Comprehensive system and method of universal real-time linking of real objects to a machine, network, internet, or software service

• US 10,163,318 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2018
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Linquet Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Linquet Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: H. Kazerouni, Pooya
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US16/005,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20180293865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/782 Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07713 the interface, upon reception of an interrogation signal, being capable of signaling to indicate its position to a user or a detection device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0772 Physical layout of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06281 rewritable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system for detecting placement or misplacement of an object, comprising: a wireless tag; a first set of instructions which cause a first electronic device (“FED”) associated with the tag to automatically detect signals from the tag, determine a position of the FED, transmit the position and status to an external electronic device (“EED”) in response to the status indicating that the tag and the FED are within a predetermined range, and transmit the position and status to the EED in response to the status indicating that the tag and the FED are outside of the predetermined range; a second set of instructions which cause a second electronic device (“SED”) that is unassociated with the tag to automatically detect signals from the tag, determine a position of the SED, determine an identifier for the tag using the signals, and transmit the position and the identifier to the EED.

Claims

1. A system for detecting placement or misplacement of an object, the system comprising:

a wireless tag associated with the object;

a first set of instructions stored in a first non-transitory storage medium, the first set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors in a first electronic device associated with the wireless tag, cause the one or more processors in the first electronic device to automatically;

detect one or more signals from the wireless tag;

determine a position of the first electronic device;

determine a status of the wireless tag in response to a strength or absence of the one or more signals detected by the first electronic device, the status indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range or that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range;

transmit the position of the first electronic device and the status to an external electronic device in response to the status indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within the predetermined range; and

transmit the position of the first electronic device and the status to the external electronic device in response to the status indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside of the predetermined range;

a second set of instructions stored in a second non-transitory storage medium, the second set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors in a second electronic device that is unassociated with the wireless tag, cause the one or more processors in the second electronic device to automatically;

detect one or more signals from the wireless tag;

determine a position of the second electronic device;

determine an identifier for the wireless tag using the one or more signals from the wireless tag; and

transmit the position of the second electronic device and the identifier to the external electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag includes a controller configured to:

monitor signals communicated with the first electronic device;

determine, in response to a strength or absence of signals communicated with the first electronic device and the wireless tag, that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range or that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range; and

render the wireless tag detectable by the second electronic device in response to determining that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined range is a user-defined range.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the external electronic device is configured to communicate the position of the second electronic device to the first electronic device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first set of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors in the first electronic device associated with the wireless tag, cause the one or more processors in the first electronic device to communicate a way to the wireless tag using the position of the second electronic device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the external electronic device is configured to communicate the position of the second electronic device to the first electronic device in response to the status transmitted by the first electronic device indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside of the predetermined range.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is a first wireless tag, wherein the system further comprises a second wireless tag associated with the second electronic device and unassociated with the first electronic device, and wherein the second set of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors in the second electronic device, cause the one or more processors in the second electronic device to automatically:

detect one or more signals from the second wireless tag;

determine a status of the second wireless tag in response to a strength or absence of the one or more signals detected by the second electronic device, the status indicating that the second wireless tag and the second electronic device are within a predetermined range or that the second wireless tag and the second electronic device are outside the predetermined range;

transmit the position of the second electronic device and the status of the second wireless tag to the external electronic device in response to the status of the second wireless tag indicating that the second wireless tag and the second electronic device are within the predetermined range; and

transmit the position of the second electronic device and the status of the second wireless tag to the external electronic device in response to the status of the second wireless tag indicating that the second wireless tag and the second electronic device are outside of the predetermined range.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors in the first electronic device, cause the one or more processors in the first electronic device to automatically:

detect one or more signals from a second wireless tag unassociated with the first electronic device;

determine an identifier for the second wireless tag using the one or more signals from the second wireless tag; and

transmit the position of the first electronic device and the identifier for the second wireless tag to the external electronic device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is configured to transmit encrypted signals to the first electronic device and to the second electronic device.

10. A software module for detecting placement or misplacement of a plurality of objects associated with a plurality of wireless tags using a plurality of electronic devices, the software module comprising instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory storage medium that, when executed by one or more processors of each of the plurality of electronic devices, cause the one or more processors in each electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices to:

communicate signals with a radio transceiver of one or more wireless tags of the plurality of wireless tags;

determine a position of the electronic device;

determine a status for the one or more wireless tags of the plurality of wireless tags in response to a strength or absence of signals received by the electronic device from the one or more wireless tags, each status indicating that a particular wireless tag and the electronic device are within a predetermined range or that the particular wireless tag and the electronic device are outside of the predetermined range;

communicate data for each wireless tag of the plurality of wireless tags associated with the electronic device to an external network in response to the status for each of the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device indicating that the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device and the electronic device are outside the predetermined range, the data including;

the position of the electronic device; and

the status for each of the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device; and

communicate data for each wireless tag of the plurality of wireless tags associated with the electronic device to the external network in response to the status for each of the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device indicating that the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device and the electronic device are within the predetermined range, the data including;

the position of the electronic device; and

the status for each of the one or more wireless tags associated with the electronic device; and

communicate data for each wireless tag of the plurality of wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device to the external network in response to the status for each of the one or more wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device indicating that the one or more wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device and the electronic device are within the predetermined range, the data including;

the position of the electronic device; and

the status for each of the one or more wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device.

11. The software module of claim 10, wherein the data for each wireless tag of the plurality of wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device includes:

an identifier for the each of the one or more wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device; and

a time indicator for each of the one or more wireless tags unassociated with the electronic device, the time indicator identifying when the determined status for the wireless tag indicated that the wireless tag and the electronic device are within the predetermined range.

12. The software module of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of each electronic device, further cause the one or more processors to activate a user interface of the electronic device in response to determining that a status for one or more of the wireless tags has changed.

13. A method for detecting placement or misplacement of objects using a distributed network, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of data from a first electronic device, the first set of data indicating a position of the first electronic device and a first status of a wireless tag, the first status indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range;

receiving a second set of data from the first electronic device, the second set of data indicating a position of the first electronic device and a second status of the wireless tag, the second status indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range;

receiving a set of data from a second electronic device, the set of data from the second electronic device indicating a position of the second electronic device and an identifier of the wireless tag, the set of data from the second electronic device being automatically generated by the second electronic device in response to the second electronic device and the wireless tag being within the predetermined range; and

transmitting to the first electronic device the position of the second electronic device as a position of the wireless tag.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless tag is associated with the first electronic device and is unassociated with the second electronic device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting to a third electronic device the position of the second electronic device as a position of the wireless tag.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting to the third electronic device the position of the second electronic device as the position of the wireless tag is performed in response to the second status of the wireless tag indicating that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range.

17. A system for detecting placement or misplacement of an object, the system comprising:

a wireless tag associated with the object, the wireless tag including an internal power source and a radio transceiver; and

instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory storage medium that, when executed by one or more processors in a first electronic device, cause the one or more processors to;

communicate signals with the radio transceiver of the wireless tag using a radio transmitter in the first electronic device;

determine a position of the first electronic device;

determine a status of the wireless tag in response to a strength or absence of signals received by the first electronic device from the wireless tag, the status indicating when the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range and when the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside of the predetermined range;

communicate data, including the position of the first electronic device and the status to an external electronic device or network in response to the status indicating that the wireless tag and the electronic device are within the predetermined range; and

communicate data, including the position of the first electronic device and the status to the external electronic device or network in response to the status indicating that the wireless tag and the electronic device are outside the predetermined range,

wherein the instructions are a first set of instructions, the system further comprising a second set of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a second electronic device, cause the second electronic device to automatically;

communicate signals with the radio transceiver of the wireless tag using a radio transmitter in the second electronic device when the wireless tag and the second electronic device are within a predetermined range;

determine a position of the second electronic device;

determine an identifier of the wireless tag using the communicated signals; and

communicate the determined identifier and the position of the second electronic device to the external electronic device or network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the determined status includes a time record indicating a time when the wireless tag and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range or a time when the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside of the predetermined range.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless tag is incorporated into the object.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first set of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine a status of the second electronic device in response to a strength or absence of signals received by the first electronic device from the second electronic device, the status indicating when the second electronic device and the first electronic device are within a predetermined range and when the second electronic device and the first electronic device are outside of the predetermined range.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless tag includes a controller configured to monitor the signals communicated with the first electronic device and to render the wireless tag detectable to the second electronic device by communicating signals with the second electronic device in response to determining that the wireless tag and the first electronic device are outside the predetermined range.