Wireless data management system

• US 20040223660A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topaz Systems Inc
• Original Assignee: Topaz Systems Inc
• Inventors: Zank, Anthony E., Jacques, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/277
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/36 Other devices for indicating or controlling movements of carriers, e.g. for supervising individual tube sections, for counting carriers, for reporting jams or other operating difficulties
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/30 Writer recognition; Reading and verifying signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/025 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses absence of reply signal after an elapsed time

Abstract

A portable electronic data management and transport system includes a base unit and a wireless remote unit that incorporates, e.g., a graphic tablet digitizer for signaling signature data to a personal computer.

Claims

1. A transport system, comprising:

a housing having an exterior surface and an interior surface, said housing comprising;

a compartment inside the housing; and

a door attached to the housing which provides access to the compartment;

a device for capturing data in electronic form in said compartment;

a wireless communications device for communicating data from the device for capturing data to a second device; and

a memory for storing said data.

2. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the memory is contained in the device for capturing data.

3. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the memory is contained in a stylus.

4. The transport system of claim 1, further comprising the second device, wherein the memory is contained in the second device.

5. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the memory is contained in the wireless communications device.

6. The transport system of claim 5, wherein the memory is a storage buffer.

7. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the door is an integral part of the housing.

8. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the housing is adapted to be transported through a pneumatic tube.

9. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the compartment is adapted to transport medication for an individual.

10. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the compartment is adapted to carry a stylus.

11. The transport system of claim 10, wherein the stylus is reversibly attached to a surface of the compartment.

12. The transport system of claim 11, wherein the surface of the compartment has attached thereto a first piece of hook-and-loop material and the stylus has attached thereto a corresponding second piece of hook-and-loop material to which the first piece becomes reversibly bound when brought into contact with the second piece.

13. The transport system of claim 10, wherein the compartment further comprises a foam material adapted to restrain the stylus when the door is in a closed position.

14. The transport system of claim 1, additionally comprising a global positioning system.

15. The transport system of claim 14, wherein the global positioning system provides location data to a computer in the housing, and wherein a remote alarm circuit is activated by the remote computer when the location data indicates that the housing is beyond a predetermined distance from a predetermined location.

16. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the device for capturing data is fixedly attached to the compartment.

17. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the device for capturing data is reversibly attached to the compartment.

18. The transport system of claim 1, further comprising an optical switch, said switch comprising:

a pair of posts attached to a surface of the compartment, wherein one of said posts includes an infrared emitting diode and the other of said posts includes a sensor, and wherein a beam of infrared light is transmitted from the diode to the sensor; and

an opaque material attached to the door,

wherein when the door is in a closed position the opaque material is positioned in between the pair of posts and blocks the beam of infrared light.

19. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of fingerprint data, signature data, voiceprint data, data in magnetic form, digital photographic data, alphanumeric data, data from a breathalyzer, and data stored in a smart card.

20. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the device for capturing data in electronic form is adapted to detect data which indicates that a user of the device is under duress.

21. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the second device includes a receiver.

22. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the second device includes a transceiver.

23. A transport system, comprising:

a housing having an exterior surface and an interior surface, said housing comprising;

a compartment inside the housing; and

a door attached to the housing which provides access to the compartment, wherein the door and compartment cooperate to provide a watertight seal when the door is in a closed position;

a device for capturing data in electronic form in said compartment; and

a communications device for communicating data from the device for capturing data to a second device.

24. The transport system of claim 23, wherein the communications device is a wireless communications device.

25. The transport system of claim 23, wherein the communications device is an infrared device.