Wearable charm anti-theft system with an environmentally sensitive sensory alert

• US 10,339,774 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charm Alarm LLC
• Original Assignee: Charm Alarm LLC
• Inventors: Jenkins, Diane, Tarnoff, Harry, Juran, Warren
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US16/055,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20180350211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721, 34053921, 34053923, 34053915, 3406861
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1472 with force or weight detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03
• 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 21/0216 Alarm cancellation after generation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0225 Monitoring making use of different thresholds, e.g. for different alarm levels
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0233 System arrangements with pre-alarms, e.g. when a first distance is exceeded
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]

Abstract

An anti-theft proximity alert system that includes a wearable smart charm with a charm housing, and an object monitor with a housing, an environmental sensor to detect an ambient environmental condition, and a controller with at least one environmental operating instruction to adjust the output of a sensory alert based upon detected environmental conditions.

Claims

1. An anti-theft proximity alert system comprising:

a wearable smart charm and an object monitor;

said wearable smart charm having an ornamental charm housing;

wherein said ornamental charm housing contains an environmental sensor, a sensory alert, an alarm controller, an alarm communicator capable of receiving a radio frequency proximity signal transmitted from said object monitor, at least one operating instruction to determine a measure of said radio frequency proximity signal, at least one alarm operating instruction to determine if said measure satisfies a threshold alert criterion, and at least one environmental operating instruction to adjust the output of said sensory alert based upon an environmental condition detected by said environmental sensor.

2. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 1 wherein said environment sensor is a light sensor capable of sensing the ambient level of light, said sensory alert is a visual sensory alert, and said at least one environmental operating instruction adjusts the output of said visual sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient light.

3. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 2 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the output brightness of said visual sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient light.

4. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 2 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the output color of said visual sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient light.

5. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 2 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the frequency of a pulsed output of said visual sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient light.

6. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 1 wherein said environment sensor is an acoustic sensor capable of sensing the ambient level of audio noise, said sensory alert is an auditory sensory alert, and said at least one environmental operating instruction adjusts the output of said auditory sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient audio noise.

7. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 6 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the volume of said auditory sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient acoustic noise.

8. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 6 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the frequency of said auditory sensory alert based on the detected level of ambient acoustic noise.

9. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 1 wherein said environment sensor is a motion sensor capable of sensing the motion of said object monitor, said sensory alert is a vibrating sensory alert, and said at least one environmental operating instruction adjusts the output of said vibrating sensory alert based on the detected level of motion.

10. The anti-theft proximity alert system of claim 9 wherein said environmental operating instruction adjusts the amplitude of vibrations for said vibrating sensory alert based on the detected level of motion.