying the object with the tag preaffixed, the tag having a unique identification code number electronically recorded within the tag and a visible printed request to any finder to return the object if lost to any of a set of specified locations or package delivery services; storing the unique identification code number and corresponding owner information, including owner address information and owner billing account information, in a computer system which is accessible by the set of specified locations and/or package delivery services; providing RFID tag readers at the specified locations and/or package delivery services; upon return of any lost object by the finder to any specified locations and/or package delivery service location, reading the RFID tag identification code number, accessing the corresponding owner information from the computer system, returning the object to the owner, and using the owner's billing account information to charge the owner for the return of the object to the owner.
In some embodiments, the method comprises a) encoding a RFID signal into an automated data capture file location pointer into a radio frequency readable identification (ID) code number; b) rendering said radio frequency-readable code number within a data carrier; c) transposing an input data string from said radio frequency-readable ID code number with a computer input device coupled to said client computer; d) parsing said input data string to determine said file location pointer; and e) utilizing said file location pointer to request the computer file designated thereby.
The invention also includes a computer system comprising: a) a client computer and b) a computer input device coupled to said client computer adapted to read a RFID readable code from a data carrier and transmit to said client computer an input data string; wherein said client computer comprises processing means for transposing said input data string to a plurality of constituent fields, said fields comprising at least a file location pointer; means for utilizing said file location pointer to it request the computer file designated thereby.
The invention preferably utilizes automatic identification and data capture technologies embedded into a smart label or tag with a printed surface, referred to herein as an intelligent label or tag since it stores information used to automatically access the information. The radio frequency-readable identification (ID) comprises encoded source data, wherein the source data comprises application launch information as well as file location information. The source data is encoded and printed, and then distributed by the vendor by any logical means to the end user. The end user then reads the ID code via appropriate radio frequency-reader device equipment, decodes the raw decoded data, and the file location information is then used to access the appropriate file. In a preferred embodiment, a Web browser program is launched, and the URL of the vendor's Web site is accessed through the Internet. Local file retrieval may also be implemented on the client computer itself, as well as over an Intranet or LAN environment
In particular, the present invention is a method and system for a computer, such as a client computer in a networked computer system, to retrieve a computer file in which a symbol data string comprising a file location pointer is encoded into a radio frequency tag such as an RFID silicon tag, and the radio frequency ID is rendered within a data carrier (e.g. printed on an intelligent document). A computer input device such as a RFID reader device (handheld or fixed) is coupled to the client computer and transposes an input data string from the RFID tag. The computer parses the input data string to determine the file location pointer, and the file location pointer is then utilized poin
Cozen & O'Connor
Fein Michael B.
Trieu Van T.
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