Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-03
2001-10-02
Mullen, Thomas (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S539230, C340S572100, C340S870030, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06297737
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless system for conveniently determining the whereabouts of one or more objects and, particularly, to using a mobile terminal, such as a cellular telephone, in such a system.
Remembering the current location of everyday items is challenging, particularly for active people with busy schedules. Being able to quickly locate a purse, briefcase, or set of car keys, may be the difference between being late or on time for an important meeting. Further, it is simply less frustrating when forgotten or misplaced items are easily located.
Various types of systems facilitate determining the location of one or more misplaced items. In particular, various wireless systems include a transmitter unit and a corresponding set of one or more receiving units. Typically, these receiving units have a physical configuration that allows for their convenient attachment to various items of interest. As noted above, such items might include handbags, briefcases, or car keys. In existing schemes, the transmitter unit emits a signal to which one or more receiving units are responsive. Upon receiving the signal from the transmitter unit, a receiving unit emits an audible signal, thereby enabling a person to more easily locate the particular item to which the receiving unit is attached.
While functional, these existing systems have distinct shortcomings. As the basic problem these systems try to solve is largely one of being able to quickly locate various items of interest, adding a transmitting unit to that list of items is counterproductive. Simply, the utility of the transmitting unit lies only in its ability to aid in locating various receiving units attached to various items of interest. Users are therefore forced to remember the location of a device whose only purpose is to help locate other devices. Ironically, users may spend as much time searching for the transmitting unit as might have been expended in an unaided search for the item of interest.
Restricted functionality represents another shortcoming of these existing systems. For example, the transmitting unit sends a one-way signal to one or more of the receiving units and the receiving units simply beep in response. If the receiving unit attached to the item of interest is covered or enclosed by another object, its audible signal may not be noticeable to the searcher. Thus, absent this feedback, the searcher has no indication that the item of interest is even in the searcher's general vicinity and is apt to needlessly extend the search into areas well removed from the item's actual location. Worse, the searcher may erroneously conclude that the item of interest is somewhere else entirely and prematurely end their search.
Another shortcoming of existing systems is the inability to conveniently manage the tracking of multiple objects. Ideally, the transmitting unit would provide the searcher with a convenient interface allowing the searcher to view listings of the various items that have been associated with corresponding receiving units. From this listing, the searcher would be able to pick one or more items and, based on the selected items, the transmitting unit would cause the corresponding receiver units to beep. In general, providing such an interface is impractical because of the expense added to a transmitting unit that, apart from its locating capabilities, provides no value or functionality to a user.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an object locating system that provides users with an indication that a receiving unit physically associated with an item of interest is nearby, even if the audible signal from the receiving unit is somehow muffled or attenuated below the threshold of hearing. Preferably, the object locating system includes a convenient user interface providing straightforward selection of the desired objects, such that the transmitting unit specifically stimulates the receiving units corresponding to the desired objects. Ideally, the object locating system includes a transmitting unit that serves other useful functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes both methods and apparatus for allowing a user to conveniently determine the location of one or more items of interest. A primary device having some form of user interface includes a wireless communications interface adapted to communicate with one or more separate tags, each tag having a compatible wireless communications interface. The user attaches a tag to each item of interest. The tags may assume various physical configurations, such as literal tags for convenient attachment to briefcases and the like, or such as fobs for convenient attachment to key rings and the like. Preferably, the primary device is a mobile terminal, such as a cellular telephone, and includes a Bluetooth wireless transceiver for communicating with the tags. In turn, the tags include corresponding, compatible Bluetooth interfaces. In this preferred embodiment, the mobile terminal and tags together form a Bluetooth piconet, with the tags functioning as slaves in the piconet.
To determine the location of a particular item, the user identifies the desired item using the mobile terminal interface. The mobile terminal might, for example, display a menu that lists all tags and their corresponding items. After the user picks the desired item, the mobile terminal emits a polling signal via its Bluetooth interface. Information in the polling signal allows the tag corresponding to the desired item to determine that the poll is directed to it. Upon receipt of this polling signal, the tag emits a loud beep or other acoustic signal. By homing in on the audible signal, the user is able to locate the tag and its corresponding item of interest. Additionally, the polled tag returns an acknowledgment to the mobile terminal, allowing the mobile terminal to convey a found message or signal to the user. This found signal enables the mobile terminal to affirm to the user that the desired item is within range of the polling signal, and is particularly meaningful if the acoustic signal from the polled tag is muffled or otherwise attenuated.
Preferably, the tags themselves include a poll switch that, when actuated by the user, allows an individual tag to poll the mobile terminal. In this manner, any tag may be used to assist the user in locating the mobile terminal. In response to receiving a locator poll from a tag, the mobile terminal emits an acoustic signal, thereby allowing the user to conveniently locate it. Additionally, the mobile terminal returns a found signal to the polling tag, allowing the polling tag to convey a found indicator to the user. Ideally, the polling tags include a visual indicator, such as an LED, to indicate the found response. Optionally, the tags may indicate the found response via acoustic signaling.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4918425 (1990-04-01), Greenberg et al.
patent: 5673023 (1997-09-01), Smith
patent: 5680105 (1997-10-01), Hedrick
patent: 5939981 (1999-08-01), Renney
patent: 6084517 (2000-07-01), Rabanne et al.
patent: 6133832 (2000-10-01), Winder et al.
Article entitled “Bluetooth—The Universal Radio Interface for Ad Hoc, Wireless Connectivity” from No. 3, 1998 edition of Ericsson Review journal (8 pages).
Coats & Bennett
Ericsson Inc
Mullen Thomas
LandOfFree
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