Mesh network applied to fixed establishment with movable items therein

• US 10,127,601 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Milne, James R., Carlsson, Gregory Peter, Zustak, Frederick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Champagne, Luna
• Application Number:
  US14/332,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20160019515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Mesh node modules are associated with movable and fixed items in a building such as a grocery store or factory floor to maintain a database of the locations of those items as they are processed through the establishment. The items form a mesh network and relay location information through access points, when in range, to control/monitoring computers.

Claims

1. System comprising:

a mesh network dynamically established among first computerized node modules operatively engaged with respective movable objects in a building, at least some of the first computerized node modules communicating at least respective location information among each other;

at least some of the movable objects being goods associated with respective customers;

at least one monitoring computer adapted for receiving location information from at least the first computerized node modules of respective goods via at least one access point (AP) communicating with at least one of the first computerized node modules, the AP being on a mobile container configured for holding the goods; and

at least one consumer electronics (CE) device adapted with program instructions to download an application from the monitoring computer automatically, the CE device executing the application to provide its network address to the monitoring computer and to update the monitoring computer with location information of the CE device, the monitoring computer, based on the location information received from the CE device according to the application, correlating the CE device location with the container based on the CE device location being closest to the container than it is to other containers, the monitoring computer communicating with a CE device network address based on identifying that the container is present at a check-out station.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising second computerized node modules operatively engaged with immovable items in the building and at least one first computerized node module communicating with at least one second computerized node module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computerized node modules (FCNM) are located in a store, and respective movable items communicate with a node module operatively engaged with a mobile container in which the FCNM are located.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the node module operatively engaged with a mobile container in which the FCNM are located is adapted with program instructions to communicate item data from the movable items in the mobile container to a checkout station node module.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the item data includes item type.

6. The system of claim 4, comprising a computer adapted with program instructions to add prices for the movable items in the mobile container and present a sum representative thereof on a display.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer is adapted with program instructions to cause the display to present a “

yes”

selector selectable to agree to pay the sum and a “

no”

selector selectable to decline to pay the sum.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computerized node modules (FCNM) are located in a factory.

8. The system of 7, wherein the display is a display of the CE device.

10. A method comprising:

establishing a mesh network among first computerized node modules operatively engaged with respective movable objects in a building;

at least some of the movable objects being customers and some of the movable objects being goods associated with respective customers;

correlating location information of customers to location information of respective goods associated with the customers;

receiving location information from at least the first computerized node modules associated with respective goods via at least one access point (AP) communicating with at least one of the first computerized node modules, the AP being on a container configured for holding the goods;

downloading an application to at least one consumer electronics (CE) device automatically, the CE device executing the application to provide its network address to a monitoring computer and to update the monitoring computer with location information of the CE device, the monitoring computer, based on the location information received from the CE device according to the application, correlating the CE device location with the container based on the CE device location being closest to the container than it is to other containers, the monitoring computer communicating with a CE device network address based on identifying that the container is present at a check-out station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein second computerized node modules are operatively engaged with immovable items in the building and at least one first computerized node module communicates with at least one second computerized node module.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first computerized node modules (FCNM) are located in a store, and the method comprises respective movable items communicating with a node module operatively engaged with a mobile container in which the FCNM are located.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the node module operatively engaged with a mobile container in which the FCNM are located, and the method comprises communicating item data from the movable items in the mobile container to a checkout station node module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the item data includes item type.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising adding prices for the movable items in the mobile container and presenting a sum representative thereof on a display.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising causing the display to present a “

yes”

selector selectable to agree to pay the sum and a “

no”

selector selectable to decline to pay the sum.