Apparatus and method to automatically set a master-slave monitoring system

• US 10,107,893 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Thaddeus
• Primary Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US13/198,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20130033363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391, 34053911-53919, 3405392, 34053921-53925, 3405393, 3482111, 34821111-21114, 3482112-2114, 455343, 713320-324
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0208 Combination with audio or video communication, e.g. combination with "baby phone" function
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0238 adding new units to the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS

Abstract

An apparatus is described that can monitor the sounds and voices of infants and children in a house by judicially placing nodes in key locations of the home. The network has intelligence and uses voice recognition to enable, disable, reroute, or alter the network. The network uses voice recognition to follow a child from node to node, monitors the children according to activity and uses memory to delay the voices so the adult can hear the individual conversations. An adult that has been assigned privilege can disable all nodes from any node in the network. Another apparatus can locate an individual by voice recognition or sounds they emit including walking, breathing and even a heartbeat. The sound is detected at several microphones that have a specific positional relationship to a room or an enclosement. Triangulations of the time differences of the audio signal detected by the microphones are used to determine the location or position of the audio source in the room. This information can be used to provide an improved audio delivery system to the individual.

Claims

1. An intelligent network comprising:

a first node of a plurality of nodes assigned as a master node;

all remaining nodes of said plurality of nodes assigned as slave nodes;

said master node coupled by a direct bidirectional link to each one of said slave nodes, wherein

each said slave node exclusively communicates information with another slave node through said master node;

one of said slave nodes assigned by said intelligent network as a current master node;

said first node assigned by said intelligent network as a new slave node; and

said current master node coupled by a new direct bidirectional link to each of said slave nodes.

2. The intelligent network of claim 1, wherein

any one of said slave nodes communicates indirectly to any remaining slave node of said slave nodes through said current master node.

3. The intelligent network of claim 1, wherein

said intelligent network issues an assignment and said current master node notifies all of said slave nodes of said assignment.

4. The intelligent network of claim 3, wherein

said assignment selects a newly assigned master node from one of said slave nodes closest to a user.

5. The intelligent network of claim 4, wherein

said assignment also assigns said current master node as one of said slave nodes.

6. The intelligent network of claim 1, wherein

any one of said slave nodes not actively communicating can be powered down to save power.

7. The intelligent network of claim 1, wherein

said current master node is assigned by sounds emanating from an individual within said intelligent network.

8. An intelligent network of a plurality of nodes comprising:

one of said plurality of nodes assigned as a master node;

all remaining nodes of said plurality of nodes assigned as slave nodes;

a direct bidirectional link couples said master node to each one of said slave nodes;

an indirect bidirectional link couples each said slave node to any other slave node, wherein each said slave node communicates information exclusively with another slave node through said master node;

a node assignment is distributed by said intelligent network to all nodes;

one of said slave nodes is assigned as a new master node by said node assignment;

said master node is assigned as a new slave node by said node assignment; and

a new direct bidirectional link couples said new master node to each one of said slave nodes.

9. The intelligent network of claim 8, wherein

any one of said slave nodes communicates indirectly to any remaining slave node of said slave nodes through said new master node.

10. The intelligent network of claim 8, wherein

said intelligent network issues a new node assignment and said new master node notifies all of said slave nodes of said new node assignment.

11. The intelligent network of claim 10, wherein

said new node assignment assigns a newer master node from one of said slave nodes.

12. The intelligent network of claim 11, wherein

said new node assignment also assigns said new master node as one of said slave nodes.

13. The intelligent network of claim 8, wherein

any one of said slave nodes not actively communicating can be powered down to save power.

14. The intelligent network of claim 8, wherein

said node assignment is determined by sounds emanating from an individual within said intelligent network.