Systems, methods, and apparatus for monitoring a container associated with an item

• US 20030122670A1
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Edith H., Willner, Barry E., Yu, Philip Shi-lung, Greene, David P., Chapman, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,116,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to monitor a container associated with an item. According to one embodiment, an indication that a container has been opened is received. For example, the container may transmit a signal when a person opens the container to access an item. Based on the received indication, ownership of the item may be transferred and/or another item may be provided (e.g., to the person who opened the container). According to other embodiments, item quality information, item warranty information, and/or security information are determined based on the received indication. According to still other embodiments, a sender receives a notification based on the indication or the indication is recorded as an acceptance of an agreement. In yet another embodiment, the indication is used to verify that the container was opened in accordance with an item requirement.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

arranging for ownership of the item to be transferred based on the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ownership is transferred to at least one of:

(i) a person who opened the container, and (ii) a party associated with the container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said arranging comprises:

arranging for a party to provide payment in exchange for the item based on the indication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the payment is associated with at least one of:

(i) a purchase, (ii) a license, (iii) a loan, and (iv) a rental.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises:

receiving a signal generated by a remote transmitting device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmitting device does not transmit a signal when the container is subsequently re-opened.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the transmitting device is associated with at least one of:

(i) a radio transmitter, (ii) a photosensitive device, (iii) a pressure sensitive device, (iv) a conductive element attached to an enclosure, (v) a seal having a conductive element, (vi) a seal having a non-conductive element, and (vii) a flexible printed circuit board device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the signal at a controller via a communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication includes at least one of:

(i) a party identifier, (ii) an item identifier, (iii) an item category, (iv) a container identifier, (v) a date, (vi) a time, and (vii) location information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is received via at least one of:

(i) a wireless network, (ii) an Internet protocol network, (iii) a Bluetooth network, and (iv) a cellular network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the container to a party without receiving payment in exchange for the item.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

arranging for the party to provide security deposit information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the security deposit information comprises at least one of:

(i) a credit card number, (ii) a debit card number, (iii) a bank account number, (iv) digital payment protocol information, and (v) an address.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the item comprises at least one of:

(i) a consumer item, (ii) a consumable item, (iii) paper, (iv) toner, (v) energy, (vi) food, (vii) a medical item, (viii) medicine, (ix) disposable contact lenses, (x) a software program, (xi) an entertainment item, (xii) text information, (xiii) audio information, (xiv) image information, (xv) an information storage item, (xvi) a regulated item, and (xvii) a financial item.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the container comprises at least one of:

(i) a package, (ii) a wrapper, (iii) a box, (iv) a bag, (v) a bottle, (vi) a can, (vii) an envelope, (viii) a label, (ix) a tag, and (x) a tie.

16. A computer implemented method of monitoring a disposable package containing a consumable item, comprising:

providing the disposable package to a consumer without receiving payment in exchange for the consumable item;

receiving an indication that the disposable package has been opened; and

arranging for the consumer to provide payment in exchange for the consumable item based on the indication.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device in communication with said processor and storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to;

receive an indication that a container has been opened, and

arrange for ownership of an item associated with the container to be transferred based on the indication.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said storage device further stores a container status database.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a communication device coupled to said processor and adapted to communicate with at least one of;

(i) a container, (ii) a local device, (iii) a controller, and (iv) a payment device.

20. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to perform a method of monitoring a container associated with an item, said method comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

arranging for ownership of the item to be transferred based on the indication.

21. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

arranging for another item to be provided based on the indication.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said arranging comprises arranging for another item to be provided to at least one of:

(i) a party associated with the container, (ii) an owner of the container, (iii) a person who opened the container, and (iv) a destination associated with the container.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the party has access to a plurality of containers and said arranging is performed after a pre-determined number of indications are received.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a rate of usage based on the indication.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the rate of usage is associated with at least one of:

(i) a party associated with the container, (ii) an owner of the container, (iii) a person who opened the container, and (iv) a destination associated with the container.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

reporting the rate of usage to a party associated with the container.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said reporting is performed at least one of:

(i) periodically, (ii) a single time, (iii) when the rate of usage is less than a minimum pre-determined threshold amount, and (iv) when the rate of usage is more than a predetermined maximum threshold amount.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication comprises at least one of:

(i) an indication of a number of containers that have been opened, and (ii) an indication of a number of containers remaining.

29. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

determining item quality information based on the indication.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said determining is based on the date the indication was received.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said determining is further based on a date associate with at least one of:

(i) creation of the item, (ii) packaging of the item, (iii) sale of the item, and (iv) delivery of the item.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

transmitting an indication of the item quality information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication of the item quality information is transmitted to at least one of:

(i) a party associated with the container, (ii) an owner of the container, (iii) a person who opened the container, and (iv) a destination associated with the container.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication is transmitted at least one of:

(i) periodically, (ii) a single time, and (iii) when the item quality information is less than a predetermined minimum item quality.

35. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

determining item warranty information based on the indication.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the item warranty information comprises an effective date based on the date the container was opened by a consumer.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the warranty information is associated with a return policy.

38. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

determining security information based on the indication.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the security information is associated with at least one of:

(i) tampering, (ii) theft, and (iii) an insurance policy.

40. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item sent from a sender to a destination party, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

arranging for the sender to receive a notification based on the indication.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said arranging comprises:

transmitting the notification to the sender when the indication is received.

42. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving an indication that the container has been opened; and

recording the indication as an acceptance of an agreement associated with the item.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the item is associated with a software program and the agreement comprises a license to use the software program.

44. A method of monitoring a remote container associated with an item, comprising:

receiving a signal indicating that the container has been opened, the signal being generated by a transmitting device that does not transmit a signal when the container is subsequently re-opened; and

verifying that the container was opened in accordance with an item requirement.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

transmitting an alert if the container was not opened in accordance with the item requirement.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the alert is transmitted to at least one of:

(i) a person who opened the container, (ii) a party associated with the item, and (iii) a third party.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the item is associated with a medical treatment program.

48. A container, comprising:

an enclosure; and

a transmitting device adapted to transmit a signal when the enclosure is opened, wherein the transmitting device does not transmit a signal when the enclosure is subsequently re-opened.

49. The container of claim 48, wherein the enclosure comprises at least one of:

(i) a package, (ii) a wrapper, (iii) a box, (iv) a bag, (v) a bottle, (vi) a can, (vii) an envelope, (viii) a label, (ix) a tag, and (x) a tie.

50. The container of claim 48, wherein the transmitting device is associated with at least one of:

(i) radio transmitter, (ii) a photosensitive device, (iii) a pressure sensitive device, (iv) a conductive element attached to the enclosure, (v) a seal having a conductive element, (vi) a seal having a non-conductive element, (vii) a disposable transmitter, and (viii) a flexible printed circuit board device.

51. The container of claim 48, wherein the transmitting device does not transmit the signal if a pre-determined number of other containers are present.