Method and device to track objects

• US 10,158,728 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanBlon, Russell Speight, Nicholson, John Weldon, Qian, Ming, Wang, Song
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US15/690,782
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A computer implemented method, device and computer program device are provided that are under control of one or more processors and are configured with executable instructions. The method collects tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of the object. The tracking data associates with an object. The method further compares the tracking data to one or more templates to identify the object, determines a location associated with the object based on the comparing and outputs, from an electronic device, a response indicative of the location of the object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

collecting tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object, the tracking data represents audio-based tracking data collected from a microphone of the one or more tracking devices;

comparing the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object, wherein the comparing comprises comparing the audio-based tracking data to one or more audio-based templates that include audio signatures produced by the object;

determining a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

outputting, from an electronic device, a response indicative of the location of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking data and one or more templates further include one or more of image-based, voice-based or gesture-based.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio-based tracking data represents a voice-based tracking data collected from the microphone of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprising comparing the voice-based tracking data to one or more voice-based templates that include one or more words or phrases related to the object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a user prompt from the electronic device to enter a user specific template related to the object, and recording the user specific template.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a designation of one or more pickup zone, drop-off zone or secure zone, and determining when the object of interest is located at the one or more designated pickup zone, drop-off zone or secure zone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting comprises outputting an identification of a location and time at which the object was identified by the corresponding tracking device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user request to locate the object, the user request having a first access level from multiple access levels, identifying whether the object is located in a secure area associated with the first access level, and outputting the user response based on the identifying.

8. A method, comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

collecting tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object;

comparing the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object;

determining a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

outputting, from an electronic device, a response indicative of the location of the object, wherein the object represents a passive object, the tracking data representing image-based tracking data collected from a camera of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprises comparing the image-based tracking data to one or more image-based templates that include images of the passive object.

9. A method, comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

collecting tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object;

comparing the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object;

determining a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

outputting, from an electronic device, a response indicative of the location of the object, wherein the tracking data represents gesture-based tracking data collected from a gesture monitoring circuit of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprising comparing the gesture-based tracking data to one or more gesture-based templates that include user movement patterns in connection with handling the object.

10. A device, comprising:

a user interface;

a processor;

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor performs the following;

collect tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object;

compare the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object;

determine a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

output, from the user interface, a response indicative of the location of the object,

wherein the tracking data represents audio-based tracking data collected from a microphone of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprises comparing the audio-based tracking data to one or more audio-based templates that include audio signatures produced by the object.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the tracking data and one or more templates further comprises one or more of image-based, voice-based or gesture-based.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the tracking data represents voice-based tracking data collected from a microphone of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprising comparing the voice-based tracking data to one or more voice-based templates that include one or more words or phrases related to the device.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the memory stores a user specific template related to the object.

14. A device, comprising:

a user interface;

a processor;

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor performs the following;

collect tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object;

compare the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object;

determine a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

output, from the user interface, a response indicative of the location of the object, wherein the object represents a passive object, the tracking data represents image-based tracking data collected from a camera of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprises comparing the image-based tracking data to one or more image-based templates that include images of the passive object.

15. A device, comprising:

a user interface;

a processor;

a memory storing program instructions accessible by the processor, wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions, the processor performs the following;

collect tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of an object, the tracking data associate with the object;

compare the tracking data to one or more templates associated with a type of object to identify the object;

determine a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

output, from the user interface, a response indicative of the location of the object, wherein the tracking data represents gesture-based tracking data collected from a gesture monitoring circuit of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprising comparing the gesture-based tracking data to one or more gesture-based templates that include user movement patterns in connection with handling the object.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-signal computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable code to perform:

collecting tracking data from one or more tracking devices independent of the object, the tracking data associated with an object;

comparing the tracking data to one or more templates from a set of templates associated with different types of objects to identify the object;

determining a location associated with the object based on the comparing; and

outputting, from an electronic device, a response indicative of the location of the object;

wherein the tracking data represents audio-based tracking data collected from a microphone of the one or more tracking devices, the comparing comprises comparing the audio-based tracking data to one or more audio-based templates that include audio signatures produced by the object.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the tracking data and one or more templates further comprise one or more of image-based, voice-based or gesture-based.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising a tracking log that includes an object identifier, a timestamp at which the tracking data was collected, a location associated with the tracking device that collected the tracking data, and a confidence level associated with the tracking data.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the tracking log maintains a running list of multiple entries associated with the object over time.