Signaling article identification system

• US 20030048196A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David E. Lieberman
• Original Assignee: David E. Lieberman
• Inventors: Lieberman, David E.
• Application Number:
  US10/231,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20030048196A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.49
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A jostle-responsive object finder system including a user carryable and activatable code-signal wireless transmitter, and an activatible signal receiver within an object unit which is attachable to an object of the user'"'"'s choice, and responsive to such a code signal, but only after the occurrence of a jostle action which is delivered to the object unit, to initiate an attention-getting response detectable by the user.

Claims

1. A jostle-responsive object finder system comprising

an activatable transmitter carryable by a user, operable to transmit a defined wireless coded signal, and

an activatible receiver attachable to an object of the user'"'"'s choice, said receiver, when activated, being responsive to such a defined coded signal, but only after the occurrence of a pre-determined-level jostle action which is delivered to said receiver.

2. A jostle-responsive object finder system comprising

a user unit carryable by a user, and including an activatable first transmitter operable under user control to transmit a defined wireless coded signal,

an object unit attachable to an object of the user'"'"'s choice, and including an activatable first receiver placeable selectively in either a non-reception or a reception state, placement of said first receiver in its said reception state occurring in relation to a predetermined-level jostle action delivered to said object unit, such a reception state being characterized by a first defined timing cycle, said first receiver including a coded-signal receiver/decoder operable, with said first receiver being in its said reception state, to receive and decode a then-received defined coded signal transmitted by said first transmitter, and

user attention-getting response structure operatively associated with said receiver/decoder in said object unit, and operable, upon reception and decoding of such a defined coded signal which occurs within said first defined timing cycle, to effect a user attention-getting response.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said object unit further includes structure which is operable, in response to the effecting of a user attention-getting response, to confine the length of that response to a second defined timing cycle.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said second defined timing cycle is shorter than said first defined timing cycle.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said attention-getting response takes the form of a blinking light carried by said object unit.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said attention-getting response takes the form of a blinking light carried by said object unit.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said attention-getting response structure in said object unit includes a second wireless signal transmitter, said user unit includes a second receiver which is operatively associated with said second transmitter, and said attention-getting response takes the form of a visual indication produced at the location of said user unit via signal transmission from said second transmitter to said second receiver.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said attention-getting response takes the form of a blinking light associated with the site of said user unit.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said attention-getting response includes content effectively possessing a directional indication of the location of said second receiver relative to the location of said second transmitter.

10. The system of claim 3 which is designed whereby, if a second predetermined-level jostle action is delivered to said first receiver during the existence of a first defined timing cycle, a new first defined timing cycle is begun.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the transmission by said first transmitter of a second defined coded signal during the existence of a second defined timing cycle initiates a new second defined timing cycle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the occurrence of a such a second defined coded signal also initiates a new first defined timing cycle.

13. A method relating to signal locating of a selected article comprising

attaching to the article a wireless coded-signal response device having both non-reception and reception states regarding an appropriately transmitted wireless coded signal, and normally occupying its said non-reception state, and

equipping that device to react to an article-experienced motion event to place the device in its said reception state.