Intelligent umbrella or robotic shading system having telephonic communication capabilities

• US 10,488,834 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShadeCraft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ShadeCraft, Inc.
• Inventors: Gharabegian, Armen Sevada
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US15/669,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20180332154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 455 661
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 10/00 Sunshades, e.g. Florentine blinds or jalousies; Outside screens E06B9/26 takes precedence; Awnings or baldachins for caravans B60P3/343; trailer awnings E04H15/08; for tents E04H15/58
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 10/02 of flexible canopy materials, e.g. canvas ; Baldachins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 10/04 with material fixed on sections of a collapsible frame especially Florentine blinds
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 10/06 comprising a roller-blind with means for holding the end away from a building
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 10/10 collapsible or extensible; metallic Florentine blinds; awnings with movable parts such as louvres; shutters E06B9/04; louvre windows E06B7/08
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/02 Tents combined or specially associated with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/28 Umbrella type tents
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/58 Closures; Awnings; Sunshades
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/30 Supporting structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/32 specially adapted for solar tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

An intelligent umbrella comprises shading elements, a support assembly, coupled to the one or more shading elements, to provide support for the one or more shading elements, the support assembly comprising one or more microphones to capture audio commands. The intelligent umbrella further includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules and a cellular telecommunications transceiver, and a base assembly, coupled to the support assembly, to provide contact with a surface. Computer-readable instructions stored in the memory modules are executed by a processor to convert the captured audio commands into one or more audio files, generate one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files based at least in part on the converted one or more audio files, and communicate the one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files via the cellular transceiver to a base station to initiate transmission of a telephone call.

Claims

1. An intelligent umbrella, comprising:

one or more shading elements;

a support assembly, coupled to the one or more shading elements, to provide support for the one or more shading elements, the support assembly comprising one or more microphones to capture audio commands, one or more processors, one or more memory modules and a cellular telecommunications transceiver,

a base assembly, coupled to the support assembly, to provide contact with a surface,

wherein computer-readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules are executable by the one or more processors to;

convert the captured audio commands into one or more audio files;

generate one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files based at least in part on the converted one or more audio files; and

communicate the one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files via the cellular transceiver to a base station to initiate transmission of a telephone call without utilizing a mobile computing device to initiate the telephone call.

2. The intelligent umbrella of claim 1, further comprising a database to store a plurality of names and corresponding plurality of phone numbers associated with a user of the intelligent umbrella.

3. The intelligent umbrella of claim 2, wherein to generate the one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files further comprises computer-readable instructions executable by the one or more processors to:

compare a portion of the one or more audio files to the plurality of names associated with the plurality of phone numbers in the database to identify a telephone number corresponding to the portion of the one or more audio files; and

initiate the transmission of the telephone call to the telephone number corresponding to the portion of the one or more audio files.

4. The intelligent umbrella of claim 3, wherein to generate the one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files further comprises computer-readable instructions executable by the one or more processors to:

generate the one or more analog and/or digital phone transmission files based at least in part on the identified telephone number.

5. An intelligent umbrella, comprising:

one or more shading elements;

a support assembly, coupled to the one or more shading elements, to provide support for the one or more shading elements, the support assembly comprising one or more microphones to capture audio commands, one or more processors, one or more memory modules and a cellular telecommunications transceiver,

a base assembly, coupled to the support assembly, to provide contact with a surface,

wherein computer-readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules are executed by the one or more processors to;

convert the captured audio commands into digital and/or analog audio files;

communicate the digital and/or analog audio files to a computing device, the computing device comprising a telephony software application to convert the communicated digital and/or analog files to analog or digital telephone transmission files, the telephony software application comprising computer-readable instructions executable by one or more processors on the computing device and not utilizing a mobile computing device to communicate the digital and/or analog audio files to the computing device.

6. The intelligent umbrella of claim 5, the support assembly further comprising an inner core assembly and a support assembly skin, wherein the support assembly skin is attached or connected to the inner core assembly.

7. The intelligent umbrella of claim 6, further comprising a wireless communication antenna, the wireless communication antenna coupled or connected to the cellular telecommunications transceiver.

8. The intelligent umbrella of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a coil antenna, the coil antenna coupled and/or connected to the inner core assembly.

9. The intelligent umbrella of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a coil antenna, the coil antenna coupled and/or connected to the support assembly skin.

10. The intelligent umbrella, comprising:

one or more shading elements;

a support assembly, coupled to the one or more shading elements, to provide support for the one or more shading elements, the support assembly comprising one or more microphones to capture audio commands, one or more processors, one or more memory modules and a WiFi telecommunications transceiver,

a base assembly, coupled to the support assembly, to provide contact with a surface,

wherein computer-readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules are executable by the one or more processors to;

convert the captured audio commands into audio files;

generate a plurality of digital telephone packets corresponding to the captured audio files; and

communicate the generated digital telephone packets via the WiFi telecommunications transceiver to a wireless communications router without utilizing a mobile computing device to generate the plurality of digital telephone packets.

11. The intelligent umbrella of claim 10, the support assembly further comprising an inner core assembly and a support assembly skin, wherein the support assembly skin is attached or connected to the inner core assembly.

12. The intelligent umbrella of claim 11, further comprising a wireless communication antenna, the wireless communication antenna coupled or connected to the WiFi telecommunications transceiver.

13. The intelligent umbrella of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a coil antenna, the coil antenna coupled and/or connected to the inner core assembly.

14. The intelligent umbrella of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a coil antenna, the coil antenna coupled and/or connected to the support assembly skin.

15. The intelligent umbrella of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a metallic ring, the metallic ring coupled and/or connected to the support assembly skin.

16. The intelligent umbrella of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication antenna comprises a metallic ring, the metallic ring coupled and/or connected to the inner core assembly.

17. The intelligent umbrella of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication antenna is part of an integrated circuit or printed circuit board.

18. The intelligent umbrella of claim 17, wherein the integrated circuit or printed circuit board also comprises the WiFi communications transceiver.

19. The integrated umbrella of claim 18, wherein the wireless communication antenna is on a separate layer of the integrated circuit or printed circuit board.

20. The integrated umbrella of claim 18, wherein the wireless communication antenna is on a portion of one of the layers of the integrated circuit or printed circuit board.