Multi-level hierarchical radio-frequency communication system
First Claim
1. A multi-level digital data communication system including:
- at least one data communication device comprising means, responsive to instructional codes, for processing digital data messages having address codes and data codes and for routing said data messages, means for storing digital data messages coupled to said processing means, first means for communicating said data messages as first type radio frequency transmission signals, and second means for communicating said data messages as second type radio frequency transmission signals, said first and second radio frequency communication means being communicatively coupled to said processing means for selectively transmitting and receiving data messages to and from each of said first and second radio frequency communication means;
at least one first type data terminal device comprising first communication means for communicating said data messages as said first type radio frequency transmission signals, and means, coupled to said first communication means of said data terminal device, for transducing data signals of data messages of communication between said at least one data communication device and said at least one first type data terminal device; and
at least one data communication interface device comprising second means for communicating said data messages at said second type radio frequency transmission signals, and third means for communicating said data messages to a data station.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Portable measuring devices which communicate by low power transceivers through a communication controller with a printer device collect weight and size data on articles to be shipped. The collected weight and size data are combined with origin and destination data, and labels are printed bearing pertinent shipping and routing information in machine readable format. The labels are attached to the articles to be shipped and accompany the articles to their respective destinations. At transfer points the labels are read by scanner devices which also communicate by low power transceiver links with the communication controller. The wireless linking of the scanner devices promotes human safety by the absence of cords which could cause entanglement of an operator in mechanized conveying equipment. The communication controllers at each stage of the shipping process have the capability of transferring received and updated status information on the shipped articles to a central data station.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. A multi-level digital data communication system including:
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at least one data communication device comprising means, responsive to instructional codes, for processing digital data messages having address codes and data codes and for routing said data messages, means for storing digital data messages coupled to said processing means, first means for communicating said data messages as first type radio frequency transmission signals, and second means for communicating said data messages as second type radio frequency transmission signals, said first and second radio frequency communication means being communicatively coupled to said processing means for selectively transmitting and receiving data messages to and from each of said first and second radio frequency communication means;
at least one first type data terminal device comprising first communication means for communicating said data messages as said first type radio frequency transmission signals, and means, coupled to said first communication means of said data terminal device, for transducing data signals of data messages of communication between said at least one data communication device and said at least one first type data terminal device; and
at least one data communication interface device comprising second means for communicating said data messages at said second type radio frequency transmission signals, and third means for communicating said data messages to a data station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 44)
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17. A data communication system comprising the combination of:
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at least one first type data terminal device including first means for communicating digital data messages having address codes and data codes at first type radio frequency transmission signals, and means, coupled to said first radio frequency communication means of said data terminal device, for transducing data signals; and
a data communication device including first means for communicating data messages at said first type radio frequency transmission signals, said first radio frequency communication means of said data communication device and said first radio frequency communication means of said at least one data terminal device constituting a radio frequency communication link between said at least one data terminal device and said data communication device, means, communicatively coupled to said first radio frequency communication means of said communication device, for processing data messages and including, means responsive to instructional codes and to predetermined ones of the address codes for routing data messages to said first radio frequency communication means of said communication device for communication over said link to said at least one data terminal device, means, coupled to said processing means, or storing digital data including processed digital data and digital data messages, and second means for communicating data messages at second type radio frequency transmission signals, said second radio frequency communication means being communicatively coupled to said processing means. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A data communication device comprising:
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means responsive to instructional codes for processing digital data messages having address codes and data codes and for routing said data messages, means for storing digital data messages coupled to said processing means, first means for communicating said data messages at first type radio frequency transmission signals, and second means for communication said data messages at second type radio frequency transmission signals, said first and second radio frequency communication means being communicatively coupled to said processing means for selectively transmitting and receiving data messages to and from each of said first and second radio frequency communication means. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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36. A method of communicating data messages including addresses codes, further instructional codes and data codes interactively by radio frequency transmission among data terminal devices in proximity of one another and to a remote host computer, the method comprising:
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communicating data messages at a first radio frequency and at a low power level between any selected one of said data terminal devices and a predetermined controlling device;
reading and interpreting a sequence of the address codes and instructional codes of the data messages communicated at the first radio frequency to the predetermined controlling device;
based on an interpretation of the address codes and instructional codes of the data messages, selecting the data messages to be sent to first type transmitter for a low power level radio frequency transmission to a selected one of said data terminal devices; and
re-addressing the selected ones of said data messages received by said controlling device at said controlling device, communicating said re-addressed data messages by said controlling device selectively to a first type transmitter for a low power level radio frequency transmission to a selected one of said data terminal devices, and, upon interpretation of an address code that the data message is to be communicated to the remote host computer, selectively routing the data messages to a second type transmitter for a high power level radio frequency transmission to the selected remote host computer. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A method of communicating digital data messages between devices of a communication system, the devices of the system having transceivers capable of sending and receiving data messages, thereby rendering each device capable of becoming a data message originating device and a data message destination device of the communication system, the communication system of such devices including at least a plurality of first type data terminal devices, at least one first type communication device, a second type data communication interface device and a data processing device communicatively coupled to said second type data communication interface device, the method comprising:
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generating data message for communication from an originating device of said communication system to a destination device of said communication system;
communicating any data messages generated by said first type data terminal devices at a first communication level to said at least one first type data communication device;
communicating any data message originating from said data processing device through said data communication interface device and at a second communication level to said at least one first type data communication device;
re-addressing data messages received by said at least one first type data communication device to the respective destination device; and
communicating re-addressed data messages from said first type data communication device at said first communication level to the respective destination data terminal device, and at said second communication level through said data communication interface device to the destination data processing device.
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39. A multi-level wireless communication system for facilitating user work operations, comprising:
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(a) a remote data station at a remote location, the remote data station having a first wireless transceiver, (b) a mobile data station at a work location closer to a work site than to the remote data station, the mobile data station having a second wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with the first wireless transceiver, a third wireless transceiver, and local processor and memory means, and (c) data terminal means for use at a work site by a user, said data terminal means having a fourth wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with the third wireless transceiver at the mobile data station, (d) said data terminal means comprising a portable data terminal adapted to be at the work site with a user during the actual course of a work operation, and (e) the local processing and memory means of the mobile data station being in addition to any processing and storing means adapted to be carried by a user during the course of an actual work operation, and providing, in addition to communication functions local data processing services at the work location for assisting the work operation at the work site.
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40. In a data communication system,
(a) a mobile data station at a work location in proximity to a work site, the mobile data station having a first wireless transceiver for data communication within a local area, and local processor and memory means having data processing power for assisting in a work operation at the work site, (b) data terminal means for use at a work site by a user, said data terminal means having second wireless transceiver means adapted for wireless data communication wit the first wireless transceiver at the mobile data station, (c) said data terminal means comprising a torso mounted component adapted for mounting on the torso of the user so as to be readily carried by the user in a hands-free manner, (d) said data terminal means further comprising a user carried and user directed data terminal component adapted to be oriented with movement of a user body part and controlled by a user in effecting a work operation at a work site, and (e) means comprising said second wireless transceiver means for providing wireless data communication between said local processor and memory means said torso mounted component and said user carried and user directed component such that the data processing power of the local processor and memory means can assist in a work operation at the work site.
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41. In a data communication system:
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(a) a mobile local data processing unit adapted to be carried by an individual person to a work location, said mobile local data processing unit having communication local processing and local memory means and a portable power supply for providing operating power to said communication, local processing and local memory means, (b) plural portable data terminal means having respective individual power sources so that the respective data terminal means are separately transportable in conducting work operations in the vicinity of the mobile local data processing unit, and (c) local wireless coupling means comprising wireless transceiver associated with the communication, local processing and local memory means, and carried with the respective portable data terminal means and respectively powered by the portable power supply and the respective individual power sources, said respective portable data terminal means having respective transducers coupled with said communication, local processing and local memory means by means of said local wireless coupling means so as to supply data to the communication local processing and local memory means, (d) said communication, local processing and local memory means, in addition to its communication functions, having processing power to process the data from the respective transducers at the mobile local data processing unit for assisting the local work operations at the work location. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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43. In a data communication system
(a) a mobile local data processing unit adapted to be transported to a work location and containing a mobile power supply of relatively high capacity so as to readily support communication and local data processing activities, (b) plural portable data terminal means having respective individual power sources of relatively lower capacity and of weight suited to being carried by an individual user in conducting work operations in the vicinity of the mobile local data processing unit, and (c) local wireless coupling means comprising a wireless transceiver associated with the mobile local data processing unit and powered by the mobile power supply, and respectively wireless transceivers associated with the respective portable data terminal means and powered by the respectively individual power sources, said respective portable data terminal means comprising respective data transducers or wireless direct data coupling with the mobile local data processing unit for the interchange of data therewith independently of any higher order communication link associated with the mobile local data processing unit, (d) said mobile local data processing unit having local processing and memory means providing, in addition to its communication processing functions in conjunction with the associated wireless transceivers and any higher order communication link, local processing power for interacting with the respective transducers so as to directly assist local work operations being conducted by means of the respective portable data terminal means.
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45. In a data communication system, a data collection and article tracking system comprising:
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data collection means including means for recording weight and linear dimensions of an article in the form of electronic binary data, and including low power communication means for transmitting data messages including such binary data of weight and linear dimensions of the article;
printer means for printing machine readable labels and including low power communication means for transmitting control codes to the low power communication means of the data collection means and for receiving the transmitted data messages. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47)
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48. In a data communication system, a data collection and article tracking system comprising:
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a first data terminal device including a low power communication transceiver, means for controlling low power communication among a plurality of data terminal devices each including a low power communication transceiver, and receptacle means for removably receiving a second data terminal device, the receptacle means including means for communicatively contacting the second data terminal device to the first data terminal device upon insertion of the second data terminal device into the receptacle;
a second data terminal device including a low power communication transceiver, and including external terminal means for communicatively contacting the communicative contacting means of the first data terminal device upon insertion of the second data terminal device into the receptacle of the first data terminal device;
means for deactivating the low power communication transceiver of the second data terminal device when the second data terminal device is inserted into the receptacle of the first data terminal device; and
at least one data collection device including a low power communication transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification